He Yao heard him and thought, when did you become so gossipy? Asking about things you shouldn't, regardless of whether it's appropriate for your status.
Don't forget you have a girlfriend, please keep your distance from me, okay?
"I don't think my private matters need to be reported to you, do they? Let me be clear, I don't have money. Other than street food stalls and roadside stalls, I can't afford anything else. You can choose between those two."
Zhan Jingrui could tell her tone was distant. He recalled the gentle "Tang Gong" from earlier, and the contrast made him unhappy.
"When you treat others to a meal, you go to a Western restaurant, but when you treat me, you say you have no money. Are you judging people by their status or do you have a problem with me?"
He Yao turned to look at him, "Who did I treat to a Western restaurant?"
"Bad memory? You forgot what happened a few days ago? That day you and our company's Tang Gong..."
"Oh, you mean that day. That wasn't..."
The explanation at the tip of her tongue was swallowed back down.
What business is it of his? He's really meddling.
"I only treated you to a packet of instant noodles, so is a roadside stall not enough to repay you? Besides, you eat delicacies every day, what's wrong with a change of flavor? If you really find it lacking, go home and eat. You don't need me for this meal."
She's really impolite.
But he brought it upon himself. Sometimes being retorted by her felt refreshing.
Zhan Jingrui: "With your attitude towards me, if Xu Zheng saw it, what do you think he would say?"
He Yao: "Let him say whatever he wants. Does he think I'm afraid of him just because he's my boss? To be honest, I don't even want him as my boss. If he really angers me, I'll fire him before he can fire me."
He didn't know where her sudden surge of anger came from. Zhan Jingrui was completely speechless, thoroughly refuted by her.
The car drove forward for more than half an hour. A bustling street food stall by the roadside emitted steam.
He Yao waved her hand grandly, "This is it. You find a parking spot, I'll go down and order."
"Still no spicy, no onions, no cilantro, right?"
For some reason, Zhan Jingrui couldn't feel distant from He Yao.
Although they hadn't seen each other for many years, both remembered each other's preferences and many details from back then clearly.
Just like now, they could always blurt them out.
Although he realized his mistake as soon as he spoke, the words had already been said. He Yao had no way to take them back, so she could only delude herself into praying Zhan Jingrui hadn't heard.
She scurried towards the owner.
Zhan Jingrui parked the car and returned. She was still choosing dishes. He didn't join the crowd, finding an empty seat and sitting down.
He Yao ordered salt and pepper corn, fried intestines, salted egg yolk baked shrimp, and salt and pepper lizard fish for him, and a portion of mala tang for herself.
Then she returned and asked him, "Are you drinking?"
Zhan Jingrui countered, "Can you drive?"
"Why are you asking if I can drive when I'm asking if you're drinking?"
"If you can drive, I'll drink. If not, I won't."
"Then don't drink."
He Yao ran back and asked the owner to pack a plate of salt-baked edamame for her.
The dishes hadn't arrived, and they weren't drinking, so it was awkward to just sit there. They might as well shell edamame.
Speaking of edamame, it reminded her of the first time Zhan Jingrui was introduced to eating edamame.
He always felt that the pods were fuzzy, and eating them would make his stomach itchy. Zhan Jingrui refused to eat them.
He Yao shelled them into a bowl, pinched his mouth, and forced some down him.
Discovering the taste was quite good, later when they were tired from studying at home, they would order takeout, and a portion of edamame was always included.
Zhan Jingrui didn't know if she did it on purpose or not. Thinking of the past, he found it hard to bring himself to do it.
He sat there quietly, neither eating nor talking to He Yao, staring blankly at the busy owner.
He Yao glanced at him from time to time, thinking it was a shame he wasn't acting in an idol drama.
How high must their parents'颜值 be to give birth to such a perfect face?
The person who could marry him would be very blessed, and they probably wouldn't argue their whole lives.
Every time they were angry, seeing his face would make them unable to say any harsh words.
They each had their own thoughts, and neither exposed the other.
The owner soon brought the first dish. He Yao pushed it to him, "Yours."
Zhan Jingrui picked up his chopsticks and started eating. It was still the same taste as before.
He had to admit, Su City was much better than Nan City in this aspect; the food really suited his taste.
He Yao was quite generous, ordering so many dishes for him.
Zhan Jingrui took a few bites of each, and was full before he even ate halfway through.
Seeing He Yao not picking up her chopsticks, he couldn't help but ask, "Why aren't you eating?"
He Yao said, "I told you I don't have money. These dishes are for you. I'll just eat my mala tang."
"..."
Zhan Jingrui couldn't help but inwardly scoff at her.
Was there a need to feign poverty to this extent? They had no relationship now. Even if he wanted to give her money, he had no justifiable reason.
"I only treated you to a packet of instant noodles, and you're repaying me so much, it makes me look like I'm bullying you. How about I pay for today's meal?"
He Yao waved her hand, "I said I'm treating, so I'm treating. No need."
Just then, the proprietress brought her mala tang. He Yao blew away the red oil on top and started eating.
"You eat yours, don't feel burdened. Even if I were poorer, I could still afford a meal like this."
Zhan Jingrui pushed his chopsticks away, looking at her appetizing bowl of mala tang.
"But I can't eat anymore."
He Yao looked at him with disdain, "You can't eat after just this little bit?"
"Yes, isn't it very wasteful? I'll pay for the things I've wasted."
"No need. If you can't finish it, I will."
Saying that, He Yao reached her chopsticks into those plates and quickly picked up a few pieces into her bowl.
"After dinner, I'll be going straight back. I don't owe you anything now, right? You should leave first."
Reason told Zhan Jingrui that He Yao was right. After eating his fill, what reason was there to linger? He should leave.
But his feet were stubbornly refusing to move.
"How's your dorm? Are you still wearing those clothes? You haven't moved back, have you?"
He Yao had been watching him eat the whole time, craving it immensely.
She hadn't eaten lunch and was quite hungry now, so she answered his questions while eating.
"No one's cleaning it, so the dorm is uninhabitable for now. You didn't let me pack the clothes back then, so how could I get them back later? I don't want them anymore, and I'm not moving back."
"Then where are you living now?"
"A hotel. Xu Zheng said he'll reimburse my hotel expenses for these few days. But it's not a long-term solution either. If I weren't accompanying you to play chess today, I would have been looking for an apartment. I'll sleep one more night and then go look for a place to live tomorrow."
"Rent a place, by yourself?"
"Nonsense, otherwise? Live with Luo Jia again? Didn't you realize, we're not on the same path?"
Indeed, they were not on the same path.
But what path He Yao was on, Zhan Jingrui couldn't quite say now.
He couldn't see through her.
Sometimes he felt her life was as simple as a blank sheet of paper, and sometimes he felt it was just a superficial phenomenon.