Although Wen Zhi had started eating earlier than Su Wenjing, the moment he put down his chopsticks, she still couldn’t help but wonder: Why do guys eat so fast?!
Did the food even get chewed in their mouths?
“You’re so fast.”
Su Wenjing, who was wiping his mouth with a napkin, paused at her words. He lazily lifted his eyelids, his gaze playful and unrestrained.
“You shouldn’t say that to a man, little girl.”
The three words “little girl” were spoken in a low, magnetic voice, delivered in Cantonese with an inexplicably flirtatious charm.
Wen Zhi’s cheeks flushed slightly as she shot him a spirited glare.
Pervert!
“I’m not talking to you anymore. Let’s go pay.” With that, Wen Zhi wiped her mouth clean, picked up her small bag, stood up, and walked over to the shop owner.
“Boss, the bill, please.”
“That’ll be eighty.”
“Can I pay with WeChat?” Wen Zhi asked softly. Mainly because she had forgotten to bring Hong Kong dollars when she went out.
“Mm dak ah, leng neoi, ngo dei ni zi sau jin gam ga.” (No can do, pretty girl. We only accept cash here.)
As soon as the words were spoken, Wen Zhi was stunned. She immediately turned to look at Su Wenjing, who was following behind her, her face full of confusion and a clear “please translate” expression.
Wen Zhi: “??”
What does that mean?
Su Wenjing pursed his lips and let out a soft chuckle. He leisurely stepped forward, his slender fingers pulling a wallet from his pocket. When he opened it, it was surprisingly filled with Hong Kong dollars.
He settled the bill in just a few moments.
Wen Zhi stood silently to the side, watching his movements without a word. When the boss handed him his change, she stepped forward and murmured, “Should I transfer it to you on WeChat?”
“Let’s go.” Su Wenjing pretended not to hear her question, tossing out those two words as he headed outside.
“Hey!” Seeing his reaction, Wen Zhi had no choice but to follow him.
He walked beside her, the dim yellow lights of the narrow alley casting their shadows—one long, one short—intertwined on the ground.
Wen Zhi was dressed casually, her hair simply tied back, her face appearing soft and delicate under the glow of the lights.
“Why are you in Hong Kong too, senior?”
Walking side by side, Wen Zhi found the silence between them too awkward and decided to strike up a conversation.
“You can come, but I can’t?” Su Wenjing slowed his pace to match hers, a casual, faint smile on his face, exuding an air of noble nonchalance.
“That’s not what I meant,” she explained.
“After all, you suddenly contacted me—shouldn’t I ask?”
She had already been feeling uneasy walking the night streets, and his call had nearly made her throw her phone in fright.
“Seeing you’re in Hong Kong, as half a local, shouldn’t I play host?” Su Wenjing teased.
Wen Zhi looked up, catching only the clean line of his jaw and the prominent Adam’s apple. In the dim light, his face was half-lit, half-shadowed, with a few strands of black hair falling across his forehead.
Wen Zhi felt herself captivated by his good looks, her heartbeat suddenly speeding up.
Not hearing a response from the girl after a while, Su Wenjing glanced down and saw her staring at him in a daze. He chuckled softly and snapped his fingers in front of her face.
Snap
“Snap out of it. What are you daydreaming about?”
Flustered, Wen Zhi lowered her head, gently biting her lower lip while screaming internally: Ahhhhhhhhh Wen Zhi, what are you doing?! How could you get all starry-eyed right in front of him!
Clearing her throat, Wen Zhi didn’t miss his remark about being “half a host.” Driven by curiosity, she asked, “Aren’t you from Haishi? Why do you call yourself half a host in Hong Kong?”
“My mom is from Hong Kong. My maternal grandparents’ whole family is here. I spent a lot of time here as a kid, so I’m very familiar with the place.”
“Doesn’t that make me half a host?” Su Wenjing said while casually fiddling with his phone, his tone slightly nonchalant.
“No wonder you speak Cantonese…” Wen Zhi muttered.
“With Cantonese, you usually learn faster by starting with the swear words,” Su Wenjing had just finished speaking when he heard Wen Zhi’s soft, delicate voice directed at him, blurting out: “Puk gai zai!” (Cantonese for “bastard” or “troublemaker”)
Su Wenjing: “Hmm?”
He stopped walking, turned sideways to look at her, and said, “Not bad, but I told you to say it, not to say it to me.”
“Hehehe.”
“I was just… showing you the results of my past studies,” Wen Zhi tilted her head slightly, her round, watery eyes gleaming, her petite face looking utterly innocent.
The words meant to gloss over the situation sounded like a coquettish plea to Su Wenjing.
“Don’t let it happen again.”
He had never been called “puk gai zai” to his face before, and the strange thing was, he didn’t even feel angry hearing it.
Su Wenjing suddenly felt a little bit like he was asking for it.
Was he actually… enjoying being scolded by her?
“What about your little friend?” Su Wenjing asked, his gaze seemingly able to pierce through the darkness and see into people’s hearts.
Wen Zhi let out a light hum, a trace of dissatisfaction at the corner of her lips: “She went chasing after a man, forgetting her friends for a pretty face!”
Her tone carried a hint of a little girl’s willfulness, yet it felt incredibly genuine and endearing.
Hearing this, Su Wenjing couldn’t help but lower his head and chuckle, his smile appearing especially bright in the night. He teased her lightly: “You could also find a man to chase.”
His words carried a hint of playful mockery, yet they seemed to imply something.
Upon hearing this, Wen Zhi’s expression turned proud, her voice tinged with a bit of smugness: “I never take the initiative to chase anyone. Since I was little, it’s always been others chasing me.”
“Impressive.”
He lowered his gaze with a light scoff: “But, with a face like our little Wen’s, you really shouldn’t have to take the initiative.”
In the prime of her youth, skilled in dance, her delicate face pure yet carrying an unknowing allure—she had every reason to be proud.
The two were standing very close, and Wen Zhi could even smell the faint scent of cedar from his cologne.
Feeling a bit embarrassed under his gaze, she pushed her hands against his solid chest, her voice full of shyness: “You, don’t get so close.”
“Men and women should keep their distance!”
“Men and women should keep their distance,” Su Wenjing’s words were full of teasing, his eyes smiling, yet his body honestly took a step forward, closing the gap between them even more.
“Still talking about keeping distance? With the number of times we’ve met, in ancient times, you’d already be my wife.” His voice was low and husky, carrying a seductive allure.
Su Wenjing’s long fingers reached out again to touch her cheek, bringing a slight warmth that made Wen Zhi’s eyelashes tremble twice.
Wen Zhi’s fair cheeks flushed with heat, even the tips of her small ears tinged with crimson.
The surroundings were quiet, the two pressed close together, their breaths brushing against each other’s ears, their heartbeats seeming almost within reach.
Wen Zhi looked up and saw his dark, deep eyes fixed intently on her. Flustered, she averted her gaze, her heart skipping two beats. She pulled her fair, delicate face away from his hand and scolded him with a lively tone, “You rascal!”
Then, she hurried forward with quick, small steps.
“Always so hands-on, you troublemaker!”
Watching Wen Zhi’s flustered retreating figure, a doting smile tugged at the corner of his lips—one he himself was unaware of. Then, unhurriedly, he followed behind her.