“Don’t just shout things like that!” the boy said angrily, his face flushed as he struggled to lift the overturned motorcycle back up.
“Sorry, sorry! I was just talking nonsense!” Zhu Shuiwen apologized repeatedly. “I didn’t say anything at all!”
Seeing that Gu Jinyan was still glaring at her, the girl raised a hand as if swearing an oath to the heavens. “My sister didn’t say anything either!”
Gu Jinyan wiped his face, still shaken, and propped the motorcycle back onto its stand. “You’d better be telling the truth.”
…Damn it. Why had she suddenly said something like “brother-in-law” out of nowhere?
For some reason, he felt inexplicably uncomfortable, but the girl was standing nearby with her hands nervously clasped together, sneaking glances at him like she’d done something wrong. He could only cough lightly and change the subject. “What are you going out for?”
“To buy food.”
“Then let’s go. I’ll treat you.”
—And maybe buy something for your sister too.
But that last part somehow wouldn’t come out.
What the hell!
Wait… why was he even treating her in the first place?
Standing inside the milk tea shop, Gu Jinyan fell into deep thought.
Being a sucker was contagious, wasn’t it?
The girl stood on her tiptoes, pointing at the menu on the wall.
After a moment, she said, “Darjeeling black tea, rose sea-salt coconut milk, jasmine milk green tea.”
Then she looked at Gu Jinyan. “Bro—uh…”
After hesitating for a moment, her brain seemed to short-circuit, and she showed a helpless, confused expression. “Um… Young Master Gu? What do you want to drink?”
She clearly wasn’t sure if that form of address was correct, and in her uncertainty she looked like a clumsy actor forgetting her lines.
The shop cashier, hearing such a strange way of addressing someone in daily life, couldn’t help the corners of her mouth twitching.
Just as Gu Jinyan looked like he was about to explode, the cashier quickly composed herself and stared straight at the ordering screen.
But then the girl added, “Or… should I call you ‘Little Crown Prince’?”
“Pfft!”
The cashier’s shoulders shook violently as she tried to suppress her laughter, but failed completely. She turned around to pretend she was fixing a milk tea lid, while an unrestrained smile spread across her face.
Gu Jinyan grabbed the back of the girl’s neck like she was a rabbit, gritting his teeth. “…Call me ‘Brother Yan’!”
“Thank you, Brother Yan.”
The girl took her milk tea and thanked him again.
…That sounded much better than “Young Master Gu.”
“It’s just a little money, no need to be so polite,” Gu Jinyan waved it off, then asked casually, “Which one is for your sister?”
Before she could answer, he panicked and rushed to explain in a flustered burst. “Ah, let me clarify—I’m not interested in what she drinks. It’s just that none of what you ordered seems like something she’d pick, so I…”
He rambled for a moment, then finally gave up. “Fine, I’m just a bit curious. Did she pick the rose one or the jasmine one?”
The girl blinked. “Neither. My sister ordered Darjeeling black tea.”
…Damn it!
That one?
“So your sister has such a weird taste? Ordering black tea at a milk tea shop?” he said in surprise. “Then who ordered the rose sea-salt coconut milk?”
“One of my friends. My sister doesn’t seem to like rose-flavored things.” Zhu Shuiwen seemed to remember something. “Also, don’t give her anything related to roses in the future.”
“Who would give her gifts!” Gu Jinyan snapped, jumping up.
The girl quickly corrected herself, obediently. “Okay, you won’t give her any. I was talking nonsense.”
…What is wrong with this person?!
“I’m not going to give her anything. Her friend still owes me money,” Gu Jinyan said. “I bought this for you—and just happened to get something for your sister too. Got it?”
“I know, just happened to,” the girl said. “Then when I go back, I’ll also just happen to tell my sister that Brother Yan is really nice—he bought me milk tea and even treated me to food.”
Gu Jinyan: …
After a few seconds of silence, he lowered his voice. “Do you want anything else to eat?”
Zhu Feifei, your little sister is terrifying.
She could get someone who was clearly rational and self-aware to willingly take out their phone and spend money in just a few sentences.
The girl had been smiling and was about to say something, but suddenly her gaze froze, as if she had seen something unexpected—there was even a hint of fear in her eyes.
What wrong?
Before Gu Jinyan could react, a hand pressed heavily onto his shoulder and shoved him back a couple of steps.
The distance between him and the girl was instantly widened.
A boy in a white shirt walked over calmly and stood beside the girl, taking the milk tea from her hand. Only then did he turn his head to look at Gu Jinyan, his expression cold and indifferent.
“Gu Jinyan, standing so close to a female classmate like that—if someone sees, it won’t look good.”
At that moment, Gu Jinyan felt an unprecedented sense of danger, enough to make his hair stand on end.
—This guy… looks like he wants to kill him.
That was his first thought.