Lao Cai looked at Xu Yu, then glanced at the pretty girl in front of him, and suddenly it dawned on him. A smile spread across his face as he leaned closer to Xu Yu and whispered with a chuckle, "Girlfriend?"
"No," Xu Yu replied calmly, glancing at Lao Cai before noticing Su Anxi turning her head to look elsewhere—Liao Zhiping was coming over from the restroom.
"Sorry about that," Liao Zhiping said with a beaming smile, gesturing behind him toward Xu Yu. "Nature calls, kept you waiting."
Su Anxi shot Liao Zhiping a sharp glare in secret, then heard Xu Yu invite them to sit down. His tone was flat, polite yet distant.
"Let's go sit."
With that, Xu Yu turned and led the way toward the booth where he had been sitting earlier.
Su Anxi muttered to Liao Zhiping, "Lazy folks, lazy horses—always full of excuses," before stepping forward to follow Xu Yu, staying two paces behind him.
Liao Zhiping felt utterly innocent and helpless, all of which melted into a bitter smile as he trailed behind them.
Su Anxi’s eyes remained fixed on Xu Yu’s back. She had always thought he was tall—talking, bickering, or arguing with him had always been a struggle, and she often felt like a helpless chick being lifted by him, unable to fight back.
Now, watching his tall and slender frame, his straight and upright posture, and his brisk, wind-like stride, he seemed like a towering, solitary tree reaching for the clouds—as if he had grown even taller.
Lao Cai watched the three of them walk over one after another. As he went to the counter to grab a menu, his wife, who was leaning over the counter and craning her neck to look in their direction, pulled him aside.
"What’s going on with Xiao Xu?" Lao Cai’s wife asked.
Women have a natural curiosity for gossip, and after running the shop for so many years, this was the first time she had seen such a striking girl—and a friend of Xu Yu, the perennial bachelor at that. Of course, she was curious.
"I think…" Lao Cai glanced at his wife, whose round face was beaming like the Maitreya Buddha. Leaning his arm on the counter, he tilted his chin toward the same direction before finishing his sentence unhurriedly, "They look like old flames."
Lao Cai’s wife’s eyes widened instantly. "Really?"
Lao Cai, with the mindset of someone who’s seen it all, reasoned with his wife: "Look, in all these years, when has Xu Yu ever asked a girl out for a meal? When has he ever given a girl a proper look? And when has he ever waited patiently for someone for over half an hour?"
Lao Cai’s wife nodded vigorously. "You know what, you’re right. When he eats with his comrades, Xiao Xu is always the last to arrive. And whenever someone tries to set him up, he always stands them up."
"I just asked if she was his girlfriend, and he said they’re friends." Lao Cai picked up the menu and raised an eyebrow at his wife before continuing, "If they were really just ordinary friends, would that girl dress like that on such a cold night?"
"Wait, but couldn’t she be a new girlfriend?" Lao Cai’s wife challenged his speculation.
Lao Cai was about to head over, but since his wife doubted his expertise, he felt the need to clarify further. "Have you ever seen a new girlfriend bring along a male third wheel? Besides, that girl clearly looks like she’s from a big city. Trust your husband on this one—I’m right."
With that, Lao Cai walked over. Behind him, his wife rested her double chin on her hands, her eyes narrowing into slits as she smiled, suddenly feeling that her husband looked incredibly handsome at that moment.
…
Xu Yu poured tea for Su Anxi and Liao Zhiping. As he poured, he said to the two across from him, "This is a local tea here. You can’t get it in Yujiang. Give it a try."
Su Anxi had always felt cold, but after taking a sip of hot tea and holding the cup in her hands, she finally began to feel much warmer.
Another sip brought a bittersweet taste that lingered on the palate, turning sweet after sliding down the throat—truly pleasant.
Liao Zhiping downed his cup in one go, stared at a tea leaf floating inside, and remarked, "It really is quite good."
Xu Yu looked at Su Anxi and asked, "What do you think?"
Su Anxi nodded, meeting Xu Yu's handsome face, and commented, "Not bad."
Xu Yu picked up the teapot and refilled Su Anxi's cup. "If it's not bad, have some more."
Watching Xu Yu pour tea for her, Su Anxi couldn't help but smile, a hint of mockery in her expression. "Telling me to drink more—are you afraid I'll eat you out of house and home?"
"Try eating me out of house and home first."
Xu Yu glanced up at Su Anxi, his tone lightly teasing, then turned to refill Liao Zhiping's cup. Setting the teapot down, he picked up his own cup and took a sip just as Lao Cai approached.
"What would you like to eat?" Lao Cai asked.
Xu Yu gestured toward the two across from him. "You two order."
Lao Cai handed the menu to Liao Zhiping and Su Anxi, smiled at Xu Yu, who was leaning back casually sipping his tea, then turned his attention back to the other two.
Liao Zhiping and Su Anxi each ordered a dish and passed the menu to Xu Yu to add more. Xu Yu added a few more dishes and looked at them both.
"No," Su Anxi spoke first. "I have work tomorrow."
"Just a little, then. Eating without drinking is boring!" Liao Zhiping's eyes gleamed mischievously at the mention of alcohol.
"Bring a bottle of baijiu," Xu Yu said, handing the menu back to Lao Cai. "No cilantro in the dishes."
"But steamed beef brisket tastes better with some. Don’t you always—"
"Lao Cai," Xu Yu interrupted, pointing to the table by the entrance. "They’re calling for the check over there."
Lao Cai turned and called out, "Coming!" before heading over.
Su Anxi watched Xu Yu the entire time, finally curling her lips into a slow smile. "You still remember I don’t eat cilantro."
Xu Yu lifted his gaze to meet Su Anxi's, then lowered it with a faint smile. He reached for the cigarette box on the table, tapped it against the back of his hand, and placed a cigarette between his lips. The dangling cigarette swayed slightly as he spoke in a low voice.
"Suddenly remembered," he replied, half-joking, half-serious.
Abruptly, he looked at Liao Zhiping, pulled another cigarette from the box, and offered it. "Oh, do you want one?"
Liao Zhiping waved his hand with a smile, declining, "I don’t smoke," though inwardly grumbling, Took you two long enough to remember I’m here, with all that eye-flirting.
Xu Yu chuckled lightly and tossed the cigarette onto the table, then began searching for a lighter. After patting around without finding it, he frowned slightly before relaxing again.
Su Anxi glanced over and spotted the lighter hidden behind a tissue box at her corner of the table. She picked it up and handed it to Xu Yu, noticing the cigarette butts in the ashtray. "You smoke a lot these days."
"Yeah."
Xu Yu took the lighter, his thumb poised over the ignition. After a moment’s thought, he released it, pulled the cigarette from his mouth, and set both the lighter and cigarette aside on the table. Leaning back again, his long legs, with nowhere else to go, accidentally brushed against Su Anxi’s bare calf.
The sudden touch of fabric made Su Anxi jerk her feet back as if shocked by electricity. She looked up at Xu Yu but said nothing.
"Sorry." Xu Yu also slightly retracted his legs, his apology quite straightforward.
"What happened?" Liao Zhiping, out of the loop, glanced at the two and asked.
"Nothing." He was answered by the two beside and opposite him in perfect, synchronized unison.
"Oh." Liao Zhiping nodded as the drinks arrived.
Liao Zhiping perked up, pouring drinks for the three of them. Raising his glass, he began his toast: "Let's have one—for our reunion here, and to thank our old classmate for the treat."
Su Anxi lifted her glass and looked up, just meeting Xu Yu's gaze. She didn't look away, nor did he avert his eyes. Glasses clinked, and they drank in one go.
The food arrived, and the three chatted while eating, drinking while talking, discussing trivial matters—their jobs, things they encountered at work, and so on.
The conversation was rather uneventful, neither awkward nor uncomfortable, just that and nothing more.
Liao Zhiping had ordered the drinks with the intention of prying some information out of Xu Yu. Who would have thought that as they drank, Xu Yu remained unfazed while he himself began to feel dizzy.
"Xu Yu, Su Anxi." Liao Zhiping held his glass with one hand, looking at the two of them, his face flushed and his eyes hazy, while his other hand tapped rhythmically on the table.
"It's rare for both of you to be here, and it's been so many years. Just tell me, did you two ever get together back then?" He drank half his glass and continued, "You were so close back then—there's no way you weren't together!"
Su Anxi tried to snatch Liao Zhiping's glass, tugging at it while saying to him, "Alright, alright, you've had too much. Stop drinking."
Liao Zhiping chuckled. Drunk people have immense strength. He shook his head and, guided by Su Anxi's hand, downed the remaining half of his drink, continuing to ramble, "If you really were together, why did you break up?"
"Liao Zhiping, what kind of drunken nonsense are you spouting?"
The more he spoke, the more outrageous it became. Su Anxi's expression turned rather unpleasant. In contrast, Xu Yu sat calmly across from them, watching the two as if observing a play.
"Su Anxi, as a friend, I genuinely feel for you!" Liao Zhiping suddenly turned to Su Anxi, holding her shoulders, his face filled with a sigh. "That jerk Xu Yu has been gone for so many years, with no news at all. Why are you still waiting for him?"
"Enough." Su Anxi snapped, quickly covering Liao Zhiping's mouth. Only then did she glance at Xu Yu, apologetically saying to him, "He's drunk and talking nonsense. I'll take him back. Thank you for treating us today."
With that, Su Anxi gritted her teeth and stood up, trying to pull Liao Zhiping to his feet. Unexpectedly, the weight on her shoulder suddenly lightened—Liao Zhiping was lifted up by Xu Yu with one hand.
Bending slightly, Xu Yu picked up the jacket from the seat with his other hand and tossed it to Su Anxi. Tilting his head toward her, he said, "Put it on. I'll take you both back."