Fifteen minutes before the night market opened.
Shen Muran got off the bus, bought a pack of toast from the bakery across the street, and left.
The nearly expired toast cost only two yuan. It tasted no different from freshly baked bread, except it was a bit dry and crumbled when chewed.
He swallowed a hard bite without even frowning, then packed the remaining four slices back into his schoolbag.
Without bothering to drink water, Shen Muran arrived at the barbecue restaurant just in time.
Before opening, the place had to be cleaned. He picked up a broom and headed straight for the back kitchen, familiar with the routine.
Two female colleagues nearby were chattering about something.
“A really pretty girl came to the restaurant just now, dressed head to toe in designer brands. Her high heels clacked so loudly on the floor, I thought she’d be some high-maintenance customer.”
The girl with a high ponytail was excited, barely able to contain her gossip even with her hand over her mouth. “But when she ordered, she was super polite, and her voice was so soft. She ordered three large plates of beef and even handed me a discount coupon in the cutest way, asking if she could use it. The contrast between her looks and her behavior was unbelievable.”
She clasped her hands over her left chest, looking starstruck. “Ah, if she ever debuted as an idol, I’d absolutely be her first ‘mom fan.'”
The short-haired girl was also intrigued. “I’m a fan of her looks too. Should we go ask her for an autograph?”
Shen Muran’s movements paused, his fingers tightening slightly around the broom handle.
Pretty, soft voice, designer clothes, high-maintenance… These words felt like small stones, hitting his heart one by one. Uncontrollably, Jiang Li’s image flashed through his mind.
But as soon as the thought surfaced, he dismissed it.
How could it be her?
Just the fact that she used a discount coupon and ordered three plates of beef made it impossible for it to be Jiang Li.
Thinking this, he carried the broom to the main dining area. His gaze inadvertently drifted through the warm yellow lighting.
The familiar tracksuit he had seen just that afternoon caught his eye.
The girl sat by the floor-to-ceiling window, grilling meat while holding her phone to her ear.
Her jet-black hair was down, swept to one side, revealing the gentle curve of her snow-white neck.
“Why do you keep urging me to come home?”
“Ah, don’t worry, your hamster is still pure and untouched. As long as you—”
“Huh? You finished your homework that fast?”
Jiang Fan’s clear voice came through the phone. “A real man keeps his word. Remember to feed my hamster.”
Jiang Li’s hands were busy with the barbecue. The beef sizzled on the grill. She spread the meat flat, switched the phone to her other hand, and glanced down at her watch.
“Pretty obedient, finishing your tasks just after five. Alright, today I’ll have Mother Wang give it some extra nuts. Gotta go.”
“Hey, hey.” Jiang Fan gripped the phone tighter, stubborn yet forced to sound a bit pleading. “Um… can I play on my phone for a bit? Even WeChat mini-games are fine.”
The girl chuckled.
Was the stubborn brat finally giving in?
Considering how cooperative Jiang Fan had been these past few days, she decided to be generous.
“Fine, you get one hour of playtime. Don’t go over the limit, though. I’ll have the bodyguard next door time you.”
“Can’t Mother Wang just watch me?” Jiang Fan mumbled.
“Nope!” Jiang Li refused firmly. “Mother Wang falls for your ‘tough guy in tears’ act, but the bodyguard won’t.”
She saw right through the kid’s tricks.
He was just playing games she’d outgrown ages ago.
As soon as she hung up, the meat was almost done. She pulled out a matte white ceramic lunchbox from her bag.
Before heading out, Mother Wang had cut a pile of fruit for her, and Jiang Li ate it all.
Holding the tongs, she slowly turned and mixed the meat. The first batch of grilled beef was all placed into the lunchbox. Her fingertip accidentally brushed against the hot tongs, and Jiang Li hissed, quickly pulling her hand back. The tongs slipped from her grasp and fell to the ground.
“Let me help you.”
At that moment, a pair of large hands picked up a new pair of tongs and skillfully transferred all the grilled meat to one side.
Shen Muran was focused on grilling the meat, his eyes fixed intently on the grill.
“Shen…” When Jiang Li saw who it was, her eyes lit up with delight.
But why wasn’t he looking at her?
And why was he addressing her so formally?
If Shen Muran was going to be this polite, should she pretend to be polite too?
…Hmph, no way.
The girl tugged at the corner of his clothes, her eyes curved into a smile, her attitude familiar. “Shen Muran, I’d like another bowl of white rice.”
“Alright.”
His cool voice was polite and distant.
After he left, Jiang Li bit her lip, puzzled.
What was going on?
The atmosphere had been so good during the physical training session.
The sudden drop in temperature happened after they changed clothes.
Jiang Li carefully replayed every moment after leaving the changing room.
But even with a second chance at life, her default settings hadn’t been upgraded.
She couldn’t figure it out.
So she simply followed Shen Muran onto the same bus, wanting to know the reason for his sudden change in demeanor.
Along the way, a strange discomfort churned inside Jiang Li.
Seeing him hurriedly shove two slices of toast into his stomach to avoid being late, just watching made Jiang Li feel choked up.
Before her physical training session, Shen Muran had just finished an intense professional training session. How could just toast be enough to fill him up?
Lost in these thoughts, by the time Jiang Li realized what she was doing, she had already followed someone into a restaurant and ordered three large plates of beef in one go.
Shen Muran added the order at the front desk, then turned and walked toward the kitchen, his steps steady and quick.
The man held a rice scoop, filling a bowl with rice.
Had Jiang Li followed him here? Or was it just a coincidence?
Lost in thought, he didn’t notice the bowl was already full. The scalding steam from the rice cooker bit into his fingertip, turning it red.
“Hiss.”
“Bro, do you have no sense of pain?” Xu Ge quickly snatched the rice scoop away.
Shen Muran looked back—it was the high school junior who had introduced him to this part-time job.
Seeing him so distracted, Xu Ge couldn’t resist teasing him. “Could it be that you’ve been charmed by the beauty outside?”
Shen Muran held his finger under the running tap, his expression still blank.
Xu Ge wasn’t bothered by his lack of response.
“But teasing you is pointless,” he shrugged and muttered. “Your mind is only on making money and tennis. You probably didn’t even notice what the beauty at that table looks like!”
He paused, as if suddenly remembering something, and leaned in closer, whispering, “By the way, the Jincheng University Tennis Championship has started accepting registrations. I heard the prize money is huge this time—the champion gets at least five figures!”
As he spoke, he patted Shen Muran’s shoulder, his tone full of encouragement. “Bro, aren’t you short on money? You should definitely give it a try this time!”
Shen Muran paused, his voice low and calm. “Take this rice to table A27.”
The previous topic was quickly brushed aside. Xu Ge didn’t think much of it and carried the rice out.
For some reason, the restaurant was especially busy tonight.
Until past eight o’clock, Shen Muran had been preparing meals in the kitchen, the noise outside blocked by the door.
As the orders slowly cleared, he clutched his phone and hid in the fire escape, taking out the registration form Jiang Li had given him. A sticky note was attached with the contact information of the person in charge.
He wanted to participate in the competition.
The phone rang only a few times before it was answered.
“Hello, is this Dermon Club? Are you currently looking for substitute players for the championship tournament?”
An unfamiliar male voice, tinged with caution, replied, “No, no, no. The team is full and not recruiting. Stop calling to fish for information!”
Beep—beep—
The busy tone hammered into his eardrums, shattering his illusions.
The wind from the fire escape rushed in, chilling the warmth that had just begun to bloom in his heart.
He had been fooled by the young mistress again.
Shen Muran let out a derisive snort, casually tossing the registration form into the barbecue restaurant’s wastepaper bin before calmly returning to the kitchen.
“Whose call was it? You sounded so fierce.”
Ji Guanyu stepped off the treadmill, panting heavily as he leaned back into the leather chair.
His friend tossed the phone back to him. “Oh, just a paparazzo trying to dig up information about the injured players.”
Ji Guanyu checked the call log—it was an unfamiliar number. He breathed a sigh of relief.
He had thought it might be his ex-girlfriend, calling to pester him about getting back together!