What delighted him even more was that as soon as he finished reading these old messages, something new appeared on the jade pendant.
However, this time it was no longer a folded letter, but an envelope.
Xu Ge’s heart skipped another beat, more intensely than the joy brought by the small glowing dot.
He felt as if his heart was about to burst.
Inside, a stormy sea raged, its fury so violent that even the rocks along the shore were shattered.
The imperial city exploded! The Earth exploded! The sun exploded! The entire Milky Way exploded!
Xu Ge impatiently opened the envelope and retrieved a letter and the familiar hard card.
Ignoring the letter, he first flipped over the photo.
But upon seeing the image on the photo, the barely contained smile on his face froze completely before collapsing entirely.
The photo did not show the girl who had repeatedly invaded his dreams these past few days, but rather a strange building.
This building was exceptionally tall, and its walls were not made of the stone bricks used in their dynasty.
The doors at the entrance were transparent, and in front of them stood two large pillars.
Xu Ge, who had always been dedicated to exploring and studying the modern era, had no interest in these things.
Just as he was about to look away, he noticed three glowing characters hanging above the transparent doors.
“Great… Happiness?”
Xu Ge softly read them aloud, then coldly stuffed the photo back into the envelope.
He was not happy at all.
Next, he unfolded the letter.
Tie Jun Sister: 【Jin Zhi, I’ve arrived! Wow, I can smell the aroma right from the entrance. It truly lives up to its name, Great Happiness! Finally, I can eat. I’m so happy right now!!】
With just this one line, Xu Ge could feel the girl’s overwhelming excitement and joy.
Unlike the noble ladies he had seen at banquets, who, for the sake of decorum, only ate tiny portions.
Looking at the letter, Xu Ge gave a slight, haughty nod of his chin, his opinion of this restaurant now changed.
He was happy again.
If Tang Zhiwu was happy, he was happy.
As soon as Tang Zhiwu stepped into the restaurant, the chill on her body was instantly dispelled by the warmth. She casually found a secluded corner in the dining hall and sat down.
When the waiter arrived, she immediately ordered the restaurant’s signature dish.
Ultra-Happy Red Date Goji Berry Angelica Ginseng Black Chicken Clay Pot.
After placing her order, she eagerly took out her phone and opened WeChat.
Jin Zhi: 【I can feel your happiness.】
Tang Zhiwu’s eyes curved into a smile, a faint blush returning to her fair cheeks.
Her lips curved upward, feeling not the slightest disdain for such a straightforward remark. Instead, she found the old-fashioned, scholarly Jin Zhi rather endearing.
With a tap of her slender finger, she replied.
Tie Jun Sister: 【Aren’t you happy too?】
The reply came quickly.
Jin Zhi: 【I am happy too.】
The clay pot had been prepared in advance and was soon brought to the table.
When the waiter lifted the lid of the clay pot in front of Tang Zhiwu, an incredibly rich aroma wafted out, making her feel as if her stomach had instantly grown two sizes larger.
It was simply too nourishing.
Eagerly scooping a spoonful of soup into her bowl, Tang Zhiwu paused just as she was about to take a sip.
Finally, after looking left and right to make sure no one had noticed her, she poured the chicken soup from the bowl back into the clay pot.
After picking up her chopsticks to rearrange the goji berries and red dates on the surface, she nodded in satisfaction, picked up her phone, and took a top-down photo of the steaming, mouthwatering soup before sending it over.
The caption read:
Tie Jun Sister: [I’m just, just asking, just asking—is there anything more comforting than a warm bowl of chicken soup on an empty stomach?]
Another envelope arrived.
This time, having learned from the previous experience, Xu Ge was less excited. He gently opened it and, as expected, was disappointed once again.
It was a photo of a fragrant black chicken soup.
After reading the letter, Xu Ge put both items back.
Just as he took a sip of the soup, Tang Zhiwu picked up her phone, which had lit up with a notification.
It would have been better if she hadn’t looked—the moment she did, her face flushed bright red.
Thinking she had opened it incorrectly, she incredulously turned her phone off and on, off and on again.
She repeated this four or five times before finally reopening WeChat.
Thud!
The sound of her phone hitting the table echoed.
Tang Zhiwu dropped her spoon and covered her burning cheeks.
On the screen, Xu Ge’s message lay glaringly:
Jin Zhi: [Yes, looking at your face.]
“Smooth talker!!”
Tang Zhiwu fumed, never expecting this seemingly straightforward man in her eyes to say something so cheesy.
Just thinking about it made her shudder.
After struggling for a moment, she reluctantly sent a reply:
Tie Jun Sister: [How can you be so cheesy?! Did you learn this from those smooth talkers online?]
Reading this line of text, Xu Ge was stunned. He had simply answered Tang Zhiwu’s question honestly.
“Cheesy?” Xu Ge’s brows furrowed so deeply they almost formed the character for “river.” “What does ‘cheesy’ mean?”
No one answered him, but Xu Ge could tell from Tang Zhiwu’s reply one thing for sure.
She was unhappy—angry, even.
For the first time experiencing worry, regret, and anxiety, Xu Ge paced around in a fluster before finally picking up his pen in a hurry.
Jin Zhi: [I don’t know what ‘cheesy’ means. Are you angry? Is it because of what I said earlier? I’m sorry, I don’t want you to be unhappy.]
After explaining several times, all his words ultimately condensed into a single attempt at comfort.
Tang Zhiwu found it impossible to stay angry now. Looking at Xu Ge’s message, she felt inexplicably shocked.
“He… wasn’t doing it on purpose? Does he really not understand?” Tang Zhiwu thought back to their previous conversations and eventually convinced herself.
Jin Zhi probably didn’t understand these flirtatious tricks or cheesy pickup lines.
Feeling guilty, Tang Zhiwu held up her phone with one hand while making a “peace” sign (＾－＾)V with the other in front of the camera, then clicked send.
Anxiously, Xu Ge opened the envelope that appeared. Picking up the photo, he saw it was still the same appetite-whetting chicken soup, but this time, there was something different.
In front of the soup, a small hand was held up—slender and fair, with rounded nails and even the half-moons on them looking utterly adorable.
She had made a “2” sign. Xu Ge was confused again, but because of this hand, he pushed aside the question of what the “2” meant.
At least she wasn’t angry.
He then opened the letter.
Tie Jun Sister: “Jin Zhi, I’m not angry. I misunderstood what you meant earlier. By the way, I promised to treat you to milk tea. Give me your address, and I’ll order you the most expensive one.”
Xu Ge held the newly delivered piece of paper, feeling at a loss.
How should he explain?
Should he say, “I am Xu Ge from the First Year of Jiayi, the ancient person you’ve been studying”?