It was another peaceful workday.
The nine-to-six corporate slaves yawned as they squeezed onto the subway as usual, while the students took advantage of their nimble bodies to claim a spot among the few empty seats.
Denia held Kather’s arm, her head resting on him as she dozed off sleepily.
The subway was bumpy, which hardly made for a good sleeping environment.
Besides, she was standing, making it even harder to sleep.
Kather felt his arm going numb, but he didn’t dare move.
If he moved and upset this little blueberry cake, she wouldn’t be easy to coax.
Denia had originally planned to sleep until she woke up naturally, but Kather had dragged her out of bed.
After all, he was going to pick up Chisaki and the others to bring them to his house today, which could be considered meeting fellow compatriots.
Besides…
“If Denia could see Sigrika, she’d probably be very happy.” After all, in the game, the best friends Sigrika and Denia belonged to two different worlds, and parting was a lesson they were destined to face.
But this was the real world—just because they couldn’t meet in the game didn’t mean they couldn’t meet in reality~ However, aside from his arm being a bit numb, there was another very realistic problem right in front of him.
Denia was simply too eye-catching!!!!
She was still half-asleep and probably didn’t notice, but Kather could feel that the two of them had invisibly become the focus of this subway car.
There was no helping it.
A natural beauty like Denia, who was breathtakingly gorgeous even without any makeup, was just too overwhelming.
Meanwhile, he looked somewhat disheveled.
The contrast naturally made the other passengers on the subway feel envious.
Kather felt like the glares from the others were like knives stabbing into him, questioning him with every stab on how he had managed to get such a beautiful girlfriend.
What could he do?
He could only look down and keep playing with his phone.
As long as he didn’t make eye contact, he wouldn’t feel guilty.
Heavens, it was already like this just with Denia.
If he brought along the other four beautiful girls, he would truly suffer social death.
Though his inner monologue was going wild, Kather maintained a calm facade.
At the very least, he was now a stealthy second-generation rich kid, and he had learned a few coping mechanisms for situations like this from his family.
So now, the people on the subway only judged him with their eyes but didn’t dare actually come up to pick a fight.
After all, in the eyes of outsiders, Kather currently looked like a cold blade; anyone who dared to cross him would surely pay a heavy price.
Besides, no one wanted to look for trouble.
Being able to find such a beautiful girlfriend was his own capability.
At most, people like them could only claim the grapes were sour because they couldn’t reach them.
After what felt like an eternity, Kather’s station finally arrived.
Without a moment’s delay, he dragged the still-dozing Denia and rushed off the subway.
…
Denia stretched lazily, fully showing off her soft, beautiful curves.
The morning sunlight gently illuminated her, giving her an ethereal, dreamlike quality.
“What time did you go to bed last night?” Kather asked.
“…Hmm?” Denia was dazed for a moment.
Then, resting her index finger on her chin, she frowned slightly as she recalled, “It seemed quite late… but I didn’t pay attention to the exact time.
I was too busy playing games, and when I felt sleepy, I just drifted off.” ‘Great, now what’s affecting her sleep isn’t the Threnodian’s erosion, but electronic opium…’ Kather thought with a pang of grief.
“Stop staying up late to play games, unless you want to get panda eyes,” Kather warned seriously, flicking her forehead.
“Got it.
I’ll do it again next time,” Denia said, covering her head and playfully sticking out her tongue.
After this little interlude, Kather pulled her out of the subway station.
After crossing a few traffic lights and turning through several corners, they arrived at a small alley.
This alley was far less bustling than the places Kather had previously taken her to; it looked rather simple and shabby.
Most of the people in the alley wore ordinary clothes, making her and Kather look like phoenixes landing among a flock of wild pheasants.
The somewhat old signboards, the shouting of the old men on the street, and the aroma of food wafting from various small restaurants combined to form the unique warmth and bustle of everyday life in this small alley.
This had a massive impact on Denia.
In Solaris, a place like this would disappear without anyone ever knowing, yet in this world, they could also live and work in peace.
“It’s really been a long time since I last came back…” Kather was quite surprised.
The place where Chisaki and the others were currently living was the very place where he and his mother had once struggled to survive.
Although this small alley wasn’t very bustling, it held a great deal of his childhood memories.
“See that Shaxian Delicacies over there?
The owner is a really nice guy.
Not only are his peanut butter noodles delicious, but the portions are huge and cheap.
Back when I was strapped for cash, I’d go there and order a five-yuan bowl of noodles.
If I wasn’t full, he’d add extra noodles for free.
The owner seemed very optimistic, always smiling every day.” “Oh right, and that breakfast shop on the right.
The fifty-cent steamed buns were huge.
I’d be stuffed after eating three or four of them.
When I really couldn’t afford meals, I’d buy dozens of buns and ration them out each day.
It could keep me going for quite a while.” Kather pointed out various old shops to Denia, sharing the traces of his past life here as he went.
His relatives now treated him and his mother very well, but he had never forgotten the days when he and his mother relied solely on each other.
Although life was hard back then and felt like it had no end in sight, looking back now, it felt like the clouds had parted to reveal the moonlight.
“Do you want to eat something?” Kather asked the little foodie next to him.
“I want to eat the big fifty-cent steamed bun you mentioned.” Denia always suspected Kather was exaggerating.
Seeing is believing, so she had to try it for herself.
“Alright.” Kather held her hand and walked all the way to the breakfast stall.
“Yo, handsome guy and beautiful girl, what would you like today?” the stall owner greeted them warmly.
The stall owner was a middle-aged woman with a chubby, friendly face.
Seeing Kather and Denia approach, she nimbly opened the steamer, and billowing steam accompanied by the aroma of pastries drifted out.
“Do you still have those fifty-cent steamed buns?” “No way, young man.
Prices have gone up now.
Fifty cents won’t get you a single thing here anymore,” the auntie said solemnly.
“Is Uncle Li not working anymore?” Kather suddenly mentioned a name.
“Hey, you know my father-in-law?” The auntie’s eyes lit up.
“The old man’s health isn’t great now, so he can’t do heavy labor.
My husband is working out of town, so I happen to be at home taking care of the kids and helping my father-in-law watch the stall.” “I see…” Indeed, when people grow old, they ultimately need to rest.
Kather didn’t chat any further.
He just had the auntie pack a few steamed buns.
Just as he finished paying and was about to leave, the auntie suddenly let out an “Eh?” “What’s wrong?” Kather asked, puzzled.
“I remember now!
I’ve seen you before!
Is your nickname Xiao Yu?” The auntie finally recognized the person in front of her as an old acquaintance and was quite happy.
“Back then, you were so small, not even as tall as this stall.
Now you’re a whole head taller than me!” “I’ve grown up, after all,” Kather said with a smile.
“Is this little girl your girlfriend?
Quite pretty!” With lightning speed, the auntie pinched Denia’s cheek, instantly leaving a thin layer of flour dust on her fair face.
“Tell you what, I’ll stuff a few more steamed buns in for you.
No need to pay extra.
You just focus on dating this girl properly.
Auntie wishes you two a long and happy marriage!” Without giving Kather a chance to refuse, the auntie stuffed a few more buns into the bag and immediately ushered them away.
…
After stuffing two steamed buns into her mouth, Denia couldn’t eat anymore.
“What now?
That auntie gave us too many, I can’t finish them,” Denia said, looking at Kather with a touch of annoyance, the layer of flour dust still stuck on her face.
“Then save them to eat when we get back,” Kather grinned.
Denia rolled her eyes speechlessly.
Honestly, it was pretty cute.
“Where are we going now?
You didn’t bring me here just to reminisce about your childhood, did you?” Denia finally asked about the purpose of their trip.
“To pick someone up.” Kather took a warm steamed bun from the plastic bag Denia was holding, stuffed it into his mouth, and carefully wiped the dust off her cheek.
“Pick up who?” “You’ll know in a bit.” Kather and Denia munched on their steamed buns, walking all the way to the end of the alley.