The night wind blew gently, bringing with it a chill. On the street, a scene unfolded: a girl held a cup of coffee.
She took sips from it occasionally, walking briskly ahead. Behind her, a boy followed, his steps unhurried, keeping pace with her, his eyes scanning the surrounding shops.
The two walked one after another, moonlight casting a warm glow over them, outlining their figures.
Not long after, Ju Jingyi stopped in front of a restaurant that looked quite nice from the outside. She turned to Yi Xing, waved him over, and said,
"Hurry up, this is the place I was talking about."
"Coming, coming."
Yi Xing quickened his steps, standing beside Ju Jingyi. He pushed open the door, letting her enter first, then followed behind. To anyone who didn't know the situation, he might have looked like a personal assistant, almost ready to carry her bag.
Stepping into the restaurant, the lively atmosphere immediately enveloped them. The joyous laughter of customers intertwined with the greetings of the waitstaff, all signaling to those entering that they had come to the right place for a meal.
Ju Jingyi, familiar with the layout, led Yi Xing to a table further inside. As for why she didn't choose a window seat, there was a good reason. This restaurant wasn't known only to her; her teammates knew about it too.
She didn't want a familiar face to suddenly appear at the window while she was happily eating.
Even if she could accept it, whether Yi Xing could was another matter. To ensure his safety, she deliberately avoided the window seats.
Yi Xing, already a bit hungry, didn't care about any of that. He had said earlier that he would listen to Ju Jingyi completely, and whatever she wanted to do, he would follow her arrangements without hesitation.
Shortly after they sat down, a waiter approached with menus in hand, smiling warmly as he said, "Good evening, you two. I find this beautiful lady a bit familiar; I presume this isn't your first time at our establishment."
"Not me, him," Ju Jingyi said, pointing to the person sitting opposite her.
"Oh, I see. Well then, handsome sir, would you like me to introduce our restaurant's specialty dishes?"
Yi Xing smiled politely and declined, "Not for now. You can leave the menus with us, and we'll look them over ourselves. I'll call you if we need anything."
"Alright. If I may add, our restaurant has a new couple's set meal. Would you two like to try it?" The waiter put down the menus and was about to turn away when he suddenly remembered something, turning back to ask.
"She and I are not a couple!"
"He and I are not a couple!"
Male and female voices spoke simultaneously.
The waiter realized he had misspoken, chuckled awkwardly, and quickly bowed, apologizing,
"I am truly sorry, I misunderstood. Please take your time looking at the menus, and remember to call me when you're ready to order." This time, he really left. Even with his thick skin, he couldn't stay there any longer.
The atmosphere fell into a brief silence. Yi Xing gave a dry laugh, picked up a menu, flipped through it, and handed it over, breaking the quiet.
"Uh, Xiao Ju, I'm not familiar with which dishes are good here. You order."
"Okay... okay."
Ju Jingyi took the menu from his hand, a faint blush still on her face. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, then slid her slender finger along the menu, asking,
"Is there anything you don't eat?"
"No, I can eat anything."
"Alright, then I'll just order whatever."
She lightly bit her lower lip, pondered for a moment, then decided on the dishes she wanted in her mind. She then recited the dish names to Yi Xing, noticing a distinct change in his expression, though she couldn't quite pinpoint what it was.
Yi Xing listened carefully to the dishes she mentioned and realized none of them contained chili. Could it be that because he was from the Magic City, she specifically ordered non-spicy dishes to accommodate his taste?
A warmth welled up in his heart. He hadn't expected her to be so considerate, especially since he had looked up information and knew Ju Jingyi was from the Bashu area of Sichuan.
"Xiao Ju, is it because I'm from the Magic City and you think I can't eat much spice, that you ordered all these non-spicy dishes?"
"No, actually, it's because I myself can't eat much spice."
"You're from the Bashu area of Sichuan, aren't you?" Yi Xing looked at her, puzzled. He couldn't be blamed for his stereotype; where was a person from the Bashu area of Sichuan who couldn't eat spice? He had never heard of it.
"Yes, but I didn't eat much spice when I was little," she explained with a smile. It was a habit formed since childhood, and it was hard to change it quickly.
"I think you can eat spice, you just haven't had it often. Maybe after a few times, you'll be fine. How about we try a spicy dish?"
"This... then let's try it!" Ju Jingyi hesitated a bit. On one hand, she herself felt that a person from the Bashu area of Sichuan who couldn't eat spice wasn't a proper person from the Bashu area of Sichuan.
On the other hand, as Yi Xing said, she rarely ate spicy food and worried she might not be able to handle the sensation all at once. Ultimately, the former reason won out over the latter.
"I saw a famous dish from your region on the menu, Mapo Tofu. What do you think?"
"Sounds good."
Yi Xing waved to the waiter who was watching them from a distance, urging him to come over. Seeing this, the waiter quickly approached them.
As if the awkward scene from before hadn't happened, he asked with a professional smile, "Do you two need my assistance with anything?"
"We've decided on our order. Could you please take it down...?" Yi Xing recited the dishes they had discussed.
"Got it! I've noted everything. Please wait patiently for a moment."
After the waiter turned and left, the two sitting in their chairs exchanged a glance, then lowered their heads to play on their phones. This was typical modern youth dining etiquette: chat if there's something to say, otherwise, play on your phone, without interfering with each other.
The only thing that interrupted their state was the food. Exquisite dishes were brought over by the waiter and placed on the table, their presentation alone whetting the appetite. Both picked up their chopsticks and began to taste.
"How are these dishes? Do they suit your palate, young master?"
"They're pretty good. Can you stop calling me young master?"
"Oh, alright. If you don't want me to, I won't. May I ask why?"
"Because I consider you a friend. It feels strange for a friend to call me young master, and besides, I'm not really a young master anymore."
Yi Xing picked up the glass next to him and drank it all in one gulp. Perhaps the alcohol was taking effect, as he began to talk more.
"I promised my dad that I would make it on my own for a year and a half. If I meet his requirements, I'll still be free. If not, then the next time we meet, you can call me young master as much as you like."
"Then I hope you succeed! Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
Their glasses clinked in the air. One held alcohol, the other a beverage, but this did not hinder their friendship from growing deeper.
After dinner, Yi Xing and Ju Jingyi strolled down the street, eventually finding themselves back at the Star Dream Theater.
"Alright, I'm here. You should head back too. Bye-bye!"
"Mm-hmm, bye-bye!"
The two walked in opposite directions. The girl returned to the dormitory arranged by her company, while the boy hailed a taxi on the roadside and returned to his villa complex. It would be several days before they met again.