When Liu Zhimin and Ning Yizhuo returned, they found that Yu Qianjue had already disappeared, leaving only Kim Minjeong quietly eating meat.
Liu Zhimin, who sat next to Kim Minjeong to ask where Yu Qianjue had gone, suddenly noticed a shy blush on the Maltese's face.
"Min-jeong, where did A Yu go?"
Hearing Liu Zhimin mention Yu Qianjue, Kim Minjeong's small face flushed again, and she quietly pulled Zhimin's hand, intending to whisper something to her.
Feeling the Maltese's breath, Liu Zhimin couldn't help but scratch her head, feeling a bit itchy in her ears.
But upon hearing what Kim Minjeong said, Liu Zhimin no longer cared about the itch, slowly widening her eyes, and her small mouth also slowly opened.
"Jinja?"
Kim Minjeong nodded, indicating that everything she had just said was true.
Pressing her lips together, Liu Zhimin secretly glanced at Ning Yizhuo opposite her, and seeing that she hadn't noticed them whispering, she felt a little relieved.
"He didn't do it on purpose. If I hadn't been staring at that piece of meat so intently..."
Then this kind of intimate behavior on their first meeting wouldn't have happened.
Liu Zhimin nodded in agreement. In her opinion, it was actually no big deal. Yu Qianjue kindly fed Kim Minjeong, but they just didn't coordinate well, and their actions were a bit too intimate.
But the problem was that both of them seemed to be thin-skinned. Kim Minjeong's embarrassed blush caused Yu Qianjue to have an unnecessary misunderstanding.
"I'll go find him and clarify things. Let's just let this matter go, okay? Pretend nothing happened. Otherwise, when he comes back later, both of you will be bright red, and Ningning will definitely get suspicious."
After instructing Kim Minjeong and seeing her nod, Liu Zhimin got up again and walked out of the booth, looking for Yu Qianjue.
Yu Qianjue turned on the faucet and haphazardly washed his face. The still somewhat chilly water temperature in early May gradually calmed his agitated and shameful emotions, allowing him to cool down.
After calming down, recalling his actions just now, Yu Qianjue tapped his head in distress. Why was he so impulsive? Why did he have to hand it over? Wouldn't it have been better to use serving chopsticks for Kim Minjeong?
Now, on the first day of meeting, he probably left Ningning's friend with the impression of a frivolous man.
"Aishiba..."
Walking out of the restroom, Yu Qianjue went straight to the front desk, asked the waitress for three cans of iced cola, walked out of the store, squatted at the entrance, and drank one can with his head tilted back.
Just as he opened the second bottle, intending to gulp it down again, a playful voice sounded in his ear.
"What's wrong? Not old enough to buy beer, so you're drowning your sorrows in cola?"
This startled Yu Qianjue, and he spluttered, fortunately, there was no one on the street, so the 'fountain' didn't splash any innocent bystanders.
"Cough, cough, cough... Why did you come out?"
Liu Zhimin couldn't help but laugh, watching Yu Qianjue spray the cola far away.
"You sprayed it so far, are you a Squirtle? Like you're using Water Gun."
"It's all because you suddenly spoke and scared me! Don't you know I was performing a 'dragon sucking water' (gulping down a drink)?"
Rolling her eyes in annoyance, she pulled a tissue from her pocket and handed it to Yu Qianjue, then squatted down beside him.
"Act, keep acting. There's no one on the street, who are you performing 'dragon sucking water' for?"
Yu Qianjue wiped his mouth and continued to drink the cola, but no longer gulping it down, but sipping it slowly.
Liu Zhimin picked up the last bottle of cola and handed it to Yu Qianjue. He took it and opened the cola for Liu Zhimin.
Taking the cola with a smile in her eyes and taking a sip, the icy temperature with its strong carbonation swept through her mouth. Liu Zhimin let out a 'ke' sound, similar to what Peninsula people often do when drinking alcohol, as if she had taken a large gulp of strong liquor.
"You're quite observant."
"Because you got a manicure, right? So it's definitely hard to open a can. I saw it this afternoon when you said you'd treat me to coffee and took out your wallet."
The two were silent for a moment, just drinking their beverages in silence, until Yu Qianjue finally broke the quiet atmosphere.
"Youzi, you... Min-jeong must have told you just now, right?"
Nodding, Liu Zhimin indicated that she knew everything.
"Did I leave a bad impression on you all...?"
He stared blankly at the cola can in his hand, his thoughts gradually drifting back to the afternoon when he bumped into the door.
"I'm really sorry for leaving you all with the impression of a clumsy and frivolous man on our first meeting."
Liu Zhimin puffed out one cheek and gently patted Yu Qianjue's head.
"Why do you keep apologizing? You didn't do anything wrong."
"But just now..."
"That was just a misunderstanding, wasn't it? You two just didn't coordinate well. One thin-skinned person met another thin-skinned person, that's all. It's no big deal. Min-jeong just told me; she also thinks it was just an accident."
"Is that so...?"
Hearing Liu Zhimin say this, Yu Qianjue's anxious heart finally relaxed a little, and he let out a sigh of relief.
"As for you saying you left us with the impression of a clumsy and frivolous man, I don't think so."
"At least I've never heard of a frivolous man helping others out of a predicament, ordering expensive korean beef for them, and even grilling meat for friends he just met."
This was not to comfort Yu Qianjue; Liu Zhimin was speaking truthfully.
From their first meeting this afternoon until now, as they squatted together drinking cola, Liu Zhimin could somewhat see the bigger picture from the small details.
His face, which could be called god-like, and his unique fashion sense were secondary.
He would actively carry bags for people he had just met; when they walked down the street, he would intentionally walk on the outermost side closest to the road; when she was approached by someone, he would instinctively show a defensive posture; his appropriate compliments were neither perfunctory nor sycophantic; and his occasional small jokes would make people laugh.
These subconscious habits could definitely not be faked so easily.
Most importantly, even when some minor incidents occurred between them, he always took the blame upon himself.
When people make mistakes, they subconsciously look for excuses and deny the mistakes they made.
But he didn't.
If she hadn't called out to Yu Qianjue that afternoon, he probably wouldn't have bumped into the door. And the accident just now was just some wonderful chemical reaction between the two, but he always felt that if he hadn't impulsively handed over and guided Kim Minjeong to eat the meat, the embarrassing situation for both of them wouldn't have happened.
Although it was their first meeting, from these incidents, she could feel that he indeed had a delicate mind and excellent upbringing.
And it was indeed just as Ning Yizhuo had described him to them.
"Don't belittle yourself, even though we've only known each other for a short time, I know that as a friend, you've done very, very well. I'm afraid Min-jeong and I will often have to rely on you in the future."
Hearing Liu Zhimin say this, Yu Qianjue turned to look at her. Their gazes met. Seeing her serious expression and sincere eyes, Yu Qianjue was startled and quickly shifted his gaze.
"Nonsense, I should be the one relying on you all."
He actually liked being relied upon; it made him feel that his existence was meaningful. But he was always afraid, afraid that if one day he couldn't be relied upon, everyone around him would leave him.
But at least for now, since he was relied on by his friends, he couldn't betray their expectations and run away at the last minute.
Yu Qianjue seemed to have made up his mind. He took a deep breath and looked at Liu Zhimin again.
At this moment, the young man's firm gaze, his face combining feminine softness and masculine heroism, and the smile playing on his lips, all combined, were like a long-awaited ray of light in the darkness shining into Liu Zhimin's heart. But what truly moved her were the young man's next words.
"Although I cannot yet be perfect, I will not fail your trust."
"I will strive to become everyone's pillar until everyone can stand on their own."
Liu Zhimin felt her face getting slightly warm. She turned her face slightly, knowing she must be blushing.
"What's with this... saying things so coolly... Don't just say pretty words, you really have to do it so we can rely on you!"
Yu Qianjue saw the girl's blush and chuckled.
"Do you know your blushing face is really cute, Youzi-chan?"
But what greeted him was the girl's shy mangosteen-like fists and words like 'I hate you' and 'you're annoying' from her mouth.
After playing around for a while, Yu Qianjue stood up, extended his hand to Liu Zhimin, and said seriously:
"Then from now on, please take care of me, Zhimin."
Liu Zhimin took his hand. Yu Qianjue pulled her up with a slight tug.
"Mm, please take care of me!"