After escaping from danger, Guan Yao walked out of the food stall with lingering fear in her heart.
Though she had lived another life and her inner strength had grown considerably, encountering such an incident still rattled her nerves.
The evening breeze brushed gently against her, failing to blow away the tension and exhaustion weighing on her mind.
Dragging her heavy steps toward home, she walked under the dim, yellowish glow of the streetlights that stretched her shadow long.
As she walked, a familiar voice called out from behind her: "Guan Yao?"
Guan Yao turned around and saw Meng Fanyu.
Meng Fanyu was her high school classmate, and the two had always maintained a good relationship.
He wore thin-rimmed glasses, a simple shirt, and casual trousers, exuding an scholarly aura.
His eyes behind the lenses were deep and sharp, as though they held countless streams of wisdom, and a gentle smile hung at the corners of his mouth, making people feel as comfortable as a spring breeze.
"Meng Fanyu, what a coincidence," Guan Yao forced a smile and replied.
Meng Fanyu keenly sensed Guan Yao's abnormality. His gaze swept over her as he asked with concern:
"What's wrong? You don't look too good. Did something happen?"
Hesitating for a moment, Guan Yao briefly recounted running into He Junkang's father just now.
Hearing this, Meng Fanyu furrowed his brows tightly, a flash of anger crossing his eyes:
"They are going too far! This kind of behavior is simply unreasonable."
"It's a good thing you're okay. You need to be much more careful when you go out from now on."
With that, he looked at Guan Yao and added, "You must have been terrified, and you're hungry, right?
I know a barbecue stall ahead with really authentic flavors. Let me take you to try it."
Only then did Guan Yao remember that her last meal had been at noon. After finishing her exams, she had rushed off to deliver money to Teacher Li, followed immediately by the stalking incident.
Feeling her stomach rumble now, she nodded in agreement.
The two arrived at the barbecue stall, where the air was thick with an alluring, lively atmosphere.
Meat skewers sizzled and popped on the grill, emitting wave after wave of mouthwatering fragrance.
The vendor skillfully turned the food over, sprinkling a handful of cumin and chili powder from time to time. The aroma instantly pierced Guan Yao's nostrils, making her appetite surge.
Meng Fanyu led Guan Yao to a table to sit down. Instead of ordering casually like others might, he first observed the dishes on the surrounding diners' tables, then chatted briefly with the vendor to check the freshness of the day's ingredients and the house specialties before finally placing his order.
Before long, a table full of delicious food was served.
First came the mutton skewers. Every skewer featured an alternating blend of fat and lean meat, roasted until golden and crispy with a slightly charred surface, while the meat inside remained tender and juicy.
Meng Fanyu smiled at Guan Yao and said, "The mutton skewers here are carefully selected from sheep slaughtered fresh that very day, and the heat is controlled to absolute perfection. Have a try."
Guan Yao picked up a skewer and took a bite. It was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, the fat bursting in her mouth. The aroma of cumin and chili perfectly neutralized the gaminess of the mutton, leaving only a rich, lingering meaty flavor that begged to be savored.
Her eyes lit up instantly, and she began to eat voraciously, casting aside her usual restraint.
Thinking of her past life, whether facing her crush, her colleagues, or even strangers, she had always been terribly vulnerable to the opinions of others.
When dining out, if anyone was seated nearby, she would act all constrained and self-conscious about how she ate.
In all fairness, her table manners were not ugly at all, but there would always be someone inexplicably dragging out some outdated feudal moral codes to criticize her.
Once, when dining out with colleagues, she had even forced herself to pretend to have a bird's-like appetite, taking just two dainty bites before pretentiously declaring she was full.
Thinking about it now, she truly owed an apology to all that wasted food.
In this lifetime, she was determined to be herself and would no longer wrong herself just to cater to others.
Watching her eat with such satisfaction, a hint of amusement flashed in Meng Fanyu's eyes as he picked up a skewer himself.
Next came the roasted enoki mushrooms, neatly arranged in a foil boat and blanketed in a layer of golden minced garlic, dotted with bright red chopped chili peppers and vibrant green scallions. Just looking at them was enough to make one's mouth water.
Meng Fanyu introduced them: "The soul of the roasted enoki mushrooms here is the garlic paste, which the owner chops by hand every single day and mixes with special seasonings. The flavor is exceptionally rich."
Guan Yao picked up a mouthful with her chopsticks. The enoki mushrooms were thoroughly coated in the garlic paste. Entering her mouth, she first tasted the rich, savory depth of the garlic, followed by the smooth, crisp tenderness of the mushrooms, while a subtle heat bloomed across the tip of her tongue, stimulating her taste buds with a wonderfully complex texture.
She couldn't stop praising them as she ate: "This is so good! How come I never noticed this place before?"
Meng Fanyu pushed up his glasses and said, "This place is a bit hidden, so not many people know about it, but the taste is definitely worth a try."
Then there was the roasted eggplant. The entire eggplant was roasted until soft and tender, split open down the middle to reveal the mushy, melting flesh inside.
Dusted with chopped scallions and cilantro, every spoonful dug out with a scoop offered a perfect fusion of the eggplant's softness, the savory garlic, and the freshness of the herbs, creating an extraordinarily rich mouthfeel.
Besides the barbecue, Meng Fanyu had also ordered a portion of pan-fried mung bean jelly.
The jelly was cut into small pieces and pan-fried until both sides turned golden brown, making the skin crispy while the inside remained incomparably tender.
Served with a sauce made of sesame paste, minced garlic, and chili oil, a single bite delivered the crispy aroma and softness of the jelly first, followed by the richness of the sesame paste, the pungency of the garlic, and the kick of the chili oil. The intertwining flavors were utterly irresistible.
Guan Yao ate without stopping, and Meng Fanyu looked at her with eyes full of deep affection: "Eat as much as you like if you enjoy it. If it's not enough, we'll order more."
During the meal, sensing that Guan Yao's mood was still somewhat down, Meng Fanyu began telling her some interesting campus stories and shared some intriguing books and movies he had recently encountered.
His storytelling was vivid and engaging, occasionally interspersed with his own unique insights, gradually drawing Guan Yao into the conversation and bringing more and more smiles to her face.
Soothed by the delicious food and accompanied by Meng Fanyu, Guan Yao slowly relaxed, and her prior fear and exhaustion gradually melted away.
The bustling atmosphere of the barbecue stall, the delectable food, and Meng Fanyu's company added a touch of warmth and coziness to an otherwise terrifying night.
After the two had eaten and drunk their fill, Guan Yao wanted to test her... special ability?
Well, you couldn't really call it a special ability, but based on what she had discovered so far, money she spent on others would always mysteriously find its way back into her wallet.
"Thank you so much for today. I'm in a much better mood now," Guan Yao smiled at Meng Fanyu, and continued, "Let me settle the bill."
To her surprise, Meng Fanyu shook his head. "I secretly paid the bill right after I finished ordering. I was afraid you'd stand on ceremony with me."
Plan A having failed, Guan Yao hatched Plan B.
"How about this? Since you treated me to dinner..."
"It wouldn't be unreasonable for me to treat you to milk tea in return, right?"
Guan Yao was determined to get to the bottom of this today and figure out what on earth was going on!