Xu Lai looked at the girl before him, his eyes unable to hide the heartache he felt for her.
"All right then, I'll just order whatever."
Clutching a fifty-yuan bill in her hand, Lin Ruoruo nodded gently. "Order less, please. I... I'm not very hungry."
Looking at the menu on the display screen, Xu Lai slowly began to order: "A chicken leg burger, an order of French fries, a serving of apple slices, a pineapple pie, a taro pie, a cup of corn, a strawberry sundae, a glass of orange juice..."
Xu Lai ordered almost every snack and dessert the restaurant offered.
Seeing Xu Lai order so much food, Lin Ruoruo mentally added up the prices in her heart, and her small fists clenched even tighter.
Fifty yuan wouldn't be enough. What should she do?
Lin Ruoruo lowered her head slightly, looking somewhat at a loss.
Seeing this, Xu Lai quickly exchanged a glance with the waiter.
Clearly, the two of them were meeting here for more than the first time.
"All right, the free-meal voucher has been redeemed. Please take your receipt and find a seat. We'll bring your food over when it's ready."
With that, the clerk handing out orders handed the freshly printed receipt to Xu Lai.
"Really... it's free?" Lin Ruoruo asked doubtfully, her voice soft.
"Of course. Ruoruo, look at the receipt." He handed the receipt to Lin Ruoruo as he spoke.
Taking the receipt, Lin Ruoruo saw that the actual amount paid was zero yuan, which gradually dispelled her doubts. Then she asked:
"B... but you bought so much..."
"Eat in peace. It didn't cost anything." Xu Lai cut Lin Ruoruo off.
Then he motioned for Lin Ruoruo to follow him to a table by the window.
Before long, two waiters walked over carrying trays of food.
"Please enjoy your meal."
After placing the food on the table, the waiters greeted them and turned to leave.
Seeing Lin Ruoruo sitting there with lowered head and no intention of serving herself, Xu Lai picked up a taro pie and handed it to her.
"Here, Ruoruo. Hurry up and eat, we have to go back for evening self-study after."
Her heart already aching, Lin Ruoruo looked up at Xu Lai, who was smiling at her, and tears welled up in the corners of her eyes, impossible to hold back.
"Mm, y... you eat too." Raising a hand to wipe away the tears at the corner of her eye, Lin Ruoruo took the taro pie from Xu Lai's hand and began to eat slowly.
Seeing Lin Ruoruo starting to eat, memories flooded back into Xu Lai's mind once again.
"Big brother, you know what? I've actually never been to McDonald's."
Looking at the woman lying in his arms, Xu Lai had been astonished, not knowing how to respond for a moment, because this was just a relatively inexpensive fried chicken restaurant.
"Back then, Dad had to stay in the hospital for a long time and couldn't come home. To comfort me, he promised that as soon as he finished what he was doing, he'd take me to eat at the McDonald's that had just opened downstairs..."
Hearing Lin Ruoruo's words, he had turned over and pulled her into an even tighter embrace. "Ruoruo, from now on I'll be with you, and I'll take you to eat there. You'll never be alone again."
A thousand thoughts rushed through his mind. Xu Lai looked at the girl before him, an even deeper tenderness welling up in his gaze, and he silently vowed in his heart that this time he would make sure she lived the best life possible, surrounded by love.
And at that moment, Lin Ruoruo's own heart was churning with emotions that refused to settle.
When Xu Lai parked his bicycle in front of McDonald's, her emotions had already begun to surge. She remembered clearly that this was the most popular food in the surrounding neighborhoods back then, which her father had promised to take her to eat.
Yet she never got to see that day.
But today, another boy had appeared in her life, bringing her to fulfill the promise she and her father had made so long ago...
Lost in thought, Lin Ruoruo used the affectionate corner of her vision to steal a glance at Xu Lai, who was sitting across from her, dipping French fries in ketchup for her.
When the two of them finally came out of McDonald's, the sun was sinking low on the horizon, leaving only a remnant of warmth and light to warm and illuminate the world.
Instead of riding his bicycle with Lin Ruoruo straight back to school, Xu Lai pushed it as they walked slowly along the pavement toward the school.
After walking for half an hour, they reached the gates of No. 1 High School. Along the way, the two exchanged no words, seemingly each lost in their own thoughts.
Only Xu Lai's thoughts were clearly much more obvious; ever since they left McDonald's, his gaze had never completely left Lin Ruoruo.
Upon reaching the school gate, Lin Ruoruo suddenly stopped as if remembering something, then looked at the huge clock on the clock tower to the right of the gate.
"X... Xu Lai, can I borrow... your phone?"
"Sure." Reaching directly into his pocket, Xu Lai pulled out an iPhone 5s and handed it to Lin Ruoruo.
Taking the phone, Lin Ruoruo fumbled with it for a moment before handing it back to Xu Lai.
Xu Lai looked at her in confusion. "What's wrong? You don't need it?"
Blushing, Lin Ruoruo lost all confidence as she spoke. "I... I don't know how to use it..."
Hearing Lin Ruoruo's words, Xu Lai's eyes filled with heartache, and the urge to pull her into his arms reached a peak once more.
Seeing that Xu Lai didn't speak, but just stared at her in a daze, Lin Ruoruo continued, "I... I just wanted to call... my mom..."
"Tell me the number, I'll dial it..." Regaining his composure, Xu Lai instantly shifted his mood.
"131********"
"All right, here."
Xu Lai dialed the number and handed the phone to Lin Ruoruo.
Holding the phone, Lin Ruoruo walked aside, exchanged a few words with her mother, hung up in a hurry, and walked back over.
"Th... thank you."
With that, she handed the phone back to Xu Lai.
Handing the phone back, Lin Ruoruo turned and headed toward the school.
Xu Lai knew that Lin Ruoruo didn't want to get too close to him at school; she didn't want to draw anyone's attention, wishing only to be an invisible nobody whom no one ever noticed.
To achieve this goal, Lin Ruoruo even used her hair to keep her face hidden all the time.
Without overthinking it, Xu Lai quickened his pace to catch up. Once he reached her side, he spoke in a solemn tone, "Ruoruo, you don't need to say thank you to me!"
Hearing the tone of his voice, Lin Ruoruo panicked, afraid he was genuinely angry. "I... I'm sorry."
"You don't need to say sorry to me either." Xu Lai's tone grew even more solemn.
A startled feeling washed over Lin Ruoruo, and she softly replied, "I... I know. I'm going in first."
With that, she quickened her pace, her figure receding further and further away from Xu Lai.
Watching her figure hurrying away, Xu Lai dropped his solemn expression, the corners of his mouth turning upward on their own.
Pulling out his phone, he looked at the number in his call log and quietly saved it to his contacts.
"Mother-in-law."
Then, with a satisfied smile, he slipped the phone back into his pocket and followed after Lin Ruoruo's retreating figure.