Meanwhile, back at the shop, He Yi and Su Jue were still inside.
He Yi looked at the neatly stacked bills on the table, raising an eyebrow as the smile at the corners of his mouth deepened.
"What are you thinking about, Brother Yi?" Su Jue asked, noticing his expression.
"Nothing much." As he spoke, He Yi swept all the money from the table into his wallet and called the boss over to settle the bill. "It just seems we made a profit."
Oh? Su Jue thought about the money Xiao Ye had left on the table. Indeed, it certainly didn't seem like she needed to leave that much. He couldn't help smiling and said, "Since when do you care about such a small amount of money?"
Accepting the change from the owner, He Yi replied, "Just now." He snapped his wallet shut. "Let's go."
With that, he strode out the door on his long legs.
Su Jue hurried to keep up. "Are you telling me you've actually taken a fancy to some freshman?" As soon as they stepped outside, the two young men spotted the three girls who had "relocated" to the bubble tea shop.
"Who knows." Though phrased as a question, He Yi spoke without the slightest trace of one.
Su Jue turned his head in shock to look at him. "No way! You're serious?! You've only met once! Come on, you fell for her just after sharing one meal? Isn't that a bit too reckless?"
He Yi just smiled and said nothing.
Only once? Far from it!
He had already seen her before she ever realized it.
Once, on a rainy day, he had spotted a little girl holding an umbrella, casting frequent, conflicted glances at a woman hurrying through the rain. In the end, she had walked up and held her umbrella over the woman's head. He heard the woman thanking her, yet the girl didn't even have the courage to meet the woman's eyes. She stared straight ahead in slight bewilderment, looking just like a little rabbit. She simply shook her head to signal that thanks weren't necessary.
At that moment, he had thought to himself: such a timid little girl, yet unexpectedly so warm.
On a winter evening at dusk, it was that same timid girl again, and she was glancing around anxiously once more. Further ahead was an elderly person carrying a pole on his shoulder and a bag of plastic bottles in his hand. That time, he heard her voice: "Old man, let me carry that for you!" It sounded like the wind brushing past wind chimes, ethereal, crisp, and carrying a hint of coolness. It had brought peace to his heart, which had been irritated by the imperfection of a musical score.
At that time, she showed a bit more boldness, yet remained just as warm—so much so that he was able to recognize her instantly in the dim evening light.
The next time he saw her was during the freshman military training at school. When he went to the music classroom to pick up some scores, he happened to catch them during a break. She and her friend—the girl named Huang Li—were sitting on the ground leaning against each other, resting under the blazing sun. Even though her own fair face had been sunburned to a bright red, she was still smiling gently as she reached out her slender hand to block the sun for the person leaning on her shoulder.
That day on the playground, when he saw her stepping up for her friend, she had possessed a bit more swagger and flair, with a little less shyness, but she was just as warm as ever.
When their eyes met, those jet-black, clear-as-obsidian eyes had marched straight into his heart without a doubt, leaving a faint mark that he hadn't been able to forget for a long time.
"Is it... that girl named Xiao Ye?" Su Jue guessed in a low voice.
He Yi snapped out of his reverie. "Stop guessing!" He reached out to drape an arm over Su Jue's shoulder. "Let's go."
"Come on, don't be like that, Brother Yi! Don't leave me hanging! Feed my curiosity a little bit!" protested Su Jue as he was hauled away by the shoulder.
"Curiosity killed the cat," He Yi replied flatly.
***
Meanwhile, a completely oblivious Xiao Ye was holding a cup of matcha bubble tea, her eyes narrowed slightly as she savored it with a look of pure satisfaction, resembling a lazy cat.
The three of them walked toward the classroom, each holding a cup of bubble tea, completely unaware of the conversation between He Yi and Su Jue.
Even Yao Na'er, who had harbored mild suspicions, had let them go thanks to Xiao Ye and Huang Li's nonchalance. After all, whether they would ever see those guys again was a question in itself.
Yet none of them imagined that their story was only just beginning...