The milky fragrance was enticing. Ye Qingli sniffed and turned to Xiao Yu. "Do you want some?"
"What?" Xiao Yu was still staring at the endless row of carts, wondering when they would reach the end. He paused, then looked at the stall beside her. The sign read "Soufflé Pancake." Without thinking, he shook his head. "No."
Ye Qingli frowned. "Why are you so picky? You won't eat anything."
"?" Xiao Yu felt wronged. "Didn't you only ask me once?"
Their conversation was overheard by passersby. Mistaking them for a lovey-dovey young couple, they exchanged glances, covered their mouths with smiles, and walked away.
"...Really? I can't remember. Anyway, if you don't want any, fine. I kind of want some." Ye Qingli suddenly felt a little guilty. She touched her nose and said, "Go see if there's anything you want to eat. I'll reimburse you later." Then she slipped away to join the line.
Xiao Yu didn't say anything. He found her really easy to tease; she blushed at the slightest thing. And today, she happened to be wearing a light green scarf, with her chin half-tucked in, making her look like a peach.
After a while, he finally laughed softly.
The line was a bit long. Maybe because the vendor was a woman, she was very meticulous, making each soufflé look beautiful—the kind that would prompt people to visit if they saw it online.
When it was finally Ye Qingli's turn, the soufflé in the box was round and fluffy. She thanked the vendor and took it, then turned around to see Xiao Yu squatting by the steps, playing on his phone.
He never seemed to sit down anywhere outside—not on steps, stone posts, or even chairs.
Ye Qingli pursed her lips and walked over. Xiao Yu caught sight of a pair of shoes from the corner of his eye, looked up, and then put his phone away.
"Didn't I tell you to go look around?"
Her tone carried a hint of reluctance. Xiao Yu glanced at her, stood up, and stomped his numb feet. "What? Is waiting for you a crime now?"
"...I was afraid you'd be hungry."
What was wrong with him? Always reading too much into things!
Ye Qingli frowned. Xiao Yu wanted to laugh every time he saw that expression, so he stopped teasing her and instead looked at the box in her hand. Now it was his turn to frown. "Why is it so yellow?"
"..." Ye Qingli looked down. "That's mango sauce. Do you want some? There are two servings, so if you want, I'll..."
"No, keep it for yourself."
Xiao Yu couldn't eat cream. He didn't like the taste, and the yellow sauce didn't look appetizing at all. He didn't hide his disgust; it was written all over his face.
If Xu Qingsong had been eating this, he would have said it looked like poop.
"See, I told you you're picky. Was I wrong?" Ye Qingli complained, then scooped a spoonful into her mouth. She stomped her feet in excitement. Mango sauce was obviously delicious.
Xiao Yu turned to her. The breeze lifted the stray hairs on his forehead, and his lips curved into a handsome smile. "Yeah, you're always right."
The night market stretched on for blocks, with strings of lights twinkling along the street. Ye Qingli accompanied Xiao Yu all the way to the end. When they turned back, his hands were still empty.
"With all this good food, isn't there anything you want?" Ye Qingli forced down the last bite of soufflé. Honestly, it was a bit greasy. She was almost full.
"I don't know what to eat," Xiao Yu said. There was plenty of food, but nothing suited his taste. For example, the scallion and vermicelli dish smelled terrible, and the fried skewers were too oily and greasy.
The most absurd thing was that someone was selling ice jelly in this cold weather. Xiao Yu frowned at the line in front of that stall. He didn't get it.
Ye Qingli wanted to tell him to just hang himself with a rope; then he wouldn't have to eat anything.
She suppressed her anger and pointed to a stall diagonally ahead, partially blocked by a few middle-aged women. "They sell rice balls over there. Do you want some?"
If they kept wandering like this, the school might close soon. Realizing this, Xiao Yu finally nodded. "Okay."
Ye Qingli breathed a sigh of relief and tugged his sleeve to queue up. Xiao Yu looked down at her small, fair hand on his arm and smiled.
He should have teased her a bit longer.
If they went back right before the school gates closed, maybe she wouldn't let go.
The women ahead left. The vendor was a white-haired, kind-looking old lady. When she smiled, wrinkles formed at the corners of her eyes. "What would you like? We have a variety of fillings for our rice balls. Affordable and delicious."
Ye Qingli glanced at the ingredients—they looked fresh. She waved her hand magnanimously. "Give me one with everything."
The old lady beamed and was about to say, "Coming right up," when the boy standing next to her said, "Are you crazy? How can you finish that much?"
"You're a guy..."
"Don't listen to her. Just give me a regular one," Xiao Yu told the old lady.
The old lady's smile froze. She would lose nearly twenty yuan. She obediently picked up a sheet of seaweed and wrapped a rice ball. "Alright. Come again if you like it."
When Ye Qingli paid, Xiao Yu didn't stop her. Instead, he asked the old lady for an extra piece of rice ball paper. Ye Qingli was about to ask what he was doing when she saw him carefully break the rice ball in half and hand a piece to her.
"..." The old lady watched them, as if looking at two people who couldn't afford a proper meal.
Ye Qingli felt embarrassed. She whispered, "I'm not eating," and quickly ran off.
Xiao Yu caught up in two steps. Looking down at her strange behavior, he couldn't understand. "What are you running for? Did that little piece of junk fill you up?"
The "junk" was the soufflé with mango sauce.
Ye Qingli walked faster, not looking up. "I'm full."
"Who believes that? Eat this half." Xiao Yu grabbed her collar to make her stop and held out the rice ball. When she didn't take it, he pried open her hand and shoved it in.
"I'm really full." Ye Qingli looked at his face and frowned.
Xiao Yu paused. "Are you angry?"
"No."
"Then what's wrong?"
Seeing that he genuinely didn't understand, Ye Qingli rolled her eyes and let out a soft sigh. "We only bought one rice ball, the plainest one, and then you split it with me. That old lady probably thought we were really poor..."
By the end, Ye Qingli's face was bright red. She was so embarrassed she wanted to find a hole to crawl into. But Xiao Yu laughed like she had told a joke, his shoulders shaking.
Now it was Ye Qingli's turn to be confused. "...What's so funny?"
His eyes curved like crescent moons. "You. You're hilarious."
"..." Ye Qingli looked him over. He was so tall, yet he had such a low threshold for laughter. She was speechless. "But it's true. You wouldn't even let me buy the deluxe version. A rice ball isn't that expensive. The money you've spent on me could buy so many rice balls."
Hearing this, Xiao Yu finally restrained his smile. Maybe it was the lights, but Ye Qingli saw a ripple of tenderness in his eyes.
"I know you want to settle the score, but I don't."
"That way, I can keep coming to have dinner with you every day."