Advanced Bistro (Part 2)

Jiang Yichun sat at the dining table, staring intently at the candlelight burning on the table.

Her chaotic mind was filled with every little detail of her time with He Yinxin.

Ever since that phone call between him and Xixi, or perhaps even earlier, their relationship had become like two stars, sometimes close, sometimes distant.

They desperately try to escape each other, but are constantly drawn together by a strange gravitational force.

That day, at the invitation of Yang Fei and Lin Yan, she and he were dragged by them to go hiking.

She grew up in the mountains and often helped her grandmother collect firewood. The mountains on the outskirts of Huaxing City were not high or steep, and she walked in front of the three people like a tour guide.

Yang Fei and Lin Yan were immersed in their sweet atmosphere, hugging and cuddling as they walked at the back of the group.

He Yinxin was like her little mongrel dog, Potato, clearly panting heavily as she climbed, yet still following closely behind her step by step.

I was too confident in my physical abilities at the time, so I didn't bring water when I climbed the mountain, but I was really thirsty halfway up.

He coughed lightly and muttered "thirsty" under his breath, then He Yinxin's voice sounded behind him:

"Xiaochun, would you like some water?"

"Jiang, want to drink?" The voice of the person in front of her pulled her back to reality.

Jiang Yichun frowned and shook his head: "No need, senior, I'll just go next door to buy a cup of milk tea later. I... I'm not very good at handling alcohol."

"I'm afraid I'll go crazy if I drink."

Jiang Yichun thought of his breakdown and crying in the dormitory that night, lifted his forehead, and forced a bitter smile.

"You'll still drink, right? The alcohol content here is relatively low, it's fine, go ahead and drink."

"Anyway, it's my treat."

Liu Jianyang rubbed his hands together with a smile.

Jiang Yichun's eyes widened, his fingertips tracing the surface of his wine glass: "What? Senior Liu, you're treating? Didn't I say..."

Liu Jianyang maintained his smile: "Oh, after all, I booked this restaurant. And it wasn't cheap."

"I'll treat you to this meal; it's just a way of spending money to make friends. That's how it is in social situations."

He shrugged, spread his hands, crossed his legs.

"Oh." Jiang Yichun lowered his eyes. "Then just grab a drink, senior. Do you have any recommendations?"

Liu Jianyang took out his phone: "Let me order for you, something with a lower alcohol content. My girlfriend and I used to come to this bar often when we were in college."

"What kind of food would you like to eat?"

"I……"

He scrolled through his phone, saying, "This restaurant has good enameled pots and pizzas."

"Oh, let's start with a melon and ham dish, that's their signature dish."

Out of respect for the senior students who had been recommended for postgraduate studies at University A, Jiang Yichun suppressed the stubborn mule running wild inside him, took out his phone, and scanned the code to order food.

Her fingertips paused when she saw the plate of snacks: "I want to eat grilled sausages and grilled potatoes, they look delicious."

Jiang Yichun looked up at Liu Jianyang.

Liu Jianyang frowned, then chuckled, "I didn't expect Jiang Xuemei to have such a childlike heart, liking to eat children's food?"

Jiang Yichun gripped his phone tightly, his smile vanishing instantly: "Yes, it's better than some adults who talk about social niceties all the time."

"If sausage and potatoes are children's food, then the entire West is a giant infantile city, don't you think, Senior Liu?"

Liu Jianyang chuckled a few times and immediately ordered sausage and roasted potatoes on his phone: "Haha, I was just praising you for having a childlike heart, Jiang, don't be so sensitive."

"I often praise my girlfriend for having a childlike heart."

"Oh. So you really love your girlfriend, senior."

Jiang Yichun continued to look down at his phone.

He Yinxin's image reappeared in her mind.

That day, the two climbed to the top of the mountain one after the other, where there was a small stall selling grilled sausages.

Jiang Yichun finished the bottled water He Yinxin handed him, and his stomach started growling.

She quickly focused her attention on the fragrant stalls.

She swallowed hard and walked towards the stall, placing her hand on the edge of the table. Before she could speak, a familiar voice sounded behind her.

"Boss, two sticks, please."

He Yinxin stood behind her, her tone crisp.

"Junior Jiang, the food is served."

Liu Jianyang took the pizza from the waiter and gently placed it in front of the two of them.

The food was more captivating to Jiang Yichun than the man in his mind.

Her gaze immediately fell on the whole Margherita pizza.

The crispy, caramelized crust is topped with vibrant green basil leaves, bright red cherry tomatoes, and pale mozzarella cheese.

The aroma of wheat mixed with the sourness of tomatoes and the fragrance of cheese rushed into her nostrils.

Jiang Yichun's mouth was watering, and she was about to reach for a slice when Liu Jianyang's incessant voice rang in her ears again: "Hey, Jiang, this is the signature Margherita pizza from an Italian restaurant."

"This cheese is an imported brand; I've tried it, and it tastes excellent. This pizza is also made in the Italian style, baked in an oven."

Hehe, do you think I don't know?

Jiang Yichun gritted her teeth, looked down and took out her phone, praying that this strange dinner party would end soon.

She picked up the pizza with her other hand and ate it bite by bite.

"By the way, Jiang, where are you from?"

"I am from Qinglin County, Yijiang City, Lidong Province."

"Oh my, what a coincidence! I'm also from Yijiang!" Liu Jianyang's eyes lit up, and he started speaking in his dialect. "Little sister, I live in the city. I've never been to Qinglin County."

Jiang Yichun chewed on his pizza, listened to his broken dialect, and sighed, "Well, that's quite a coincidence."

"Senior, since that's the case, can we talk about things related to graduate school applications?"

Liu Jianyang nodded: "Sure, let me tell you how I managed to get second place in my major when I was studying at Huaxing."

Jiang Yichun listened intently to his eloquent speech, but his thoughts drifted away once again.

Memories of that day's hike flooded back.

He and He Yinxin each had a grilled sausage and were eating it heartily on the cement ground at the top of the mountain.

The two of them didn't say a word, but watched as two figures not far away—Yang Fei and Lin Yan—moved towards them step by step.

"Xiaochun, you seem to be very good at mountain climbing." He Yinxin's voice carried to her ears by the sound of the wind.

Jiang Yichun paused, holding the sausage, then turned to him with a smile: "It's alright, after all, I grew up in the mountains."

"I see...that's good."

The two of them stood quietly in the wind, chatting casually.

He Yinxin seemed to have never revealed anything to her, nor did she.

The two continued eating the greasy grilled sausage.

Although it was just an ordinary sausage, Jiang Yichun ate it with great relish, as every bite was bursting with juice.

And now the ham on the fork...

Jiang Yichun couldn't help but cough a few times.

It's so salty, so incredibly salty, as if the chef poured all the salt in the jar onto it while pickling.

Jiang Yichun forced himself to eat a piece of ham, enduring the saltiness, and silently blacklisted it in his mind.

Then he slapped the "Ham Bro" label onto the person in front of him.

"Alright, that's my sharing of my learning journey. I hope it will be helpful to you, junior." The ham guy in front of me finally stopped rambling on.

Jiang Yichun didn't hear what he said at all, and could only force a smile: "Hmm, it seems that you are working hard, senior."

Ham Bro laughed heartily, raised his glass, and said, "Come on, junior, let me toast you and wish you success in getting into A University for graduate school!"

The wine glass in his hand contained clear ice wine with two mint leaves floating in it.

Why are there mint leaves again...?

Jiang Yichun's gaze fell on the mint leaves. She raised her glass, symbolically touched it to Ham Bro's wine glass, and then took a small sip.

She poked her tongue, and a spicy sensation shot from her throat to the top of her head.

"Cough cough!" Jiang Yichun coughed a few times. "Sorry, senior, I really can't drink much..."

Ham Bro had already downed the wine in his glass in one gulp, and squinted at her: "It's okay, it's okay, Jiang Junior, if you don't want to drink, then don't."

"Take your time eating. I was just a little too excited and said a lot of nonsense. Don't take it to heart."

"After all... this is the first time I've met such an outstanding girl."

"Really, Jiang Yichun, this is the first time I've ever seen a girl get first place in our major. You're really amazing, you know? Don't be self-conscious or anxious."

Jiang Yichun had completely given up struggling. She chewed on the potatoes and sausages on her plate, quietly watching his stand-up comedy.

A very boring, old-fashioned stand-up comedy show.

She was forced to interact with the actor: "I have never felt inferior."

"Senior, watch your words. You have a girlfriend. It's very inappropriate to say such frivolous things to a girl you've only known for less than a day."

Her knife and fork trembled.

Why do I sound more and more like He Yinxin, that human-machine?

"Oh, right. I have a girlfriend." Ham Guy tilted his head and leaned on the table. "My girlfriend... hehe, we've been together since high school."

"She loves me very much, especially very much."

“She would take a three-hour high-speed train just to see me, and she would sit here and chat with me.”

Jiang Yichun rested her chin on her hand, having completely forgotten about the postgraduate entrance exam consultation; all she wanted to do was see what the man in front of her was going to do.

Ham Bro rubbed his eyes and scooped up spoonfuls of mashed potatoes from his bowl: "She was really good to me. When I was applying for graduate school at A University, I was under a lot of pressure, and she kept ordering milk tea for me and even stayed in a hotel to keep me company."

“She told me that we would get married after I graduated with my master’s degree. I would work in Huaxing City, and she would stay at home to take care of the children and cook for me.”

"Look, what a wonderful girlfriend she is."

Jiang Yichun found the person in front of him laughable.

The vibrant girl he described was also captured in his photograph, frozen in time.

Even after a five- or six-year-long relationship, all this guy ever saw was his imagined girlfriend and what she had done to him.

She took a deep breath: "So, she loves you so much..."

You treat her like a nanny?

But you acted as if it were perfectly normal?

Jiang Yichun looked around and saw that everyone in the Bistro was chatting in hushed tones.

Reason prevailed over the stubborn mule within her, and she could only swallow the venomous words that were about to spill from her lips: "So what are you trying to say?"

Ham Guy sat up straight, put his hands on his sides, and sighed, "I'm tired of her."

"We haven't been able to find common topics to talk about lately."

Jiang Yichun recalled the family dispute mediation program he often watched as a child.

Does this person think I'm some kind of mediator or a top-notch expert?

Unable to bear it any longer, Jiang Yichun secretly took out his phone, pressed the record button, and sent a message to Sister Xi Xi at the same time.

Everything's Easy: [Hey Xixi! Want to try our braised pig's trotters? I had a terrible experience eating out today!]

I'm hungry! I haven't eaten enough!

I want to eat meat!