Chapter 76
Chapter 76
Regarding the matter of love at first sight, Shu Yao spent five minutes briefly explaining the cause and effect, and finally made Chen Ye believe that it was a misunderstanding.
"When I said someone would be here soon, I was referring to someone else. I didn't expect you to come in first."
"other people?"
"The boss's niece is my senior."
Seeing the flash of surprise in Chen Ye's eyes, Shu Yao patiently explained: "She dresses in a more neutral style and is often mistaken for a boy. When I was participating in the club's team building in the first year of high school, I was approached by a boy from outside the school, and she helped me out."
At that time, the senior student once told her that if she met any difficult boys, she could just sign up for her name.
That's why Shu Yao blurted it out just now when he thought that she was coming.
Shen Ye nodded and said nothing more.
Shu Yao was silent for a moment, then remembered the boy's name for him and asked again, "Do you... know that boy?"
Shen Ye: “Forget it.”
"Then you should explain it to him. I'm afraid it would be bad if he spread the news."
Shen Ye supported his chin with his right hand and cast his eyes on the drink menu on the wall not far away, "Okay."
Shu Yao breathed a sigh of relief, pushed the bag of clothes from the corner in front of him, and followed his gaze: "Would you like something to drink? I'll treat you, as a thank you for your help that day."
Chen Ye was really not polite, and said in a gentle voice: "Taozhi...Yaoyao."
Shu Yao didn't think much about it: "This is a new product, how sweet do you want it?"
"Anything is fine."
"Then I'll do as I said before." Shu Yao returned to the work area, turned her back to him and started cutting peaches.
No matter how you calculate it, she had only been working part-time for no more than half a month, but she had already mastered the art of making drinks.
She quickly came out with a cup of Tao Zhi Yao Yao and placed it in front of him.
Shen Ye drank leisurely and seemed to have no intention of leaving.
Shu Yao glanced at the time. It was almost nine o'clock.
"Woo~"
A very light whimper seemed particularly clear in the quiet atmosphere.
Shu Yao pushed open the door and looked outside. Sure enough, a dirty puppy was huddled in the corner of the doorway with its eyelids drooping dully. When it saw her, it wagged its tail slightly.
She took out dog food from the drawer and poured a suitable amount into the small bowl at the door. The puppy smelled the food and came forward with its tail wagging gently, looking much more energetic than before.
It ate with great relish, and Shu Yao fed it patiently. Afraid that it was thirsty, he picked up another empty bowl beside it, walked to the nearby sink to rinse it, and then filled it with half a bowl of warm water.
Shen Ye drank his drink while observing her skilled process. Finally, he put down the cup, walked over and squatted beside her: "Does it come every day?"
"Yeah." Shu Yao pushed the bowl of water forward. The puppy instinctively took a step back out of defensiveness. It didn't lick the water in the bowl until it looked up and saw that it was her.
Shu Yao hugged his knees with his hands and said slowly, "It seems like it's become a habit. I feed her when I'm around, and the boss feeds her when I'm not around."
"Then why not just raise it?"
Shu Yao paused and shook his head. "I live with my aunt. My aunt is very afraid of dogs. If I keep one in the store, the boss is afraid it will scare the customers. Also, there's the cost of raising a dog. If it gets sick or something... it's very expensive."
Chen Ye's eyes fell on the puppy's clearly visible ribs. Through the tangled hair, a scar could be vaguely seen: "But it won't live long if it wanders around like this."
"I know." Some time ago, the puppy came with a wound on its head, and Shu Yao helped it treat it. It looked like it was hit by a brick.
Such injuries are not uncommon among stray dogs.
Shu Yao sighed silently: "So I'm thinking about sending it to a stray dog rescue station."
Shen Ye stared at the puppy for a while, and suddenly said, "Let me raise it?"
Shu Yao tilted her head to look at him, her tone gentle yet serious: "Raising a dog is no joke. If you're not sure you can take good care of it, it's better not to get one rashly."
Chen Ye was no longer as lazy as before. Under the dim street lights, his dark eyes looked as if they were tempered with ink, serious and determined.
"I raised it, so I will be responsible for it."
That night, she and Shen Ye took the dog to the pet hospital.
After giving the dog a bath and a comprehensive checkup, and confirming that everything was fine, Shen Ye prepared to take it home.
Maybe it's fate.
Stray dogs are usually very wary of people, but this puppy and Chen Ye met for the first time, but they became familiar with each other overnight. When leaving, Chen Ye held him in his arms and he didn't reject him at all.
But Shu Yao was still a little worried: "Have you ever had a dog?"
"Are you so worried about me?" Chen Ye took out his phone from his pocket. "Add me as a friend and I'll send you photos and feedback every day. Is that okay?"
After all, she was the middleman who handed the puppy to him, so Shu Yao felt that she needed to supervise him. So after hesitating for a moment, she added him as a friend.
A Crayon Shin-chan profile picture popped up on the phone screen. Chen Ye put away his phone and stroked the soft fur on the puppy's back with his right hand: "Give it a name?"
"You are its master now."
"You discovered it first."
"Then..." Shu Yao smiled faintly, lowered his eyes, and scratched its chin, "Call it Biscuit."
"Biscuit?"
"Well, because when it first came, there was no dog food in the store, so I fed it a few biscuits."
"Okay." Chen Ye grabbed Biscuit's front paw and shook it, "Biscuit, say goodbye to... classmate Shu."
Little Biscuit was sleeping soundly, but because of his actions, he had no choice but to open his eyes a little, looking a little grumpy and not very happy.
Shu Yao was amused by his actions. She found that after spending a night with Chen Ye, the impression he left on her had changed a lot.
He was not as Zhao Tiantian had described him to be, someone who did what he wanted and was difficult to get along with.
On the contrary, he reveals some childish youthfulness from time to time.
Just like now.
She waved at him, turned and walked into the community gate.
Late at night, Chen Ye sent her the first photo. The puppy was curled up in the brand new doghouse. Although it was still skinny, it seemed to be sleeping soundly.
The next day, he went to get the puppy vaccinated and registered. The puppy's condition improved significantly and it ate much better.
On the third day, the puppy became familiar with the environment, began to jump around in the house, and had his own toys.
On the seventh day, the background of the photo was a lawn. The puppy looked a little fatter, and its fur became smoother. Its front paws were resting on his knees, and its face was full of anticipation.
Shu Yao gradually felt relieved. It seemed that he really did what he said and took good care of the puppy.
Scanning the photos on the phone screen, Shu Yao found the pavilion in the distance familiar. She zoomed in and took a closer look. Isn't this the pavilion in the park next to her home?
Shu Yao: [Are you in Central Park?]
Chen Ye: [Yeah, walking the dog.]
Could it be that his home is also nearby?
In the photo, Little Biscuit's expectant eyes were like a hook, making her feel itchy. She had an urge to go and see, but then she thought, the puppy was not feeling well that day, and Shu Yao was busy running around accompanying it for examination, getting medicine, etc. She had no time to think about whether it would be awkward to be alone with him.
But now, the thought of walking the dog with a man she had only known for a few days made her feel a little nervous.
Just when Shu Yao was about to give up on this idea, he sent another message: [Want to come and see it? ]
If Biscuit's eyes were hooks, then his words were like stuffing the hook into her mouth.
Shu Yao hesitated for a long time, but finally took the bait.
She grabbed her coat and hurried out the door.
Central Park is at its busiest in the evenings. As the sun sets, the lawn looks like it's covered in gold dust, and the air is filled with the aroma of cotton candy from the stalls.
Not far away, a young couple was kissing against a big tree. When the grandmother with the baby saw this, she immediately covered her granddaughter's eyes in panic, muttering about how morals were deteriorating.
A couple walking their dog on the side of the road were arguing about who would cook when they got home.
It was in this clamor that Shu Yao saw Chen Ye under the shade of a tree.
He was wearing a black sweatshirt, with one leg bent and the other straight, a lollipop in his mouth, leaning against a tree trunk that was as wide as two people, and tossing a toy ball in his right hand.
Little Biscuit's sight also moved with the ball, his head sometimes raised and sometimes lowered, as if he was looking for an opportunity.
Shu Yao slowly approached and saw Chen Ye throw the toy ball out. He patted the dog’s butt and said, “Silly dog, chase it!”
Childish or not.
Little Biscuit turned around with the ball in his mouth, saw Shu Yao at a glance, and ran towards her.
Shen Ye's gaze also turned over.
Shu Yao squatted down and scratched its head. The puppy had really become much more energetic during this period of time, with bright eyes, no longer as pitiful as before.
She held it and walked to Shen Ye. As soon as she sat down cross-legged, a right hand with distinct joints appeared in her sight.
He held a strawberry-flavored lollipop in his palm and asked her, "Want some?"
"Thank you." Shu Yao casually opened the candy and stuffed the wrapper into her pocket. The moment she took the candy in her mouth, the familiar taste reminded her of many things. "You like eating this brand of lollipops too? This brand is very old and it's hard to find nowadays."
"Yeah, I ate it when I was a kid, and I thought it was pretty good."
As he spoke, a faint scent of lemon mint wafted into Shu Yao's nose. She sniffed it calmly, confirming that he was eating the flavor she disliked the most.
"Don't you think it's sour? Lemon mint. When I was little, I thought these four words looked unappetizing." Shu Yao smiled, "But at that time, there were four sticks in a pack, and the flavor was fixed, so I always gave this flavor to other children."
Shen Ye’s right hand was playing with the toy ball, teasing Biscuit from time to time: “I know.”
Shu Yao was surprised: "How did you know?"
Chen Ye looked at her and smiled, "Do you think I look like that evil kid?"
Shu Yao: “…”
He leaned back, and Youyou added: "Oh no, it's just one of them. You are a candy-spreader on earth."
Shu Yao: “…”
She knows him???
Shu Yao stared straight at his well-defined profile, his name echoing over and over in her mind: Chen Ye.
A face with baby fat suddenly came into Shu Yao's mind, and he remembered it.
When she was nine years old, her mother took her to visit her uncle's house, and her uncle and aunt took her to the amusement park.
It was there that she met a little boy and shared her lemon mint lollipop with him.
The boy said his name was Shen Ye.
The silence is deep, the wildness is wild.
No wonder he handed her clothes at the school gate that day. It seemed like he had recognized her a long time ago.
Shu Yao was stunned for a long time, then seriously corrected herself with a look of "I'm making this up" on her face, "Actually, I was just joking. I really liked this flavor when I was a kid. I would only give it to kids I got along with, and I've only ever given one to anyone so far."
Chen Ye responded with a look that said, "Just cheat on others, don't cheat on yourself." "We get along well, why did you stand me up?"
They agreed that she would go to the amusement park on the same day the following year and bring him some candy, but he waited there for a whole day and never saw her.
"Something happened in my family that year, so my mother didn't bring me to Fuchuan. When we came again later..." Shu Yao shrank his neck and muttered softly, "I only then realized how expensive the amusement park tickets were. I couldn't bear to let my uncle spend so much money on a place he had already been to. Besides, I thought it had been so long, and you should have forgotten it a long time ago."
Chen Ye bit the last bit of sugar residue and said in a low but firm voice: "I haven't forgotten."
Shu Yao leaned over to examine his expression: "Are you angry?"
"I won't have any more children now."
Shen Ye turned his head and asked casually -
"So am I still a kid you can get along with?"
Shu Yao felt that he could not answer this question.
In her life, there are not even a handful of people she can get along with.
She was too used to living alone, so it was difficult for her to open her heart and let another person invade her life.
So when Shu Yao received the invitation to Zhao Tiantian's birthday party at the weekend, he was hesitant.
But Zhao Tiantian was the first person to show kindness and enthusiasm to her after she transferred to No. 3 Middle School, and it was on such a special day as her birthday, so Shu Yao finally softened her heart and agreed.
At seven o'clock in the evening, she arrived at the KTV as scheduled.
As soon as she pushed the door open, the noisy and chaotic music made Shu Yao's heart seem to beat wildly. The box was quite dim, and through the colorful light, she could vaguely see everyone's faces.
Except for two or three classmates, she didn't know anyone else.
Shu Yao handed Zhao Tiantian the gift he had bought at the mall on the way and said with a smile, "Happy birthday."
Zhao Tiantian pulled her over and greeted her enthusiastically, "Yaoyao, sing faster! Otherwise, with their microphone prowess, you won't be able to sing a single song."
"No, I don't know how." Shu Yao waved his hands repeatedly.
Zhao Tiantian didn't force it and let go of her hand: "Okay then, just sit back and enjoy it for a while. Just don't get scared by their off-tune singing."
"It's okay." Shu Yao smiled and found a seat in the corner to sit quietly.
His eyes swept over the coffee table, where various drinks and snacks were cluttered.
Shu Yao's eyes were fixed on one of the cans of ice cola. Just as she was about to reach out for it, the boy next to her took it first.
"Squeak—"
The boy opened the pull tab, took a gulp, stood up and shouted, "How many songs did you order?! We haven't finished yet!"
“…” Shu Yao leaned back.
Never mind, I don’t really want to drink.
A boy came over with orange juice and asked her in a loud voice if she wanted some. Shu Yao waved her hand and declined.
The boy didn't leave. Instead, he turned around and sat down next to her. He attentively took a few chocolates for her and said, "Try this."
The singing was deafening and the conversation was hard to hear, so when the boy spoke, he kept leaning towards her, whether intentionally or not.
Whenever his head came closer, Shu Yao would instinctively shrink back and unconsciously keep a distance from him.
I don’t know if he realized this, but the boy stopped showing his affection and soon started chatting with the girl on the other side.
Shu Yao secretly breathed a sigh of relief and looked down at his phone, but he felt that time was passing extremely slowly, even slower than the few minutes it took to run 800 meters.
She was planning to find an excuse to leave after completing an hour when a photo suddenly popped up on WeChat.
The photo shows Biscuit's back, with his right front paw pressed tightly on a big lock outside the glass door.
Chen Ye: [Guess an item.]
Shu Yao understood immediately, stifling his laughter, and sent four words: [Compressed biscuits.]
Press-lock cookies.
Compressed cookies.
The fact that he could come up with this ridiculous pun was speechless enough to leave Shu Yao speechless. What was even more speechless was that she found that she could actually get what he meant without even a second of thinking.
Shu Yao couldn't help but laugh, but strangely, at this moment, the clouds cleared and the sun came out, and she found that the awkwardness and boredom she had just felt seemed to gradually disappear.
What accomplished the great deed was just a photo.
The hysterical singing beside her ears was no longer acceptable, so she simply nestled in the corner and chatted with him casually.
It's not just about cookies, either.
Every time Shu Yao felt that the topic was almost over, he could always perfectly switch to another one.
Halfway through, Shu Yao looked at the time and realized that another half an hour had passed without him noticing.
But this half hour was completely different from the half hour she had just sat in the corner waiting.
Shu Yao suddenly remembered Chen Ye’s question that day.
He asked, is he still the kid who gets along well with her?
Shu Yao's gaze swept across the restless crowd around him.
She thought, now, perhaps she could answer this question.
Whether nine or eighteen.
He was still the little friend who got along well with her.
In addition to posting photos to report on Little Cookie's daily life, Chen Ye would occasionally bring his dog to the milk tea shop to find her on Saturday mornings, and spend an hour or so with her before the shop opened.
The boss took into consideration that she was a senior high school student and did not require her to do any preparation work before opening the store, so during this hour or so, Shu Yao would choose to do her homework in the store.
After he came, there was one more person on the opposite side.
Shu Yao had never been so close to a member of the opposite sex before, and she was not used to it at first. But after being bribed by Xiaobingbing the first time and feeling embarrassed to refuse, it naturally happened the second and third time.
Shu Yao gradually stopped caring and even got into the habit of discussing the answers with him after finishing a test paper.
Shen Ye is better at math than her, but he probably won't perform as well as her overall because he is quite biased in his studies and his Chinese is a hindrance.
"How do you understand the sentence at the end of the article: I have read the color of my own soul, which is also changing from gray to red." Shu Yao looked at Chen Ye's answer and frowned.
His answer was succinct: soul poisoning.
"..." Shu Yao asked sincerely, "Did your Chinese teacher really never hit you?"
Shen Ye put away his pen and flexed his wrist: "I won't be so perfunctory during the exam."
That's quite sensible.
Shu Yao casually asked, "If you were given this question on the test, how would you answer it?"
Chen Ye looked down at the question, leaned back in his chair, and said lazily: "It was originally a healthy gray, and then slowly turned red, indicating that the soul showed symptoms of poisoning. It is recommended to seek medical attention."
Shu Yao: “……?”
She lowered her head speechlessly and continued to do her homework.
How to understand: The sky is covered with dark clouds, just like black spots suddenly appearing on snow-white skin, which makes people feel terrified.
Four words instinctively popped up in Shu Yao's mind: skin poisoning.
Ahhhhhh!
Shu Yao closed the test paper and switched to a math one. She felt that in some areas, she still couldn't get along with him very well.
After finishing the last three big questions, Shu Yao glanced at the time on his phone. It was 9:50, and there were still ten minutes before the doors opened.
She packed up her test papers and stationery, stroked the hair on the back of Biscuit with one hand, and habitually clicked on WeChat to see if there were any messages, but found a friend request at the bottom of the screen.
A stranger with an anime avatar, the reason for the friend request was: I met you at Tiantian’s birthday, want to be friends?
Shu Yao frowned, feeling a little helpless.
Ever since her head teacher pulled her into the class group, her WeChat account has been completely exposed. During this period, she has received more and more unfamiliar application messages.
Shen Ye raised his eyes and glanced at her: "What's wrong?"
Shu Yao thought he might have experience, so she asked for help: "Do strange girls often add you on WeChat?"
"No." Shen Ye had rested enough, picked up the pen again, and continued to write the test paper, "Not many people know my WeChat."
"How is that possible? Wouldn't everyone know everything if we joined the class group?"
Shen Ye said as a matter of course: “So I didn’t add it.”
“…” How did she know that it was possible not to add it!
Shu Yao ignored the request, put away her phone, picked up the apron on the back of the chair and put it on: "I'm going to start greeting the guests. If you find it too noisy, please go back first."
Little Cookie was forced to get off her legs and jumped onto Chen Ye's thighs again, continuing to sleep in a comfortable position.
Shen Ye didn't move, lowered his head and continued to struggle with the Chinese test paper: "I'll finish this one."
Shu Yao didn't say anything else.
Although the answer was not good, at least the attitude was correct.
There are usually not many customers in the morning, and since the boss is there too, Shu Yao is almost only responsible for the cashier, so he doesn't feel much pressure.
After serving three or four customers, the doorbell rang again.
A girl wearing a private high school uniform and twin ponytails pushed the door open.
Shu Yao's words "Welcome" were still on his lips, but he was interrupted by the girl's exclamation: "Chen Ye, you are here!"
It seems that he came here specifically to find someone, not to consume.
Shu Yao didn't interrupt and turned around to continue doing his work.
The girl with twin ponytails walked straight to Chen Ye, sat down opposite him, and said in a friendly manner: "Do you know why I came to see you?"
Shen Ye drank the drink slowly, and his mouth, which was 37 degrees, uttered two cold words: "Who are you?"
"I'm Miaomiao's best friend."
Shen Ye asked again: "Who is this?"
"..." The girl was obviously stunned by his words, and hesitated to speak, "A girl who is determined to throw a confession party for you."
Smelling the scent of a big melon, Shu Yao pricked up his ears and listened for a while.
The girl almost pleaded, "Could you please give me some face and go? I'm afraid she'll be hurt."
"cannot."
"Why?"
"Because..." Chen Ye dragged out the last line of his voice, sounding a little nonchalant, "I already have someone I like, and I'm going to listen to another girl's confession. Do you think it's reasonable? I don't want her to misunderstand and affect the impression of me in her heart."
Why does this sound so familiar?
Shu Yao was stunned for a moment, remembering that this was exactly what she had said when she rejected that boy before? So he had actually heard their previous conversation?!
Shu Yao secretly complained in her heart that he was unoriginal and didn't even know how to come up with a reason to reject someone. But Little Biscuit had sneaked into the work area without her knowing when, and rubbed his little head against her trouser leg.
The girl behind him suddenly said, "No wonder I heard you've been going to this milk tea shop so often lately."
Shu Yao:?
She suddenly turned around and stared at the girl who stood up and left for a second.
She didn't feel any hostility, but she vaguely felt that the development of the incident was a little beyond her expectations, as the saying goes: eating the melon and end up eating herself.
The sound of the wind chimes gradually died down and the room returned to silence.
Shu Yao met his gaze across the counter and gently reminded him, "She seems to have misunderstood as well."
Shen Ye took a sip of his drink, tilted his head, and seemed puzzled: "What do you mean, also?"
"It's just like that day when that boy misunderstood that I liked you."
"Which one?" Chen Ye's eyes were frank and straightforward, falling on her face. His tone sounded casual, but with an irrefutable certainty.
"This isn't a misunderstanding."
I'm working hard to update every day!
"I read the color of my own soul, which is also changing from gray to red." From Chagan's "Where the Red Leaves Return Is the Autumn Wind"
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