Duan Shuce raised his hand almost immediately and took off the "evidence" that had tormented him all night - the silly little yellow duck hairpin - from his head with quick and decisive movements.
He held the small plastic duck and examined it expressionlessly for a second in the neon light of the night.
Then, as if disposing of a miniature time bomb, he swiftly and precisely stuffed it deep into the inside pocket of his motorcycle jacket. He zipped it up, as if to completely seal away this "dark history."
Hua Jinyue smiled and took off the furry white rabbit hairpin from her hair, and stroked the soft fur with her fingers carefully.
She carefully placed it in the special little compartment of her Lolita-style handbag, humming the tune from the concert: "My dear little bunny, I'll find you a crystal nest when I get home!"
Ning Xiwan looked at Duan Shuce's stern expression, which showed he was finally free, and curled her lips, but she didn't try to interfere any further. She turned her gaze to Ye Qingliu, who was standing under a lamppost a little further away.
The night wind blew through the slightly messy hair on his forehead. He raised his hand, and gently pinched the pink strawberry hairpin with his fingertips. His movements were neither hurried nor slow, with an innate calmness.
He was not in a hurry to hide like Duan Shuce. He just looked down at the pink color on his palm which still looked soft under the neon lights at night, and then walked towards Ning Xiwan.
He walked up to her and opened his palm. The small strawberry lay quietly in the clear lines of his palm.
"For you." Ye Qingliu's voice was particularly clear and calm amid the noisy background noise, without much emotion.
Ning Xiwan was stunned, then subconsciously reached out to take it. The plastic strawberry still had the warmth of his palm.
"Why give it to me? Just keep your 'Medal of Honor' for yourself!" she teased deliberately.
Ye Qingliu didn't respond. Under the light, a trace of helplessness flashed across his gray-blue eyes. He simply said, "I'm hungry."
These two words seemed to flow out from the depths of his throat, with a hint of barely perceptible tiredness.
These two words were like a key, instantly turning on Ning Xiwan's hunger switch that had been temporarily suppressed by the excitement of the concert.
Her stomach growled appropriately, and the sound was especially clear in the night wind.
"Pfft!" Hua Jinyue immediately laughed out loud, came over and hugged Ning Xiwan's arm and shook it, "Sister Wanwan! Jinyue is hungry too! So hungry that she can eat a cow!"
Duan Shuce had already put on his helmet, revealing only his hard, cold jawline. Upon hearing this, a deep voice came out from under the helmet: "Where are you going?"
Ning Xiwan's eyes lit up, and she casually stuffed the strawberry hairpin into her small bag. She instantly forgot the previous topic and clapped her hands: "Hot pot! We must have hot pot! To celebrate our successful skipping class... No, to celebrate our enjoyment of a perfect musical feast!"
She quickly changed her tune, her eyes twinkling slyly, "I know a great place! It's open 24 hours a day, the ingredients are top-notch, and the private rooms are super quiet! Let's go!"
Without further ado, she jumped onto the back seat of Duan Shuce's scooter and patted his shoulder: "Navigation, listen to me! Dingfeiju!"
The engines roared again, and the two black motorcycles, like fish swimming in the night, nimbly weaved through the still crowded traffic, heading towards the brightly lit direction at the other end of the city.
Ye Qingliu sat behind Hua Jinyue, the night breeze caressing his face, bringing the coolness of late autumn and blowing away the last traces of the concert's noise. Fatigue crept over him like a tide.
He closed his eyes slightly, resting his forehead against the cool back edge of his sister's helmet. His gray-blue eyes were completely hidden under his closed eyelids, leaving only a small shadow cast by his thick eyelashes.
The steady vibrations brought about by high-speed movement have become a strange kind of hypnosis.
The sign for Ding Fei Ju glowed warmly in the late autumn night. This restaurant is renowned among the finest diners for its secrecy, premium ingredients, and astronomical prices.
The facade was unassuming, but the interior was a world of its own. Ning Xiwan was clearly a regular customer, having given her name and the reserved box number.
The head waiter, dressed in an exquisite cheongsam, immediately smiled respectfully and appropriately, and personally led them through a quiet corridor covered with thick velvet carpets and decorated with antique calligraphy and paintings, to a private room called "Song Tao" at the deepest part.
As soon as the door to the private room closed, all the noise outside was instantly cut off. The air was filled with the faint fragrance of agarwood, and the environment was elegant and quiet. Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows was a meticulously maintained Japanese dry landscape garden, which was illuminated by the soft lighting and had a profound artistic conception.
In the center is a large mahogany round table with an exquisite copper pot induction cooker embedded in the middle, which complements the entire environment.
"Wow! Great!" Hua Jinyue took off her coat, revealing her exquisite Lolita underwear, and looked around curiously, "It looks like a secret base!"
Duan Shuce took off his helmet and casually draped his jacket over the back of a chair, revealing the gray T-shirt underneath. He glanced around the private room and nodded imperceptibly, clearly acknowledging its privacy.
Ye Qingliu quietly took off his school uniform jacket, revealing a neatly ironed white shirt underneath, which accentuated his straight shoulders and a cool, clear demeanor. However, within that coolness, a subtle hint of weariness seemed to linger.
He walked to the window and his eyes fell on some strangely shaped rocks in the courtyard, but not with the scrutinizing concentration he had in the past, but more like his eyes lingered unconsciously.
Ning Xiwan was already familiar with the ordering process as she swiped the menu on the tablet. "Soup base! It must be a combination of red beef broth and clear mushroom broth! Qingliu, you can't handle spicy food, so focus on the clear broth and try the red broth occasionally. Don't try to force yourself!"
She made the arrangements without even looking up, her tone unquestionable, "Beef! Top-grade marbling Wagyu beef, short ribs, and spoon handles! Tripe, yellow throat, duck intestines, and thousand-layer tripe! Two more servings of Jinyue's favorite shrimp balls and crab roe lucky bags! Vegetable platter, soy product platter! And..."
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