Chapter 22. He Zhao took Qiao Yanyu to the mall where they had eaten last time. She only knew that this mall had…
He Zhao took Qiao Yanyu to the mall where they had eaten together last time. She only knew that this place had osmanthus rice cake, which was quite delicious, so she didn't plan to take Qiao Yanyu to find a new restaurant. When they arrived at the place, He Zhao, with a strong sense of ownership, immediately started ordering.
He Zhao's behavior was entirely a matter of habit. As a wealthy young woman, He Zhao always treated her friends when she went out to eat. She didn't have many friends, just one or two, and her catchphrase was, "You guys treat me next time." But when the next time came, He Zhao would again treat everyone on her own.
Her approach won't actually gain her any favors.
Those who truly consider her a friend don't actually want her to treat them; reciprocity is the best way to be friends. If He Zhao keeps giving, those who are genuinely interested will feel overwhelmed and gradually drift away from her, unable to remain true friends.
Those who cling to her just because she's treating them can't be called true friends; they're just people trying to freeload off her. He Zhao gets bored with such people after a while and gradually drifts away.
There are indeed friends who will make up for it elsewhere when He Zhao treats them to a meal, or who are carefree and don't feel any pressure. However, such people are few in number, so He Zhao doesn't really have many friends.
That said, He Zhao was really used to paying for her own meals when she went out, so she did the same with Qiao Yanyu. Then she suddenly realized she was broke, but still stubbornly vain. It was only 300 yuan, not expensive at all for two people, so she just bought it later!
Qiao Yanyu didn't mind He Zhao ordering the food. Once He Zhao ordered, she sat quietly and waited for her meal.
Before long, all the dishes were served. Most of the food in these shopping malls is pre-made and expensive. However, He Zhao never cared about such things; as long as it tasted good, that was enough. She first picked up a piece of osmanthus rice cake for Qiao Yanyu and said, "Sister Qiao, try it. I think this osmanthus rice cake is alright, but it gets a bit greasy if you eat too much. However, it tastes quite good when you first put it in your mouth."
"Just as Gossian said, it has the soft and chewy texture of glutinous rice, the sandy texture of red bean paste, and a sweet taste."
Qiao Yanyu nodded, picked up her chopsticks, and began to eat. She wasn't particularly fond of food, but after He Zhao's explanation, she felt that the osmanthus cake in front of her must be quite delicious. Qiao Yanyu used her chopsticks to break off a small piece and put it in her mouth.
At first, Qiao Yanyu didn't think it was particularly delicious, probably because she didn't like sweets. But He Zhao next to her started eating too. After He Zhao put the osmanthus rice cake in her mouth, her expression became exceptionally lively. Her joy at eating something delicious was evident on her face.
Because everyone around her seemed to enjoy it so much, even Qiao Yanyu felt that the osmanthus rice cake in her mouth tasted even better. She took a bite or two more, and the sweetness began to spread from her mouth, gradually settling into her heart.
He Zhao's voice could still be heard in her ears: "Right, right? Isn't it pretty good? It's just that you can't eat too much at once, or it's really easy to get tired of it."
Qiao Yanyu found it sweet, but not cloying. After thinking for a moment, she decided to agree with He Zhao and say, "Yes."
To be honest, Qiao Yanyu didn't find it very sweet, even a little too sweet. She ate a few more bites, and after glancing at He Zhao's expression beside her, she realized it was indeed sweet to her heart. Qiao Yanyu's facial features softened unconsciously as she finished the osmanthus cake with pursed lips.
She didn't think it was as delicious as Gossian had described, but if she were with He Zhao, she would be willing to eat it again next time.
He Zhao also served her some other dishes: "I want something light. After eating something too sweet, I just want something light. The free tea here is barley tea, which is quite good and will help balance things out."
He Zhao kept talking even while eating. Qiao Yanyu wasn't the type to remain completely silent; she would still respond to He Zhao and say a few words: "I can tell from the taste, the barley tea is quite good." The two huddled together, their voices not loud enough to disturb others.
They finished their meal and there was hardly anything left.
Just as He Zhao had expected, the osmanthus rice cake could be a bit too rich if one person ate a whole plate. But it was just right if two people shared it, and with barley tea, it even left one wanting more.
She patted her stomach: "Sister Qiao, am I full? How about ordering something else?"
Qiao Yanyu shook her head: "No need, I'm full."
After she finished speaking, she called the waiter over to pay the bill. Seeing this, He Zhao's rich girl instincts kicked in, and she immediately picked up her phone and stood up: "I'll pay, I'll pay, how can I let you pay?" She said it quite boldly, but her phone was unreliable. The old phone that the system gave her suddenly froze, and the payment interface wouldn't even appear.
He Zhao cursed inwardly. This damn phone always pulled this trick at crucial moments; it was so annoying. And this tactic seemed exactly like something her cronies would use to avoid paying the bill, desperately trying to save face by insisting on paying.
He Zhao wanted to cry but had no tears; she really wasn't that kind of person.
Once she's saved up enough money, she'll definitely get a new phone first!
Qiao Yanyu was right next to He Zhao and naturally noticed her embarrassment. Qiao Yanyu smiled and said, "You've been with me all day, so I'll pay for this meal. You can pay next time."
He Zhao muttered to herself, "How can you say I spent the whole day with you? I clearly wanted to go myself." After saying this, she remembered Qiao Yanyu saying, "You can pay next time," and He Zhao became happy again. Because this meant that they would have a next time.
A relationship between two people is built up through repeated interactions. Although He Zhao's Ji Da isn't very effective and she still doesn't know if Qiao Yanyu is the same as herself, it doesn't stop her from wanting to improve her relationship with Qiao Yanyu.
This was the first time she had ever fallen in love with someone at first sight. If possible, even just becoming good friends would make He Zhao very happy. Moreover, He Zhao was certain that, given Qiao Yanyu's personality, even if they were just friends, Qiao Yanyu would treat her very well.
Besides, nothing is impossible for a willing heart. What if Qiao Yanyu really is a lesbian?
So after only muttering about it for a moment, He Zhao readily agreed to let Qiao Yanyu pay the bill. What angered He Zhao even more was that after leaving the house, her phone started working again, so she dragged Qiao Yanyu along and bought two cups of milk tea and some snacks.
By the time they finished, it was almost 9 p.m. Because it was so late, He Zhao's plan to invite Qiao Yanyu to a movie fell through. Actually, this time wasn't late at all for He Zhao, since she was a night owl and could really stay up late, but it wasn't for Qiao Yanyu.
To be precise, He Zhao felt that Qiao Yanyu was no longer capable. Qiao Yanyu was at her stall last night, and today she's been running around doing so many things. He Zhao could at least snuggle up on Qiao Yanyu's back and doze off for a while on the road, but Qiao Yanyu still had to drive her motorcycle and had no rest at all.
After enduring these days, He Zhao truly felt it was a miracle that Qiao Yanyu was still so energetic. Therefore, He Zhao became a bit firm and told Qiao Yanyu to go back to sleep.
She added righteously, "You were supposed to keep an eye on me and be my bodyguard at night, but I'm on vacation these two days, so shouldn't you take a break too? If I find out you're doing other work at night, I'll report it to your boss."
Her words made Qiao Yanyu laugh. Qiao Yanyu knew that He Zhao was just saying it and wouldn't actually go to her boss. Besides, He Zhao's concern for her made Qiao Yanyu feel very touched. So Qiao Yanyu smiled and agreed, "Okay."
Qiao Yanyu rode her scooter and dropped He Zhao off at her rented apartment. Before He Zhao went upstairs, she stopped her and said, "Instead of buying a phone, why don't you move out of this apartment first? This is a resettlement community, and there are many subletters. The community is a mixed bag, and these shared apartments have serious problems with water and electricity. I don't think it's suitable for you to live here."
Qiao Yanyu felt that not only was it unsuitable for He Zhao to live there, but it was also unsuitable for any single woman, especially a young and beautiful one. However, putting aside age and appearance, the fact that she was a single woman would give some people endless fantasies, leading them to do evil deeds.
There are certainly similar cases in other residential communities, but there are more such cases in resettlement housing communities.
Qiao Yanyu had wanted to bring this up before, so she simply said it today. He Zhao was taken aback for a moment, then nodded: "I'm already thinking about it, and I'll definitely move out in a while."
She had considered it, but there were just too many things that required money. She didn't even have any underwear; she only had the one the system had given her. Compared to changing houses, she had far more to consider. For someone who was struggling to even afford food and clothing, housing and transportation had to be put on hold.
He Zhao waved to Qiao Yanyu and ran into the stairwell.
Qiao Yanyu waited by the motorcycle for a while, estimating that it was about time. She looked up and saw that the corridor light in He Zhao's rented room was on, then got on her motorcycle and left.
He Zhao returned to her room, collapsed onto the bed, felt the blankets, and then got up again.
No, there are just too many things to spend money on, and her quilt isn't good enough. This quilt was also given to her by the system; it's an old, worn-out cotton quilt. Although the system guarantees that no one else has used it before, it might have been dug out of some obscure warehouse and turned into a secondhand item.
Furthermore, He Zhao only sleeps during the day and goes out at night, so he hasn't even had time to air out the quilts. Over time, the quilts have developed a faint, musty smell, as if they haven't seen the light of day. He Zhao made a painful decision: tomorrow, he must properly air out the quilts during the day.
He Zhao couldn't help but curse the system again: "When have I ever suffered such injustice in my life? Huh? There was a time when my quilts were all made of mulberry silk, you know? Real silk, so precious! What kind of quilt are you giving me now?"
He Zhao felt increasingly aggrieved. After a long silence, the system finally found a way to counter it:
Do you want a silk quilt or Qiao Yanyu?
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