Revolving Sushi Restaurant (Part 2)
Five seconds after saying those words, Jiang Yichun regretted it.
A man and a woman celebrating their birthdays together...
Isn't this a bit too much like a romance novel?
Reason surged into her mind, warning her not to cross the safety zone she had set for herself again.
But when she saw He Yinxin's red eyes, she ultimately took back her regretful words and silently waited for his reply.
"Okay, sure. How... how should I pay you for overtime?"
His words, as if spoken by a machine, exploded in her ears.
Jiang Yichun couldn't help but roll her eyes; the stubborn little mule inside her had once again gained the upper hand.
This person must have been poisoned by his bizarre parents for far too long, right?
She jumped up, hands on her hips, exclaiming, "You! You! Old He, I'm not taking any money, we're friends!"
"That contract is about to expire, right? I've submitted my application for the summer camp at University A, and I've already mastered all the knowledge you taught me."
"So, let's just consider the contract expired, okay?"
"You're just a friend of mine. Can I treat my friend to a meal or celebrate their birthday?"
He Yinxin stood still again: "Friends...?"
"Yes, friend, haven't we been friends for a long time?" Jiang Yichun blushed, his stubborn spirit still burning. "You even said we were special friends!"
"Come on, stop dawdling here. If your parents catch up, I can't guarantee I can escape with you again."
She strode forward.
He Yinxin watched her retreating figure, which followed behind her like a little stray dog she had raised.
The two finally arrived at the conveyor belt sushi restaurant.
It was lunchtime, but because it was a weekday, there was no need to queue for a table for two.
The two followed the waiter to their seats at the table.
He Yinxin looked around.
Next to their seats was a conveyor belt, on which plates of delicate sushi covered with plastic lids floated slowly past them.
A family of three sat on the opposite side of the conveyor belt, with the little boy in the middle, chatting and laughing with his mother.
His father picked up a large cake, put candles on it, and lit it.
Happy birthday, Xinxin!
He Yinxin's hand holding the cup trembled, and her gaze fell on the boy.
The boy's face beamed with happiness as he clasped his hands together and made a wish.
More than ten years ago, when I was still a boy, my parents treated my birthday as a "social gathering".
Guests gathered, but not for his birth, but for what his parents called "business" and so-called "profit".
The adults were clinking glasses and toasting, but he didn't even have a piece of cake. He could only force a smile in front of the camera and play the role of the "most outstanding" child in their eyes.
Seeing her own fake smile in the photo contrast with the boy's genuine smile in front of her, He Yinxin gently tapped the table.
Envy, regret, or anticipation?
Unbeknownst to him, the only thought left in his heart was: Happy Birthday.
He also wanted to pass on this message to his younger self.
"Old He? What's wrong?" Jiang Yichun's voice pulled him back to reality.
He Yinxin shook her head and put down her teacup: "Nothing much, I just saw a kid who was celebrating his birthday like me."
"That's good. Based on my analysis, he should be very happy."
Jiang Yichun reached out his hand to him: "It's your birthday, so let's not analyze it anymore. Being happy is the most important thing."
He Yinxin's gaze fell on her palm.
Her hands were not beautiful in the traditional sense; her palms were thick, her fingers were coarse, and there were calluses on her middle finger and thumb from years of writing.
As he looked at them, he felt a warmth in their hands.
The hand of the person I'm attracted to is right in front of me; I feel like touching it.
Will it be very soft? Will it be warm, like a little stove?
He Yinxin reached out her hand, then suddenly stopped just as it was about to touch her palm.
Reason prevailed over the surging lust in his mind.
He adjusted his glasses and turned his head to the side: "Xiaochun, do you want to shake my hand, or..."
"Who, who wants to shake hands with you? I'm not some underground idol holding a handshake event!" Jiang Yichun snapped again, but her hand remained frozen in mid-air. "I... want you to give me the cup."
"I'll make you some matcha tea."
"Oh, I see. Sorry." He Yixin quickly picked up the cup and put it in her hand.
Jiang Yichun took the cup handed to him, picked up the matcha jar, scooped out the matcha, and then added hot water.
She felt that the atmosphere between her and He Yinxin was no longer distant and awkward, but had instead become a strange tacit understanding and warmth.
She didn't know what had gotten into her, but ever since that night of heavy drinking, she had become increasingly arrogant towards He Yinxin, taking advantage of the relaxed atmosphere.
Strange, isn't he an outstanding senior I respect? I should respect him, so why do I keep subconsciously getting angry at him now?
Could it be that my terrible drinking habits have persisted to this day?
The matcha in the cup sloshed about as she pushed it toward He Yinxin.
"Old He, you drink it. Don't you drink tea all the time?"
The boy in front of her looked up, his face flushed. He nodded and said, "Thank you, Xiaochun. Let's order."
"Don't be so polite, apologizing and thanking me. There's no need for such formalities between friends."
"Hmm." He Yinxin avoided her gaze and continued to look around.
So... do we need to find a waiter to order at this restaurant?
Jiang Yichun turned around and picked up the tablet on the table: "No need, just click on the tablet, of course—"
Jiang Yichun pointed to the conveyor belt on the side: "You can take whatever you want to eat. By the way..."
She then pointed to the slot for plates: "You can put the empty plates in here. We can draw a prize once we finish eating five plates."
He Yinxin's eyes, visible behind his glasses, were wide open, and his lips trembled slightly.
"It sounds like being in an amusement park."
“Yes, this is conveyor belt sushi. Although the taste certainly can’t compare to those high-end restaurants, it’s definitely more interesting.” Jiang Yichun clapped his hands. “Eat whatever you want.”
"Pick whatever you like!"
After saying that, she shoved the tablet into He Yinxin's hands: "Old He, it's your birthday today. Whatever you want to eat, just pick whatever you like."
"The sushi will be coming in a little cart soon."
"Choose whatever you want, Xiaochun, you..." He frowned, his hand holding the tablet trembling.
Jiang Yichun smiled and said, "I don't mind. It's your birthday."
"What you eat on your birthday is up to the birthday person, of course."
"You...you'll listen to me completely?"
He Yinxin looked at her with the same expression as a stray dog being offered a can of food by its owner but unsure whether to eat it or not.
Jiang Yichun nodded again: "Well, I eat everything anyway, you can order whatever you want."
"Alright, stop agonizing over it, man, you have nowhere to run now!"
"You must do as I say."
She imitated the tone of a domineering CEO from a TV drama, twirling her fingers and touching her chin.
While tapping away on his tablet, He Yinxin secretly glanced at her through his glasses, muttering under his breath, "Xiaochun... what were you doing just now? Why were you ordering me around?"
His tone carried a hint of grievance.
Jiang Yichun frowned: "I didn't mean that. I meant for you to order quickly, not to order you."
He Yinxin's tone was still aggrieved: "Oh, I see."
Jiang Yichun stared at his downcast eyes, the corners of which were still red from crying.
Qiao Maizi was right; she must have indeed encountered an absolute green tea b*tch.
He seemed like a human being, but I didn't expect him to act so aggrieved after I said a few words to him.
Beneath this tough exterior lies a heart capable of feeling wronged and acting coquettish.
The "Green Tea Tin Man" tapped and clicked on the tablet for a long time, and the first thing he took a fancy to was a dark chocolate cake.
Cake, is it a bit too...?
Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore!
Without hesitation, he pressed the "order" button and ordered several fried dishes and ramen.
He pressed the "selected" button again and handed the tablet to Jiang Yichun.
"Xiaochun, you order. I only ordered what I wanted to eat."
"I think you should also have the right to choose."
He looked away.
Jiang Yichun chuckled lightly: "Of course I have the right to choose. Unless you're going to take the tablet from the restaurant, don't worry, I'll order what I know how to order."
She picked up her tablet, tapped a few times, and successfully placed an order.
She put down her tablet and met the gaze of the person in front of her.
He Yinxin met her eyes.
Those almond-shaped eyes were still bright, but now they held a different kind of emotion.
"Hello, here is your Calpis."
A drink was shoved into her hand.
Jiang Yichun heard her own heart pounding, and she hurriedly buried her head and took a sip.
Her gaze remained fixed on him.
He smiled at her.
Gentle and kind, just like the Calpis drink that the waiter just served.
Slightly sweet and slightly sour, it stirs the most girlish part of her heart.
He Yinxin... what's wrong with him?
I feel like the way he looks at me has changed.
Jiang Yichun started looking around: "Hey, Lao He, I... I'll get a tuna sushi, haha."
"I...I want to make seafood rice."
"You...you want to try some too?"
He Yinxin's hand holding the chopsticks trembled: "Aren't we eating... eating sushi? How can we cook?"
Jiang Yichun almost blurted out the words "human-machine interaction," but she coughed and swallowed them back down: "Of course, there's no need to be too formal."
"Just eat well and you'll be fine."
She said this without stopping her hands.
Two slices of tuna belly, a piece of foie gras, a piece of nori seaweed, plus sushi rice, and finally topped with a raw egg.
Jiang Yichun picked up the soy sauce and eel sauce from the side and poured them over the eel.
"Alright, the seafood paella is done!"
Jiang Yichun raised his hand, stretched, and pushed the bowl of rice in front of He Yinxin.
"Old He, do you want some?" She blinked.
He Yinxin stared at the pieces of raw fish in the bowl and frowned: "Xiaochun, I... I can't really eat raw food."
Jiang Yichun picked up the bowl and pulled it toward herself, saying, "Okay, I'll eat it myself then."
He Yinxin nodded, but followed her example and took a few plates of sushi from the conveyor belt on the side.
He dumped the roasted beef slices, corn kernels, chicken meatballs, and foie gras into the bowl, added rice, and finally poured on sweet soy sauce and eel sauce.
He imitated others as always, and was as clumsy as ever, but now his face was filled with happiness.
He looked up at her and smiled, "Look, I've applied what I've learned to other dishes and made a new kind of bibimbap."
"Mine is Chun-style bibimbap, my Chun; yours is Xin-style bibimbap, your Xin."
"Okay, whatever you say."
Jiang Yichun laughed and scooped up a spoonful of rice: "Xin-style bibimbap looks delicious."
Jiang Yichun chewed on the seafood rice, the freshness of the fish slices, the richness of the foie gras, and the sweetness of the sauce intertwining on her tongue.
Online guides can sometimes be reliable.
Her gaze fell on He Yinxin.
The boy who used to eat like a machine now had a gleam in his eye as he ate his "Xin-style bibimbap" in big mouthfuls.
From the day they met, neither of them ever revealed their past or their families to the other, yet their shadows still intertwined under the restaurant lights.
They didn't talk about the past or family, only about food.
Even though there was a mist between them, they could still look at each other and smile.
She didn't know why, she only knew that she was greedily enjoying his tenderness from a safe distance.
"Beep beep beep".
A small car carrying a dark chocolate cake arrived in front of the two.
He Yinxin put down her bowl and stared at the car.
He was like a child entering an amusement park for the first time.
Jiang Yichun, as if understanding his intention, took the plate and placed it in front of him.
She smiled and said, "Old He, I'm wishing you well now as a friend, not as a contractual partner."
Jiang Yichun took a deep breath and looked into his eyes: "He Yinxin, happy birthday."
"I hope every birthday you have from now on will be easy and free."
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