Chapter 2: The Young Knight "He ate my share of squid skewers,...
In Hung Hom, the lights come on and the streets, which have been quiet all day, become bustling with the mixed aroma of various foods filling the streets.
Smell can awaken people's memories.
Bai Ying took a deep breath. Yes, it was the smell of hometown and the sea.
She glanced at the L-shaped queue and, determined to get her fix of fried spicy squid, decided to join the line.
As I was about to walk to the back of the line, my phone started vibrating.
[Grandma: Oh, did you go to the seaside promenade during the day?]
【I’m going.】 Bai Ying replied.
When she looked up after sending the message, she was two seconds late. Suddenly, a tall figure appeared at the end of the team, blocking her way and all the scenery in front.
Just by looking at his back, you can tell that this man must be very good at sports: the ochre-gray cotton T-shirt perfectly wraps his angular muscles, outlining the man's broad shoulders and long arms, and is paired with a pair of loose trefoil sweatpants and flip-flops.
Bai Ying had no choice but to walk faster and follow closely behind the tall and strong man.
After waiting in line for more than ten minutes, Bai Ying finally arrived at the corner of the "L"-shaped queue. She leaned forward and looked forward, estimating how many customers were ahead of her, and then glanced at the squid skewers piled up like a small mountain on the workbench.
Bai Ying prayed silently that the people in line in front of her didn’t like fried spicy squid.
The hill-like squid skewers were rapidly flattening at a speed visible to the naked eye. The closer she got to the cashier, the more curious she became about the number of squid skewers left.
Bai Ying had to lean sideways from time to time to take a look at the team, but the tall man in front of her blocked all her view.
The tall guy seemed to sense Bai Ying's movements. When she leaned forward for the last time, he leaned to the other side. To be more precise, he seemed to be avoiding her with some disgust.
"Sorry." Bai Ying obviously noticed his obvious evasive action and was stunned for a moment. Because it was her turn soon, she was so excited that she didn't pay attention to the extent of her movements.
Only then did she realize that the man with black hair was actually a mixed-race person.
The man was in his early twenties, with a strong build and a typical Germanic face. His skin was fair, but his hair was the black color of an Oriental. He had a cool air that kept strangers away.
The phone suddenly rang. Bai Ying took one look and happily answered the call: "Grandma!"
"Yingying, have you had dinner?" Qu Chengyuan asked.
"No, I'm queuing up to buy fried squid," she said, her voice soft and nasal as she spoke to her family on the phone. "I really want to eat the grilled squid that grandpa makes."
Qin Yonglian heard the restless girl behind him speaking coquettishly in Mandarin and raised his eyebrows almost imperceptibly.
"This place is doing really well. The boss closes the shop as soon as they sell out." Bai Ying stared at the store's inventory while talking on the phone. "Oh, there are only two squid skewers left."
She felt that another pair of eyes were also fixed on the squid skewers, and she couldn't help but look up at Qin Yonglian following that gaze.
The man narrowed his eyes slightly, a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and he pointed at the only two squid skewers and said slowly:
"Two, please."
A small "ah", full of disappointment and surprise, swirled and floated into Qin Yonglian's ears.
Bai Ying and the squid skewers right in front of him were ruthlessly separated by him.
"The last two have been bought, woooo." Bai Ying was speechless and had to act coquettishly to the person on the phone.
Qin Yonglian turned around and looked at Bai Ying, a playful smile lingering in his lake green eyes.
She keenly caught the change in his expression. Why did this man seem to understand Mandarin?
The man looked away as if nothing had happened, opened the food package, smelled it, and left with satisfaction.
Bai Ying: “…”
Damn it, why do I feel like he did it on purpose?
*** ***
After randomly ordering a few items of the store’s remaining stock, Bai Ying walked home carrying the takeaway bag.
I remember my grandma once said that if a person particularly wants to eat something at a certain moment, it means that a guardian angel in the body is calling him.
Unexpectedly, a tall man showed up, and she could only comfort herself with other dishes tonight.
Walk another 200 meters along the same street and it's like entering another world.
On both sides are wreath shops, incense and candle shops, and longevity shops, and the hustle and bustle of the street gradually disappears behind.
In addition to being a food street, this street is also a famous funeral industry street.
Bo Ying is currently renting a subdivided flat in an ordinary old tenement building in Hung Hom.
The so-called Tang buildings are buildings built in the 1960s and 1970s. The ground floor is a shop, and the floors above are residential.
A subdivided flat is a room within a room, where the owner divides the house into several rooms with separate bathrooms.
Each room is about ten square meters in size, and the windows usually cannot be fully opened. Fresh air is exchanged with the outside world by a window air conditioner.
Different tenants live closely together, separated by a wall as thin as a cicada's wing.
As soon as Bai Ying entered the door, she would consciously lower the volume of her phone voice. As long as she was out of town, she would call her grandparents every two days to report her safety.
Because of her parents' special occupations, she was raised by her grandparents since childhood, and the two have a close relationship.
Bai Ying put her phone on the table, switched to a video call, and chatted while eating.
Seeing the humble living conditions of his granddaughter's rental house, Qu Chengyuan began to persuade her to move, saying, "If you don't obey me, your grandfather will rush to Hong Kong to buy you a house."
Bai Xuan leaned in closer to look at the camera, "Honey, that's right. Listen to your grandma, and grandpa will check the plane tickets now."
"Grandpa, please come soon, hahaha."
Bai Ying was so amused that she laughed out loud, and all the frustration she felt after someone stole her fried spicy squid flowers was swept away.
Qu Chengyuan was on the other end of the phone, mumbling to Bai Xuan, "Yingying is eating. Don't make her laugh, or she'll get a stomachache."
Bai Xuan pretended to accept the criticism and said, "Look, I just listen to your grandma. Be good, and go check out the house when you have time."
"Yes, sir!" The little girl smiled with her face almost touching the camera.
Bai Ying originally lived with her aunt Bai Fenglin, but because of Bai Fenglin's temporary job transfer, the whole family moved to the United States.
She couldn't get used to living in an empty villa, especially at night, when the huge empty room was too spooky, so she found a single room to rent on a forum for Hong Kong students studying abroad.
Rent is not the main consideration, but she likes to experience the most authentic life in different cities.
After dinner, Bai Ying took a shower and changed into a silver sequined halter dress. When she was drawing her eyeliner, she deliberately drew a seductive curve at the corner of her eyes.
After finishing the preparations, Zhang Caiyi called on time, "Yinn, I'm downstairs at your place."
Zhang Caiyi is a native of Hong Kong. She is a friend that Bo Ying met when she was doing her first part-time job. They both love to eat, so they hit it off and soon became old friends.
Seeing Bai Ying walking out radiantly, Zhang Caiyi rolled down the car window and couldn't help but let out an "oh".
*** ***
The Foodie Knights, led by Bai Ying, have their regular gathering tonight at the newly opened sky bar None-zone, which overlooks the entire city's skyline and building outlines.
The so-called Knights of the Order means that every member has a knight's fearless pursuit of delicious food. In short, every one of them is a foodie.
The Internet brought them together through fate. After several gatherings online and offline, those who got along well with each other formed a special team.
The purpose of this gathering was actually to celebrate Bai Ying's birthday.
Bai Ying's birthday had already passed in July. She had just finished a two-month trip to Europe and celebrated it when she returned to Shanghai to visit her grandparents.
To celebrate the leader's coming of age, everyone ordered a 2009 dry red wine from Chateau Margaux in France.
"Everyone, did you notice that Yinn's look today is very beautiful?"
After three rounds of drinks, Zhang Caiyi began to encourage everyone to play games.
"Although it's old-fashioned, as far as I know, our beautiful Captain Bai has been the same for 18 years, tasting all the delicacies in the world, but she has never kissed a delicate flower."
Bai Ying protested: "The female single flower is also a delicate flower, I kiss myself!"
"No." The friends all shouted in unison, "No day is worse than today. There are beautiful flowers everywhere. Knight Bai, please be brave and attack!"
This is the rhythm of playing a big adventure game.
Unable to withstand the attacks from his bad friends, Bai Ying drank some more wine and felt a little tipsy. When he looked up, a familiar figure came into view.
The man was wearing a T-shirt, sweatpants and flip-flops, looking lazy and out of place in the lively and noisy bar.
The lights in the room were extremely bright, and only then could Bai Ying see his appearance clearly. Objectively speaking, the man had a face that was extremely visually impactful.
She had waited in line with him for half an hour just a few hours ago.
"It's him!" The girl raised her chin, wiped the corner of her mouth with her thumb, and breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhang Caiyi, who was about to give up lobbying:???
Bai Ying blinked, "This is the delicate flower. It's so pretty. I picked it."
As the girl spoke, she jumped off the stool lightly and walked straight towards Qin Yonglian.
*** ***
The rhythm of electronic music swept in with the sound waves, awakening the restless factors in people's blood.
"Hi!" Bai Ying greeted and stood in front of Qin Yonglian.
The man frowned slightly, his expression indifferent, "Excuse me."
"I just made a bet with a friend."
"No." Qin Yonglian refused decisively and raised his leg to leave.
"Eh?!" Bai Ying reacted and quickly opened her arms to stop him, "You stole the squid skewers I was going to buy tonight."
This guy is so arrogant, who said he wanted to kiss him!
Qin Yonglian then looked up at the girl seriously. She had changed her clothes, and the cute little white rabbit disappeared in the evening.
The bar's mottled and dynamic lights overlap layer by layer, and the girl is enveloped in this infinite and fragmented light, with fleeting shadows entwined around her, giving her a unique charm.
"So?" he asked lazily.
Bai Ying blinked, raised her chin slightly, looked intently at the tall man in front of her, and extended her index finger. "Just one click will do."
Qin Yonglian remained silent, staring at Bai Ying. Before, without makeup, her cheeks were soft and she looked innocent and docile. But now, with her eyeliner curved into a hook and her jet-black braids spread out into waist-length curls, she looked like a cunning little fox.
Su Jiahao, who was watching the fun behind the two of them, didn't mind making trouble and chimed in, "Master, this lady said it will only take a moment."
Qin Yonglian glanced at him and Young Master Su immediately fell silent.
"What exactly do you want to do?" Qin Yonglian looked at Bai Ying vaguely, unable to figure out her approach. It was not like those tricks of deliberately throwing herself into someone's arms that he had encountered before.
"Just for a moment." Bai Ying's lips curled up in a meaningful arc.
Qin Yonglian had something on his mind, and seeing that time was running out, he urged, "Then hurry up."
It was a reluctant agreement.
Bai Ying: "Please bend down a little, you're too tall."
The man was tall and slender, and when he stood in front of the girl, he almost covered her.
Qin Yonglian bent down obediently as if possessed by a ghost, and saw a pair of orchid-shaped fingers stretched out in front of him, pointing at his forehead with a single finger Zen. The force was so strong that it was like a critical hit on the head. He almost lost his balance.
After finishing playing, the girl immediately said goodbye with a smile, her figure disappeared into the crowd like a loach in an instant.
Su Jiahao was stunned by this turn of events. Someone was actually able to successfully raid Qin Yonglian. This was the second strange incident he encountered after seeing the little devil's smile today.
Feeling the cold gaze coming, Su Jiahao's brain gave a high-energy warning, and he took the lead and rushed into the elevator leading to the top floor.
Qin Yonglian's forehead felt slightly hot, and the expression that had been tense for a long time finally relaxed. He laughed hoarsely. The plot he encountered tonight was really rich.
Bai Ying and Zhang Caiyi hid behind a pillar. Seeing the two men leave quickly, Zhang Caiyi was surprised: "Yinn, I thought you were going to kiss him!"
"He ate my share of the squid skewers. It was worth a beating in exchange."
Zhang Caiyi: “Huh???”
Alcohol makes cowards brave. Bai Ying's heart was pounding and his head was buzzing.
She was afraid that she would be caught by the tall guy. After all, in a society ruled by law, she actually tapped a handsome guy's forehead in public.
Recalling the handsome face of the man so close to her, the mixed-race man's distinct features were clearly visible, especially his deep eyes, which were like a pool of emerald green water, almost drowning her in it.
So exciting!!
*** ***
The top floor of None-zone is an artist's studio with a 360-degree panoramic view. The main colors are walnut wood and black leather.
The boss is Su Jiahao's brother. He usually engages in photography and painting. When he wants to take a break, he goes downstairs to go clubbing and have a drink before coming back.
On the marble table, an old-fashioned black candy-bar phone vibrated.
"Leon, your phone keeps ringing, why don't you answer it?"
"No, then we'll just say it got soaked when it fell into the sea and broke."
"Ahem, it's Mr. Qin calling."
Qin Yonglian frowned, not bothering to raise his head, and continued to fiddle with the parameters in the camera lens. "Let him do it."
Su Jiahao's voice became unnatural, and he said in a clear and precise tone, "Leon, I think you need to have a good talk with Mr. Qin."
Qin Yonglian raised his eyebrows and said disdainfully, "Third Young Master, you're being very nagging tonight."
"Let's talk." A very majestic voice sounded.
Qin Yonglian stopped what he was doing and slowly turned around. In front of Su Jiahao stood a man in his seventies. He was well-maintained and had an oppressive aura.
Su Jiahao pursed his lips and sent a look to his teammates that said, "May the years be peaceful, I wish you peace, and we'll meet again if fate allows."
It was eerily quiet all around.
Qin Yonglian remained calm and composed, his tone smooth as a finger: "Dad, long time no see."
The author has something to say:
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The last day of 2020, second update of new article (*￣︶￣)
The cuties who leave comments will receive a lucky red envelope from Qin Yonglian~~~
Goodbye to the little tail of 2020, let’s embrace 2021 together.
【Interview Theater】
Dun reporter: What was your first impression of each other?
Bai Ying: I saw a beautiful flower with extraordinary beauty.
Qin Yonglian touched his forehead and said: I saw a sky full of stars.
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