Reunion
Wen Xubai was lost in thought, Li Haiqing's words still replaying in his mind, and he hadn't recovered even after going downstairs...
"Only one child...?" Wen Xubai murmured.
Was Li Haiqing too flustered to see clearly at the time? Or was it that too much time had passed and he really couldn't remember?
My mind is troubled; even the noise around me seems increasingly jarring...
Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder!
"Oh, I'm so sorry, brother, are you alright?" A child who looked only eleven or twelve years old looked at him in fright, still holding a half-eaten ice cream in his hand, and apologized repeatedly.
"It's nothing," Wen Xubai replied calmly.
The collision brought him back to his senses.
Wen Xubai then realized with a start that although he was still in the alley, he had no idea where he was.
Just as I was at a loss, I suddenly heard a familiar voice coming from behind me:
"Three yuan?! It was only two yuan and fifty cents at the market the other day! Boss, you can't do business like this!"
"Who doesn't do business like this?! Look at my cucumbers, how can they be the same as other people's cucumbers?!"
Wen Xubai was startled and looked in the direction of the sound.
Sure enough, behind the bustling crowd, I saw Qi Zui not far away, wearing a t-shirt and shorts, carrying several plastic bags, haggling with the owner of the vegetable stall.
The shopkeeper abruptly spat the garlic cloves at his feet, waved his hand, and said, "You get what you pay for. Look at my cucumbers, they're straight and smooth, without any wormholes!" He picked up a cucumber and gestured with it.
"You can't sell it for such a high price whether it has wormholes or not! Besides, aren't all cucumbers straight?!" Qi Zui said, staring wide-eyed.
"Hey! You little rascal! You're trying to haggle with an old man like me?! Fine, it's two dollars and ninety cents! You're not short of that!"
"What's a little bit more?!" Qi Zui said angrily, picking up another bunch of spinach and putting it into the basket.
"Let's compromise. I'll buy the spinach, and the cucumbers will be 2.8 yuan each, round it up, okay?"
The shopkeeper's brows furrowed like an old walnut, and he stopped fanning himself. He said urgently, "Two yuan and eighty cents? My cost price is almost two yuan and seventy cents! This isn't a compromise; you're clearly pushing your luck! You want me to lose money???"
Wen Xubai: "·······"
Wen Xubai just watched the two of them arguing over a few cents, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to move.
As he spoke, the boss took advantage of Qi's inattention and snatched the spinach back from his bag, instead placing two tomatoes on the scale.
"If you bring me two tomatoes, I'll give you a discount of two dollars and ninety cents; otherwise, forget it!"
"I don't like tomatoes!" Qi Zui muttered. "Alright then, how about two yuan and eighty cents? If not, I'm leaving!"
As he spoke, he made a move to turn around.
"Hey hey hey!"
The boss, in a panic, reached out to stop him, then withdrew his hand, scratched his head, and stamped his foot, saying:
"Oh dear, I'm really impressed with you! Two yuan and eighty cents it is! You little rascal, don't try to bargain like that next time. I'm just a small business, I don't make much money!"
After weighing it, he stuffed it into the bag, muttering to himself, "Fifty cents is still money, enough to buy a clove of pickled garlic..."
Qi Zui immediately beamed with joy, made a "get rich" gesture to the shop owner, and said with a smile, "Boss, you're so generous! I'll definitely buy vegetables from you again next time!"
"Come on, you brat! Don't you dare torture me anymore!"
The shopkeeper was amused by his actions and playfully slapped him with his fan in feigned anger.
"Hehe, thanks boss!"
Carrying a full load of groceries, Qi Zui turned around with satisfaction. But when he looked up, he was startled to see Wen Xubai standing not far away, who had been watching him for who knows how long!
"Huh? Aren't you...?"
Wen Xubai: "·······"
Seeing the tomatoes rolling out of Qi Zui's bag because of his movements, Wen Xubai silently squatted down, picked them up for him, and handed them back.
"Th...thank you." Qi Zui reached out and took the items, putting them into the bag as she thanked him.
Seeing that he was carrying things in both hands and had some difficulty moving, Wen Xubai took the bright red tomato back and, under Qi Zui's bewildered gaze, helped him put it into the bag.
"Don't you dislike tomatoes?" Wen Xubai asked.
"Huh?" Qi Zui originally wanted to thank him, but was suddenly asked this question and was a little confused.
After realizing what he had said, he scratched his head sheepishly and laughed, "Oh, well... why not take advantage of it?"
He was a head taller than Wen Xubai. At this moment, this tall man stood in front of him like an embarrassed big boy, grinning foolishly.
For some reason, Wen Xubai couldn't help but smile...
This person seems to have an innate ability to influence the emotions of others...
Qi Zui didn't think that his "petty" behavior earlier was anything shameful in the other person's eyes, and instead shrugged indifferently.
The moment she saw Wen Xubai's smile, she couldn't help but smile even more brightly.
"See? Smile more! You look beautiful when you smile!"
Upon hearing this, Wen Xubai was taken aback.
It seems like no one has ever said that to him before.
A rare look of confusion appeared on Wen Xubai's usually expressionless face. He pursed his thin lips, pointed to himself, and said, "I... look good when I smile?"
It was only then that he realized he had forgotten to wear a mask when he left Li Haiqing's house...
"Yes." Qi nodded most seriously.
After a while, he touched his chin again and hissed.
"However, that's not entirely true..."
Wen Xubai: "???"
"But it's not entirely because of your smile; you're naturally quite good-looking."
Wen Xubai was speechless for a moment, not knowing what to say.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that? Don't believe me? I swear to God, everything I said is the absolute truth!"
As Qi Zui spoke, he raised two fingers together towards the sky!
Wen Xubai was stunned for a moment, and when he saw Qi Zui looking like he really wanted to swear an oath, his smile widened.
Qi Zui was stunned by his smile and stood there dumbfounded.
After a long while, the man came to his senses and suddenly slapped his head as if he had just remembered something!
"Oh right! I still haven't paid you back for those noodles from last time!!"
As he spoke, Qi Zui transferred all the things from his two hands to one hand, and made a gesture with his other hand to reach into his pocket for money!
"Hey! No need." Wen Xubai quickly stopped him.
"How can I not pay! I promised to treat you, how can I let you pay for yourself? That would be so unmanly of me!"
Wen Xubai really wanted to say: Actually, he's a man too...
But in the end, he swallowed those words and changed his tune instead:
"If you really want to pay me back, why don't you... treat me to another bowl of noodles?"
At this point, Wen Xubai actually felt a little hungry...
I didn't eat much breakfast at the Wen family's house this morning, and then I was busy looking for Tan Yu and confronting Li Haiqing at noon, so I didn't have time to eat. Now it's past lunchtime, almost afternoon...
"That's it?" Qi asked incredulously.
“That’s settled.” Wen Xubai nodded.
“Sure! It’s no big deal!” Qi Zui laughed heartily.
He casually used his free hand to grab Wen Xubai's shoulder!
"Let's go, let's go to the noodle shop right now!"
Wen Xubai froze instantly, not expecting Qi Zui to suddenly hug him, and his heart couldn't help but tremble.
Qi Zui, however, did not notice his unusual behavior.
After all, in his eyes, it's perfectly normal for men to put their arms around each other.
Qi Zui was only slightly stunned when he got close to Wen Xubai and smelled his faint fragrance.
Why are you acting like a woman...? Qi thought most.
"Are you wearing perfume?" Qi Zui couldn't help but ask.
"No?" Wen Xubai asked, puzzled. "Why are you suddenly asking this?"
It's true that wealthy people wear perfume when attending certain events, but they don't wear it every day. Besides, he's a grown man, and he's deliberately trying not to attract attention today, so why would he deliberately wear perfume?
"Ah...it's nothing, I was just asking casually...haha..." Qi Zui touched the tip of his nose to cover up his embarrassment.
Seemingly to ease the awkwardness, and also fearing that Wen Xubai would continue to press for answers, Qi Zui had no choice but to quickly change the subject as they walked:
"Hey, you still haven't told me your name. I can't just keep calling you 'Hey,' can I?"
Wen Xubai fell silent.
"What's wrong?" Qi Zui thought he had said something wrong again.
“It’s nothing…” Wen Xubai hesitated for a moment, then slowly uttered two words: “Chen Che.”
“Clear?” Qi Zui repeated, then smiled and said, “That suits you.”
Wen Xubai lowered his eyelashes, concealing the emotions in his eyes.
"Hey, you're not from around here, are you?"
"Where are you from?"
"Not from Huaihua Lane."
How did you know?
Wen Xubai, mindful of the stares of passersby, nudged Qi Zui, only to see the other party give a sly smile.
Then, under Wen Xubai's questioning gaze, Qi Zui smiled and said, "I guessed."
Wen Xubai: "·······"
"Then what are you doing here?"
"Looking for someone."
"Who are you looking for? Me?"
Wen Xubai glanced at him speechlessly and said helplessly, "Find a friend."
“Am I not your friend?” Qi Zui stared at him with great interest.
Wen Xubai paused, turning around in bewilderment to look at the person next to him.
Unfortunately, given their current position, Wen Xubai could only see below Qi Zui's chest.
Are we friends?
"Hmm..." Wen Xubai responded softly, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"Right? Right?!" Qi Zui exclaimed excitedly, hugging Wen Xubai even tighter.
"Yes, yes, yes!" Wen Xubai was truly frightened by him and quickly nodded in response.
"Hehe, I knew it!"
Qi Zui got the answer he wanted and finally loosened his grip, but he didn't let go of her hand. Satisfied, he continued to walk forward with her in his arms.
"Aren't you tired of walking around like this, holding me like this?"
"I'm not tired!"
Wen Xubai: "·······"
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