First meeting
It snowed heavily on the day of the Wen family's young master's funeral.
The dark, gloomy sky cast a somber shadow over the entire manor. Somber, mournful music filled the air as the priest whispered a eulogy, praying that God would guide the lost souls into the sacred "heaven"...
In the vast cemetery, men and women dressed in black stood in rows, eyes bowed, umbrellas raised, silently mourning. As far as the eye could see, it was a sea of darkness, as if the entire world had turned black and white…
At this moment, some people lowered their heads, covered their hands with handkerchiefs, and began to sob softly...
But if you could see their eyes, you would see a fleeting glint of cold light in their varied expressions, and a smug smile hidden beneath their handkerchiefs…
Amidst the swirling snow, a man in a trench coat slowly walked through the crowd, without an umbrella, and without anyone following him. The swirling snowflakes fell on his shoulders, turning his black trench coat as pale as the earth...
Snowflakes fell gently, accumulating until they gradually bent the man's back under their weight...
Amidst the murmurs of the crowd, the handsome man with striking features knelt on one knee, slowly lowered his head, and reverently kissed the photograph on the tombstone…
Darling, please don't leave me alone...
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Wen Xubai first met Qi Zui in a small alley.
He had just gotten off the plane that day, exhausted, and all he wanted was to find a place to rest. But inexplicably, gazing at the dark sky in the distance, his legs felt as heavy as if they weighed a ton, and he couldn't take a step for a long time…
He didn't want to go back to that "home".
With a sigh, Wen Xubai had no choice but to drag his suitcase out of the airport and wander aimlessly through the city.
The suitcase wheels made a constant "rolling" sound on the bluestone floor...
He walked for an unknown amount of time, and when he looked up again, he had no idea where he was.
This place resembled a dilapidated residential area, old and run-down; he had never been here before…
He wanted to turn around and leave immediately, but the aroma of whistles wafting towards him made him stop in his tracks...
My stomach rumbled at an inopportune moment...
I am indeed a little hungry...
He hadn't eaten anything all day since boarding the plane. The food on the plane wasn't good, so he only ate a couple of bites of rice and then stopped eating...
With a sigh of resignation, Wen Xubai carried the suitcase inside...
"Guest, what would you like to eat?"
As soon as I entered the store, a loud voice rang in my ears.
Hearing the sound, Wen Xubai looked over and couldn't help but pause in surprise.
A young man wearing a black tank top and t-shirt was seen holding a rag that had been wiped black. His tall frame was confined to the small stove, looking somewhat "suffocated." He was bending over, one hand supporting himself on the countertop, wiping the stove while looking up at him and asking a question.
With his handsome features, high nose bridge, upturned smile, and bright, sparkling eyes, he looked to be about the same age as him.
Through a hazy veil of pots and pans and "smoke," the man's face was barely visible...
By this time, there were hardly any people left in the shop. The young man looked at him from afar, but seeing that he didn't speak for a long time, he thought that he hadn't heard what he said, so he quickly wiped his hands, took long strides over the stove, picked up the notebook on the table, and walked over to Wen Xubai in a few steps.
"Guest, what would you like to eat?" the man asked with a bright smile, revealing a set of pearly white teeth.
Sweat trickled down his forehead with each large movement, tracing lines across his deep-set eyes and defined jawline, flowing into his oversized vest, and across his tanned chest. The sweat shimmered under the restaurant lights…
Wen Xubai then snapped out of his thoughts and saw that the man was still looking at him expectantly, so he hurriedly looked at the menu on the side.
After quickly scanning the area, I was surprised to realize that this was actually a noodle shop.
Wen Xubai pursed his lips, finally fixing his gaze on the name in the center, and slowly uttered a few words: "Yangchun noodles, thank you."
"Okay! Please wait a moment!" The man quickly wrote it down, his bangs falling down to cover his thick, dark eyebrows.
After finishing writing, he deftly straightened his hand and nimbly stretched his leg back. The noodle shop wasn't big to begin with, and with this step, he retreated right back to the stove.
Hearing the bubbling sound of the hot water, Wen Xubai finally breathed a sigh of relief. A wave of exhaustion washed over him again, and he finally couldn't help but let go of all his strength, leaning his head against the wall and wearily rubbing his temples.
As soon as he opened his eyes, from his angle, he could just see the direction of the stove.
The young man's hands were covered in flour as he rapidly tore at the dough, oblivious to the flour covering his face. His movements were both fast and powerful.
Seemingly sensing the strange gaze, the man kneading the dough looked up and met his eyes again.
Wen Xubai: "..."
Unexpectedly discovered so quickly, Wen Xubai quickly pursed his lips, wondering whether to look away, when the man laughed again, a roguish smile on his face, and waved at him.
Wen Xubai twitched his lips, puzzled.
The next second, the man's large, rough hand grabbed the dough he had just torn, quickly wrapped it in his hand, and then, like a circus performer, swung it around in front of him with a "whoosh whoosh whoosh" sound.
She shook it while raising her eyebrows at him smugly.
His expression was practically saying, "Look, I'm awesome, aren't I?!", which, combined with his face covered in white flour, made him look rather comical.
Wen Xubai couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth into a smile.
When the man saw him smile, he couldn't help but grin even wider.
After this process, the dough had been stretched to its maximum size, and the next step of scalding the dough was quick.
The man skillfully drained the noodles, the veins on his arms bulging slightly from the weight. With a graceful turn, he scattered scallions like a fairy scattering flowers, then scooped up the bowl and handed it to him.
"Guest, your plain noodles!"
Wen Xubai looked at it and said in a daze, "I...didn't order a fried egg."
"It's a gift for you, it's free," the man said with a smile.
This person really loves to laugh.
Wen Xubai's heart skipped a beat. He quickly looked away and whispered, "Thank you."
"You're welcome!" the man replied loudly.
Just then, a new guest arrived. The man didn't have time to chat with him much before turning around and quickly going to greet the others.
Unconsciously poking at the noodles in his bowl, Wen Xubai couldn't help but look at the man's busy figure, and was momentarily stunned.
It was a long time before Wen Xubai came back to his senses, when he smelled the aroma of sesame oil.
The aroma of soy sauce in the noodles instantly whetted his appetite. Wen Xubai, who hadn't been that hungry before, suddenly felt ravenously hungry.
Thinking about it, he picked up his chopsticks, took a bite of noodles, blew on it a few times, and put it in his mouth.
The deliciousness of the broth instantly spread across the tongue; it was a base flavor slowly extracted from bone broth, mixed with the fragrance of scallions—not too strong, not too weak. The noodles slid smoothly down the throat, and the aroma of wheat lingered for a long time…
He always ate politely and slowly, but perhaps he was really hungry at the moment, because he finished a bowl of noodles in less than fifteen minutes.
Wen Xubai wasn't a big eater, and he had a small stomach. He was worried that being full would affect his work efficiency, so in order to stay alert at all times, he would only eat until he was half full.
Despite the abundance of delicacies offered by the Wen family, he felt little interest in any of them.
But at this moment, he felt a little unsatisfied...
I haven't tasted this flavor in a long time...
Just as I was lost in thought, the empty bowl in front of me suddenly disappeared in the blink of an eye!
Wen Xubai looked up in astonishment and bumped into a pair of large hands that passed in front of him and placed another large bowl in front of him.
Looking up from those hands, you see an extremely strong arm, unlike the thick, muscular arms of a fitness enthusiast; it is the lean, muscular build that comes from long hours of physical labor.
At this moment, the veins on his arm were bulging from the exertion, and upon closer inspection, what he was holding was another whole bowl of plain noodles.
The owner of the arm noticed his confusion and whispered to him, "Don't worry, this bowl of noodles is free. It's on me."
Wen Xubai had never liked being looked down upon, but for some reason, this man's gaze did not make him feel uncomfortable.
Only in those dark, bright eyes was there no trace of disdain or contempt, but rather a hint of...heartache.
Wen Xubai felt that he was really too tired, his brain was exhausted, and he even started to think wildly... How could a person feel sorry for another complete stranger for no reason?
But he still couldn't help but ask:
"May I have your name?"
"Huh? Me?" The man, who was about to leave, was suddenly stopped. It took him a while to react before he shouted, "My name is Qi Zui! The 'Zui' of 'most powerful'!"
As she spoke, she gave him a thumbs up!
Qi Zui...
Wen Xubai silently repeated in his heart...
Qi Zui scratched his head, somewhat puzzled.
He noticed the guest as soon as he stood at the door; his pale skin stood out against the darkness, and his air of nobility clashed with the dilapidated alley.
He originally thought the other person was just passing by and would leave in a little while, but he actually came in and sat down.
Qi was busy wiping the table when he raised his voice to ask the question. Usually, the neighbors in the street were busy with their own businesses and didn't care about such things, so no one would find it rude.
But the guest remained silent for a long time.
He looked up and saw the man's exhausted expression. Qi Zui initially thought he hadn't heard him, so he went to the guest.
Before he could even speak, Qi Zui was startled when he got closer.
The guest was extremely fair-skinned, the kind of pale that never sees the sun. His eyebrows were exquisitely shaped, with slightly upturned ends, adding a touch of aloof arrogance. His eyes were very long, lowered, carrying a faint sense of detachment.
One look at him and you know he must come from a well-off family; his air of nobility comes from being raised in him since childhood.
But when he looked down, Qi Zui suddenly became puzzled.
The guest was incredibly thin; the half of his arm peeking out from his sleeve was so slender it looked as if it would snap in two with a single grasp. His hand resting on the table was similarly thin, with slender knuckles and pale bluish-white fingertips…
As I lowered my head, my gaze followed the slender lines of his neck, and unexpectedly slipped into his slightly bare collarbone, revealing his exposed collarbone and the visible ribs on his body...
Too thin, really too thin...
Could it be malnutrition?
Qi Zui couldn't help but shake his head inwardly at the suitcase leaning against the wall.
He had seen plenty of people who insisted on putting on a show.
However, it's understandable. Clothes make the man, and nobody likes to show their vulnerable side in front of others.
No wonder she's so thin, and she doesn't look that old...
Could it be that she was kicked out by her family?
Qi Zui secretly peeked out from behind the stove, looked at the man who was slowly eating noodles, and shook his head with a sigh.
Then, after feeling the few coins in his pocket, he finally made up his mind.
Wen Xubai was stunned by his gaze and asked blankly, "What's wrong?"
He looked down at his clothes; the buttons weren't undone, and there were no oil stains.
"It's alright, it's alright." Qi Zui secretly wiped away a tear in her heart. "Please eat slowly." Then she quickly ran away.
Wen Xubai was left alone, bewildered in the wind...
Wen Xubai: "???"
What a strange person...
Wen Xubai asked in confusion.
But...it's alright too...
Wen Xubai glanced again at the steaming bowl of noodles in front of him...
Two bowls of noodles were still a bit too much for him. Wen Xubai ate half of the second bowl and was about to put down his chopsticks when he looked up and saw Qi Zui staring intently at him...
It's really not good to let someone down...
The chopsticks in his hand instantly became a hot potato, and Wen Xubai had no choice but to bite the bullet and finish the whole bowl of noodles...
After finishing his meal, he felt like his stomach was about to explode...
Suppressing the urge to vomit, Wen Xubai went to the front desk to pay the bill.
"Hello, that's 12 yuan in total. Would you like to pay by scanning the QR code or by cash?"
The young girl was paying the bill, while Qi Zui was busy making noodles for other people.
Wen Xubai took out his phone, but his eyes involuntarily stared at the man's back for a while before finally paying for the two bowls of noodles.
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