Because of that pigeon that ruined the mood, what was supposed to be a date with dinner turned into a frantic search for a place for Joanne to wash her hands.
Recently, Wencheng has been vigorously promoting urban civilization construction, and many public restrooms have been newly built in the old street. I found a clean and tidy restroom not far away, which also provides free hand sanitizer and hand dryers.
Qiao An went into the bathroom to wash his hands. Du Xiaoruo, holding his coat in her arms, stood under a wall of green tiles in the old street, waiting for him.
When Qiao An came out after washing his hands, he immediately saw her tall, slender, and aloof figure, obediently holding his coat in her arms. The streetlights above cast a long shadow of her as she stared at the dazzling array of small shops along the roadside.
This scene reminds me of an anime I used to watch. It's a very heartwarming anime, full of little things in life. When I watched it, I longed for that kind of life—a life without scheming or intrigue, just the mundane details of daily life, full of warmth and comfort.
Du Xiaoruo spotted Qiao An, turned around, and waved with a slight smile.
Joanne strode toward her.
The two walked along the old street for a while. The street became narrower and narrower, and there were more and more people. Qiao An was afraid that Du Xiaoruo would get lost in the crowd, so she reached out and took her hand to continue walking forward.
Reaching the end of the street, I turned into a small alley on the right. The number of tourists decreased significantly. There were several small shops in the alley, selling spicy hot pot, egg pancakes, and meat buns, as well as a small bar.
Qiao An pointed to the small mala tang (spicy hot pot) shop.
"Their mala tang is especially delicious, and the soup base is made from real pork bones."
Du Xiaoruo followed him into the store. She had only ever seen Qiao An eat French food and Japanese food, and eat all kinds of dishes that could cost half a month's salary for an average person in one bite. She never expected that he would eat such down-to-earth food as mala tang.
"It's been a long time since I've been here." The owner of the mala tang restaurant was a middle-aged woman with permed hair. When she saw Qiao An arrive, she greeted him warmly and handed him a small basket for taking vegetables.
Qiao An took the small basket, and the instant noodle-haired shopkeeper gave Du Xiaoruo behind him another basket.
“We’re all together,” Joan said, shaking the basket at the shopkeeper. “One is enough.”
"Wow!" the owner exclaimed. "You've finally figured it out, kid. It's been almost ten years, hasn't it? This is the first time you've brought a girl here. You'd better make sure you eat your money's worth today."
Qiao An smiled and didn't deny anything.
Du Xiaoruo found the conversation between the two strange, and followed Qiao An to the freezer to get the vegetables with a puzzled look on her face.
As I walked over, I was drawn to a line of words pasted on the freezer.
[Friendly Reminder: This restaurant only offers couple's mala tang (spicy hot pot) sets. Two people share one basket. The price is 58 yuan per set, regardless of how much food is filled, but only one serving is allowed. Food must not fall out of the basket; if it does, the price will be 116 yuan per set.]
There is another line of smaller text after that.
Eating spicy hot pot is like being in a relationship: too little is a waste, too much is harmful. While giving your partner love, remember to also give each other space to breathe. Wishing you a long and lasting relationship. —A person who missed out on the love of their life.
After reading these words, Du Xiaoruo found the unassuming middle-aged woman with the ramen-noodle-shaped hair much more endearing. Indeed, an interesting soul is a huge plus.
Joan snapped her fingers in front of her, signaling that it was time to serve the food.
This little vegetable basket is no challenge for Du Xiaoruo. The kitchen is her domain. She even went to learn Japanese organization and tidying techniques to make the baking room more organized.
She first placed a layer of heavier, less prone-to-collapse potato slices at the bottom of the basket, and then gradually layered lettuce slices, tofu skin, and beef belly slices on top, depending on the hardness and shape of the food. Finally, she placed various lighter vegetables on top of the basket.
Joanne crossed her arms and leaned casually against the wall, laughing as if she were watching a circus act.
"How are you going to take this over later?"
Xiaoruo lifted the small basket full of vegetables with both hands, her eyes fixed straight ahead, and walked steadily to the small window in the back kitchen, smoothly transporting the mountain of vegetables into the window.
In the glass-enclosed kitchen, the woman with the ramen-noodle hairstyle paused for a moment, then burst into hearty laughter.
"This girlfriend is here to repay a debt of gratitude, hahaha."
Du Xiaoruo raised her eyebrows triumphantly, and Qiao An gave her a thumbs up. Xiaoruo was satisfied and contentedly leaned on the windowsill, waiting for the owner to cook her spicy hot pot.
The mala tang at this restaurant is really delicious. It's not overly spicy, but it's very flavorful, and the broth is fresh and rich.
Qiao An has a weak stomach and usually gets full after only three to five bites of food. However, Du Xiaoruo ate the entire large bowl of food by herself.
After eating the spicy hot pot, Qiao An was worried that she would have indigestion, so she insisted that she walk around the street for a while longer.
Although Du Xiaoruo was a girl, she wasn't particularly interested in the trinkets and accessories on the street. After searching through so many shops, she finally found one that interested her.
It was a small, unassuming bar with a retro-style decor, but a billboard at the entrance proclaimed, "Tonight at 10 PM, the folk music prodigy's first live performance!" The poster featured a picture of a young woman in a white dress, sitting on stage with a guitar.
Seeing this photo, Du Xiaoruo suddenly thought of Chen Ding.
Chen Ding is an artistic young man who, in addition to writing novels, also loves to write about youthful pain and sorrow. He enjoys listening to folk songs and likes to wear white dresses with canvas shoes.
Because this is a novel she wrote, things she likes will occasionally appear in this world.
Du Xiaoruo stopped in front of the poster, and Qiao An, standing behind her, had already reached out and pushed open the dark walnut wood door of the bar.
Because there was a performance today, the bar was crowded. When they arrived, there was only one small round table left in the corner, which was far from the stage and not a good spot.
But this spot was just right for Du Xiaoruo. She didn't like places that were too conspicuous, so a quiet corner like this was perfect.
The bar had a minimum charge, and Joanne ordered a set meal that just met the minimum charge. She was surprised by how affordable the set meal was, and the beer almost filled the small round table.
Seeing that there was a lot of wine, and remembering that some people weren't very good drinkers, Qiao An gave them a word of advice.
"If you can't finish the wine, leave it. Don't drink too much again."
Du Xiaoruo swallowed the wine in her mouth, looked at the large, empty straight glass on the table, licked her lips, and seemed a little lost.
She was told not to drink it before breakfast, but she was afraid of wasting it if she didn't finish it, so she downed a whole glass in one gulp.
Qiao An reached out and rubbed her temples. Forget it, it's pointless to say anything. Don't be fooled by the fact that some people may look quiet and shy; they may actually be rebellious at heart.
The performance was about to begin, and the stage went dark.
A spotlight shone on the center of the stage, and a girl in white holding a guitar stepped into the spotlight. The guitar music began, and the girl leaned closer to the microphone; her clear voice echoed in the bar.
Zebra, zebra, don't fall asleep!
Show me your injured tail again.
......
This is a folk song that Chen Ding really likes. In the familiar melody, Du Xiaoruo recalled many things from her past life, some sad and some happy...
Joan didn't have high expectations for the singers in this kind of small bar, but the girl's clear voice was surprisingly beautiful.
The girl sang several songs, and Qiao An listened quietly until another soft, rustling voice came from beside her, quietly echoing the girl's singing on stage.
The birch tree was carved with those two names.
They vowed to love each other for the rest of their lives.
......
Qiao An looked up and saw that Du Xiaoruo was indeed getting cocky; otherwise, given her personality, she would never sing in such a setting.
Her voice was different when she sang than when she spoke; it was husky, like walking on snow in winter, and her voice had a lot of story to tell. Qiao An sat in the dark corner and listened to her sing one song after another.
The surrounding environment gradually quieted down, and the singer on stage stopped singing, but continued playing the guitar to accompany Du Xiaoruo.
The bar was already quite small, so you could hear clearly even without a microphone.
Du Xiaoruo finished singing a song to the accompaniment, and a round of applause rang out around her. Only then did she suddenly realize that she had just become the main character.
Although the alcohol emboldened her and made her bolder than usual, Du Xiaoruo was still very uncomfortable with being watched.
"This young lady sings so well, would you like to come up on stage and sing a song together?" The singer on stage invited Du Xiaoruo to perform with him into the microphone.
Du Xiaoruo's face turned as red as if it were about to bleed, whether from the alcohol or from shyness. She lowered her head and frantically searched under the table.
Joanne bent down and asked, "What are you looking for?"
"A secret room," Du Xiaoruo replied. "If I hide in a secret room, no one will find me."
Qiao An, “…” He waved to the singer on stage and answered for Du Xiaoruo, “She’ll be shy. Never mind, thank you.”
Just now, when the singer invited Du Xiaoruo to the stage, a spotlight shone on them. Qiao An had been looking down and hadn't seen her face clearly, but when she looked up to speak, she startled the singer on stage.
His facial features appeared even more three-dimensional and perfect under the spotlight; if he hadn't spoken, one would have thought he was an exquisite sculpture.
"Hey, isn't this Boss Ha?"
People in the bar recognized them and took photos with their phones; some even joked around.
"Xiao Ruo, stop hiding, Xiao Ruo, I know it's you."
Not wanting their presence to ruin the performance, Qiao An stood up, smiled apologetically at everyone, and pulled Du Xiaoruo, who was still searching for the entrance to the secret room, out of the bar.
While at the bar, Du Xiaoruo only felt a little dizzy. But as soon as she stepped out of the bar and was blown by the night wind, she felt like she was floating. The music from the real world was still echoing in her mind, and she had a feeling that she couldn't tell whether she was in reality or in a book.
After passing through the bustling crowd and reaching the long staircase, Du Xiaoruo couldn't walk any further and stubbornly sat down on the stairs, refusing to move.
Joan knelt down in front of her. "Get on, I'll carry you down."
Du Xiaoru climbed onto his back and muttered, "I'm very heavy."
Qiao An picked him up and stood up. What's so heavy about him? He's so light and thin. He still wants to lose weight, but if he loses any more weight, he'll just be skin and bones.
Du Xiaoruo wrapped her arms around Qiao An's neck and whispered in his ear,
"I'll let you in on a secret: my parents abandoned me to have my younger brother. I was only 5 years old when they stopped wanting me."
Qiao An stopped in her tracks. Du Xiaoruo only had one older brother, so where would she get a younger brother? Besides, although her parents weren't very good to her, they hadn't abandoned her either.
They say that drunk people tell the truth, but is she sober or confused?
He asked calmly, "So, when your parents abandoned you, where did you go?"
Du Xiaoruo whispered in his ear, "I went to my aunt's house. My aunt can't have children, so I was adopted by her. My aunt is very good to me. She was afraid that I would be bullied, so she made me learn to box. But my uncle is a beast."
Joan felt her heart racing, but her tone remained calm.
Why did you call your uncle a beast?
“My aunt couldn’t have children. When I was in high school, my uncle had the idea of me having a child for him. My aunt was afraid that he would do something, so she sent me to France.”
Muay Thai and France are both at odds.
Suppressing her shock, Joanne asked calmly, "What did you go to France for?"
“I learned dessert making,” Du Xiaoruo answered obediently. “My aunt said my life was too bitter and needed some sweetness, so I learned dessert making.”
“I was very capable. I worked and studied at the same time, and I did better than those students whose families supported me with money. Later, I worked my way up to become the head pastry chef at the Earl Hotel. When I had money and ability, my aunt passed away.”
Joanne asked, "Where did you go?"
Du Xiaoruo raised her finger and pointed to the sky, "She passed away and went to heaven."
"Hey, Master, why aren't you leaving? I'm in a hurry to get home and help Lele with her homework. Lele's Chinese grades are really... but her math is not bad, haha."
They're treating Qiao An like a taxi driver again.
After that, Du Xiaoruo fell silent. Just when Qiao An thought she had fallen asleep, she suddenly came back to life and said something.
“I used to be quite outgoing, but I became socially anxious after being abandoned by my parents. I will never forgive them.”
Joanne wanted to ask something more: what exactly happened to her, and why she had experiences completely different from those of this body?
But this time Du Xiaoruo was completely asleep, her even breathing falling on Qiao An's ear. He hesitated for a moment, but still didn't wake her up.
Back home, Qiao An put Du Xiaoruo on the big bed in the master bedroom, took off her shoes, and pulled the blanket over her.
He walked out of the room and opened the door to the storage room.
These are things sent by the steward of the Fengyue Pavilion in the mountain villa. These boxes contain some things that Qiao An and her family used when they lived there. Since everything has been replaced here, these things have never been opened.
The housekeeper was very meticulous; he categorized and labeled the items in the boxes according to the user and function, making it easy for Qiao An to find the boxes containing Du Xiaoruo's things.
He opened the first box, which contained some dresses, all in an extravagant and luxurious style. If it weren't for these dresses, Qiao An wouldn't have even remembered Du Xiaoruo's previous style of dress.
The second box also contained clothes, jewelry, and cosmetics; I didn't find any useful information.
In the third box, he unexpectedly found several books with strange titles such as "Transmigrated as the CEO's Little Darling Wife", "The CEO Loves Me Again", and "Transmigrated as the Villain's Stepmother".
Although Qiao An doesn't read novels, she knows that many girls like to read romance novels, and even Yu Pan is a loyal fan of romance novels. She wonders which Du Xiaoruo read these books.
He opened the book and was surprised to find that there were notes inside.
Reading romance novels is not strange, but taking notes while reading them is a bit odd.
Qiao An carried the books out of the living room, turned on the floor lamp, and began to look through the notes she had made in the novel.
Suddenly, there was a sound from the master bedroom door, and Du Xiaoruo walked out from inside, looking dazed.
Qiao An felt a little guilty, wondering if Du Xiaoruo was sober yet. She seemed to have sobered up, as she had even changed into a nightgown.
It was too late to put the book away now, so Qiao An could only pretend to calmly read the book. The living room was dimly lit, and she hoped that Du Xiaoruo wouldn't notice the contents of the book.
Du Xiaoru walked to the sofa in a daze and mumbled a long string of French.
Qiao An didn't understand and asked in Mandarin, "What are you going to do?"
Du Xiaoruo looked like she suddenly understood, and asked again in Mandarin, "Hello, is this train going to Marseille?"
Joan, “…” He tentatively replied, “Yes.”
Du Xiaoruo bowed politely to him. "Please let me know when we arrive at our destination. I'm very sleepy and worried I might oversleep. Thank you."
Joan, “...Okay.”
Du Xiaoruo turned around and walked back to the bedroom.
Joan, “…”
After Du Xiaoruo left, Qiao An's attention returned to the books in her hands. Some paragraphs were underlined and marked with annotations.
[After you travel through time, try not to let others find out, otherwise you'll be treated like a monster.]
Some sections state, "Based on the known plot, certain risks have been mitigated in advance."
The book was filled with similar annotations, making it feel like an academic journal even though it was a romance novel.
After reading these notes, Qiao An could vaguely guess Du Xiaoruo's origins—it must be a case of soul transmigration. What shocked Qiao An even more was that he actually accepted this quite well.
Previously, Qiao An was worried that Du Xiaoruo's background was not good, but now that she roughly knows that Du Xiaoruo is not a threat to her, she feels a strange sense of relief.
However, this matter was indeed beyond his comprehension. After the inexplicable relief, his mood became very complicated. He stood up, turned on the treadmill and ran for a while, but his complicated mood did not improve at all.
Joan desperately needed an outlet to vent, so he remembered the only person around him who read romance novels.
He took out his phone and dialed Yu Pan's number.
It was already late at night, but Yu Pan was still awake. He quickly answered the phone, "Boss?"
"Hmm." Qiao An's usually lazy and calm voice trembled slightly. "Yu Pan, have you been reading time-travel novels lately?"
There was silence on the other end of the phone.
Joan thought the connection had dropped, "Hello?"
Yu Pan's voice sounded like he was about to cry.
"Boss, I only read for an hour during my lunch break. I won't read anymore. Why are you always bringing up my reading of novels lately?"
Yu Pan's words instantly brought Qiao An back to reality, like a bucket of cold water being poured over his head, making him much more sober.
Yes, Du Xiaoruo's time travel is indeed too outrageous. Just because he can accept it doesn't mean everyone else can.
If this gets out, Du Xiaoruo will be seen as a monster.
"It's okay, go to sleep early. You can read the novel if you want, you might need it later." Qiao An said and hung up the phone.
The next morning, Du Xiaoruo opened her eyes to the sound of birdsong. The familiar room came into view, and she had a slight headache.
She slapped her forehead; her memory was still stuck in the bar. How could she open her eyes and find herself already in the morning, lying in her bed at home?
I stumbled out of the bedroom, still half asleep. Joanne was already up, and it looked like she'd already exercised. She was sitting on a high stool at the bar, working on her laptop.
He saw Du Xiaoruo come out, picked up his coffee, took a sip, and said something quite naturally.
"good morning."
Du Xiaoruo felt everything was normal; she shouldn't have done anything out of line yesterday, but she was still a little uneasy and couldn't help asking.
"Did I drink too much yesterday?"
"Hmm." Joan put down his coffee cup and his fingers flew across the keyboard as he replied to a work email.
Seeing that he seemed quite busy, Du Xiaoruo didn't want to keep bothering him, so she turned and walked towards the bedroom.
As she reached the bedroom door, Qiao An called her back again.
You kissed me yesterday.
Du Xiaoruo was stunned and subconsciously looked at the home security camera. Fortunately, after Du Tiancheng's accident, the production team thoughtfully turned off the camera there.
After her brain processed the meaning of those words, Du Xiaoruo's pupils dilated in shock.
"Me? Kiss you?" I can't believe it, so I ask again.
Joanne nodded seriously, her clear gray-blue eyes looking very sincere, and added, "We kissed."
Du Xiaoruo, "..." What to do? She was so embarrassed she could barely breathe.
She could only pretend not to hear, and subconsciously pushed open the bedroom door, only to hear Qiao An say behind her again.
"It was my first kiss."
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