Chapter 6: The Adorable Pufferfish
When Lu Shangyan took Pei Yumin to the supermarket's discount section after he received his salary at the end of the month, Pei Yumin finally found out what the gift was.
Lu Shangyan bent down, lifted his foot to compare, and it fit perfectly. But then he glanced at Pei Yumin's foot and decided to get a size larger.
Pei Yumin asked him why: "At your current age, you shouldn't be getting any older, right?"
Lu Shangyan nodded: "But I can't wear two pairs. You have to wear the other pair, otherwise it would be a waste."
"Both pairs are the same size, and there's no way to exchange them. They're slippers anyway, so it doesn't matter if I wear a size too big."
There were two pairs of shoes in a plastic bag, one blue-black and one pink-black. Although they were of poor quality, they were still cleverly marked with a large and exaggerated "love" logo and a twisted heart.
Pei Yumin would probably rather go barefoot than wear these slippers in the past.
But now it's different. These two pairs of slippers in Lu Shangyan's hands look like couple slippers, and the more you look at them, the better they look.
Pei Yumin's eyes crinkled with laughter, lost in the moment: "You're so accommodating to me."
Lu Shangyan felt that his current behavior was strange, but he couldn't put his finger on the reason, so he took a step back to maintain a slightly more comfortable distance.
Then he bought new toothbrushes and towels, and bought almost every household item that was on sale.
And under Pei Yumin's overly intense gaze, he basically bought two items in one package.
Thus, on this ordinary afternoon, Pei Yumin acquired more than a dozen of the same desirable items as Lu Shangyan.
But unlike the happiness Pei Yumin showed, Lu Shangyan's expression grew worse as the shopping cart filled up.
Finally, unable to hold back any longer, she lowered her eyelids and muttered softly, "We didn't need to buy any of these."
"I've been using the hotel's toiletries and slippers during this time, but they're not practical, especially the slippers, which broke three days ago."
"I originally wanted to go back to the dorm to get my old things, but Chen Shuo actually used my slippers to throw darts! They were already almost worn out, and with Chen Shuo's slightest torment, the slippers became completely unwearable."
Pei Yumin's smile slowly faded. Lu Shangyan worked hard at part-time jobs and earned a lot of scholarships. Logically speaking, after deducting living expenses and tuition fees, his life should not be so tight.
At least you don't have to work so hard to save a few dollars.
There are too many things about Lu Shangyan that he doesn't know.
Pei Yumin couldn't help but ask, "Why are you so short of money?"
Lu Shangyan then realized that he had talked too much. He would never complain in front of others, no matter how hard things were before, but he couldn't help himself after spending less than a month with Pei Yumin.
He immediately shut up, shook his head with a forced smile, and said, "No, I just can't stand Chen Shuo. And I've already gotten my revenge. I threw Chen Shuo's slippers and washbasin into the toilet in the public restroom that hadn't been flushed yet."
As soon as he finished speaking, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up in a smile.
He was easily appeased. Before Pei Yumin could even change his mood, he had already adjusted himself and walked to the tissue section, intending to compare prices and buy more toilet paper.
While I was choosing, a person suddenly appeared next to me.
Xia Li had noticed him long ago, and although she tried to hold back, she couldn't resist coming over and standing next to him. She then glanced at Pei Yumin, who was pushing a shopping cart behind him.
She lowered her voice and asked, "Did you really move out of the dorm? Or are you living with a man?"
Lu Shangyan wasn't usually good at remembering people's faces, but as long as it involved money, he would remember them perfectly.
Before he could say anything, he pulled out five yuan from behind his phone case: "Here you go."
Xia Li wanted to say no, but Pei Yumin had already walked to her side, shoulder to shoulder, in a very intimate posture, and even lowered his head to smile at her.
It's as if she's standing up for her status as the official wife.
Xia Li felt it wasn't appropriate to get entangled with her live-in boyfriend in front of him, so she had no choice but to accept the crumpled five yuan.
Xia Li glanced at Pei Yumin again, and spoke again with great excitement: "So you really do like... men! Ahhh!"
She was still asking about Lu Shangyan. Although Lu Shangyan often had no expression on his face, while Pei Yumin was always smiling and seemed easy to get along with, she always felt that Pei Yumin's smile was too meaningful and always made her feel uneasy.
In this situation, even the usually icy Lu Shangyan seemed much gentler, and if she wanted to gossip, she only dared to ask Lu Shangyan.
Lu Shangyan's expression didn't change at all, and he nodded in admission: "That's right, I'm gay."
Pei Yumin secretly gasped, his facial muscles stiffening. In broad daylight, Lu Shangyan was far too bold!
Several people around who had heard the noise were already secretly turning their heads to look at him!
Xia Li couldn't help but slightly open her mouth, and after a while she closed it: "I was the one who bothered you before, from now on I will only treat you as a friend!"
Then he excitedly ran away, taking out his phone to message his friend as he ran:
[Lu Shangyan isn't some aloof, unattainable beauty at all! He's just an adorable, goofy pufferfish! He may seem prickly, but he's actually innocent and cute!]
Pei Yumin then spoke again to remind Lu Shangyan: "Are you very familiar with that person from earlier?"
Lu Shangyan thought for a moment: "We're not that close. Including the last time, we've only met twice, but we chat online occasionally."
“She gave me a drink once, but I didn’t have any cash, so I asked her for her contact information and said I would transfer the money to her, but she never accepted it.”
Pei Yumin almost fainted; he could already imagine Xia Li's elation when she was asked for his contact information.
She probably thought Lu Shangyan was also interested in her, but she didn't expect that he was just thirsty and really just wanted to transfer money to buy her water.
Pei Yumin sighed helplessly: "You've only met her twice, and you're already telling her about your sexual orientation? Aren't you afraid she'll talk nonsense?"
Lu Shangyan frowned: "But even if she tells others, it's the truth. I am indeed a lesbian, and this isn't just something I'm making up."
"It's no big deal. When we first met, we were even lying in the same bed."
Pei Yumin didn't know how to respond for a moment. After more than ten seconds, he belatedly said, "That day wasn't the first time we met. It was the third time. Our relationship is much closer than yours with her."
But Lu Shangyan had already gone to the cashier to pay and did not hear what he said.
Most of the products I bought were discounted, so they weren't very comfortable to use, but considering the price, they were good value for money.
Carrying two heavy bags in his hands, Lu Shangyan paid the bill with the two hundred yuan from the back of his phone case.
This money was a compensation Chen Shuo had given him not long ago. He only spent a little over 130 yuan and had a little over 60 yuan left.
That's just enough for them to have a hot pot meal later.
This calculation finally calmed his anger at Chen Shuo for throwing darts at his slippers.
Pei Yumin saw all of this. He followed closely behind Lu Shangyan, watching his brows furrow and relax several times.
As soon as he turned into a narrow street, his steps became much lighter, and his irritation disappeared from his face.
All the buildings on the street looked dilapidated, but the flow of people was surprisingly high.
Lu Shangyan told him, "There's a hot pot restaurant here that's really delicious."
As he spoke, he lightly licked his lips, which was easily caught by Pei Yumin, whose attention was focused on him.
As they approached the end, Lu Shangyan's gaze unconsciously drifted past the crowd toward a small shop in the corner.
Pei Yumin followed his gaze and glanced at the shop; the four-character signboard was already faded beyond recognition.
Only the character "一" remains relatively clear from the four characters of "火辣一族".
Lu Shangyan said, "The fact that such a hidden shop can attract so many customers shows that it is both affordable and delicious."
Pei Yumin opened the small door and followed Lu Shangyan inside. As they sat down at a small adhesive table, Pei Yumin felt more and more that Lu Shangyan's words were absolutely correct.
Only a top-tier foodie like Lu Shangyan could be so adept at making discoveries.
Lu Shangyan made his plans, taking out all the dozens of ingredients on the table, especially the meat.
Pei Yumin had never eaten this before, and just like when they ate at the all-you-can-eat barbecue last time, she picked it up in the same way he did.
Lu Shangyan looked at the bowl full of green vegetables and said, "Take more meat and vegetables. They're sold by weight here, and meat and vegetables are the same price."
Pei Yumin pursed her lips and watched as he put two shrimp, which looked like they had been frozen for who knows how long, into the bowl before whispering, "I've been eating too well with you lately, so I want to eat more vegetables."
Lu Shangyan responded. He had indeed been quite capable lately. Pei Yumin had been mooching off him for meals, and had even gotten tired of meat.
Although he felt he was being cheated by eating vegetables, he still moved closer to him this time and said in a low voice, "Okay, it's okay if you lose a little."
Pei Yumin's lips unconsciously curled up: "Lord Lu is so generous. I want to follow you for the rest of my life."
Lu Shangyan took out all the change in his pocket to pay for the meal, leaving his pockets completely empty again. This time, however, he didn't feel any heartache or distress.
The only change was that the corners of her lips, which were usually unchanged, subtly turned up slightly.
Pei Yumin helped him find a job, which was enough to allow him to finish university with a bit more ease.
He thought for a moment and said seriously, "After I graduate and start working, I'll treat you to spicy hot pot once a week and a deluxe buffet once a month."
Pei Yumin mentally claps his hands together in a small gesture, as if to applaud for a lifetime. Then, watching Lu Shangyan's lips turn red and moist after drinking water following the spicy food, the faded sign at the door unconsciously comes to mind again.
This time, he genuinely felt that it was quite hot.
Lu Shangyan ate a lot in the evening and was so full that he couldn't lie down. He took two digestive pills before he felt at ease.
The next morning, I only drank a cup of the red bean soy milk that Pei Yumin had cooled down, and I didn't finish the spicy tofu buns until I got to school.
Just as he was thinking about how to solve the remaining half, Xia Li suddenly slipped in through the back door and sat down next to him.
Lu Shangyan pushed one of the eggs he hadn't tried before in front of her: "Do you want some?"
Xia Li paused for a moment, then quickly shook her head: "Are you free now? I have a question for you."
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