Xu Nuo muttered to 666 in his heart, "66, I came out to eat hot pot with the male lead this time not because I was greedy——"
666 heard the tone of his request for credit and responded very cooperatively, "Lord Nono, your opinion is excellent. 666 would like to hear the details."
Xu Nuo hummed proudly. "This shop is very popular in our school. Besides the delicious food..." Xu Nuo swallowed suspiciously, "There's another important reason - there are so many beautiful women working part-time here. Tonight, I'm sure I can find out Long Aotian's ideal type!"
666 turned into a puppy in Xu Nuo's mind again, standing up on its legs and bowing, "Nono is indeed both wise and brave!!"
Xu Nuo couldn't help but laugh at its antics, his beautiful eyes curved in a smile like a triumphant little fox. Long Qi, sitting across from him, assumed it was just the excitement of finally getting his long-desired hot pot. He found his greedy look adorable, and couldn't help but smile. For a moment, the atmosphere between them was ambiguous, making it seem like no one else could interfere.
The waitress who brought them the menu was tall, with wavy hair and charming red lips. Xu Nuo hurriedly and eagerly gestured to Long Qi to take the menu.
Seeing the young man in front of him glance at the waiter at the table from time to time, Long Qi's raised mouth corners straightened instantly, and he returned to his previous coldness and handed the menu back to Xu Nuo.
Xu Nuo glared at him with disappointment, then lowered his head to order food.
"Long Qi, do you like spicy food?"
"I'm fine with either."
"Then...I want a spicy red oil base!" Xu Nuo's eyes sparkled.
"No, the wound on your hand hasn't healed yet, you can't eat spicy food." Long Qi immediately rejected it.
"Just eat a little, it's okay... hot pot tastes better when it's spicy... please." Xu Nuo was shocked and started to act like a spoiled child towards Long Qi. She didn't realize that she had already developed a dependence and trust in Long Qi, whom she had just met.
"No..." Long Qi faced the boy's starry eyes and gave in. "I want a slightly spicy and clear soup hot pot." After saying that, he added in a very unintimidating way, "You can only eat it after rinsing it in the clear soup."
Xu Nuo nodded hurriedly and winked at him.
The waitress politely took note of the dishes, left with a business smile on her face, and as she turned around, she took out her cell phone and excitedly typed "Ahhhhhh kswl" in the chat box.
Xu Nuo didn't know that her matchmaking mission for the male lead had failed again. She winked and asked Long Qi, "The waitress just now was very pretty, wasn't she? Do you like this type of girl?"
Long Qi remembered that he had just been peeking at her from time to time, and his face suddenly darkened. He coldly spat out the three words "I don't like it".
Xu Nuo was startled by his sudden change of expression and muttered in his heart, "Even if he doesn't like me, he wouldn't be so fierce..."
…
Xu Nuo was very satisfied with the hot pot. Although the male protagonist kept staring at him and forbade him to eat anything too spicy, Xu Xiaozhu still heartlessly stuffed his belly. After eating and drinking, Xu Nuo rubbed his belly with satisfaction and looked at Long Qi. The male protagonist seemed to be always taking care of him, picking up food for him and washing it up, while he himself didn't seem to eat much. Xu Nuo thought of the poor male protagonist in the book who was hungry and full at one time, and a feeling of heartache and regret rose in his heart. He had clearly promised to let Long Qi eat more before coming...
"You finally remembered the hero... Not only did the hero not have enough to eat, but you also didn't find your ideal type..." 666's resentful voice sounded.
Xu Nuo sighed imperceptibly as he looked at the empty table. He was about to pay the bill, but the waitress informed him that Long Qi had already paid. Xu Nuo's regret intensified. Long Qi had already saved money and treated him to a hot pot meal. If he offered to pay him back now, it would hurt the hero's pride. Xu Nuo didn't notice that he was looking up at Long Qi with eyes filled with pity and sympathy.
Long Qi, who had been imagined as a poor, starving child, looked at Xu Nuo. The boy's expression was so easy to understand that he could guess what he was thinking at a glance. However... he had indeed taken advantage of the boy's sympathy in a despicable way.
"Long Qi... I'll treat you to a meal back some other day, okay? This time it has to be me who treats you!" Xu Nuo grabbed his hands.
Long Qi smiled faintly and nodded. "Xu Nuo, thank you. Actually... not many people are willing to get close to me..." His tone revealed just the right amount of vulnerability, and as expected, the young man gave him the look of pity he had expected. Unbeknownst to Xu Nuo, Long Qi was talking nonsense. He was indeed starting a business, but his small company was already starting to get on track, and his life was no longer as difficult as it had been in his childhood. Furthermore, he had excellent grades and a face that could easily deceive people. There was no shortage of boys and girls at school who were desperate to get close to him, even the school beauty Lin Yaya was no exception. But Xu Nuo was completely overwhelmed by his emotions, losing all ability to think, and only felt pity for the tall man before him.
Long Qi's hands, clasped behind his back, clenched into fists. He truly was like a cold, slimy, venomous snake, struggling alone in a dark quagmire, using only tricks to lure the naive kitten closer until it would never leave him again.
After leaving the hot pot restaurant, there was a 24-hour convenience store across the street. Xu Nuo was afraid that Long Qi would be hungry at night, so he hurriedly pulled him in. Long Qi probably knew what he wanted to do and did not resist. He enjoyed every kindness that Xu Nuo showed him, even if it was just out of sympathy, he was happy to accept it.
Xu Nuo picked out a large bag of his favorite snacks and bread. The cashier, a classmate from school, was a lively and lovely girl with round cheeks and eyes. Upon seeing Long Qi, the girl was visibly startled, her cheeks flushing slightly. Long Qi didn't notice, or perhaps his eyes had been following Xu Nuo the entire time, but Xu Nuo caught the girl's shyness.
Xu Nuo asked casually, "Long Qi, do you two know each other?"
The girl's face turned even redder, and she quickly waved her hands to deny it, "No... Senior Long is a senior whom I respect very much, and you shouldn't know me." After that, she raised her eyes and secretly looked at Long Qi.
Long Qi ignored Xu Nuo's suggestive wink, hummed, and then picked up the shopping bag and took Xu Nuo away.
Long Qi was still holding Xu Nuo's wrist tightly even after walking a long way out of the convenience store.
"It hurts...Long Qi...are you angry?" Even though Xu Nuo was slow-witted, he could sense that something was wrong.
Long Qi felt a surge of anger burning in his heart, completely wiping out the secret pride and joy he had felt in his heart not long ago. Why? Why did Xu Nuo always want to push him to others?
Long Qi came to his senses and let go of his hand. Seeing the fingerprints on Xu Nuo's white wrist, he felt extremely regretful, but could only utter a dry "sorry" from his throat.
Xu Nuo shook his head and gave him a flattering smile, "It's okay, this is just my physical condition. It looks scary, but it will be fine after a while."
Long Qi looked at his smile and felt the fire in his heart suddenly extinguished. "What a loser," Long Qi thought to himself, "Take your time, don't scare Nuonuo, we have a long way to go..."
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