Chapter 53: Treating Him to Tofu

Lin Yuyao turned her head, and Fu Huayi was also looking over.

“Yeah, I’ve finished these books, here they are. Zhou Jie, thanks for your help.”

“Alright, leave them there. Go inside and see if there’s anything you like. Yuyao, introduce our new books to Xiao Fu.”

“Okay, Brother Fu, take a look at these.”

Lin Yuyao introduced several books based on his reading preferences, and he took them all.

It seemed her judgment of his preferences was quite accurate.

“I’ll sit over there and read for a while; you go ahead and work.”

“Okay, call me if you need anything.”

“Mm.”

Fu Huayi sat in the corner of the bookstore, taking out the books Lin Yuyao had introduced.

It was quite hot, so Lin Yuyao aimed the fan at him.

The breeze caused the pages to flutter.

Lin Yuyao smiled, “Could you hold them down? It’s quite hot, and the breeze is refreshing.”

“Mm.”

Later, she went upstairs to get some tea and brewed a pot for Fu Huayi.

Fu Huayi looked up at her.

Lin Yuyao smiled, “I don’t know what you like to drink. We have new Yuhuacha tea; would you like to try it?”

Fu Huayi nodded, shifting his attention to the words on the book.

He seemed to be reading seriously, but only he knew whether he was actually absorbing anything.

Zhou Jing nudged Lin Yuyao, “Your service is quite thoughtful.”

Lin Yuyao whispered, “He’s helped me a lot; I… I still owe him money.”

She felt a little embarrassed; owing money was quite shameful.

“Oh, I see,” Zhou Jing said, her voice meaningful.

At her words, Lin Yuyao’s face turned even redder.

She silently vowed to repay him as soon as possible.

Zhou Jing and Liu Yihuan left work on time; it was Lin Yuyao’s turn to work the late shift.

It was almost dinner time. If it were just her, she would have made do with whatever was handy.

But Fu Huayi was there, and he had helped her so much; she couldn’t let him watch her eat something meager.

She hesitated for a moment and walked towards Fu Huayi.

“Brother Fu, could you watch the shop for a bit?”

Fu Huayi: “…”

“Just ten minutes; I’ll go get some food and be right back.”

“Okay.”

Seeing him agree, Lin Yuyao grabbed her lunchbox and quickly ran out.

There was a restaurant next door; the three of them usually ordered food from there.

The owner saw her and greeted her with a smile, “Spicy tofu again?”

Uh…

In the meantime, the owner had already prepared it for her.  She had to take it.

“Yes,” she said.

The owner laughed, “I knew you liked this; you order it five days a week.”

This…

She often ate spicy tofu not because she liked it, but because it was cheap and went well with rice; it wasn’t particularly delicious.

At that time, the rice in the restaurant was free.

Ordering a large portion of rice and topping it with spicy tofu allowed her to eat a full meal at a low cost.

Lin Yuyao awkwardly replied, “Yes, I like tofu. And then add a…” She looked around and pointed to the duck, “add a portion of this.”

“Okay.”

“And also a fish.”

Hmm?

The owner was surprised, “Meat and fish? Did you get paid today?”

“No, a, a friend is here, so we need to order two extra dishes for two people.”

“Oh, I see. I’ll add another portion of rice for you.”

“Okay, please make the portion of rice larger, thank you.”

She thought about Fu Huayi’s eating habits last time; he could eat a lot.

A girl’s portion of rice definitely wouldn’t be enough; she needed a larger portion.

After about ten minutes, she hurried back with the food.

Fu Huayi wasn’t sitting at the table reading; she didn’t know where he’d gone.

Lin Yuyao put the food on the table and stretched her neck to look for him when she saw him emerge from behind the bookshelf.

He was holding a book.

Lin Yuyao smiled, “Brother Fu, come and eat. I just ordered a few dishes from next door; I don’t know if you’ll like them.”

Those long legs were convenient; he covered the distance in a few strides.

He placed the book aside, “Thank you for getting food for me.”

Lin Yuyao smiled, “You’ve helped me so much; I’ve been wanting to treat you to a meal. Today I have to work late, so I can’t take you to a restaurant.  If you’re free when I have a day off, I’ll definitely treat you to a restaurant meal.”

She opened the lunchboxes and pushed one towards him, “I asked the owner to make a larger portion of rice; do you think it’s enough?”

It really was quite a lot.

“Enough.”

“Okay, please eat first.” After a pause, seeing him looking at the tofu, she said, “This tofu is delicious.”

Fu Huayi nodded and directly poured half a bowl of tofu into his rice bowl.

Uh…

“The fish and duck are also quite delicious; you should try them.”

Fu Huayi: “I don’t like meat; I only like tofu.”

Ah?  Are there really people who don’t like meat?

Seeing him enjoy the tofu… well, maybe he really did like tofu.

Lin Yuyao glanced at the book he had placed beside him and found it was about electronics technology.

Oh, right, he and Lu Jiangting were classmates, and their jobs seemed to be in this field.

She silently made a note, thinking that in the future, if they had new books in this area, she could keep an eye out for him.

After dinner, Lin Yuyao washed the lunchboxes, and the sun had completely set.

The bookstore was getting busier.

Students came to buy stationery.

Office workers came to read books, etc.

Lin Yuyao was too busy to pay attention to anything else.

Fu Huayi remained seated, reading.

After the peak period, it was almost time for her to leave work.

At this time, a car stopped at the entrance.

A woman with big waves and fashionable clothes got out.

Lin Yuyao remembered her; her name was Mingmei.

She placed her exquisite handbag on the counter and smiled, “Oh, Young Master Fu, you’re really here.”

Fu Huayi glanced at her indifferently and lowered his head to continue reading.

“What do you want?”

Mingmei sat on the high stool, smiling, “Can’t I come see you if I have nothing to do?”

“If you have something to say, say it. If not, don’t make a sound; don’t disturb my reading.”

Mingmei: “…”

It was strange; she never expected him to like this kind of book.

Mingmei stopped smiling, pouted, and said, “Grandpa Fu asked me to find you. He said that Old Mrs. Chen’s birthday is this weekend, and he can’t make it, so he asked you to take a gift for him.”

“I know about this; you don’t need to bother.”

“Okay, then let’s go together later; I’m going anyway.”

Fu Huayi didn’t refuse, but he didn’t agree either.

Mingmei didn’t know whether he agreed or not.

After waiting for a long time, he didn’t say anything, only occasionally turning the pages of his book.

Mingmei hesitated, feeling frustrated.

Finally, she snorted coldly, grabbed her bag, and angrily left in her high heels.

Lin Yuyao was behind the bookshelf, watching the woman leave, and couldn’t help but gossip.

She thought the woman’s gaze towards Fu Huayi clearly showed her interest in him.

But Fu Huayi was very straightforward and didn’t seem to notice or care about her.

He just sat there, cold and aloof.

As a result, he drove her away.

Perhaps sensing someone watching him, Fu Huayi turned his gaze and met Lin Yuyao’s eyes.