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Shang Li turned her head, just as the man in front of her stepped forward and ascended the stairs.
The dim streetlamp cast a slanted glow, outlining the broad shoulders and narrow waist under his white shirt. Loose strands of hair fell across his forehead, and his finely sculpted features were breathtaking, captivating to the core.
Her first instinct was to turn around and flee. But the very next second, Lu Tinghe grabbed her by the collar.
“What’s the matter? Do I have some contagious disease? You see me and run?”
Beside them, Xiao Lin stared at the two of them, dumbfounded. “You two… know each other?”
Lu Tinghe’s gaze darkened slightly. “What, did Shang Li say she doesn’t know me?”
Xiao Lin blurted out, “No, Shang Li said you’re too—”
Before the word “handsome” could leave her lips, Shang Li slapped a hand over her mouth and dragged her two meters away.
“I… I didn’t say anything. She’s mistaken me for someone else!”
Xiao Lin: “???”
A short while later, Shang Li reluctantly agreed to buy Xiao Lin a meal to shut her up and finally got her to leave.
During all this, Lu Tinghe stood to the side watching their antics with great interest, the corners of his lips curled in a subtle, amused smile.
Once Xiao Lin left—glancing back with every step—Shang Li slung her canvas bag over one shoulder and quickly walked up to Lu Tinghe. “Did you need something?”
“Can’t I come see you if I don’t need something?”
Shang Li puffed out her cheeks and blinked her confused eyes, not quite grasping what he meant.
Lu Tinghe put his both hands into his pockets. His long legs crossed lazily, giving him an air of relaxed indifference. “I waited for you for four hours.”
“Huh?” Shang Li looked utterly baffled. “Why were you waiting for me?”
“To have dinner with you,” Lu Tinghe tilted his head. “Did you forget what happened earlier today?”
The moment he said that Shang Li instantly recalled the sanitary pad incident, and her face flushed crimson.
So, when Lu Tinghe said, “he insists on keeping it in his heart,” was he planning on having her treat him to dinner?
Shang Li asked, “Didn’t you eat just now?”
Lu Tinghe let out a light chuckle. “Didn’t your friend tell you? I only had water.”
Shang Li was momentarily taken aback. She really couldn’t understand what Lu Tinghe was playing at.
He had a girlfriend but chose to find her to have dinner instead. Was he holding a grudge from high school when she used to annoy him?
After a brief pause, she took out her phone, lowered her head, and asked, “What do you want to eat, and how much will it cost? I’ll just transfer the money to you.”
At this, Lu Tinghe looked genuinely displeased.
“Shang Li, we’ve been friends for a year. What’s wrong with having a meal together and catching up? Am I that unbearable to you?”
Shang Li instinctively took a small step back. “I don’t think you’re unbearable…”
She understood—but she was afraid that more contact would open another door in her heart, letting all the overwhelming emotions flood in like a tidal wave, drowning her in them, leaving her unable to breathe or escape.
That feeling was addictive, like an addiction. Knowing it could bring pain and harm, yet it was hard to resist the fatal pull.
“It’s fine if you don’t think so,” Lu Tinghe said, “I’ll drive. Just follow me.”
“Oh, okay.”
Shang Li followed Lu Tinghe to a nearby blue McLaren.
She didn’t know much about cars, but she could tell this sports car was incredibly expensive. When the door opened, it flew upward, startling Shang Li into stumbling a bit.
Standing next to the car, Lu Tinghe rested his elbows on the car roof, a playful smile in his eyes—not mocking, but seemingly indulgent.
“I forgot to tell you; this car has scissor doors. If you’re not used to it, I can switch to a regular car next time.”
Shang Li’s heart skipped a beat.
Next time? Will there even be a next time? It was just a mistake with a sanitary pad, how many meals was she supposed to treat him to…
“Or…” Lu Tinghe paused, “Do you prefer my not-so-sturdy mountain bike instead?”
As soon as he said that Shang Li immediately realized that Lu Tinghe was mocking her for not knowing good things when she saw them. She pouted and said nothing, quickly hopping into the passenger seat.
Shang Li placed her canvas bag on her lap. Just as she settled in, the next moment, the world seemed to darken. Lu Tinghe suddenly leaned forward, blocking the light from the headlights coming through the windshield. She could even clearly see the sensual teardrop-shaped mole under his left eye.
In an instant, Shang Li held her breath, pressing her body tightly against the back of the seat, afraid of touching t Lu Tinghe even a little.
“W-What are you doing…?”
“Seatbelt,” Lu Tinghe said, reaching over to fasten her seatbelt. “I was afraid you wouldn’t be able to find it.”
Once the seatbelt was secured, the man didn’t move away, continuing to look down at her. Shang Li felt her heart pounding, almost as if it was going to burst out of her chest.
After a moment, Lu Tinghe spoke. “Shang Li, why are you so different from before?”
Shang Li lifted her eyes and softly replied, “How am I different?”
Lu Tinghe smiled faintly, “You’ve become more clueless.”
Shang Li: “…”
The McLaren sped down the road, and Shang Li watched the night view of Jingbei retreat quickly outside the window, her heart full of unease.
Not long ago, she had just sent red envelopes to her parents, and now, her bank card only had a couple thousand yuan left for living expenses. She had no idea where Lu Tinghe planned to take her for dinner, and if the money wasn’t enough, would she be stuck washing dishes?
Shang Li gritted her teeth and turned to ask, “Where are we going to eat?”
At this hour, most restaurants would be closed. Lu Tinghe wouldn’t be taking her to some expensive private kitchen, would he?
Lu Tinghe held the steering wheel, and the neon lights of Jingbei illuminated his profile, casting a golden glow on his sharp features.
“I’m kind of in the mood for an egg pancake.”
Shang Li widened her eyes, for a moment thinking she had misheard. “Huh? An egg pancakes? Like the kind from a street vendor?”
“Mm.”
“Do you actually eat street food?”
Lu Tinghe raised an eyebrow, giving her a half-smile, “Did you think the egg pancake you bought me before came from a Michelin-starred restaurant?”
His words completely silenced the confusion that had been rising in Shang Li.
Memories from senior year flooded her mind like a tide.
Back then, the school cafeteria’s food was expensive. Shang Li often sneaked out to buy breakfast and would bring Lu Tinghe an egg pancake.
He never refused and always ate it, which only reinforced her belief that his family wasn’t well-off, and that he came to school without breakfast every day.
Shang Li curiously asked, “Back then… you actually ate breakfast, right?”
“Mm. My family had a full banquet, and then I had to be forced to take an egg pancake when I got to school.”
Shang Li lowered her head in embarrassment. “Why didn’t you say anything…?”
“Didn’t feel like it.”
“Oh…”
Shang Li gripped the corner of her canvas bag tightly, waves of regret washing over her.
At least Lu Tinghe was a decent person. If it had been one of those high-and-mighty, aloof rich second-generation types, he might have just thrown the egg pancake in her face.
The two of them fell silent. After a short while, the McLaren stopped in front of a familiar street.
Lu Tinghe turned off the engine and, with a smile, asked, “Is this the place where you bought the egg pancake back in senior year?”