18. The Shy and Pure-Hearted Young Man

That voice—could it really be Song Yintu?!

Yu Dongxi would never mistake this voice. Why would Song Yintu come to see Song Wan in the dead of night?

Yu Dongxi held her breath, her breathing almost inaudible.

“Se… Second Uncle?” Song Wan involuntarily took a few steps back, a deep fear from her soul almost overwhelming her.

Song Yintu closed the door behind him and locked it. The sound of the lock echoed. Song Wan shuddered violently and kept retreating. Whenever she took a step back, Song Yintu stepped forward, like a cat chasing a mouse.

Song Yintu’s steps were big. In just a few strides, he grabbed Song Wan’s shoulder in his palm. The touch scared Song Wan so much that she couldn’t move, her calves went weak. Song Yintu covered her mouth with one hand and with the other, he lifted her up onto his shoulder. The bed shook violently. The girl’s sobs were muffled by the pillow, while the sounds of impact continued relentlessly.

Yu Dongxi widened her eyes. They were related by blood, after all…

Xiao Hei pressed down on Yu Dongxi’s restless hand with his paw, ready to knock her out if she did anything reckless.

Fortunately, Yu Dongxi did not act impulsively.

The scene changed again. Before Yu Dongxi appeared a magnificent fountain, surrounded by countless people coming and going. Tall buildings stood clustered together. Most of the people passing by were young, and many had Western faces.

The signboard read in English: “I greet you with roses.”

A person and a dog were on a bench—not quite right—one was sitting, the other lying down.

“You scared me just now. I thought you were going to rush out and punch that old Bi, a heavy hit.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not that impulsive right now. Besides, I know if I act recklessly, I might change how this fantasy realm develops. If my momentary impulse causes Song Yu never to leave this fantasy realm, I’d probably feel guilty for a lifetime.”

Xiao Hei looked at Yu Dongxi and suddenly sighed.

“Besides, in the fantasy realm, most of what we see has already happened in established history. Even if we change things here, so what? It’s all just an illusion.”

“You know you look really reluctant right now, don’t you?”

“What do you mean ‘reluctant’?”

“It means your face looks awful, like you just ate three pounds of poop.”

Yu Dongxi felt like vomiting. “Stop talking, Xiao Hei. Now I feel like everything around me smells like poop.”

Xiao Hei: ?

Yu Dongxi shifted her hips to the side and covered her nose with a pained expression.

Xiao Hei: “…Am I poop then?”

Yu Dongxi didn’t answer, but her expression became even more painful.

In the fantasy realm, there is no such thing as a publicly funded trip, every place has a purpose and nobody comes for free.

Sure enough, soon a handsome young man passed in front of Yu Dongxi. He was extremely tall, with blue eyes and black hair, and sharp, well-defined features. Surrounded by a crowd, he wore a cold expression and an aloof aura, only occasionally lifting the corners of his lips into a very faint smile.

If this were Yu Dongxi’s school days, he would definitely be one of the school’s most popular and influential students.

When the blue-eyed handsome guy passed by, Yu Dongxi shamelessly whistled at him.

From beside her came Xiao Hei’s sharp intake of breath.

Yu Dongxi thought: “Xiao Hei is really such a coward, it’s just a whistle, what’s there to be scared of?”

The blue-eyed young man clearly froze when he heard the whistle. He frowned and looked at Yu Dongxi, staring for a full minute. Then suddenly, a playful smile appeared on his face. He said to his companions, “Sorry, I have something to take care of tonight. Leave the rest to me.”

His companions rarely saw such an obvious smile on his face. One after another exchanged glances and showed a “king knows best” expression. They immediately left the scene, afraid of holding him up. As they left, they couldn’t help but glance back a few times.

Sure enough, gossip transcends borders and eras.

When the other person looked at her, Yu Dongxi was observing him just as carefully.

This observation was something serious—wasn’t this person Song Yu?

Well, so what if it was?

So, Yu Dongxi kept staring straight at Song Yu without looking away. Why did Song Yu insist on wearing an eye mask? His eyes were truly breathtaking.

It was a pity to cover them.

“I remember you,” Song Yu said at this moment, still acting like a gentleman, very careful about boundaries when interacting with the opposite sex.

If this scene happened now—a man and a woman sitting on a bench—it wouldn’t raise any eyebrows. But back then, in their country, this kind of behavior was actually quite suggestive.

Song Yu looked down at Yu Dongxi from above.

Yu Dongxi nodded and said, “I remember you too.”

“What are you doing here?”

“What are you doing here?” Yu Dongxi answered with a question instead of replying.

“I’m studying here. And you?” Song Yu stared into Yu Dongxi’s eyes.

“Oh, I’m just passing by, thought I’d come see you.” Yu Dongxi’s eyes shifted cleverly, a plan forming in her mind to tease this version of Song Yu.

“See me?” Sure enough, Song Yu frowned. He didn’t remember being that close with the person in front of him.

“Yeah, to see if you still cry so easily.”

“I…” Hearing this, Song Yu’s ears flushed red. At this time, Song Yu was thin-skinned and easily teased, definitely no match for Yu Dongxi. “Don’t say nonsense.”

“Oh, oh, oh, don’t say nonsense. I won’t tease you anymore. Since I came all this way, I can’t come for nothing—I’m hungry.” Yu Dongxi stood up and said shamelessly. To Song Yu, this woman was really strange. The best way to handle her was to keep a cold face and just walk away.

But for some reason, Song Yu couldn’t bring himself to do that.

It must be his upbringing acting up.

Song Yu sighed helplessly and said, “What do you want to eat?”

“What does your school have?”

“The stuff at school is average, but there are a few good places outside that I really like.”

Song Yu was a true young master, and seemed to have high standards for quality of life. If even he thought those places were good, then they must really be something special.

Yu Dongxi followed Song Yu’s pace with ease, not forgetting to bring Xiao Hei along.

Song Yu deliberately slowed his steps to match hers. He glanced at the little dog in Yu Dongxi’s arms and said, “This little dog looks exactly like the one you used to carry.”

“Hm? Good memory,” Yu Dongxi said, realizing he meant Xiao Hei. “But it’s not the same dog—it’s a descendant of that little dog from back then. Ah, I’m the most loyal person ever. Even though you’re gone, I still love your descendants.”

Song Yu: “…”

After saying that, Yu Dongxi picked up Xiao Hei’s paw and wiped away some nonexistent tears.

Xiao Hei: “…”

—

“So, where exactly are you planning to take me?” Yu Dongxi asked after following Song Yu through many twists and turns for half an hour, but they hadn’t reached the place Song Yu mentioned.

Song Yu had one hand in his pocket, the other carrying a backpack. “Soon.”

Finally, they stopped in an alley that looked completely out of place compared to the surrounding buildings. It was an old noodle shop with traditional Chinese architectural style, totally mismatched with the foreign styles around it.

Upon entering, Yu Dongxi noticed the noodle shop was surprisingly busy. The space was large, filled with steam.

Song Yu grabbed Yu Dongxi’s sleeve and led her to the only empty table.

The table was made of red lacquered wood, and the stools were long benches. These benches required good balance, if two people sat on one and one stood up without telling the other, the one left sitting would likely fall backward.

Song Yu handed Yu Dongxi the menu and said, “Pick whatever you want.”

He casually threw his backpack on the other side of the bench. Yu Dongxi looked eager to move, but Song Yu kept a cautious eye on her to prevent any mischief.

To be honest, Yu Dongxi had always thought Song Yu at this age would be extremely fastidious and spoiled, but it seemed you can’t judge a book by its cover.

Yu Dongxi ordered a spicy beef noodle soup. Song Yu was surprised but then also ordered the same.

The waiters all had Asian faces, and when they spoke, Yu Dongxi realized they came from various parts of Asia.

“The beef noodles here smell really good, especially the spicy flavor, so I basically order beef noodles every time I come.”

“I love beef noodles the most. When I was in college, nobody in my dorm liked eating beef or lamb, and no one liked spicy food either. Actually, whenever we went out to eat, no one really ended up eating the same thing together. But since I was invited, I couldn’t not go,” Yu Dongxi said, playing with the chopsticks in her hand. Suddenly, she remembered her college days—a bittersweet time.

Song Yu looked at Yu Dongxi and said, “So… how old are you exactly?”

“Me? Don’t ask a woman her age,” Yu Dongxi shot him a glare. “Remember this: all girls are forever eighteen. Learn that, it’s common knowledge.”

Song Yu scoffed, looking a bit tsundere about it.

Soon, the noodles were ready. This noodle shop, favored by Young Master Song, lived up to its reputation—the aroma was irresistible, with great color, smell, and taste. Xiao Hei was almost drooling.

Yu Dongxi quietly scooped out half a bowl into a smaller bowl, sneaking a look around, then quickly placed the bowl on the floor.

Xiao Hei’s eyes lit up, and he promised himself he would never again roll his eyes secretly at Yu Dongxi!

Song Yu, who saw the whole thing, was speechless.

“You really are a proper dog lover,” Song Yu said, stirring his beef noodles. “But can he actually eat that?”

“Of course,” Yu Dongxi said, thinking maybe after death you didn’t have to be so picky.

“Come on, tell me—what exactly are you here for?” Song Yu wasn’t dumb enough to believe Yu Dongxi’s words.

“I already told you, I’m here to see you, duh~” Yu Dongxi lifted her head with an innocent expression.

Song Yu: “… Yeah, right.”

“Fine then, why did you suddenly come to see me?” Song Yu asked.

“Because I missed you, obviously. You think I need more reasons than that?” Yu Dongxi looked a bit impatient, and although she didn’t say much, her expression looked like she was cursing him in her mind.

Song Yu wanted to say something but the words got stuck in his throat, his ears quickly turning red like he was being boiled alive. “Stop teasing me.”

“I’m very easy to take seriously.”