CHAPTER 3: ODEN

Chen Jiayan walked in and very gentlemanly pulled out a chair for Ruan Zhizhi, then introduced her to the others:
“Come, come, let me introduce you — this beauty here is Ruan Zhizhi. She doesn’t work at our school; she got the spot from a friend and just came to have fun.”

Ruan Zhizhi smiled politely and was about to introduce herself,
but then she noticed the three girls didn’t even spare her a glance — their eyes didn’t stop on her for even half a second.
Clearly, they had zero interest in her.

In contrast, their gazes were all locked onto Shi Yan.

“Shi Yan, I studied abroad before too — what a coincidence!”
The girl who spoke was very pretty, with big doll-like eyes and a delicate oval face.
Her head of curly hair made her look sweet and exquisite, like a porcelain doll.

The one being hit on casually replied, “Yeah, coincidence.”

Unfortunately, there wasn’t the slightest hint of a smile in those deep, dark eyes.

But even that lukewarm response seemed to give the girl a surge of courage.
Ruan Zhizhi watched as her eyes lit up like twin flames, and she even scooted her chair slightly closer to Shi Yan.

The other two girls were full of envy and jealousy,
while Chen Jiayan just gave a faint, mocking smile.
He leaned closer to Ruan Zhizhi and whispered into her ear:

“Zhizhi, you mustn’t be like these girls and fall for him.
Ah Yan’s the cold, indifferent type.
He can joke and laugh with you today,
but tomorrow, he might act like he doesn’t even know you.”

After saying that, he even blinked mysteriously and added seriously,
“I’m only warning you because you’re different from those naïve little girls.”

Ruan Zhizhi was speechless, a little amused and helpless.
“You’re overthinking it. I don’t have any thoughts like that about him.
What kind of person he is has nothing to do with me.”

The restaurant served dishes really fast —
while they were chatting, the table was quickly filled with a whole spread of seafood delicacies:
garlic vermicelli steamed scallops, curry swimming crabs, clams in scallion oil, stir-fried sea cucumber, and “three treasures” soup.
The table was packed to the brim, making one’s appetite instantly awaken.

Ruan Zhizhi had woken up early that morning and had been walking with the group all day, so by now she was exhausted and starving.
But almost everything on the table was seafood.
After scanning the dishes back and forth several times,
she finally settled on a plate of cold kelp salad.

Chen Jiayan noticed she wasn’t speaking and had only been picking at the cold dish.
Being especially considerate, he picked up an oyster omelet and placed it on her plate:
“Zhizhi, this restaurant’s oyster omelet is their signature dish, super famous. Try it.”

Ruan Zhizhi saw the eagerness in his eyes and didn’t know how to refuse.
She could only thank him softly,
then pretended to fiddle with the fragrant oyster using her chopsticks,
swallowing her saliva silently.

Meanwhile, the three girls across from her were already chatting animatedly with Shi Yan —
or more accurately, they were talking animatedly, while he… wasn’t.
The man himself kept casually flipping the lighter up and down in his hand, his expression cold and detached from start to finish.

“Shi Yan, I heard from my dad that you’re still single — is that true?”

“True.”

“Ah? You’re already twenty-six or twenty-seven, right?
Why don’t you have a girlfriend?”

“Haven’t met the right one.”

He lifted his eyelids lazily and said it like it was nothing.

That answer instantly sparked even more curiosity among the girls.
The pretty girl brushed back the bangs on her forehead,
then asked nervously,
“Then… what kind of girl do you think is ‘right’?”

The moment she asked that question, the room fell silent.
Even Ruan Zhizhi, who’d been quietly observing from the side, grew curious.
What kind of woman would a man like Shi Yan consider ideal?

Shi Yan didn’t speak right away.
He played with the lighter for a long moment before finally putting it down and replying vaguely:

“Depends on fate.”

It was such a perfunctory, dismissive answer
that the bright sparkle in the girls’ eyes instantly dimmed.
Disappointment showed plainly on their faces.

Ruan Zhizhi lowered her head, silently chewing on her kelp salad,
all the while complaining inwardly about his weird answer…
and this strange man.

Fortunately, with Chen Jiayan around, the atmosphere didn’t completely die.

Halfway through the meal, Shi Yan suddenly stood up and said he was going out for a smoke.
Chen Jiayan, used to this, just waved his hand casually.

As Shi Yan passed by Ruan Zhizhi’s seat on his way out,
she happened to look up while sipping her soup.

His gaze was light, but his features — sharp and beautiful — were still bold and unrestrained.

He walked past her quietly,
his eyes seemingly not lingering on anyone…
Yet somehow, Ruan Zhizhi couldn’t shake the feeling
that he had been paying attention to her just now.

Ruan Zhizhi shook her head slightly. Damn it, this kind of illusion was the scariest thing of all.

After Shi Yan left, the three girls looked a little disappointed for a while, but soon perked up again and started chatting happily with Chen Jiayan.
Chen Jiayan was eloquent and naturally skilled at coaxing girls into laughter, so the atmosphere quickly became lively again.

Lowering her head, Ruan Zhizhi glanced at her phone, calculating silently: if she left now, she might still have time to grab something to eat before the next meetup.
Otherwise, with her empty stomach, walking around the whole afternoon would definitely knock her out cold given her poor stamina.

After several failed attempts to persuade her to stay, Chen Jiayan finally had no choice but to unwillingly walk her to the restaurant’s entrance.
Before parting, he enthusiastically invited her to eat together again next time.

The two exchanged a few polite words, then said goodbye amicably.
Ruan Zhizhi turned and walked out through the restaurant’s main door, thinking about where she could buy some snacks.
But after just a few steps, she spotted Shi Yan leaning lazily against a stone lion by the entrance.

He leaned there with casual indifference, a cigarette loosely pinched between his fingers.
The sharpness of his features was softened slightly by the veil of smoke curling around him.

This man always looked a little decadent when smoking… with a touch of darkness to him.

Ruan Zhizhi lowered her head slightly, intending to slip away quietly before he noticed her.
But just as she was about to leave, she caught sight of something on the bluestone slab beside him—a small box, steaming hot, sending up wisps of fragrant white vapor.

She squinted and focused on it carefully.
It was a piping-hot cup of oden.

One of her absolute favorite street foods.

Should she… ask him where he bought it?

In the span of just a few seconds, Ruan Zhizhi frowned slightly, waging an intense inner battle with herself.
Finally, she surrendered… to her empty, protesting stomach.

She walked over slowly, making sure to keep her smile soft, warm, and harmless, then spoke in a gentle voice:
“Shi Yan, can I ask… where did you buy that oden?”

Shi Yan didn’t seem surprised at her sudden appearance at all.
His expression remained as calm as ever, smooth and unreadable.

He lifted his gaze slightly.
His finely sculpted face flickered faintly in and out of the smoke as he said casually,
“This was the last one.”

Ruan Zhizhi: “…”

Seriously?
Was this fate or some kind of curse?
Last time, he’d snatched away the last box of macarons.
This time, he’d bought the last cup of oden.

Clearly, this man’s bazi and hers were utterly incompatible.

“Alright then… thanks anyway.”
Ruan Zhizhi took a deep breath, forcing herself to sound calm as she thanked him and turned to leave.

But just as she was about to step away, she suddenly felt her wrist being caught from behind—completely off guard.

His fingers were cold, but his palm was warm.
The strange contrast made her freeze for a moment.

Startled, she turned back, just in time to see Shi Yan casually flick his cigarette into a nearby trash bin.
Then, without a word, he picked up the steaming oden from the bluestone slab… and placed it into her hands.

“Eat it while it’s hot.”

….

In the bitter chill of winter, Ruan Zhizhi stood in the bustling old street, holding the warm cup of oden in her hands.
She stared blankly for a long moment before finally regaining her senses.

She didn’t know why, but right then, she suddenly thought of what Chen Jiayan had whispered into her ear earlier at the restaurant.

“Ah Yan… he’s a cold, distant kind of person. Today he might be joking and laughing with you, but tomorrow? He could turn around and act like he never even knew you.”

Lowering her head, Ruan Zhizhi glanced at the fragrant oden in the plastic box and frowned faintly, feeling a bit uneasy.
Would Shi Yan’s attitude toward her drop to absolute zero tomorrow…?

What a strange man.