Chapter 9

Perhaps it was because she had seen Qiao Yumian too many times in such a short span that Jiang Caifu found herself dreaming of their first meeting and moments of their relationship over the past few days.

Back then, she hadn’t yet been worn down by work. Her days were filled with classes, eating, sleeping, and having fun, carefree and laughing all the time. Her biggest worry was when a packed schedule left her with less time to play.

As a result, every time she met Qiao Yumian, she always wore a cheerful smile.

After they started dating, Jiang Caifu couldn’t resist asking her boyfriend the clichéd questions.

For instance, two weeks into their relationship, she whimsically asked him one day, “Why do you like me?”

It had been so long that Jiang Caifu could no longer recall the details clearly.

He seemed to have been taken aback for a moment, or perhaps he replied without hesitation, “I saw you smiling all the time and got curious about why you were so happy. Then, inexplicably, I started liking you.”

Jiang Caifu wasn’t satisfied with his answer.

She frowned and poked his cheek forcefully. “I don’t smile all the time like an idiot! I just like to smile!”

He was awkward and stubborn, incapable of saying anything sweet, but his cheeks were soft and pleasant to touch. Poking them for a while dissipated her annoyance.

“Don’t you have a more concrete reason for liking me?” Though she was no longer angry, she pretended to be stern.

Qiao Yumian reached out and poked her cheek in return. His long, narrow phoenix eyes curved into crescent moons, carrying a mischievous glint. “What kind of answer are you looking for? Can you give me an example?”

Jiang Caifu thought for a moment, her sparkling eyes brimming with confidence. Feeling a little bashful but still putting on a bold face, she said:

“For example… maybe you shallowly fell for my gorgeous face, or maybe you were captivated by my unique personality, or perhaps charmed by my empathetic nature…”

Before she could finish, Qiao Yumian burst out laughing.

“You always call me narcissistic, but you’re no better yourself!” He covered his face, laughing until tears came to his eyes.

He rarely laughed like this. Usually, he wore a haughty expression, and even the occasional smirk was often sarcastic. It was the first time Jiang Caifu had seen him so amused.

If she weren’t the one being laughed at, Jiang Caifu would have been happy to see him so delighted.

“What’s so funny? Who said you could laugh?” She grabbed his cheek and pulled, exasperated. “How am I narcissistic? Am I not telling the truth?!”

“Right, right—”

He could hardly breathe from laughing and, with his face being tugged, his speech was slurred. “You’re absolutely right.”

Jiang Caifu found his response perfunctory and remained annoyed, but Qiao Yumian suddenly reached out, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her into his embrace. He then took hold of her face and gently pinched her cheeks.

“There you go again, acting cute.” He let out a soft sigh, his expression one of helpless indulgence.

Jiang Caifu: “???”

She was on the verge of exploding. “Me? Acting cute? What nonsense are you talking about!”

“Aren’t you?” He lightly brushed his nose against hers, his dark eyes half-lidded, his tone so serious it didn’t even sound like he was flirting. “Otherwise, how could someone look so adorable even when they’re angry?”

His handsome face was suddenly so close, his warm breath brushing gently against her cheeks.

Jiang Caifu stared into his clear, amused eyes, her mind instantly blanking. Whatever irritation she had vanished, and she couldn’t even process his words. All she could hear was the frantic pounding of her heart.

She felt the temperature rising all around her.

After a long moment of staring at each other, she blinked and asked softly, “Do you want a kiss?”

The abrupt change in topic caught Qiao Yumian off guard.

“You—”

He wanted to laugh but didn’t want Jiang Caifu to get too smug, so he pressed his lips together tightly to suppress his grin, feigning seriousness. “You’re really not reserved at all…”

Before Jiang Caifu could respond, he abruptly leaned down and kissed her cheek forcefully. His lips pressed so hard into her soft skin that they seemed to sink in, lingering for a while before he pulled away.

Then he turned his head with an exaggeratedly dignified expression and said in a casual tone, “Alright, kiss done.”

Jiang Caifu: “…”

That was such a childish, juvenile kiss.

She had seen her high school classmates’ relationships with far greater intensity than this.

Speechless, she eventually retaliated by planting an equally forceful kiss on his cheek. When she pulled away, a loud “smooch” sound echoed.

…Even more childish.

Qiao Yumian didn’t grasp her thoughts. He only felt she was being particularly passionate, surely because she liked him so much. His heart swelled with satisfaction, and his smugness spilled over, evident in his raised eyebrows and the playful sparkle in his eyes.

But Jiang Caifu’s next words froze him entirely.

“I want to kiss your lips.”

Her words came out quickly and decisively, leaving Qiao Yumian stunned as if he’d imagined them.

Yet Jiang Caifu gave him no time to doubt what he had heard.

She continued, “Your lips look soft and very kissable. Can I try kissing them?”

His lips were thin overall, but his lower lip had a slight plumpness to it, radiating a healthy, rosy glow.

Qiao Yumian’s ears instantly turned red, the blush rapidly spreading to his cheeks.

He stammered, “That’s… too soon, isn’t it? We’ve only been dating for a week, and you already want to kiss me? Do you like me that much? You…”

Jiang Caifu didn’t want to listen to his pointless rambling. She raised—

Her hand precisely pinched his lips.

Finally, peace and quiet.

Qiao Yumian tilted his head back slightly, quickly breaking free from her hold, his eyes filled with protest, clearly displeased with her actions.

“So, are you going to let me kiss you or not?” Jiang Caifu’s patience had run out.

He immediately fell silent, stiffening in place, his face continuing to burn red.

After a two-second pause, he finally said, “You can kiss me.”

He looked slightly embarrassed, his voice much softer than usual.

Jiang Caifu was finally satisfied. She grabbed his collar to pull him down, but he moved first, cupping her face and holding her still.

“I’ll kiss you,” he said, enunciating each word with surprising seriousness.

Jiang Caifu didn’t understand why but obediently nestled into his arms; her eyes eagerly fixed on his lips.

Her stare made Qiao Yumian flustered. He hesitated, then raised his hand to cover her eyes.

She didn’t resist, staying perfectly still, and he could clearly feel her long lashes brushing rapidly against his palm, tickling him like a feather.

“Still not kissing?”

Growing impatient with the wait, she started urging him.

“I will, right now…”

He swallowed nervously, held his breath slightly, and leaned down.

And then—

Ding-dong, ding-dong.

The clear and melodious sound of a ringtone echoed through the room.

The alarm had gone off.

Jiang Caifu, eyes still closed, groped around to turn off the alarm. Once the lingering drowsiness faded, she struggled to get up.

What a joke—why was she dreaming about him again?

Could it be… she’d been single for too long?

Rubbing her eyes, she sat dazedly on the bed for a while before belatedly clutching her chest.

Thump-thump, thump-thump.

Her heart was racing.

The excitement and bashfulness from the dream lingered, refusing to dissipate, leaving Jiang Caifu utterly defeated.

It was just a simple peck on the lips!

Nothing remotely rated 18+! It wasn’t worth this blushing and heart-pounding reaction!

She rubbed her face and took several deep breaths. After a while, she shuffled into the bathroom like a ghost, splashing cold water on her face to force herself to calm down.

Stop thinking about it—there were more important things to do today.

Tying up her messy hair, she quickly brushed her teeth, washed her face, and got herself ready. Finally, she threw on a coat and headed out.

Jiang Caifu had plans to meet Lu Jianlan today—they were going to set up a food stall near University A’s back gate.

Yes, a food stall.

It sounded ridiculous. As someone who worked a nine-to-six job and occasionally had to endure overtime, Jiang Caifu had finally gotten a weekend off, only to spend it selling jianbing guozi (Chinese crepes). Truly, a story to make one laugh and cry.

But she had no choice. Lu Jianlan was adamant about setting up the stall, and Jiang Caifu couldn’t dissuade her. Worried about her managing it alone, she reluctantly decided to accompany her friend.

“I can’t help it! I spend all day in the lab, doing those stupid experiments and reading those boring papers. My evenings are either wasted scrolling on my phone or doing random things—it’s so dull!”

Lu Jianlan spread her hands. “Besides, you know this: I’ve dreamed about selling jianbing guozi since middle school.”

At that, Jiang Caifu recalled their school days. Every time they went to the food stalls near the school gate, Lu Jianlan would stop by the jianbing stall, intently watching the vendor skillfully spread the batter onto the griddle, turning it into a perfect round crepe, adding various fillings, folding it up, slicing it in half with a spatula, and finally handing it to the customer in a paper bag.

“Don’t you think it’s so satisfying to watch the batter turn into a crepe on the griddle?” Thirteen-year-old Lu Jianlan had said, biting into her hot, steaming jianbing with a contented expression.

“And jianbing guozi is just so delicious! I’ll never get tired of it. After graduation, I’d love to come back here and set up a jianbing stall. By then, this vendor will probably be retired, so I can take over their spot.”

Her ambitious declaration left Jiang Caifu full of question marks.

She didn’t understand but was deeply impressed.

“Speechless but amazed” .jpg

It was the first time Jiang Caifu had heard someone express a life goal like setting up a food stall outside their alma mater. It was so unconventional that she took a long time to process it. Then, with absolutely no tact, she poured cold water on the idea. “Your parents would never let you sell food at a stall.”

Lu Jianlan’s parents were the epitome of high-achieving intellectuals, both working in research institutes. They had poured immense effort and hope into their only child.

Poor Lu Jianlan had been caught up in the competitive grind since kindergarten, forced to attend math Olympiad classes by elementary school, and participate in obscure competitions Jiang Caifu had never heard of. If she wanted to hang out, she had to make an appointment with her parents a week in advance.

Thinking about it, the occasional slightly rebellious thoughts sprouting in Lu Jianlan’s mind didn’t seem so unreasonable under these circumstances.

She wasn’t setting up the stall to make money, just to have fun, so Jiang Caifu thought it couldn’t hurt to humor her.

But Lu Jianlan corrected her, gazing expectantly at the small stall she’d set up. “Actually, I do want to make some money. I can’t afford to lose everything—it’d be too demoralizing.”

Jiang Caifu tore open a snack and looked around the other stalls. “There’s someone selling roasted chestnuts over there—they smell amazing. Should I get some?”

Lu Jianlan: “?”

Great. Spending money before even making any.

She put on her gloves. “Go ahead. I’ll practice making a jianbing first.”

Jiang Caifu nodded and went to buy roasted chestnuts.

When she returned, Lu Jianlan was already holding a freshly made jianbing guozi, inspecting it proudly.

“It’s perfect,” she said, wearing an expression that screamed, I’m amazing.

With a proud smile, Lu Jianlan solemnly handed the jianbing guozi to Jiang Caifu. “Try it.”

Jiang Caifu placed the chestnuts aside, enthusiastically taking the crepe and taking a big bite.

It was a bit hot.

“Delicious! The crepe is perfectly balanced—not too thin or too thick. The sauce doesn’t overpower the flavors, and both the lettuce and the crepe are nice and crispy!”

She closed her eyes, blowing on the bite to cool it down, and in just a few mouthfuls, she had almost finished the entire crepe.

Lu Jianlan beamed with pride, her confidence growing with Jiang Caifu’s compliments. “Now I can relax!”

At that moment, a few girls walking by happened to glance at Jiang Caifu. Possibly intrigued by how appetizing her crepe looked, they stopped.

“I suddenly want to have a jianbing guozi.”

“Is this stall new? I haven’t seen it before. The owner looks so young…”

Hearing their conversation, Lu Jianlan confidently rolled up her sleeves. “Don’t let my age fool you, I’ve been making jianbing for years! Want to try one, beauties? You’ll be my first customers, so I’ll throw in a free starch sausage!”

Jiang Caifu was suddenly choked by a bite of the crepe, her eyes wide with shock as she looked at Lu Jianlan.

How is she managing to act like such a pro on her very first day?

She can boast without even blinking—just as expected of her!

Despite Jiang Caifu’s internal commentary, it didn’t seem to affect the girls’ purchasing decision. They happily bought several jianbing guozi, likely charmed by Lu Jianlan’s confidence or perhaps just wanting that free starch sausage.

Either way, their stall had a successful start.

Resigned, Jiang Caifu helped Lu Jianlan with various tasks, from peeling starch sausages and handing over paper bags to finally packing everything in plastic bags for the customers.

After sending off the last batch of customers, she leaned over to Lu Jianlan, looking at the latest earnings on her phone, and grinned at the amount.

“Not bad, we’ve earned enough for a cup of milk tea.”

“This is my first ‘bucket of gold’… though it’s a little small.”

“Little by little, it adds up,” Jiang Caifu reassured her.

The two of them were happily chatting when Jiang Caifu’s peripheral vision caught someone stopping at the stall.

Just as she was about to ask what he wanted to order; she heard him hesitantly call her name.

“Jiang Caifu?”

Jiang Caifu turned her head, completely confused.

The man in front of her had an unfamiliar face, but as she looked more closely, there was something about him that seemed familiar.

Before she could recall anything, the man’s eyes widened with surprise, and he eagerly stepped closer.

“It’s really you! What a coincidence!”