Chapter 8: Towards the Girl Every Moment…

Sheng Jie was certain that this woman was trying to make him jealous. If he followed them, she’d probably be overjoyed.

Xu Jiaojiao caught a glimpse of Sheng Jie smiling from the corner of her eye but didn’t say anything.

Xu Jiaojiao looked at him with doe-like, watery eyes, “Honey, where are we going?”

Xie Zhi stopped, and the two of them stood right in front of the state-run restaurant. He felt like the girl was being wronged, “Let’s go eat. You didn’t really have breakfast.”

Xu Jiaojiao beamed, “Let’s bring something back for mom too.”

With that, she held Xie Zhi’s hand and went inside. The two of them were attractive and stood out in the crowd, dressed noticeably better than the average person. Those who didn’t know them might even think they were from the provincial capital.

As a result, the snobbish staff didn’t stop them but instead greeted them warmly, “Comrades, please come in.”

Shen Yun saw them enter and became anxious at the door. She hurriedly called out, “Jiaojiao, Jiaojiao!”

But this was just how things were in those times. Employees of state-run restaurants often had their noses in the air. When they saw a country girl dressed so plainly, their tone naturally wasn’t friendly.

Upon hearing the woman’s voice, Xie Zhi’s heart tightened. He truly disliked Shen Yun, and his gaze toward her became sharp. Shen Yun felt a chill run through her.

Xu Jiaojiao turned around with a pleasant smile, her voice apologetic, “Ah Yun, do you want to come in too? But today, my husband’s paying. All my money before was spent on you guys, and mom hasn’t given me any allowance in a long time.”

“Why don’t you ask my husband to treat you?”

“My money’s already taken, so Comrade Shen should pay for herself,” Xie Zhi said coldly, rejecting her without hesitation. He had no interest in letting anyone disrupt his time alone with Jiaojiao.

Shen Yun was so angry she nearly spat blood. Her eyes filled with tears, and as she saw the disdainful glances from those around her, it seemed they were silently accusing her of being a freeloader. She quickly wiped her eyes and ran off crying.

The two of them sat by the window, which gave them a view of the bustling marketplace. In an era when everything required ration tickets, a considerable number of people still bartered goods.

The waiter brought over the menu. Xu Jiaojiao flipped through it for a few moments. There weren’t many options, but it was still better than what they ate at home. The prices weren’t exactly high: vegetable dishes were priced by weight, and meat dishes by the pound. Two meat dishes and one vegetable dish would cost about one yuan.

But Xu Jiaojiao had grown picky after being spoiled at home with beef jerky and braised pork. Looking at the menu, she wasn’t particularly excited.

Her bright eyes lifted, “Honey, you order.”

Xie Zhi browsed the menu for a while and noticed they had shrimp, priced at one yuan. Since their county was inland, shrimp was considered a rare delicacy and thus more expensive than regular meat dishes.

“Do you want shrimp? Spicy?”

“Yes.”

Then, Xie Zhi ordered fish, eggplant, and a plate of cold shredded potatoes. Honestly, ordering four dishes for two people was rather extravagant.

Sheng Jie had originally planned to share a table with them, as he had come with an empty stomach. He had sweet-talked his mother on his way out, expecting her to prepare breakfast like before, but this time she hadn’t even bothered.

“Comrade, please sit here.” With the waiter’s guidance, Sheng Jie had no choice but to sit behind them, glaring at Xu Jiaojiao’s back with resentment.

Xie Zhi gave Sheng Jie a casual glance, his expression filled with disdain. Fool.

Sheng Jie caught the look but didn’t dare say a word. He was still hoping Xu Jiaojiao would pay for his meal.

The waiter, seeing that Sheng Jie was taking too long to order, rolled their eyes in frustration, “Comrade, please order.”

Sheng Jie glanced at the waiter and puffed out his chest proudly like a rooster ready to fight, “Give me your signature dish. No, I want shrimp. And throw in a vegetable dish.”

Feeling smug, Sheng Jie turned his gaze toward Xu Jiaojiao, only to find that the two of them were engrossed in conversation, completely ignoring him. His expression darkened.

The waiter kindly advised, “Comrade, you’re alone. A bowl of noodles would be enough. Ordering two dishes is really too much.”

Sheng Jie instantly flew into a rage. He couldn’t provoke those two, but he could definitely take it out on the waiter. “Why are you talking so much? Just do as I said. No wonder you’re only a restaurant server.”

The waiter’s face immediately darkened. Who didn’t envy their good job at the state-run restaurant? Yet today, this man had called them nothing but a servant. The waiter rolled their eyes fiercely and swore to spit in his food to disgust him.

The food was quickly served. Xie Zhi wiped his hands and started peeling the shrimp. Xu Jiaojiao watched Xie Zhi, admiring his focused expression.

Men who were attentive like this were really hard to come by.

“All done,” Xie Zhi said, intending to place the shrimp on Jiaojiao’s plate. But to his surprise, the girl boldly grabbed his hand. Her soft, fair hand wrapped around his as she brought it to her lips.

With her delicate pink lips slightly parted, she took the shrimp and his fingers into her mouth.

Xu Jiaojiao’s lips curled into a smile, “Delicious. Peel me another.”

Xie Zhi froze, her bold move making him immediately scan the surroundings. Once he confirmed that no one was watching, he finally exhaled in relief. Yet the fingers she had sucked felt tingly.

His ears turned red, and the moment her lips touched his fingers, it was like the sensation pierced straight to his heart.

His gaze darkened like ink, “Jiaojiao, you… you’re too bold.”

Xu Jiaojiao pouted slightly, her tone filled with grievance, and her eyes glistened, “If you don’t like it, I won’t do it again.”

Xie Zhi quickly peeled another shrimp, his long black eyes narrowing, his emotions hard to read. He signaled for her to repeat the action, “I like it a lot.”

Xu Jiaojiao giggled softly, like a cat that had just stolen a fish, her pretty face brimming with satisfaction.

Xie Zhi placed a piece of fish in her bowl, coaxing, “Be good, eat up. We’ll do more at home.”

Sheng Jie had been watching everything unfold, burning with rage. Xu Jiaojiao, that seductive woman! Not only had she lured him in, but now she was even seducing that wild man, Xie Zhi.

At that moment, Sheng Jie’s desire to win Xu Jiaojiao back reached its peak. In his competition with Xie Zhi, he hadn’t won at anything. If he lost Xu Jiaojiao’s affection too, it would be a total defeat.

Yet Sheng Jie still felt confident, thinking he could easily win her over with a few sweet words. After all, he knew all too well just how much Xu Jiaojiao liked him.

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