Chapter12

  In the following days, Yin Tao Yue began to frequently appear in Cheng's ward. He was silent and rarely spoke, quietly learning to do many things. When the IV drip was too fast or too slow, he would adjust it to a suitable speed. When it was time for medication, he would remember to help pour water for Cheng to drink. When Cheng fell asleep, he would tread lightly and make no sound.

  As if it happened overnight.

  Yin Tangyao changed from a willful and arrogant person to a steady and polite one.

  After the summer break, Qi Guoguo returned to Shengyu and was surprised by Yin Tangyao's change. She curiously asked Xiao Mi every day what had happened that led to such a drastic transformation in the hopeless Yin Tangyao!

  It must be love.

  Although Xiaomi stared at her blankly and refused to give her any answers, Qi Guoguo was almost certain that this was the absolute right reason. Only love could suddenly make Yin Tao Yue so excellent and charming, only love could make Yin Tao Yue's gaze at Xiaomi filled with some kind of intense and thrilling emotions.

  It seems like Xiaomi and Yundong Yao are quite a good match after all.

  Qī guǒ guǒ mǎn yì de xiǎng, yī gè jiù xiàng tiān shǐ, yī gè jiù xiàng è mó, tiān shǐ zhěng jiù le è mó, zhēn shàn měi zhēng fú le xié è, shì jiè yī piàn guāng míng. Duō me mǎo hǎo ā, hē hē.

  Translation:

  Qi Guoguo thought contentedly, one like an angel, one like a demon, the angel saved the demon, true goodness and beauty conquered evil, the world was full of light. How wonderful, hehe.

  Cheng Auntie had fallen asleep, and recently her drowsy periods had been getting longer and longer, her body seemingly weaker as well. Xiaomi sat beside the bed, anxiously gazing at her serene sleeping face; even though Cheng Yuan refused to say what illness she had, she could see that her condition was slowly deteriorating.

  The afternoon sunlight quietly pours in.

  After a long time, Xiaomi stood up and turned around. She was suddenly startled by a pair of strong and lonely eyes that were as black as a deep pool, with a hint of coldness and a kind of scorching heat. Yin Tao Yao was leaning against the wall, standing at an angle. When he saw her turn around, he avoided her eyes and remained silent and still, as if he didn't exist in this world at all.

  Her heart suddenly tightened in severe pain!

  That's it.

  Is everything okay? Is it like nothing ever happened? Can that really be done? They see each other every day, like light and shadow, forever together. But whenever she sees him, it hurts her so much she can't breathe, she doesn't know how long she can hold on, only knowing the dark wound in her heart not only hasn't healed but is getting more and more painful.

  Try to calm down.

  Xiaomi quietly walked up to Yin Tao's side:

  "You must be very tired."

  Last night, Chengyun had something to attend to, so he stayed up all night by himself keeping watch over Auntie Cheng. His eyes were sunken with dark circles underneath, and he looked tired and haggard. He should have gone back to rest early in the morning, but he didn't leave, waiting in the hospital room until she came, until now.

  Yin Tangyao shook his head.

  "She also said: 'You go back and rest, I'm here.'"

  He gazed at her: "Aren't you leaving?"

  "Uh, I'll wait until Guo Guo finishes class and rushes over before I can rest assured."

  He said faintly:

  "Okay, I'll wait with you."

  Then he didn't say anything again.

  Time slowly slips away.

  The only sound in the ward was Cheng's aunt's weak breathing as she slept, sunlight quietly pouring in, and the early autumn wind had a quiet coolness.

  Yin Tangyao leaned against the snow-white wall with his eyes closed.

  He seems extremely tired.

  Her lips were pursed tightly, and her cheeks had two abnormal flushes.

  Xiaomi's heart was a mess as she stared at him, his stubbornness and persistence were clear to her. Before, she could wear him down with her soft but firm persuasion, but now she didn't dare, she no longer had the courage.

  She clenched her fingers.

  Suddenly, she noticed his clothes!

  He actually——

  Wear that white shirt!

  Pure white shirt, cotton fabric, the white is very fresh and clean, with delicate subtle texture, revealing a warm and elegant taste.

  Perhaps her shocked gaze disturbed him, he quietly opened his eyes to see her staring at the white shirt in pain, and he faintly said:

  "What's wrong, don't you like it?"

  "I..."

  "You said I'm the most handsome person in the world when I wear a white shirt."

  She bit her lip tightly, her face pale:

  "Sorry."

  Yin Tang looked at her for a while, then smiled faintly and stretched out his hand to gently rub her lips, opening the pale white marks on her mouth: "It's okay. I said before, I've forgotten everything. What you said in the past is only considered as talking to me, and has nothing to do with others."

  Xiaomi's heart shrunk into a ball of pain.

  His fingers were gentle, lingering on her lips, soft as the ripples of water in the moonlight and starry night breeze. The tips of his fingers were icy cold, but the pads of his fingers had a scorching heat!

  "Are you feverish?" she exclaimed in a low voice.

  "Yes."

  "When did it start?"

  "Last night."

  "Why didn't you say so earlier?" She was anxious and flustered, hastily reaching out to feel his forehead, oh, it's really burning hot. "You should have told me earlier! How can you not say anything when you have a fever?!"

  He held her hand, with a faint and gentle smile:

  "I'm waiting for you to find out."

  She opened her eyes wide: "Huh?"

  "You're my girlfriend," Yoon Tae-oh's cheeks flushed with a burning red, his lips pale and dry, but his eyes shone brightly as he smiled at her. "I was sick, I didn't realize it, but you did, and then you were so, so worried. That's what makes me happy."

  Xiaomi propped up his scorching hot body with both hands, and suddenly, an impulse struck her, she stretched out her arms and hugged him tightly, tears welling up in her eyes.

  "You'll take care of me, won't you?"

  Yin Tang Yao weakly placed his chin on her head and asked in a low voice.

  Yoon Tae-oh's house was empty, the large house was quiet and there was no sound. Yoon Jo-man called back to say that she had a social engagement and would be late coming home. Bae Yu knew that he was ill and immediately wanted to rush over, but Yoon Tae-oh refused, saying that he only needed Mi-mi to take care of him and didn't want anyone else to disturb him. Bae Yu could only reluctantly agree to come back tomorrow.

  The sky outside has turned dark.

  On the magnificent black and white large bed, Yin Tangyao was half-sitting up, with a thermometer in his mouth. Behind him were two soft pillows propping him up, and a soft quilt covered to his waist. The door was pushed open, and Xiao Mi came in carrying a tray of food.

  "How many degrees did it burn?"

  She put the tray on the bedside table and asked nervously.

  Yin Tangyao pulled the thermometer out of her mouth and handed it to her. She nervously checked the mercury column against the light, looking at it again and again, her face pale as she said to him:

  "39 degrees 5!"

  "That's great." He smiled.

  "Good? What's good?! It's a high fever!" Xiaomi felt like he was already delirious, reached out to touch his scorching forehead again, and anxiously said, "Quickly tell me, where do you usually put the medicine at home." Must bring down the fever, how can be so muddled? He insisted on coming back home, and she actually forgot to buy medicine.

  "A high fever is what it means to be truly ill, and only then do you have the right to be taken care of." As he spoke, Yin Tangyao leaned forward to take a look at the fragrant dishes, "What delicious food have you made?"

  A bowl of steaming hot white porridge.

  A plate of stir-fried greens.

  A small dish of pickled mustard greens.

  He said dejectedly: "Is this all?"

  Xiaomi ladled out a bowl of plain congee, smiling as she said: "People who are sick should be eating things like this. Plain congee is easy to digest, and I stewed it for a long time so it's soft and fragrant, very tasty, try some. Stir-fried greens are too bland, you're running a fever, greasy foods will be hard to stomach. If you can't even eat the greens, then at least pickled vegetables should suit your taste buds."

  Yin Tang Yao gazed at her, his eyes somewhat profound. After a moment, he returned to his previous relaxed state and smiled childishly: "Actually, I just wanted to see you busy for me."

  She was stunned, not knowing how to respond, and in her flustered state, she handed the spoon over to him, saying: "It's no good if it gets cold." He nodded, but due to his high fever, his arm was weak and limp, and the rice porridge almost spilled onto the bed.

  "Will you feed me?"

  He looked at her and said.

  She hesitated slightly, took the spoon, scooped out a mouthful of porridge from the bowl, blew it cool, and gently fed it to his lips. He opened his parched and cracked lips, ate it, savored it carefully, and smiled at her saying:

  "It's really delicious."

  For no reason, this sentence suddenly made Xiaomi's heart sour, she hastily lowered her head and continued to feed him porridge.

  A bowl of white porridge is gradually going down.

  The cabbage is almost eaten up.

  The night outside is getting darker and deeper.

  "Next time, make me longevity noodles again," Yin Tangyao swallowed the plain porridge and smiled at her, "The noodles were delicious, I still want to eat them now."

  Long Life Noodles

  Xiaomi bit her lip tightly, her head bowed low, almost as if she was about to bury it in the bowl in her hands.

  "Don't you want to cook for me?" He looked at her carefully.

  "Uh, no thanks." Her voice was a little hoarse, she put the bowl back on the tray and stood up to leave.

  "It turns out that bowl of noodles wasn't made for me after all," he said with a self-deprecating smile, a hint of loneliness flickering in his eyes. He shook his head and forced a laugh, "No big deal, I like eating it, so make it for me often from now on."

  She froze, her fingers tightening around the tray.

  No.

  She said to him.

  "Why?" He froze, his voice dripping with coldness.

  She bit her lip tightly.

  Yin Tang's pupils constricted, and a bone-piercing chill rose from the bottom of his eyes: "I'll do what you like me to do, wear what you like me to wear, eat what you like me to eat. I won't care about what you hope I don't care about. So why still say 'no'?"

  No!

  Xiaomi's body trembled, the bowls and plates on the tray also shook and clattered, her face was pale, but her eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.

  "I said I was wrong... everything was my fault in the past... you don't have to wear a white shirt, you don't have to eat longevity noodles, you don't have to study well, you don't have to smile, you don't have to be polite, none of these are necessary! You are who you are, Yoon Tae-oh, not someone else. And I won't treat you like someone else again, so stop doing those things!"

  She cried, and tears rolled down her cheeks.

  "I like it," Yintang Yao said lightly, "In the future I will still do those things, I like white shirts, I like longevity noodles, I like learning, I like being gentle like You..."

  "You're cheating!" she exclaimed, interrupting him.

  His gaze shifted to the white shirt on the bedside, his eyes cold: "I didn't lie to you, from now on I will wear it every day."

  Xiaomi was thoroughly frightened!

  From his expression, from his tone of voice, she suddenly understood that he was serious, and he would really do it! Fear gripped her, and her whole body began to tremble!

  No!

  She suddenly turned her head, staring at the white shirt, biting her lips desperately, and grabbed it.

  Two hands make light work

  "Ah——!"

  Her snow-white shirt was torn apart by her!

  "You!"

  Yin Tangyao let out a furious roar as he struggled with all his might to get out of bed, but due to the high fever leaving him weak, he fell back down again.

  The white shirt can no longer be worn...

  Xiaomi's heart ached as if it was being strangled, she lowered her head, and drop by drop, crystal clear tears fell onto the snow-white clothes. The bedroom was quiet to the point of suffocation, outside the window the night was pitch black, the autumn wind blew up the curtains, and the early autumn night was surprisingly cold to the bone. Yin Tangyao's face was icy cold, he closed his eyes, as if he didn't want to look at her again.

  It's been a very, very long time.

  "You..."

  She lifted her head, wiped away the tears on her face with the back of her hand, and walked back to the bedside, standing beside him. She only said one word, but felt that a thousand words were hard to express, as if the pain in her heart was twisting and tearing apart.

  Yin Tang Yao leaned against the headboard, his eyes tightly closed, silent, his cheeks were flushed with high fever, his lips dry and cracked, stained with a faint purple color of pain. Without the anger and roar as before, his calmness was even more terrifying, making people breathless.

  "You... don't have to be like him."

  Xiaomi took a deep breath, her eardrums still ringing.

  Upon hearing this sentence, he hooked the corner of his lips and said lightly: "Without him, you wouldn't have come from Qingyuan to Shengyu, let alone come to my side, right?"

  She was speechless.

  "So, I should thank him." Yoon Tae-oh opened his eyes, with a fragile pride in the depths of his gaze. "Thank him for letting me meet you. If it weren't for him, how would you have treated me like an angel?" He curled up a mocking smile. "He's my role model, my goal to strive for. Why won't you even give me the chance to imitate and learn from him? You're really cruel..."

  "She said in a hasty tone: 'You don't have to learn from him, you are you and he is him. I swear I will never again...'"

  "How about not?" he interrupted her, "Not trying to turn me into a second him, not getting close to me just for his sake, thoroughly forgetting him, and from now on only liking me alone without any other thoughts?"

  Xiaomi stared blankly at him.

  "Impossible, right?" Yin Tao Yao smiled wryly. "I hate you, why don't you even bother to deceive me anymore? As long as you say you like me, even if it's just a little bit not because of him but because I like you, even if it's a lie, I'll believe it."

  "I..."

  "Deceive me..." His throat was dry and hoarse, his lips pale and purplish, "Just deceive me once, say you like me not all because of him..."

  “……”

  "Otherwise... Otherwise, how dare I be unlike him? If I'm not like him at all, even if I have that heart, how long will you like me?"

  She bit her lip hard, her body trembling uncontrollably, blood rushing wildly through her veins, her mind a complete blank, unable to think of anything.

  I like you...

  Yin Tang Yao was stunned, he misheard, he knew he misheard! It must be an auditory hallucination, right?! Was it the echo of his own voice, right?! He...

  "Once again!"

  He glared at her, his eyes fixed tightly on her lips, and if she said it again, he would go crazy!

  I like you.

  Xiaomi said again.

  It was as if he had been struck by lightning! Yoon Tae-oh's heart stopped beating. He stared at her, like a child who had lost his soul, his throat making a faint sound.

  A while.

  "Are you telling the truth?"

  He held his breath and asked softly.

  No!

  No!!

  He shook his head desperately, smiled at her, and laughed like a child who was overjoyed and flustered. He stretched out his arms to hug her tightly, holding her close as he whispered repeatedly:

  "You don't have to say it! I believe you! I know what you're saying is true! You like me! You won't deceive me! You really like me..."

  He held her, and Yin Tao slowly rested his head on her shoulder. Her short hair smelled good, her neck smelled good, and her body was soft and fragrant. He wanted to hold her like this forever, even if it was a dream, he never wanted to wake up. However, a deep pain surged from the bottom of his eyes.

  She was held in his arms and silently wept.

  She didn't know why she was crying, only that her heart ached to the point of being unbearable, and the only way to relieve it was to cry out loud, letting tears flow out, or else she would suffocate from the intense pain.

  The white silk is lightly flying.

  The night is quiet and still.

  The marble floor reflects soft lighting.

  He and she hugged each other.

  Like two children who depend on each other, he and she hugged tightly.

  Time becomes longer...

  A century may be just a fleeting moment.

  The garden of Ren'ai Hospital, the lush lawn, the warm sunshine in the afternoon, the air is filled with the quiet fragrance of flowers, and the dew drops on the grass tips are shining brightly.

  Luxuriant green trees with dense foliage.

  Under the tree shade there is a long wooden chair.

  Xiaomi wore a white skirt, stroking the fabric angel in her hand, smiling as she gazed into the distance. There, on the grass, Yin Tao Yang was slowly pushing the wheelchair with Cheng Ayi inside, basking in the sun. As she looked at him in the golden sunlight, her heart felt a long-forgotten tranquility, and no matter what caused it, she wanted to keep it that way forever.

  "Do you like angels?"

  At first, Pei You couldn't remember why she thought of buying the angel plushie for her, but it seemed like she really liked it. When she was sad or spaced out or happy, she would often hold the angel plushie and stroke its wings for a long time.

  "Ah, yes." Xiao Mi lowered her head, stroking the angel's crystal wings with her fingers, and turned to smile at him, "I've always forgotten to thank you, I really like it."

  Pei You smiled: "I also like angels."

  She curiously opened her eyes wide and listened.

  "From a very young age, I wanted to be an angel with wings that could fly, pure white without any flaws, perfect and able to bring the most happiness to all the people I love." He rubbed his nose in embarrassment, "Doesn't it sound childish? Even though I knew it was impossible, but until now I still want to become an angel."

  "So you like wearing white clothes?"

  "Hehe, yes." The sunlight filtering through the trees cast dappled shadows on the ground, and Bai You's white undershirt had a bright and soft glow.

  "He is too."

  Xiaomi said in a low voice.

  Since childhood, she has liked collecting all sorts of pictures about angels, liking stories about angels and yearning infinitely for the miracles of angels. She didn't believe it, laughing and saying that there are no angels in this world, they were all made up by adults to deceive children.

  "Angels are all of one country, they must live very happily because they are surrounded by kind angels. Angels only meet angels, even if they were devils at first, they will be turned into angels. Although we can't see them, angels can see us, and all the angels hope that the people they guard are happy, so as long as we are happy, the angels will also be very happy."

  Her words were somewhat disorganized, but Pei You strangely understood them completely.

  Blue sky and white clouds.

  Early autumn sunshine.

  On the lawn, Yin Tao Yue pushed Sister Cheng's wheelchair, and the two of them basked in the warm golden light, looking like a beautiful oil painting from afar.

  "Is it all right now?" asked Bae-u.

  "That's right."

  He smiled. It was really delightful to see her and Yauo walking together again. The previous days, Yauo's painful and heartbreaking appearance made him unbearable, and her seemingly soulless loss also made him worry day and night.

  At this moment, she quietly gazed at the distant Yao.

  Pei You gazed quietly at her.

  Lowering his head, his gaze inadvertently fell on the white angel wings of the cloth doll on her fingers, the white fingertips, the white wings...

  He looked away.

  Xiaomi looked at Yintang Yao pushing a wheelchair on the lawn and suddenly frowned: "Why has he been sick so often lately?"

  "Huh?"

  "Several heart attacks, and a high fever just the other day. Didn't he have a transplant? He should be cured by now." She said worriedly, "Xiao's heart is healthy, it shouldn't..."

  "After a heart transplant, there is a long recovery period, and there may be relapses, and there may be rejections..." Pei You said, suddenly startling himself. He thought of something that Yao Tuo had asked him to investigate but he couldn't figure out - a strange and terrifying idea emerged from his mind!

  "Is that so? Then what should we pay attention to in our daily lives?"

  She asked in a hurry.

  At this time ——

  Cheng Auntie in the wheelchair far away smiled and waved at them.

  Xiaomi saw it and hurriedly responded with a wave of her hand, then ran over.

  In the flurry, the white cloth angel doll was forgotten by her on the long bench, lying alone. Pei You hesitated for a moment, reached out to pick it up, and her fingers touched its wings, feeling a bit cool.

  On the edge of the lawn, a thicket of shrubs is filled with a type of purple flower. They are scattered about in small clusters, their stems very low to the ground, and can only be discovered by crouching down. The pale purple color is as slender as a pinky finger, and they are not particularly long or short. Although it's called a flower, there isn't actually any blossoms, and the fragrance is not at all strong. However, the combination of the purple flowers with the green stems and leaves has a refreshing and elegant beauty to it.

  "This is lavender."

  Cheng's aunt smiled warmly and said in a slightly weak voice, but her spirit was still good.

  "Lavender?"

  Xiaomi's eyes widened in surprise, and she couldn't help but lean over to the purple flowers, staring at them without blinking, and then brought her nose closer to smell their fragrance. She had heard about lavender countless times on TV and thought it was a romantic flower, and now she saw it for the first time, and it was actually it.

  "It's strange," she sniffed again, scratching her head in confusion. "Why doesn't it smell good? Isn't lavender a commonly used fragrance material? Why can I hardly smell its scent at all?" As she spoke, she leaned in closer to take another whiff, but lost her balance and tumbled forward into the flower cluster!

  At this time, Pei You, who was walking over, saw it and subconsciously stretched out his palm to pull her, but he was too far away and couldn't make it in time.

  A figure flashed out!

  Xiaomi clumsily bumped into that person's body.

  The man shielded her with his arms.

  Bang!

  A loud bang!

  He fell heavily into the bushes, his face upwards to the sky. The disheveled branches hit him, and he lay in the mud with green leaves on his forehead, mud on his face, and his shirt torn by thorny twigs. He looked utterly wretched and bedraggled.

  Lavender in the wind whispers softly.

  "Hey! What's so funny?"

  Yin Tang struggled to sit up, feeling both embarrassed and annoyed. Without thinking, she raised her hand and slapped Xiaomi's forehead hard. It was only then that she realized she was laughing, coughing, it was so inappropriate, she quickly covered her mouth and said with shame:

  "Sorry, thank you."

  Yin Tang glared at her:

  "Idiot!"

  "Oh." She helplessly lowered her head. Well, who let her be stupid anyway.

  "Idiot!"

  "......Oh." Even if it's true, scolding once is enough, right?

  "You want to die! Stupid idiot! Stupid idiot!"

  Yin Tang Yao's voice was low and menacing, his face slightly flushed with anger.

  Xiaomi was yelled at and became bewildered, staring blankly at him, unsure if yelling back would be too impolite to his "savior".

  As she gazed at him, her heart suddenly tightened.

  Ah, he seems to have returned to the old Yindang Yao. At this moment, she clearly knew that she didn't want him to become so polite and excellent, she wanted to see him as lazy, sleepy, and rough as before, that was the real Yindang Yao.

  "Idiot! Get up quickly!" Yin Tangyao shouted with a red face.

  Xiaomi continues to be confused.

  "Ah——"

  She suddenly exclaimed! Mortified, she finally understood why he yelled! Because he rushed over to protect her, she didn't fall painfully to the ground, but instead landed on his lap. Her buttocks sat squarely on his thighs, close to his abdomen, and the heat emanating from his body made her face flush bright red. The air between them was filled with a steamy atmosphere that seemed hot enough to cook an egg in an instant.

  In chaos.

  She shyly and quietly glanced at him.

  Yin Tangyao's face was flushed, the diamond on his nose ring sparkling with a captivating light. The annoyance in his eyes flashed brightly as he glared at her even harder after noticing her sneaking a peek.

  Bai You smiled and stretched out his hand, first pulling up Xiao Mi, then pulling up Yin Tao Yao, patting Yao's shoulder, he smiled silently.

  In her wheelchair, Auntie Cheng anxiously asked:

  "Are you okay?"

  Yin Tangyao told her that she wasn't hurt, brushing off the dirt and broken twigs on her body while glancing at Xiaomi, seeing that her face was still red, he couldn't help but stare blankly.

  Cheng Auntie gazed lovingly at the three adorable young men in front of her:

  "Lavender itself has a light scent, but after refinement, its fragrance comes out. Just like Yin Tangyao this child."

  "Huh?" Xiao Mi exclaimed in surprise.

  Yoon Tae-oh and Bae Yoo also looked at Sung Ah-jin with incomprehensible gazes.

  Cheng Auntie smiled and said to Yin Tangyao, "You have a kind and easily moved heart, but you insist on hiding it with your arrogance. Just like lavender, only when someone you like approaches you will you reveal your true self to them."

  Xiaomi was stunned.

  "I didn't!" Yun Tangyao shouted in a low voice, his cheeks flushing bright red.

  Cheng Auntie held onto Xiao Mi's hand, her smile weak and gentle:

  "Treasure him."

  Xiaomi was stunned and didn't know how to react, but Cheng Ayi's weak hands had a gentle persistence.

  "Don't hurt each other anymore, don't stubbornly persist. Cherish what can be cherished now. If you cherish him, he will become an angel of happiness and bring happiness to many people; if you give up on him..."

  Cheng Auntie didn't continue speaking, she slowly shook her head, feeling that she had probably said too much.

  "Angel?"

  Is it an angel...

  Xiaomi stared blankly at Yin Tao Yao beside her, the diamond on his nose wing shining brightly in the sunlight, its dazzling light as pure as an angel.

  Oasis Snack Bar.

  Behind the counter, dozens of small wooden signs are hung, with various snacks written on them, including "Osmanthus wine", "Tofu skin", "Mianwo", "Northern dumplings", "Boiled bun", "Egg wine"...

  "What do you want to eat?"

  Xiaomi smiled and looked at Yin Tao, who was staring blankly at the small wooden plaques with a gloomy face, and said: "You can eat whatever you want, I'll treat you! The food here is quite delicious!"

  The snack shop was packed with customers, mostly students from Shengyu College. The noise made the place lively and bustling like a market. It should be really delicious, as there were no empty tables in the store before the peak dinner hour, and you had to wait if you wanted to eat.

  So Yintang Yao felt a bit depressed.

  She said she wanted to treat him to dinner, and he thought that at least they would go to a quiet place. It didn't matter if the food was good or not, as long as they could sit quietly and look at each other while talking. But instead, she took him to the Green Oasis snack shop next to the school. He had originally planned to protest, but seeing her excited expression, his protesting voice was finally strangled in his throat.

  "I don't know."

  "Huh?"

  "I've never had it before, so I don't know what's good to eat." Yin Tangyao stared at the unfamiliar names of the snacks. The prices were so cheap, and the taste probably wouldn't be that great either.

  "Haven't you eaten them? Many of them are very famous snacks!"

  "...because I was ill before..."

  "Ah, sorry." She scratched her hair in embarrassment, what a blunder.

  "Do you like eating?"

  "Uh-huh!" She nodded vigorously.

  "Then let's just order one of everything," Yoon Tae-oh waved his hand to call the server, "Hey!"

  "No!" Xiao Mi hastily pulled down his arm, "How can we finish eating all of this? Hehe, okay, you go grab a seat first, I'll take care of buying."

  "You?" He was a bit puzzled, "Isn't it just sitting down and ordering from the waiter?"

  When Yin Tao-yao used his cold and fierce gaze to scare away a couple who had finished eating but were still reluctant to leave, he sat down in his seat, thinking that Xiao Mi would come soon. But for the next period of time, all he saw was her running around the store like a spinning top, sweating profusely.

  The Oasis Snack Bar is a strange shop.

  Generally, restaurants just serve food after ordering, but this place requires customers to buy various snacks from the menu and pick them up themselves. Congee is at the window on the right wall, noodles are at the window on the left wall, wontons and other dishes are outside the store, while sour and spicy noodles are hidden in a window inside the house. Chopsticks, spoons, small plates, vinegar, etc. are all in different places. First-time visitors will definitely be confused. He was already dizzy just watching her run back and forth.

  She ran over and put a plate of something on the table.

  Then ran away.

  Ran over and put down a plate of things.

  Ran away again.

  Ran over and put down a bowl of something.

  Run away again.

  Ran over and put down a plate of things.

  Keep running away.

  ……

  Yin Tang frowned tightly and restrained the anger in his body. He said to the waiter who was wiping the table beside him with a carefree expression:

  "Come here!"

  The waiter turned his head and took a glance at him, seeing that the table was clean, then turned back to hum a little tune while slowly continuing to wipe the table.

  "Hey! Are you an idiot? Didn't I call you over?! The flames of anger suddenly blazed up, Yin Tangyao glared at the waiter, his voice grinding out from between his teeth."

  "What's going on?"

  Pointing at the little millet that ran out and went to fetch something, Yin Tao Yao took a deep breath and restrained himself from getting angry, saying in a low voice: "Can't you see she needs help? Go quickly!"

  The waiter shrugged and said, "I'm only responsible for cleaning." After that, he slowly wiped the trash on the table into the trash can.

  Yoon Do-yeon is totally furious!

  He suddenly stood up, his forehead bulging with blue veins, clenching his fists, and his finger bones crackling. The customers next to him looked at him in horror, seeing the sparks of anger flying out of the eyes of this tall and handsome young man, and the next moment, a violent incident would erupt in the Green Oasis Snack Bar!

  Everyone broke out in a cold sweat for the waiter.

  The other waiters were also stunned.

  But ——

  Yin Tang took a deep breath, and then another, struggling to restrain himself until he forced the irritation in his eyes down.

  He sat down with a sullen expression.

  His hands were stiffly clenched, and he sat gloomily, completely unaware that Xiao Mi had already returned and seen everything.

  A bowl of Osmanthus rice wine was placed on the table.

  Yin Tang looked at her with a gloomy expression and remained silent. He glanced at her again, still remaining silent.

  "Alright, everything is ready, let's start eating!"

  Xiaomi smiled and said.

  Yin Tang gazed listlessly at the full table of snacks.

  "Did you just... want to hit me?" She suddenly tilted her head and stared at him.

  “……”

  "Why don't you want to hit him anymore?"

  He gazed at her, with a faint glimmer in his eyes.

  Xiaomi bit her lip, a pang of pain in her heart, but immediately she smiled as if nothing had happened:

  "Are you still angry?"

  "No."

  "But you seem to be angry." She scratched her head in confusion.

  "I said no means no!"

  She thought for a moment and showed a lovely smile: "Are you happy then?"

  "Why be happy?"

  "Because you said, you like to see me busy for you." She smiled brightly at him, her eyes clear and transparent, her short hair soft and fluffy.

  Yin Tang was stunned.

  "Did you see that? I went back and forth many times to buy these snacks, look, I'm even sweating on my forehead! Are you very happy?" she said mischievously.

  "Idiot!"

  A surge of heat rose in his chest, and his fingers clenched into fists.

  Xiaomi stuck out her tongue and smiled without being angry at all.

  "Is that why you came here?" Yin Tao Yao's voice was hard and stern, but there was a strange glow in his eyes. In other restaurants, customers just sat down and waited to be served, she wouldn't have had the chance to personally deliver food to him. Was that it?

  "Uh, a part of it... and also the snacks here are really delicious!" She excitedly began introducing the food on the table, "This is Mianwo, this is Glutinous Rice Chicken, this is Osmanthus Rice Wine..."

  There are all sorts of snacks on the table.

  Her slender white fingers danced nimbly as she introduced herself.

  Yin Tang Yao gazed at her.

  Xiaomi suddenly quieted down, looked up, gazed at him, and the smile on her lips gradually faded away. She said softly:

  "Do you know?"

  “……？”

  "I'm also very happy..."

  Yin Tang Yao was taken aback.

  "Just now you were very angry with that waiter, but... I felt happy instead..." Her eyelashes were dark and her eyes were clear, "This is the real you, isn't it? Although having a quick temper isn't good, this is the real Yoon Tae-oh, right?"

  He gazed at her.

  "Thank you." She smiled again, "I like the original Yoon Tae-oh, and I also like the Yoon Tae-oh who is learning to control his temper... I'm stupid, I don't know what to say... But, I really want to thank you..."

  Like...

  Do you like it?

  The diamond sparkles with dazzling brilliance on the nose wing.

  He gazed at her intently.

  She gazed at him intently.

  Her eyes were as clear as water, without evasion or shirking. She smiled quietly at him, and that smile was like a flower of happiness.

  ……

  "Eat up! You numbskull, it's going to get cold if you don't eat soon!"

  Yin Tangyao said nervously, not even looking at her, picked up a piece of mantou and was about to put it in his mouth, but his stiff fingers suddenly dropped it onto the table with a "thud".

  She smiled.

  "What's so funny? Want to die?"

  He angrily stretched out his hand and knocked her on the head with great force, knocking her several times in a row until she cried out in pain and begged for mercy before stopping.

  "What's this?"

  "Glutinous rice chicken."

  Yin Tangyao took a few bites, looking at it strangely: "Are you sure this is called glutinous rice chicken?"

  Yes.

  He glared at her: "You lied to me, didn't you?! There's only glutinous rice here, where's the chicken? It should be called Glutinous Rice Ball instead!"

  "Haha," Xiaomi clapped her hands and laughed loudly, "That's what I'm saying! When I first came to Shengyu and saw the sticky rice chicken being sold in the cafeteria, I was shocked. Such a big piece of 'chicken' for only 50 cents, so I quickly bought two pieces to eat. But no matter how hard I ate, I couldn't find any chicken meat. However, it's indeed called sticky rice chicken, isn't that strange?"

  "It's very strange..."

  "Try some, it's osmanthus rice wine, very tasty, with the fragrance of osmanthus and a light, refreshing rice wine flavor."

  "Ah, it's really good to drink." Yin TaoYao smiled, "Every autumn, the campus of ShengYu University is filled with Osmanthus flowers. I've seen the chefs in the cafeteria lay out a cloth under the Osmanthus trees and shake the branches vigorously, causing many flowers to fall down. After drying the Osmanthus flowers, some are used to make rice wine."

  "Is it done like this?" She was a bit worried, "Then will they wash? Will there be more dust and dirt?"

  "I don't know about that."

  "Oh." She was stunned.

  "This is delicious!"

  "It's called bean skin." Xiaomi hurriedly explained, "It's also a specialty, inside is glutinous rice with some diced meat, tofu, and mushrooms, outside... it seems to be fried with eggs and something else. It's delicious, right? But don't eat too much, eating too much will make you feel a bit greasy..."

  The small eatery was bustling with activity, the TV playing a lively program, and customers walking back and forth in the hallway, the aroma of food wafting through the air. Yin Tao and she sat facing each other eating, listening to her happily introduce various snacks, constantly putting bean skin and noodles into his bowl, nagging him that this one needed vinegar to taste good, and that one was better with a bit of chili sauce.

  Yoon Tae-oh ate a lot.

  He ate a lot of each snack she brought back.

  It's delicious.

  It's really delicious.

  Those snacks were so delicious that his heart seemed to swell up, and Yin Tao suddenly couldn't speak anymore, because he was afraid the blood rushing inside him would spurt out of his chest.

  Until much later.

  Yin Tangyao discovered something strange ——

  "Why aren't you eating?"

  "Wait until you finish eating, then I'll eat." She said with a smile, as if it was the most natural thing to do. Because she didn't want to waste food, she bought just enough of each dish, and wasn't sure which one he would like best, so she thought that after he finished eating his favorite dishes, she could finish off the rest.

  "You..."

  "It doesn't matter, I've had them all before. You haven't had any of them, so you have to try every single one!"

  Yin Tangyao stared at her for half a day, unable to speak, suddenly he stood up abruptly, took big strides towards the snack counter, and threw her a vicious sentence:

  "Sit still and don't move!"

  Xiaomi is confused.

  Before long, she understood.

  Yin Tangyao started running non-stop in the Green Oasis snack shop, he bought tofu skin, osmanthus rice wine, glutinous rice chicken, boiled bun, stir-fried noodles, beef stir-fry noodles, sour and spicy noodles, northern dumplings, wontons, flying pancakes, cold noodles, tangyuan, Yangzhou fried rice,瓦罐chicken soup...

  He bought all the snacks in the store!

  Food was piled high on the table, and all the waiters and guests stared in amazement. Xiao Mi tried to stop him several times but he was pushed back into his seat each time.

  Tens of minutes later.

  Yin Tangyao finally sat back down across from Xiao Mi:

  "Alright, eat up."

  She stared at him blankly.

  "Hurry up and eat, it's getting cold!" He muttered to her with his head down, continuing to eat.

  "......Thank you."

  "Shut up! Eat quickly!" His voice was even more menacing than before.

  But how can you eat so many things?

  When Xiao Mi was so full that she was about to burst, she finally leaned back in her chair, preparing to pack up the remaining snacks and leave. She looked up, only to find that Yin Tangyao was staring at her absent-mindedly.

  He stared at her for so long.

  She doesn't know.

  But in his eyes, there was a kind of persistence, and also a kind of happiness, the kind that seemed as colorful and fragile as soap bubbles, yet would shatter at the slightest touch, because it was so fragile, he clung to it all the more desperately.

  She was shocked.

  Yin Tang Yao turned his head sideways, and when he looked at her again, the expression on his face was natural as if what had just happened was just her illusion.

  "Hey, look at me, I'm not using it either! You have to finish all of these things!" He said with a straight face.

  "What?!" She was stunned.

  Unless...

  “……？”

  "Unless you have already found what you like best."

  Xiaomi's face suddenly turned a bit pale, and her body trembled slightly without being noticed.

  "Do you have something you like to eat?"

  Yin Tang Yao gazed at her, he wanted to know everything about her, what she liked to eat, what dreams she had, where she wanted to go play, which song she liked the most... everything about her, he wanted to know.

  "No."

  She shook her head with a smile, her lips slightly pale, but the smile still looked natural.

  "Rice?"

  "Hmm?" She smiled.

  "What did I ask wrong?"

  "No, it's just that I don't have anything in particular that I like to eat." She hurriedly laughed a bit more happily.

  Yin Tangyao's fingers lifted her chin, gazing deeply at her: "If I've asked the wrong thing, then tell me."

  "......Nothing."

  "What's your favorite food?"

  "......Nothing."

  "Don't you have something you like to eat?"

  "No."

  “……”

  “……”

  "If you don't like me asking, if you don't want to tell me, then just say so. Why deceive me?" His fingers pinched tightly on her chin, icy cold.

  "I... don't have anything I like to eat..."

  She took a deep breath and said.

  Her answer made Yin Tangyao's whole body stiffen with coldness.

  This is just a simple question, isn't it? What did he ask wrong? Or rather, even such a simple thing, she only wants to share with that boy from before, and he doesn't have the qualifications to know.

  "You don't want to tell me, is that right?"

  His fingers were stiff and cold as ice.

  Her lips trembled slightly, and a fleeting glimmer of tears appeared at the corner of her eyes.

  "I..."

  He waited for her for a while.

  But she didn't say anything more.

  Yin Tangyao's hand returned, he took a deep breath, and the corners of his lips curled up into an extremely faint smile, as if it was bitter and self-mocking.

  He said faintly: "But I have something I like to eat most."

  “……”

  "I love eating the longevity noodles you made with your own hands."

  After finishing speaking, Yin Tangyao walked out of the Green Oasis Snack Bar with a stiff back.

  Xiaomi sat stupidly.

  The food on the table had gone cold, and the number of customers in the snack bar was dwindling. The store became quiet and deserted, with only the TV program making a loud noise.

  She closed her eyes.

  The thing I like to eat most...

  Her eyelashes trembled on her pale face.

  No...

  She doesn't want to think about it, otherwise she will die, she will die...

  Tears slowly fell down her cheeks, slowly, tears moistened her pale lips, salty and cool, lying on the table, she cried silently...

  The night has darkened.

  The street lamps shone dimly yellow on the streets.

  In the quiet and dark corner——

  A tall boy stood alone and cold for a very long time.

  Through the glass door of the Green Oasis snack shop, he could see a girl in a white dress leaning on the table with her shoulders slightly hunched.

  He gazed at her.

  Her lips were pursed in pain.

  He can see her.

  But the people in the store couldn't see him shrouded in darkness from the bright light.

  The glass door of the snack shop opened and closed in the night.

  Yin Tang Yao stood stiffly in the darkness.

  She wept in the bright shop, tears and sorrow seemingly within arm's reach, but the glass door blocked him from her, the opening and closing glass door, night wind blowing by, streetlights reflecting off the glass with a cold, icy glow.

  Why, why wouldn't she tell him anything? Her past, he didn't get a chance to participate in it, and now he never would.

  This newly updated section should be considered a transitional phase. The following content will be more intense and harder to write, possibly requiring a longer period of time.

  Tears~~~

  The later content is really getting harder and harder to write, the more I try to make it better, the more exhausted I feel.

  ：）

  I'm refueling~~~~~

  Xiaoxi in action!

  Also, ps: In order to match this chapter and the following content, some details in Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 have been changed, but the impact is not big. And, hehe, 39 degrees 5 was changed to 39 degrees, thank you, dear~~~

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