Goldfish Scooping

"Here."

"Buy it."

"Ye Shuang, and this one too..."

"Buy it."

In no time, Ye Shuang had already bought Bai Yuyou a whole pile of snacks. The girl nibbled on them delicately while occasionally feeding some to Ye Shuang as well.

"Alright, you eat by yourself. I'm not hungry." Seeing Bai Yuyou raising her arm to feed him, Ye Shuang chuckled and took a small symbolic bite before letting her eat on her own.

Noticing something, Ye Shuang took out a tissue and gently wiped the oil stains from the corner of her lips. "Take your time."

"Okay..."

Walking side by side, they attracted quite a few glances due to Bai Yuyou’s striking beauty. At that moment, however, Bai Yuyou’s attention was captured by a small pool.

A few people were gathered around the pool, where numerous goldfish swam about.

"It’s a goldfish scooping game. Want to try?" Ye Shuang asked. The game involved using a paper net to scoop the swimming fish—players could take home however many they caught or exchange them for gifts.

"Play..."

Bai Yuyou seemed mesmerized by the goldfish darting through the water. She crouched down, her eyes following the little fish as they moved.

"How much per try?" Seeing how engrossed Bai Yuyou was, Ye Shuang asked the stall owner.

"U-um, five yuan per try," the stall owner, a younger girl, replied shyly, avoiding eye contact with Ye Shuang.

After scanning the payment, the girl handed over the paper net, which resembled a small showerhead with a fragile paper center—once torn, it couldn’t be reused.

"Here, give it a shot." Ye Shuang passed the net to Bai Yuyou.

She took it, studied it for a moment, then dipped it into the water—

The moment she tried to scoop up a goldfish, it flicked its tail, tearing the net instantly.

"Torn..." Bai Yuyou stared at the hole in the net, then turned to Ye Shuang with an innocent look. "Still usable?"

"Nope." Ye Shuang got her a new one from the stall owner.

Bai Yuyou tried again. This time, she managed to scoop up a fish, but the net tore mid-air, letting the goldfish slip back into the water.

"Torn." She looked dejected, even her usually perky hair strand drooping.

Ye Shuang fetched two more nets and reassured her, "Let me try."

Unlike Bai Yuyou’s cautious approach, Ye Shuang acted swiftly, targeting a fish near the surface and scooping it up in one smooth motion before transferring it to a small tank.

The whole process took barely a second—one goldfish caught.

Bai Yuyou clapped softly, completely captivated.

Using the same method, Ye Shuang quickly caught two more fish before the net finally gave way from being soaked.

"Try again. Just move faster," he encouraged.

After observing his technique, Bai Yuyou prepared for another attempt.

Perhaps due to bad luck, the net tore the moment she dipped it in.

"Ye Shuang... I can’t do it."

"Silly, you can." Ye Shuang patted her head gently and got another net from the owner.

This time, as Bai Yuyou held the net, Ye Shuang leaned in, wrapping an arm around her back. His large hand enveloped hers as they held the net together, pulling her close against his chest.

"Ye Shuang..." Bai Yuyou felt his steady heartbeat against her back. She turned slightly, finding his profile inches away.

"Here, I’ll guide you."

With a swift motion, he guided her hand, and—splash!—the net scooped up a goldfish effortlessly!

"Success!" Ye Shuang grinned as they dropped the fish into the tank.

Bai Yuyou stared at the bubbling goldfish, then suddenly turned around.

"Ye Shuang, hug..."

"W-wait, hold on?!"

After some chaos—Bai Yuyou had unexpectedly thrown herself into his arms, knocking over nearby fish tanks—Ye Shuang ended up compensating the stall owner before leaving with a single goldfish in a small plastic bag.

"I messed up..." Bai Yuyou murmured guiltily, clearly aware of her mistake.

"It’s fine. At least we got a little goldfish out of it." Ye Shuang pointed to the oxygenated bag.

"Keep it at home?"

"Probably not."

"Why?"

"Well... unless you want to treat it as a snack for Yīwàn." Ye Shuang doubted a goldfish and a cat could coexist peacefully, though he considered buying a sealed tank.

Spending on a tank for a cheap goldfish might seem excessive, but given that Bai Yuyou had caught it, it held sentimental value.

Next, Ye Shuang took Bai Yuyou to a few more attractions. By the time they finished, it was nearly lunchtime, and they settled on a bench under a large tree.

"Having fun?"

"Mhm."

"Good." Ye Shuang smiled.

"Ye Shuang..."

"Yeah?"

"What... were you like in school?" Bai Yuyou’s rare question caught him off guard. He reached out and pinched her cheek lightly.

"Why ask that?"

After a thoughtful pause, she answered earnestly, "I want... to know more about you."

"I see." Ye Shuang reminisced briefly. "School back then wasn’t as lively as yours. It was mostly studying nonstop. Though I was a bit rebellious."

"Rebellious?" Bai Yuyou didn’t seem to understand.

"Defying teachers and family, preferring freedom." He coughed awkwardly. "Ancient history."

"Later... something happened, and I started focusing on studying seriously."

"Somehow, in about half a year, I accidentally ended up ranking first in the grade."

Though curious about what had changed him, Bai Yuyou didn’t press further when she sensed his reluctance to elaborate.

Just then, a phone rang. Ye Shuang checked his pocket—not his.

He turned to see Bai Yuyou holding her phone.

"Keke’s message?"

"No..." She paused. "Hers..."

Realizing it was Aunt Xian calling, Ye Shuang nodded.

"Answer it."

"Okay..."