Omelette Rice

"You're asking like that—could it be you're at the company?" Ye Shuang chuckled.

"Then guess where I am on campus," Chen Qin retorted, sounding a little defiant.

"Is there a reward?"

"There is~~~" Chen Qin giggled. "I'll give you whatever you want."

Without even asking what the reward was, Ye Shuang immediately said, "You're near me."

"Ehh?!"

"Come on, I can hear the food street noises through your phone." Ye Shuang glanced around and soon spotted Chen Qin stepping out from a nearby street, arms crossed in mock frustration.

Chen Qin’s outfit today was unusually simple—a deep brown silk slip dress with a flowing silhouette and a longer hem, though her curves were still strikingly pronounced. She paired it with a cream-colored shawl and bold red lips, her usual love for extravagance toned down as she wore no jewelry except for a simple rose-gold women’s watch on her bare wrist.

"Staring, are you?" Chen Qin teased when she noticed Ye Shuang’s gaze, then waved cheerfully at Bai Yuyou, Tang Keke, and the other girls nearby.

"Just not your usual style," Ye Shuang remarked. She seemed to have only applied lipstick, skipping foundation and accessories altogether.

Ye Shuang knew Chen Qin had an entire jewelry compartment in her walk-in closet at home, filled with enough dazzling pieces to blind anyone. Rumor had it her father had even prepared a set of pure gold dowry jewelry for her, though Ye Shuang had never seen it.

"The mole at the company’s been caught, so I’ve been sleeping like a baby these past few days," Chen Qin said, her radiant complexion proof enough.

"Since I’m finally free, come shopping with me."

"Now?"

"You busy?" Chen Qin glanced at the lemon tea stall before suddenly tugging at Zhixia. "Hey, how much do you make in a day here?"

"Around one or two thousand," Zhixia answered, though she didn’t recognize Chen Qin. Still, it was clear she and Ye Shuang were close.

"I’ll transfer you ten thousand—let Ah Ye spend the day with me instead of working here," Chen Qin said with a wink.

Zhixia blinked. "T-ten thousand?"

"Not enough? Thirty?"

Zhixia and Linlin felt as if this stunning woman was practically glowing with golden light, as though they were being slapped in the face with cash—but Zhixia quickly snapped out of it.

"N-no need! Teacher Ye was just helping us out. He doesn’t need to ask me for time off."

"Oh?" Chen Qin turned to Ye Shuang.

"Pretty much. I’m just here for fun, not working," Ye Shuang said, eyeing the remaining fragrant lemons. Thanks to Bobo’s exaggerated physique, they’d already sold most of their stock, drawing in plenty of male customers.

"Let’s go. I’ll keep you company," Ye Shuang said.

"Hehe, good."

Before leaving, though, Chen Qin paused, her gaze settling on Bai Yuyou. "Yuyou, want to come shopping with us?"

Standing beside Tang Keke, Bai Yuyou tilted her head slightly at the question. Keke nudged her with an elbow, but the girl just shook her head softly. "No, thanks…"

"Alright." Chen Qin smiled.

Soon, Ye Shuang and Chen Qin walked off together. Watching their retreating figures, Tang Keke immediately whispered to Bai Yuyou, "Why didn’t you go with them?"

"Why should I?"

"Because… well… otherwise, Brother might get snatched up by Sister Chen Qin!" Keke groaned, as if exasperated.

But Bai Yuyou replied, "Sister Chen Qin… wanted to be alone with Ye Shuang. But she asked me along because she thought I wouldn’t like being left behind. So, to respect her kindness… I didn’t go."

Tang Keke was taken aback by how perceptive Bai Yuyou’s words were.

"Keke… make lemon tea."

"Fine, leave it to me!" Keke stopped overthinking it and tied on an apron.

"Keke, the apron’s straining."

"Hey, where are you looking?!"

Meanwhile, Ye Shuang and Chen Qin strolled through the food street. But since every part of it looked the same, they soon wandered into a nearby academic building.

"Yinshan Academy is huge—bigger than some universities," Chen Qin mused as she walked beside Ye Shuang. "And the fact that it organizes events like this is pretty wild."

"True. Not many schools are this playful," Ye Shuang agreed, then noticed Chen Qin had stopped walking.

Beside her was a classroom transformed into a maid café.

"What’s up?" Ye Shuang asked. He couldn’t imagine Chen Qin being into maids, and places like these mostly catered to male customers.

"Wanna check it out?" Chen Qin grinned.

"A maid café… Are you sure you read the sign right?" Before Ye Shuang could finish, Chen Qin looped her arm through his and pulled him inside. "Come on, let’s just take a look."

"Welcome home, Master~!"

True to form, the moment they stepped in, several girls in maid outfits carrying trays greeted them cheerfully.

Since it was a first-year classroom, the maids were all quite young. One of them approached them with a smile. "Hello! Table for two?"

"Yep, two," Chen Qin said, following the maid to a nearby seat.

Desks pushed together and covered with a tablecloth served as their dining table.

"Here’s our menu. Let me know if you need anything else!" the student maid said brightly, clearly intrigued by the unusual pair—most customers were boys, after all.

The menu was simple, with limited options since everything was student-made. Ye Shuang scanned it: just omelet rice, fried rice, and some pre-made drinks.

"Hmm…" Ye Shuang turned to Chen Qin. "What do you want?"

"Anything’s fine."

Ye Shuang: "…"

"Two omelet rices and two lemon sparkling waters, please," he told the maid.

But the maid giggled. "Sorry, Master, but you have to say the full names of the dishes when ordering. It’s our special rule!"

"Full names?"

Ye Shuang froze, then noticed Chen Qin grinning at him. Sighing, he cleared his throat and recited:

Ahem. "Two Moe Moe QQ Maid Lovey-Dovey Secret Omelet Rice Specials, and two Cute Lemon Extra Sparkly Bubble Waters, please."

"Got it~~~" The maid turned and called to the kitchen,

"Two omelet rices, two lemon sparkling waters!"

Ye Shuang: "…"