Half a Month

...

"I'm so tired today, what with mountain climbing and performing."

Night fell, the ink-blue sky still dragging a few clouds along.

Ye Shuang walked down the street with the two girls. He probably didn't have the energy to cook today, so they planned to eat out before heading home—their destination was a food street not far from Yinshan Academy.

"There are really a lot of customers here. Let's find a place to eat," Ye Shuang said. The surroundings were filled with hole-in-the-wall restaurants, but delicious food was often hidden within them. Compared to most restaurants with consistent but pre-made meals, these small eateries could bring unexpected flavors.

"Food." Bai Yuyou seemed very happy, a stray tuft of her hair swaying gently in the evening breeze.

She held onto Ye Shuang's arm, her eyes constantly drawn to the various delicacies.

"Pork rib rice!" Tang Keke suddenly pointed at a shop.

"Then let's have that," Ye Shuang smiled.

It looked like there were quite a few customers inside, so the group had to sit at a table outside.

Shortly after, a waiter brought over a washbasin and a thermos of hot water. "What would you like to eat?"

"Three portions of pork rib rice, a plate of beef chow fun, half a roast chicken, and a stir-fried seasonal vegetable." As soon as Ye Shuang finished, the waiter frowned. "You guys won't be able to finish all that. Three plates of pork rib rice and a vegetable will be about enough."

"Our shop's pork rib rice portions are very large."

"It's fine, we can pack up whatever we can't finish," Ye Shuang said, adding, "Do you have soup?"

"In this weather, we have corn, yam, and pork rib soup. Do you want some?"

"Sure."

After the waiter left, Ye Shuang used the hot water to scald their bowls and chopsticks. The bustling, smoky atmosphere of everyday life was strong here. It was obvious that aside from nearby students, they mostly served local neighbors, so the taste had to be pretty good.

"Brother, I want to drink milk tea," Tang Keke suddenly raised her hand.

Ye Shuang reminded her, "Keke, we have soup."

"I want to drink it," Tang Keke said.

"Is that so..." Ye Shuang's gaze fell on Bai Yuyou. "What about you, Yuyou?"

"I also want something cold to drink," Bai Yuyou said.

"Then go ahead." Seeing that both girls wanted milk tea, Ye Shuang didn't say anything more. Actually, he could understand; after all, sometimes when he was very tired, he also wanted an icy drink to refresh his mind.

Tang Keke and Bai Yuyou then walked to a nearby milk tea shop, planning to buy two cups of fruit tea to bring back.

"After climbing a mountain, a cup of milk tea really is the most comfortable thing. The club only has hot tea, which doesn't quench your thirst," Tang Keke said, smiling as she asked Bai Yuyou,

"Which one are you drinking?"

"The same as Keke."

"Okay."

Just as the two girls were casually chatting, someone not far away noticed them.

"Brother Zheng, what a coincidence! To think we'd run into them at the food street."

"Yeah, fate is fate. Look at them."

A few boys rested their gazes on Bai Yuyou and the others, then turned to Zheng He in the middle and said, "Should we go over and take a look?"

Zheng He was also a bit surprised to meet Bai Yuyou here, considering they had just met and interacted while climbing the mountain and planting trees this afternoon.

"Heh, perfect timing." The corners of Zheng He's mouth curled up, and as if thinking of something, he walked over.

Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke were chatting about live streaming when they heard a voice next to them.

"What a coincidence, we meet again."

Hearing the voice, Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke turned their heads to look—Zheng He was smiling and waving gently. "Hi, classmates."

Bai Yuyou: "..."

The girl looked at Zheng He and gave a slight nod.

"A friend you know, Yuyou?" Tang Keke had no idea who this guy was, but seeing Zheng He greet Bai Yuyou so familiarly, a flash of confusion crossed her mind.

Bai Yuyou, however, didn't speak.

"Did I startle you? I just happened to be passing by and couldn't resist saying hi. Well, let's meet again if fate allows." Seeing the girl nod, Zheng He smiled at her once more, then turned around and left directly.

Seeing Zheng He leave right after saying a couple of sentences, Tang Keke looked at Bai Yuyou again. "Yuyou, what are you spacing out for? Is he your friend?"

Hearing this, a trace of confusion flashed through Bai Yuyou's beautiful eyes. "I... have never seen him."

"No way, he seemed to know you really well. Then why did you nod just now?"

"Politeness," Bai Yuyou said. When someone greets you, nodding is basic politeness.

Even though the girl didn't remember that Zheng He at all.

"Alright then," Tang Keke shrugged.

Come to think of it, Yuyou seemed to be a bit face-blind—not exactly face-blind, but purely just not paying attention to other people's looks. She wouldn't focus on them, much less waste brain capacity remembering them.

"Let's hurry up and buy the milk tea to go back."

"Mhm."

Meanwhile, on the other side, Zheng He returned to his group of guys, wearing a calm and breezy expression.

"Holy crap, that iceberg goddess actually nodded at you. As expected of Brother Zheng, you got familiar with her in just one day."

"I told you, there's no girl Brother Zheng can't win over. Even that campus belle is a piece of cake."

"But Brother Zheng, why did you come back after just a couple of words?"

Zheng He put on a profound look and said, "Just deepening her memory of me. For a girl like this, you can't rush in aggressively. You have to learn to boil the frog in warm water, and slowly she'll be won over."

"What kind of men hasn't a girl like that seen? If you act too desperate, it will only backfire."

"As expected of Brother Zheng, you've always got a whole set of tactics up your sleeve."

"Awesome."

Zheng He was feeling a bit smug from his friends' flattery, but he really was good at handling these kinds of things. Seeing everyone so enthusiastic, he continued speaking,

"Guess how long it'll take for me to win over that Bai Yuyou?"

"A semester?" a guy next to him said at this time. "I feel like winning over Yinshan's campus belle in a semester would be incredibly impressive."

"Who do you think Brother Zheng is? It wouldn't take a whole semester. According to my guess, probably just two or three months!"

"Bullshit, didn't you see they're already talking? It's clearly just the first day. I guess one month!"

The guys chattered away, and Zheng He looked in Bai Yuyou's direction, simply saying lightly—

"A girl like that, a mere half month is all I need to win her over."

...

Shortly after, Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke returned to Ye Shuang.

"Brother, I bought you a fruit tea." Tang Keke had also gotten one to go for Ye Shuang.

"Then what about this soup."

"Pack it up!"

"Alright." Ye Shuang was a bit helpless.

In the end, nothing was packed up; it was all eaten clean by Bai Yuyou.