Dessert shops on pedestrian streets generally weren’t very large. After all, their table turnover was low, and rent was expensive. So when Ye Shuang and the others entered, they found that the shop had fewer than ten tables. Still, it looked clean and bright, and the air was filled with a faint buttery fragrance.
When the cashier heard Anshi Yi’s question, she hesitated. “Ma’am, technically, there’s no rule saying a couple has to consist of only two people…but…”
Just then, another customer walked in through the door. He was a young man wearing an otaku-style shirt and carrying a full-sized body pillow printed with a beautiful anime girl. The moment he entered, he shouted, “One couple challenge, please!”
The employee: “…”
She continued speaking to Anshi Yi. “Of course, there’s also no rule saying that couples have to be human.”
As long as it made money, that was all that mattered.
Ye Shuang had no idea what the so-called couple challenge involved, so he simply asked, “What do we have to do for this activity?”
“Well, you just have to kiss for one minute to receive a special commemorative strawberry cake.” After saying this, the employee glanced at the two fishes standing beside Ye Shuang. “So, um… if the three of you want to participate, then it’ll be thirty seconds per person.”
Ye Shuang: “…”
I knew it.
“We’ll just have an ordinary dessert…” Ye Shuang hadn’t even finished speaking when a hand suddenly reached out from the side and yanked him down by the collar.
“Mmph.”
Soft lips pressed against his, causing Ye Shuang’s eyes to widen slightly. An Shiyu’s face was right in front of him. He came to his senses and was just about to push her away when both his hands were pinned down by Anshi Yi beside him.
“Oh, come on. You’ve already kissed. Just make it thirty seconds and get a dessert.”
Ye Shuang froze.
That… actually made some sense. They had already kissed.
No, wait. That wasn’t the point!
An Shiyu had already closed her eyes, her long lashes trembling lightly. A faint blush colored her cheeks.
For some reason, Ye Shuang had a feeling that if he pushed her away, something terrifying would happen.
Thirty seconds passed quickly. Ye Shuang was just about to say something when Anshi Yi sealed his lips as well.
Ye Shuang: “…”
Wait, you too?
Anshi Yi was even more outrageous. She clung to Ye Shuang like a koala, both arms wrapped tightly around his neck. The faint scent of green apple drifted into his nose and smelled wonderful, but Ye Shuang felt as though he had been grabbed by a facehugger.
“Um, excuse me, that’s enough,” the employee said from the side.
Anshi Yi wiped her lips and asked, “Oh? That was pretty quick. Do you have anything like ‘kiss for five minutes and get a grand prize’?”
“Not at the moment.”
After receiving their dessert, the three of them found a table and sat down. The young man with the body pillow also kissed it for a minute and received his reward.
“I’m talking to you two.” Ye Shuang looked at the Twin Fishes sitting on either side of him.
He wanted to say something, but he knew that there was a good chance they wouldn’t listen anyway, so he folded his arms.
He decided not to speak and let the two fishes figure out why he was angry.
Unfortunately, Ye Shuang’s little display was completely useless. The two fishes had already begun devouring the dessert, acting as though the earlier incident had never happened.
“…”
After sitting there for a while, Ye Shuang decided that asking about it would only make things awkward, so he simply started eating as well.
The taste was pretty good, though it was a little too sweet for Ye Shuang. When he stopped eating, An Shiyu and Anshi Yi began dividing up his portion.
“I already ate from that,” Ye Shuang reminded them.
“I’ve already eaten your lips too,” Anshi Yi said.
Ye Shuang: “…”
Never mind. I’m better off staying quiet.
Twenty minutes later, the three of them left the dessert shop. Even though it was already afternoon, the sun was still exceptionally harsh. That didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the pedestrians on the shopping street, however. In fact, Ye Shuang felt that the crowd was starting to grow.
“I’m hungry,” An Shiyu suddenly said.
“Didn’t you just eat?” Ye Shuang asked helplessly.
“What good was that tiny cake supposed to do?” An Shiyu gave him a pair of blank, beady eyes.
“The sun’s so strong. I don’t really feel like eating anything.” Ye Shuang looked up at the sun and narrowed his eyes.
“If the sun’s strong, then let’s have Guangdong cuisine,” Anshi Yi said.
“What does one have to do with the other?”
“From Dandong you came, to trade it for a city white with snow; now you want Guangdong cuisine~”
“What kind of sun is that supposed to be?!”
…
Time flew by, and before they knew it, evening had arrived.
Ye Shuang glanced at his watch and realized that he was getting a little tired from all the walking. The two fishes, however, still looked completely fine. Clearly, girls received a bonus when it came to shopping and didn’t tire as easily.
“Let’s head back,” Ye Shuang said.
“Okay, let’s go,” An Shiyu replied.
After returning to the parking lot, Ye Shuang started the car and asked, “Where should I drop you two off?”
“You can just take us straight home with you,” Anshi Yi said.
“You wanted to come over for dinner, but didn’t you just eat?”
“No. We’ve decided to stay at your place.”
“Sure.” Ye Shuang had just finished speaking when he suddenly felt that something was wrong. He came to his senses. “Huh? You two want to stay at my place?”
“That’s right. Is there a problem?” An Shiyu asked. “Are you planning to charge us rent?”
“This isn’t about rent…”
“Then there’s no problem.”
“It’s not like you don’t have anywhere to stay.”
“Cheap.”
“This isn’t about being cheap either…” Ye Shuang thought helplessly, but then he seemed to remember something. “If you really want to stay, I can make arrangements.”
Seeing Ye Shuang suddenly agree, An Shiyu and Anshi Yi exchanged a glance.
Huh?
Why had he suddenly agreed? They had assumed Ye Shuang wouldn’t agree—or at least wouldn’t agree so readily.
“It’s not very safe lately. You want to move in because you’re trying to protect Bai Yuyou and the others, right?” Ye Shuang said with a faint smile.
Besides, the two fishes were highly skilled. If they could stay by Yu You and the others’ side, he would feel much more at ease.
The two fishes: “…”
They looked at each other.
[Is that what you think this is about?]
[Wasn’t it just to make it easier to freeload off his cooking?]
After realizing that Ye Shuang had misunderstood, the two fishes simply went along with it.
“Tsk, you actually figured it out. As expected, there’s nothing we can hide from you.”
“How can someone be both handsome and smart?” Anshi Yi added.
Ye Shuang felt a little embarrassed by the praise.
“Since you’ve figured it out, handsome, can you pay us a salary?” Anshi Yi asked.
“Yeah. We’re working as assistants and bodyguards, so we should get paid, right?”
Ye Shuang thought about it. That did seem reasonable.
“How much do you want?” Being called “handsome” over and over had made Ye Shuang clear his throat before asking.
“Not much. Say, one or two hundred million.”
Ye Shuang: “…”
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
