The Eight Dragons Icehouse.
A small tea restaurant tucked away in a hidden corner.
Two people sat facing each other.
Jiang Yunlu was visibly excited as she scanned the extensive menu.
"I want the ice cream French toast, octopus sausages, salt and pepper chicken, pineapple bun, curry fish balls! Fried fries and fried tofu."
She pointed at the menu while listing her choices to the waiter.
Then she glanced at Lin Mo.
"What do you want to eat?"
"Pork chop instant noodles, Swiss chicken wings, four egg tarts, and a pork chop bun."
Lin Mo ordered without even looking at the menu.
The waiter looked at Jiang Yunlu, then at Lin Mo, wondering if this young couple could afford so much.
"Hey, buddy, two people can't possibly finish all this."
Jiang Yunlu immediately pointed at Lin Mo. "Don't worry, he’s a bottomless pit. He can finish it all."
Seeing their insistence, the waiter stopped persuading them and headed to the kitchen to place the order.
The first dish to arrive was the curry fish balls, as they were pre-made and kept warm in a large pot in the kitchen.
Golden curry sauce soaked each fish ball.
These fish balls were likely among the earliest versions of frozen pre-made dishes.
Jiang Yunlu speared one with a fork and popped it into her mouth.
The rich curry flavor gradually spread as she chewed.
"So good! Way better than any curry I’ve had before."
If she had to guess, this was probably authentic curry.
But authentic curry wasn’t for everyone—locals usually preferred a milder, sweeter version, like Japanese-style curry.
Thai curry was nice too.
But the real deal, Indian curry, tended to be heavy on spices and packed a punch of heat.
So Jiang Yunlu might not actually enjoy it that much.
The curry fish balls, adjusted to local tastes, were probably more her speed.
Soon, the rest of the dishes arrived one after another, including Lin Mo’s order.
Jiang Yunlu took small bites of everything, just sampling the flavors, leaving Lin Mo to polish off the rest.
If she particularly liked something, she’d have a couple more bites.
After all, she had an average appetite, unlike Lin Mo, who could eat like a horse.
"Ah, I love the chicken wings and egg tarts, but I’m already full! Lin Mo, you handle these!"
Lin Mo nodded and dug in.
The waiter stood behind the counter, his eyes fixed on Lin Mo’s table. Even though the restaurant was busy, he couldn’t look away.
Jiang Yunlu was undeniably pretty, but the guy devouring food like a machine fascinated him more.
No particular reason—it was just impressive how much he could eat, and it made the waiter hungry too.
Still, Lin Mo ate with surprising elegance.
He didn’t tackle one dish at a time—instead, he alternated between his noodles, curry fish balls, and chicken wings, like a well-paced meal.
Before long, the table was cleared.
As Lin Mo ate, Jiang Yunlu’s face grew redder and redder.
Because he’d just eaten a piece of bread she’d taken a bite out of.
‘Is... is this an indirect kiss?’ She didn’t dare ask, too shy to voice the thought.
Wang Qin always told her to be more proactive, but she could only muster a tiny bit of courage. Anything beyond that was too much.
Her aunt had warned her repeatedly—no getting pregnant in high school.
She wouldn’t dare.
"Are you hot? Your face is all red." Lin Mo wiped his mouth with a napkin.
"M-maybe?" The girl sipped her iced milk tea in small, delicate gulps, hoping to cool down.
When the bill came, Lin Mo went to pay.
Jiang Yunlu pulled out a card and handed it over.
Thankfully, not a black card.
"Use mine."
But Lin Mo pressed her hand down and shook his head.
"Do you want your family to know you snuck out to eat?"
Jiang Yunlu gasped in realization.
"Oh! Right! What do we do?"
"Nothing. It’s fine."
Lin Mo paid in cash.
"Let’s go. We should head back before your driver comes looking for you."
As if on cue, Jiang Yunlu’s phone rang.
She pulled out her iPhone 4 and checked the caller ID. "It’s Uncle Zhao."
She answered.
"Hello? Uncle Zhao, I’m upstairs. Okay, I’ll just use the restroom and come down."
While speaking, she glanced sideways at Lin Mo.
Lin Mo nodded, then took her wrist and led her back toward the bookstore across the street.
They’d come through the underground tunnel, so they returned the same way.
A handsome young man holding the wrist of a girl on the phone—it was a scene straight out of a drama, drawing lingering looks from passersby.
What they didn’t know was that a stylish woman in sunglasses was watching them from a distance.
"Tsk tsk, that boy’s definitely a player. Grabbing her wrist while she’s on the phone so she can’t react."
The crowd was too thick for Lin Mo’s spiritual sense to extend beyond ten meters, so he didn’t notice her.
They crossed the tunnel and circled to the back entrance.
"I’ll go now?" Jiang Yunlu peered at Lin Mo cautiously.
"Hm? Be safe. Let me know when you’re home." Lin Mo nodded.
Seeing how unfazed he was, Jiang Yunlu pouted slightly.
She spread her arms and suddenly hugged him lightly.
"I had so much fun today! See you tomorrow!"
Before he could react, she let go and turned toward the exit.
Lin Mo chuckled. This girl was bold.
In his past life, Jiang Yunlu had been gentle and unpretentious, but she’d always kept her distance from boys—him included.
This time, though, she was much more forward.
Guess making a girl take the initiative just meant being exceptional enough.
Lin Mo scoffed twice—once at his past self, once at his present self.
Back then, he’d been a loser.
Now, he didn’t overthink things, just acted as he pleased.
He hummed softly under his breath.
"It’s alright, even the mountains have streetlights. Naughty kids learn to behave, not too brave. How many wonderlands are there in this world? Do as you please."
Still humming, he wandered to the music CD section on the first floor.
Browsing the shelves, he picked out two Eason Chan albums to take home.
"Since when did we fear empty mountains with no one around? Since when did we dread gazing at the stardust? Turns out, even celestial fish crossing the ocean can lose their way..."
Lin Mo selected H3M, then added U87 and the Mandarin album Seven.
"Live For Today, and Ambush from All Sides are must-listens too."
Finally, he grabbed Orange Moon.
"Little brother, what song were you humming? Sounded nice."
Lin Mo looked up to see the sunglasses-wearing woman approaching from another aisle.
"Do As I..." He remembered the song didn’t exist yet, but he had no intention of plagiarizing.
So he shook his head.
"Just something random."