Chapter 75: Like a Couple
"An Yuan! I got into the top five in our class for the Chinese exam!"
A few days later, on the way home from school, Chen Cheng excitedly bragged about her results in the bike.
"Yeah, yeah, you’ve said it three times already. So amazing~ as expected of you," An Yuan replied in a monotone way.
"Of course! Even the homeroom teacher praised me!"
She clutched her test paper, admiring it over and over again, as if she were watching a replay of a flawless five-kill streak in a game. She was so happy that she couldn’t stop grinning.
She had rarely performed this well before, but thanks to years of writing stories and a month of serious studying, she had jumped from being an average student to ranking in the top five. The homeroom teacher had even given her special praise.
Feeling on top of the world, Chen Cheng started to believe that if she kept working hard, maybe, just maybe, she could get into a better university.
"Why don’t we stop by the night market and treat ourselves to something tasty?"
An Yuan pulled over near the market and turned to ask her, who was sitting in the back seat.
"Sounds good! But if I get home too late, my mom will nag me."
"It won’t take long. Just tell her you stayed at school for cleaning duty."
They got out of the bike and locked their bikes by the roadside.
Chen Cheng was clearly in a great mood today, maybe even a little too full of herself. She stood with her hands on her hips, puffing out her chest, making her loose school uniform stretch slightly around her figure. With an air of confidence, she looked straight at An Yuan and declared, "I want milk tea!"
"My treat," An Yuan said, glancing around until he spotted a milk tea shop across the street. Since the traffic was light, he nodded, "Let’s go."
She followed him as they crossed the street, still rambling excitedly.
"I remember there’s a place that sells amazing roasted pig trotters! Oh, and roujiamo too!"
"You won’t believe this. There was a snack street near my rental place, and they sell egg burgers with pickled mustard greens. Can you imagine that? Ugh! I swear, I haven’t found a single snack that actually tastes good."
"Watch out for cars." An Yuan grabbed her arm just as she was about to step forward.
A car sped past right in front of them, making Chen Cheng jump in shock. She immediately became more cautious, carefully looking both ways.
"You’re really not scared of getting hit, huh?"
"I always use crosswalks! Not like you, just jaywalking with zero regard for traffic rules."
When they reached the milk tea shop, An Yuan didn’t even need to ask, he ordered for her right away. "One jasmine milk tea, with coconut jelly, no ice."
While waiting, he casually scrolled through his phone. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Chen Cheng's small, pale hands hanging by her side, frozen white.
A sudden, strange impulse took hold of him. Keeping his usual calm and gentle smile, he secretly reached out.
The moment their fingertips touched, Chen Cheng stiffened, her face instantly turning a faint shade of red. She quickly averted her gaze, pretending to focus on a nearby food stall.
Yet, she didn’t pull away.
"Look, they have egg burgers over there..."
"Still my treat?"
"Of course! All my money is with you anyway. Use my share of the bonus to pay."
"What bonus? It hasn’t even been that long since we talked about it."
She had noticed all along but pretended not to?
Feeling reassured, An Yuan stopped hesitating. Instead of just brushing against her fingers, he fully took her small hand into his own.
"......"
Chen Cheng tensed up at first, but soon relaxed. Her eyes darted around nervously, avoiding him completely. Her other hand fidgeted awkwardly, while the blush on her face deepened, spreading all the way to her ears.
Her hand was so warm... almost too warm, making her heart race.
It felt comforting, though. Her hands, always cold in the autumn and winter, were slowly warming up.
Her heartbeat pounded fast and heavy, so strong that she could feel it in her veins, each thump echoing in her ears.
There’s no way normal male friends would hold hands like this! That’s something only girls do with each other!
The embarrassment snapped her back to her senses. She tried to pull her hand away, but An Yuan only tightened his grip.
"A-An Yuan," Chen Cheng protested weakly. "Let go of my hand… we look like a couple..."
An Yuan acted like he didn’t hear her at all. Without letting go, he handed her the milk tea and casually led her into the night market. "Come on, what else do you want to eat?"
Chen Cheng struggled slightly, but when it didn’t work, she gave up and let him hold her hand. She lowered her head, letting her hair fall to hide her flushed face, not daring to look at his expression.
It was her first time holding hands with a guy, and it made her so nervous that she felt like everyone around them was staring. She could hear people whispering and teasing, which only made the embarrassment swell inside her. And yet… beneath all that, there was a faint trace of happiness, sweet and warm.
"Is this the roujiamo stall you were talking about?"
"Y-yeah, I think so..."
The embarrassment made her stutter. Her body was stiff, and her toes curled tightly in her shoes.
But soon, the sight of the food distracted her. The stall was surprisingly generous, each roujiamo, costing just six or seven yuan, was stuffed with so much meat that it nearly spilled out. She had to be careful eating it, or the juicy filling might drip onto her clothes.
She had always thought all roujiamo were like this… until she moved to a different city for college.
As her attention shifted, her embarrassment faded a little. But her mind still felt hazy, as if wrapped in a soft, dreamlike filter. She wasn’t even sure how she was walking, how she was moving her arms. She took a bite of the roujiamo, yet tasted nothing.
Stealing a glance at An Yuan, she noticed he had a faint smile on his face. It looked a little shy, a little nervous. His hand, the one holding hers, was slightly sweaty. Was he feeling just as anxious as she was?
A mischievous thought crossed her mind. She lightly moved her pinky and her fingernail lightly scratching An Yuan's palm.
An Yuan flinched, instinctively gripping her hand even tighter. He turned to glare at her. "What was that for?"
"Let go! It’s hard to eat with one hand, you idiot."
"I was just making sure you don’t get hit by a car."
An Yuan casually made up an excuse.
Walking side by side, they continued through the lively night market, each biting into their food.
The streets were crowded, filled with the sounds of vendors calling out and the delicious aroma of street food. Children ran past them, laughing. A few small cars inched through the packed walkway. With New Year’s approaching, some shops had already started hanging red lanterns.
"An Yuan, do you want some?"
"Sure."
Chen Cheng used a skewer to poke a piece of pan-fried tofu and held it to An Yuan's lips. "Open your mouth."
An Yuan paused for a second, then obediently took the bite, his eyes crinkling in amusement as he looked at her. "Give me another one."
"Nope!" She hugged the paper bowl close and turned her back to him.
"Wow, you’re really stingy. I was the one who stood in line to buy it for you!"
"Still not giving you any!"
If only this street could go on forever...
An Yuan watched as she ran ahead, her small figure blending into the crowd. He let out a quiet sigh.
So… what was Chengzi really thinking? Did she even like men? Did she really just see him as a friend?
No matter how much they acted like a couple, he didn’t dare ask. He was afraid it was all in his head, afraid that if he brought it up, she’d just laugh at him and make things awkward.
Forget it. Things were fine the way they were now.