Chapter 36: A Strange Sound
The two of them stood at the entrance of the clothing store, completely unaware that they were showering the passersby with public displays of affection, so much that it could make someone feel full just watching.
From the point of view of those walking by, they looked just like a couple in love, nothing felt out of place at all.
The two stayed stuck in that odd little loop for a while, until a strange sound suddenly broke them out of it.
“Grrrgle~”
The sound was soft, and Ye Ziming didn’t quite catch it clearly. He just vaguely heard something strange.
But he noticed that after the sound, Lin Muqing’s head moved a little.
Then she slowly raised her hand and gently covered her stomach.
Ye Ziming couldn’t see her face, but at that moment, Lin Muqing was snapped back to reality. Her expression was a little awkward, and her cheeks slowly turned a light shade of red.
“Grrrgle~”
Maybe because she covered her stomach, it got annoyed. So the second growl was longer and louder, like it was protesting.
“You’re hungry, aren’t you?”
This time, Ye Ziming focused and finally heard it clearly. It was Lin Muqing’s stomach making noises in protest.
With a small smile on his face, Ye Ziming gently patted her head again and spoke softly.
“No… I’m not…”
“Grrrgle~”
Before Lin Muqing could even make an awkward excuse, her stomach interrupted her with another loud protest, like an overworked employee complaining to the boss.
As the sound echoed out, her cheeks turned even redder.
Her two little hands awkwardly covered her belly, and without realizing it, her fingers started nervously twisting together. It was obvious she was super embarrassed.
Still keeping her head down, Lin Muqing nervously bit her lip and glanced around.
She looked like she was searching for a hole in the ground to crawl into.
Whoosh!
Out of nowhere, a strange pink arrow flew in and struck Ye Ziming right in the heart.
It didn’t hurt at all, but it made his heart beat faster, and his world seemed to suddenly fill with a romantic pink glow.
“Come with me.”
Taking a deep breath to calm the rush in his chest, Ye Ziming reached out and held Lin Muqing’s hand. While speaking gently, he started walking toward the nearby elevator.
“Huh? Where are we going?”
Her small hand was suddenly pulled, and Lin Muqing almost stumbled right into his chest again.
Her face still flushed with pink, she looked in confusion at Ye Ziming’s back as she was led away.
“Dinner.”
Ye Ziming kept walking, not looking back. He didn’t want her to see the look on his face.
Or maybe… he didn’t dare to look at her face right now.
It seemed like no matter what a cute person did, they always looked adorable.
Just now, when Lin Muqing had her head down in embarrassment with her cheeks all red, it had almost made his heart melt.
Holding her small, soft hand, Ye Ziming walked through the shopping mall until they stood in front of a Japanese restaurant.
“Are you even listening to me!?”
Her voice carried a bit of frustration, and she even puffed up her cheeks to glare at Ye Ziming.
She had been talking the whole way, saying all kinds of things, including the idea that she wanted to just go home for dinner.
But Ye Ziming Didn’t Respond at All…
Ye Ziming didn’t respond at all. He just kept walking like he didn’t hear Lin Muqing speaking.
“I heard you.”
He nodded slightly, looked into Lin Muqing’s eyes seriously, and finally replied in a soft voice.
“If you heard me, then why…”
Her eyes widened with frustration. If you heard me, why did you ignore me? Just thinking about it made her a little mad.
But before she could finish her sentence, Ye Ziming interrupted her and spoke on his own.
“I want to eat Japanese food. I hope you’ll join me.”
Before Lin Muqing could react, Ye Ziming once again took her small hand and led her into the Japanese restaurant.
After saying a few words to the manager at the front desk, the two of them were led to a really nice spot.
The seat was quiet and private, not affected by the noise around, and they could see the night view outside through the big glass windows.
“What do you want to eat?”
Ye Ziming took the menu from the waiter like he’d done this many times before. He smiled as he looked at Lin Muqing and handed her the menu, asking for her opinion.
“You… sigh~”
Lin Muqing had been a bit mad that Ye Ziming made the decision for her without asking.
But when she saw the smile on his face, all that frustration disappeared in an instant, and she just let out a helpless sigh.
There was just no way to stay mad at him. Just the thought of being angry with her good friend felt impossible.
“Emmm… You decide. I don’t really know much about this stuff.”
She flipped through the menu casually. Even though it was all written in Chinese, she still felt like she didn’t understand any of it. She had never really looked into this kind of food.
All she knew about Japanese food was sushi… maybe salmon too… and that was about it.
So she handed the menu back and asked Ye Ziming to order for her.
“Alright.”
Ye Ziming took the menu, marked a few items skillfully, and gave the waiter some instructions. The whole process was quick and smooth, so smooth that even the waitress was a bit surprised.
“Is Japanese food really that good?”
“It’s alright.”
After the waitress left, Lin Muqing took a sip of the lemon water the restaurant had given them and asked the question with a curious look.
“Just ‘alright’? Then why did you suddenly want to eat it?”
She raised an eyebrow and asked again, still curious.
“…Mm.”
Ye Ziming hesitated for a second, then nodded slowly.
“I see… You know, I’ve never had Japanese food in my whole life.”
“Then this is a great chance to try it.”
“Mm-hmm. What did you order, by the way…”
“……”
Before the food arrived, the two sat across from each other at the table and chatted casually, just like they always did.
There was one thing Ye Ziming didn’t tell her: back in their first year of high school, he had seen Lin Muqing show some interest in Japanese food.
But after talking about it for just a bit, Lin Muqing gave up on the idea herself, because of the high prices and her own tight budget.
So today, he took the chance to bring her here. In a way, he was helping fulfill a small wish of hers.
And since it was her first time trying it, there were lots of things she didn’t understand. He had to teach her step by step until she got the hang of it.
A very natural, and very necessary, bit of interaction.
“How was it?”
After they walked out of the restaurant, Ye Ziming carried the shopping bags for her and asked with a soft smile.
“Mm-hmm, the taste was pretty good… just a little hard to get used to.”
She had mostly just been curious about what Japanese food was like. Now that she had tried it once, that curiosity was satisfied.
As for next time? Lin Muqing felt there probably wouldn’t be one. Honestly, she thought hot pot with Ye Ziming was way more fun.
Still, she was really thankful that he let her try something new.
“Mm. And if you compare it with hot pot?”
Ye Ziming nodded slightly and thought for a moment before asking the next question.
“Hot pot, no doubt about it!”