“I’m sorry,” Xie Siyan said seriously, his smile fading. “My grandma has been quite clingy lately, and if she sees you here, it might affect you.”
Yan Shenyu didn't take it to heart. He put away his phone and stood up: "Let's go eat."
The two went out together and entered the elevator. It wasn't until the elevator stopped at B3 and Yan Shenyu looked at the parking lot outside that she realized something was wrong. She asked in confusion, "Aren't we supposed to be eating? The cafeteria isn't this way, is it?"
Xie Siyan: "Let's eat at the fishing platform."
Yan Shenyu's expression was indescribable. He understood that Xie Siyan had tricked him once and was now going to extort him again.
“Mr. Xie,” Yan Shenyu stopped, her eyes filled with sorrow, “Do you know how much this dress I’m wearing costs?”
Xie Siyan glanced at it and guessed, "5000?"
"50 yuan!" Yan Shenyu cried out in anguish. "I'm poor enough as I am, but I've already shown you enough sincerity to thank you! So... so let's not go to anything too expensive..."
Xie Siyan looked at him silently for a long while, then nodded: "Okay."
Xie Siyan wanted to have the driver take him, but Yan Shenyu said he was leaving after finishing his meal and asked Xie Siyan to send him the address so he could drive there himself.
Nobody goes out to eat separately. Xie Siyan was unwilling, so after discussing it, they decided to take Yan Shenyu's car and have the driver pick him up after they finished eating.
The car drove out of Wildfire Technology and arrived at the entrance of a small shop in a hutong (alleyway) on the Second Ring Road half an hour later.
Parking in the alley is like a survival challenge; every car is practically a performance art piece. Yan Shenyu wanted to tell Xie Siyan that there was a parking lot nearby, but the other party had already skillfully driven the car to the base of the alley wall.
Yan Shenyu's car is a sports car. Although it has a lot of space, it is still a bit too cramped for Xie Siyan, who is nearly 1.9 meters tall.
At this moment, the man's well-defined right hand gripped the steering wheel, a centimeter of white shirt peeking out from under his black suit. Looking further up, one could see bulging muscles beneath the suit.
Once the car body was completely parallel to the wall, the sports car was less than five centimeters away from the wall.
Yan Shenyu was utterly amazed and asked curiously, "Does your company have a new energy vehicle project?"
“Not entirely,” Xie Siyan explained. “Wildfire’s ‘Kuafu Project’ only provides autonomous driving software services; it doesn’t include vehicle manufacturing.”
"Then you can consider endorsing the Kuafu Project in the future," Yan Shenyu sincerely suggested.
"Clam?"
"After all, you looked really cool reversing with one hand just now."
"Uh..." It was hard to tell whether the words were a compliment or an insult.
Xie Siyan took out the car keys and handed them to Yan Shenyu without commenting.
They went to a small shop hidden in a hutong (alleyway). The exterior walls were made of gray bricks, a standard feature in Beijing. The signboard read "Roujiamo" (Chinese hamburger), and an old locust tree stood in front of the shop, its branches providing ample shade.
Because it's far from the commercial area, there weren't many people at noon.
Yan Shenyu walked in with some curiosity. Why would Xie Siyan eat at such a hole-in-the-wall restaurant?
He still remembers the first time he invited him to Shaxian Snacks, the other person looked like he was afraid of food poisoning, as if he was eating some deadly poison instead of street food.
"This place is very clean." Seeing Yan Shenyu stop, Xie Siyan assumed she was worried about the hygiene of the snack shop and offered to explain.
Yan Shenyu also noticed that the tables and chairs in the shop were cleaner than those in the snack shops outside, and the stainless steel worktable next to it was so shiny that it was almost spotless.
"Young Master is here?" As soon as he entered, an elderly woman stood up and asked with a friendly expression, "Is it the same as usual?"
Young Master?
This somewhat archaic title made Yan Shenyu turn around and look at Xie Siyan with some surprise.
Xie Siyan concealed his unease and nodded: "Four roujiamo (Chinese hamburgers) and two servings of mung bean soup."
"Alright, coming right away." The old lady wiped the chair with a clean towel and warmly invited, "Young master, please have a seat first, and this... this friend, please have a seat first as well."
Unable to immediately discern the other person's gender, the elderly woman hastily dealt with the situation.
Yan Shenyu sat opposite Xie Siyan, her eyes brimming with undisguised cunning: "Young Master?"
Knowing he was going to laugh at her, Xie Siyan calmly explained, "Grandma Wang used to be our family's cook. After retiring, she took over a shop selling roujiamo (Chinese hamburger). There are many rules in our family, and she's used to calling me that so she can't change it. So we just let her be."
Yan Shenyu said "Oh" and looked at him with a smile.
Xie Siyan suddenly had a bad feeling, and sure enough, the boy opposite her spoke up the next moment.
"Young Master—" he trailed off, his voice drawn out like a mischievous high school boy.
She should have been angry, but Xie Siyan suddenly felt a nameless panic. Just then, Grandma brought out the mung bean shaved ice, and before Xie Siyan could figure out what was going on, she picked up a spoon and shoved it into Yan Shenyu's mouth.
"Ugh..." Yan Shenyu hissed as his mouth was stuffed full of icy mung beans. He glanced at Xie Siyan with a hint of resentment, but ultimately did not do anything further.
Soon, the roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) was served. The golden-brown flaky crust filled with dark brown braised pork, the aroma of wheat and meat mingling together, making it incredibly tempting.
"You eat two first," Grandma Wang instructed. "I'll make the rest; they won't taste good if they get cold."
Yan Shenyu nodded, picked up one of them, and took a bite.
The roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) has a crispy outer layer, is full of juicy meat, and the slightly spicy green peppers neutralize the greasiness of the meat. Paired with chilled mung bean soup, it's incredibly refreshing.
Yan Shenyu was already hungry, and the food was delicious, so she quickly finished the one in her hand.
He licked his lips and looked back at his grandmother, who was still busy at the control panel.
Xie Siyan's voice rang out: "Grandma Wang's cooking is excellent, and many people drive here specifically to eat here. However, she is getting old now, so she doesn't sell much each day and usually closes up shop around noon."
“That’s good,” Yan Shenyu nodded, feeling hopeful for his old age. “When I’m old, I’ll open a small restaurant. I’ll only be open for half a day, and the menu will change depending on my mood.”
Xie Siyan: "Then it went bankrupt a week later."
"Uh..." Yan Shenyu was speechless: "Would you die if you didn't roast me?"
Xie Siyan: "Is it possible that I am simply stating the facts?"
Yan Shenyu completely ignored him.
Yan Shenyu didn't say another word to Xie Siyan after that. After finishing his meal, he took his car keys and left without looking at Xie Siyan again.
He intended to leave gracefully, but an embarrassing scene unfolded after he sat in the driver's seat.
Xie Siyan parked his car so skillfully that he couldn't drive it out.
There are cars in front, behind, and to the left, leaving only a row of empty space on the right. No matter which direction he goes, he may scrape another car.
Yan Shenyu: "..."
Xie Siyan was standing at the base of the wall watching him, looking relaxed and leisurely. The summer afternoon breeze blew the hair on his forehead, giving him a certain youthful feel.
After looking around for a while, Xie Siyan walked over to Yan Shenyu, knocking on his car window as he asked, "Not leaving again?"
"Are you doing this on purpose?" Yan Shenyu glared at him.
"Intentionally what?"
"I deliberately parked the car in such a difficult way that I couldn't drive it out, so I had to ask you for help."
Xie Siyan glanced at the space around the sports car, looking surprised: "You can't drive it out?"
Yan Shen pushed open the car door angrily, struggling to get out of the driver's seat: "You can't drive it out, are you satisfied now! Do you want me to kneel down and beg you... ah!"
The sports car had a low chassis, and Yan Shenyu was walking too fast. When she got out of the car, she stumbled and knelt directly between Xie Siyan's legs.
But to prevent himself from falling, he reflexively grabbed Xie Siyan's pants.
Silence, a deathly silence.
After an unknown amount of time, Xie Siyan's cheerful voice rang out: "There's no need for such a grand ceremony."
Yan Shenyu: "..."
Ugh, how awful!!
He should have just charged in headfirst and attacked Xie Siyan's small head with his big head! He wanted to see if Xie Siyan would still be able to laugh then!
Alternatively, pulling Xie Siyan's pants down would be good too, at least he shouldn't be the only one embarrassed.
As if sensing his thoughts, Xie Siyan said quietly, "I have a belt."
Yan Shenyu was startled and quickly retorted, "I don't want to take your pants off!"
Upon hearing this, Yan Shenyu met the frightened gazes of the passersby. The older woman gave them a disdainful look and quickened her pace to walk away.
Yan Shenyu: "..."
Yan Shenyu was too ashamed to face anyone. He silently got up from the ground and squatted down under a nearby telephone pole, becoming withdrawn.
It wasn't until a horn blared that Yan Shenyu regained his senses. He looked up and saw Xie Siyan sitting confidently in the driver's seat.
"Get in the car, I'll take you home."
Yan Shenyu silently climbed into the passenger seat, still without saying a word.
"It's alright," Xie Siyan comforted her tenderly, "After all, this life will pass by very quickly."
"Uh..." Yan Shenyu remained silent the entire way back until they arrived at the entrance of the residential area. Xie Siyan nudged his arm and said, "Wake up, stop pretending to be asleep. Someone is looking for you."
When Yan Shenyu opened her eyes, she saw Xiao Zhenliang's disgustingly ugly face on the side of the road.
Before he could even look away, the other person said, feigning deep affection, "Be careful what you say, let's talk some more..."
Yan Shenyu closed her eyes in disgust and said to Xie Siyan, "Don't call me if you encounter something like this in the future."
Xie Siyan: "After all, he was your ex."
Yan Shenyu: "Don't disgust me."
Xie Siyan raised an eyebrow, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
So when Xiao Zhenliang rushed over again to try and stop the car, Xie Siyan didn't slow down at all and drove straight at him in his sports car. The speed was so fast that if Xiao Zhenliang had reacted even a second slower, he would have been hit and nearly killed.
“Uh…” Yan Shenyu: “There’s no need for that.”
Xie Siyan parked the car in the garage of Yan Shenyu's villa before slowly saying, "I thought you hated him."
“Uh…” Yan Shenyu: “Although I hate him, I don’t want him dead…”
"He'll avoid it." Xie Siyan said expressionlessly.
Xiao Zhenliang may seem affectionate, but he always cares most about himself. He only rushed to stop the car because he knew Yan Shenyu still had feelings for him and wouldn't dare to actually harm him; he resorted to this self-inflicted injury. If he had known Yan Shenyu wouldn't stop, he would have definitely stayed far away.
...
At the entrance of the villa complex, Xiao Zhenliang got up from the ground, still shaken. His expensive suit was scratched, his carefully styled hair was messed up, and his face was bruised from the fall. He had never been so disheveled in his life.
To his utter surprise, Yan Shenyu didn't hesitate at all! She just charged straight at him!
If he hadn't reacted quickly, he would have almost died under the wheels of a car!