Chen Dafu held the jade in his hand, staring at the two people in front of him.
And they were staring back at him.
The awkward silence lasted for about four to five seconds before An Yuan Yao, still holding onto Liu Changqing’s arm, broke it with a tentative question.
“Have you eaten yet?”
“Nope!”
Chen Dafu answered without hesitation.
As he spoke, he peeked inside the house.
“Did you guys cook? If dinner’s ready, set a place. If not, forget it.”
“We haven’t started yet.”
“What a sha.”
With that, Chen Dafu tucked the jade back into his pocket, looking a little disappointed.
Honestly, he had been a little curious to try An Yuan Yao’s cooking. But it was just a passing thought—if he happened to catch dinner ti, great. If not, oh well.
He sighed and looked at Liu Changqing.
“Alright, I’m heading back.”
“Take it slow.”
With that, they exchanged a few polite words before Chen Dafu turned to leave.
Once he was gone, Liu Changqing and An Yuan Yao closed the door.
As soon as the door shut, An Yuan Yao let go of Liu Changqing’s arm and softly said,
“I’ll go prepare dinner.”
“I’ll help. Let’s make sothing special tonight.”
After thinking for a mont, Liu Changqing said this, and the two of them headed toward the kitchen.
Tonight… was worth celebrating.
Downstairs, Chen Dafu stopped and looked back at Liu Changqing’s apartnt.
The lights were still on.
A flicker of envy flashed in his eyes.
He stood there for a few seconds, lost in thought, before finally turning away and walking forward again.
Truthfully, he envied Liu Changqing.
The image of An Yuan Yao holding onto Liu Changqing’s arm at the doorway kept replaying in his mind, and that feeling of envy only grew stronger.
Because when he went ho… he would be greeted by nothing but a big, empty house.
That thought made him feel a little lonely.
He walked in silence.
Since it was hard to hail a cab near Liu Changqing’s place, he had to walk a bit further to find one.
Chen Dafu was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
From the mont he was born, he had what most people could only dream of attaining in a lifeti.
But as he got older…
He realized he wasn’t happy.
Back in school, the classmates around him either ca from wealthy families or held powerful connections.
In that kind of environnt, he grew more and more disgusted by the people around him.
Every conversation eventually led to one topic—his father.
And he hated it.
Eventually, fed up with that life, he rebelled against his family and forced his way out of that elite school, transferring to an ordinary one.
In this new school, no one knew who he was.
And for the first ti, he made so real friends.
But… as he kept spending money like it was nothing, those sa friends started to change.
They beca greedy.
All they wanted was to benefit from him.
After experiencing that, Chen Dafu ca to understand sothing.
Money is a great thing, but it’s also a terrible thing.
It feeds human desire. And once that desire grows, there’s no stopping it.
That was when he made a decision.
He stopped caring about appearances.
Started acting like a delinquent.
Soon, word spread, and even the wealthy families stopped wanting their kids to associate with him.
As ti passed, life started feeling dull again.
Until…
He t Liu Changqing.
Although Liu Changqing was almost ten years older than him, being around him never felt awkward or unnatural.
In fact, it was unexpectedly easy.
And that…
That was why, when Liu Changqing’s daughter was taken away, even though Chen Dafu knew he was lying, he still chose to help him.
Because Liu Changqing wasn’t like other people.
He didn’t try to butter him up.
He didn’t pretend to be respectful on the surface while cursing him behind his back.
Even when Liu Changqing had no money, he treated him as an equal.
When Chen Dafu sold his shopfront to Liu Changqing, he hadn’t just taken the money and left—
Liu Changqing had treated him like a brother.
Even took him to so low-end bathhouse to celebrate.
That bathhouse was the worst place Chen Dafu had ever been to.
The masseuse was so rough that by the ti he got back to his hotel, his whole body was sore and aching.
But…
Seeing Liu Changqing’s life getting better, little by little—
Chen Dafu felt genuinely happy for him.
But at the sa ti…
He felt a little lost.
When will I be able to live like that?
Live for myself…?
He didn’t want to marry the woman his father had arranged for him.
Didn’t want to end up in a loveless marriage.
He just wanted…
To be with soone he truly loved.
Soone who didn’t just want him for his money or his looks.
Chen Dafu walked aimlessly through the bustling streets, lost in thought.
Soone who truly likes … not just my money or looks.
That was what he wanted.
Unknowingly, he had wandered into a lively part of town.
Night had fallen, and the bright lights of the surrounding shops illuminated the streets. People bustled about, moving past him in waves.
Yet, he stood there alone, unmoving.
His stomach growled slightly.
Thinking that there was no one waiting at ho to cook for him anyway, he figured he might as well grab a bite to eat.
With that thought, he randomly chose a street food stall and walked in.
"Boss, what do you have to eat?"
"Wontons, dumplings, xiaolongbao, pan-fried buns, and sauce pancakes. What would you like?"
The proprietress smiled warmly as she spoke, her hands moving swiftly as she wrapped wontons with practiced ease.
Glancing at her, Chen Dafu's attention was caught by sothing she had just ntioned—sauce pancakes.
He had heard of scallion pancakes and sesa pancakes, but sauce pancakes? He had never tried them before.
Curious, he asked, "Are these sauce pancakes any good?"
"They’re our best-selling item!"
"Alright then, I’ll have a large bowl of wontons, a plate of pan-fried buns, and one of those sauce pancakes… Oh, by the way, how do you charge for them?"
"By weight."
"Then just give a dollar’s worth."
After placing his order, Chen Dafu found a seat, pulled out a tiny stool that barely reached his knees, and plopped down.
He had no complaints about small, simple eateries like this.
To him, eating at a fancy restaurant or grabbing a bite at a roadside stall made no difference.
In the end, food was just food.
A "Suspicious" Custor
It didn’t take long.
While he was spacing out, a staff mber arrived with his pan-fried buns and sauce pancake.
She was a young girl, wearing a simple apron and a ponytail, giving off a fresh, youthful vibe. Her cheeks were still slightly round with baby fat, making her look even younger.
With a bright smile, she placed the food in front of him and sweetly announced,
"Here are your pan-fried buns and sauce pancake!"
Chen Dafu instinctively looked up at her.
For a second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds…
Being stared at so intently, the previously smiling waitress suddenly froze.
She glanced at the custor—an ordinary-looking man—and, for so reason, felt a little flustered.
Hurriedly setting down the plates, she quickly turned and rushed back into the shop.
Her smile was gone, replaced with nervousness, as she approached the woman making the wontons—Lan Yixian.
Looking almost like she was reporting a cri, she whispered anxiously,
"Sis… that guy was staring at the whole ti…"
"He was staring at you?"
"It was him…"
She leaned in closer to Lan Yixian, speaking in a hushed tone, and subtly pointed at Chen Dafu, who was now picking up a piece of sauce pancake with his chopsticks.
Lan Yixian followed her gaze.
She imdiately spotted a man with a plain face and equally plain clothing.
At that mont, he was holding a pair of disposable chopsticks, sniffing the sauce pancake as if he were carefully analyzing it.
And his expression…
Had a bit of a pervy look to it.
He looked…
Like a total nutcase.
Lan Yixian also started feeling uneasy.
She quickly instructed, "When you bring him his wontons, don’t talk to him."
"Okay!"
The girl, Gu Xiyu, nodded enthusiastically.
She wasn’t highly educated, having dropped out of high school to work in the city. eting such a kind boss like Lan Yixian—who was not only friendly but also paid her better than other restaurants—was the best luck she could’ve asked for.
And although she was young, she knew how to tell good from bad.
The Misunderstanding Grows
By now, the wontons were ready.
Lan Yixian ladled a steaming bowl and handed it to Gu Xiyu.
She carefully carried it over to Chen Dafu.
But the closer she got, the more she felt sothing was off about this custor.
He was still staring at the sauce pancake… looking at it, sniffing it, even… licking it?!
This guy is exactly like the creeps in TV dramas!
Nervous, Gu Xiyu approached him carefully, quickly placed the bowl of wontons down, and then—without a second’s delay—bolted back into the shop.
Not even daring to stay for a second longer.
Chen Dafu, who had just been served, was left sitting there, utterly confused.
What’s up with this girl? Why does she look like she just saw a pervert?
Shrugging, he refocused on the sauce pancake.
After inspecting it thoroughly, he ca to a conclusion—
He had never eaten this before. It must be so kind of newly popular street snack.
Muttering to himself, he said,
"Sauce pancake… Let’s see if you really live up to your na."
And with that, he took a big bite.
Chewed four or five tis—
Then froze.
This… this is—
His brain montarily stopped functioning.
The flavor of the sauce pancake spread through his mouth.
Damn, this is delicious!
The more he chewed, the more his expression lit up. It was like discovering so rare treasure.
Excited, he devoured it, alternating bites between the pan-fried buns and wontons.
Absolutely amazing.
This is how pan-fried buns should taste! This is how wontons should be made!
Compared to this, all the fancy ones he had eaten before were trash!
With each bite, his taste buds rejoiced. He had never expected a simple street stall to serve food this good.
Turns out, the best food really does hide in the back alleys!
Feeling thoroughly satisfied, he stuffed himself until he was completely full.
Even though he had over-ordered, he managed to finish everything.
Leaning back in his seat, he patted his stomach, closed his eyes, and savored the lingering taste.
"This Guy is Definitely Suspicious!"
From a short distance away, Gu Xiyu was wiping down tables.
And she saw everything.
She watched as the custor finished his al, then sat there with a weird, blissful smile on his face.
Imdiately, she beca even more alert.
He’s not planning to dine and dash, is he?!
However, Chen Dafu didn’t linger too long.
After a mont, he casually took out his wallet and called out,
"Waitress, ti to pay!"
Hearing this, Gu Xiyu quickly put down her cleaning rag and hurried over.
She glanced at the empty plates and quickly calculated the total.
"Three yuan and fifty cents."
"That cheap?"
Muttering under his breath, Chen Dafu nonchalantly pulled out a hundred-yuan bill, placed it on the table, and stood up.
"Keep the change."
"……"
Gu Xiyu blinked.
And then—her face changed.
What kind of normal person gives a hundred for a three-fifty bill and refuses the change?!
Sothing was definitely wrong!
Panicked, she grabbed the money and rushed back to the shop, holding the bill out to Lan Yixian.
"Sis… I knew it! He’s suspicious! He gave a hundred-yuan note and said to keep the change! I think… I think it’s fake!"
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