"Pfft." Su Yue couldnât help but laugh when she heard Lin Li say he wanted to get his moneyâs worth. "You still come to a buffet thinking you need to get your moneyâs worth? How childish."
"How is that childish? Then why donât you tell me what youâre thinking?"
"What Iâm thinking? Itâs simple. I just come here with the intention of trying dozens of different dishes all at once. Iâve never thought about getting my moneyâs worth."
"...Fine! Most of you girls donât eat much anyway, so the idea of getting your moneyâs worth isnât very realistic for you."
"You, on the other hand! Donât stuff yourself sick. Youâll regret it later..." Su Yue said, looking at Lin Li with a gentle smile.
"Iâm fine for now... Iâm nowhere near full yet," Lin Li said.
A little while later, Lin Li had polished off all the food on the table. He picked up the remaining half-glass of his ice-cold soda, downed it in one gulp, and let out a satisfied burp.
"Letâs go!" Seeing that Lin Li had eaten and drunk his fill, Su Yue stood up and headed for the door.
The buffet cost 220 yuan per person, so the meal for the two of them should have been 440 yuan. However, thanks to a coupon from her aunt, they only ended up spending 200 yuan.
Rongcheng was dazzling under the night sky, with beautiful neon lights flashing on both sides of the streets.
The midsummer weather was scorching hot, but after nightfall, the temperature dropped a little. An occasional breeze brought a hint of coolness to the pedestrians on the street.
A walk after you dine, and youâll live to ninety-nine.
After leaving the buffet, Lin Li and Su Yue didnât immediately hail a cab home. Instead, they began to stroll aimlessly down the street.
"Su Yue, your substitute teaching job is almost over, right?" Lin Li asked, turning his head to look at Su Yue walking beside him.
A gentle breeze tousled the hair on her forehead. She raised a slender hand to smooth back the silky black strands and replied.
"I asked my aunt this morning. She told me that her employee has already taken care of her family matters and will be back in Rongcheng the day after tomorrow... so I should be done subbing around then."
"After youâre done subbing, when are you going to start the part-time job at your friendâs flower shop?"
"Thereâs no rush with the flower shop job. My friend told me to rest at home for a couple of days after Iâm done subbing before I start."
"Oh."
"Hey, Lin Li!"
"Yeah?"
"My friendâs flower shop is still short-staffed. Do you want to come work part-time with me?"
"Huh?" Lin Li hadnât expected Su Yue to ask that, and he froze for a moment.
"What do you mean, âhuh?â Iâm asking if you want to work part-time with me. Itâs not like youâre doing anything now anyway, just sitting at home playing games all day. You might as well come with me! Itâd be nice to have some company," Su Yue said, looking at Lin Li with an expectant expression.
âAre you kidding me? As if I have time to sit at home playing games all day! Iâve been getting up at the crack of dawn and working late into the night, hunting ferocious Mutant Beasts in the treacherous wilderness. You have no idea how dangerous and exhausting it is!â
"A guy, working at a flower shop? If people found out, theyâd think Iâm a sissy!" Lin Li said, quickly coming up with an excuse.
"Listen to you! Whatâs wrong with working at a flower shop? Who made a rule that only girls can work there? Plenty of guys from my old school used to work part-time at the flower shops nearby on weekends and holidays! I never heard anyone call them sissies," Su Yue retorted immediately.
"Say whatever you want! Iâm not going to work part-time at a flower shop, period..." Lin Liâs tone was firm.
"You... If you just coop yourself up at home like this, youâll never find a girlfriend or get married..." a disappointed Su Yue said irritably.
"So what if I donât? Living alone is great! I can eat what I want, drink what I want, play when I want. Itâs life without a care in the world," Lin Li said with a nonchalant look on his face.
Su Yue wanted to tell Lin Li that his way of thinking was wrong. If he didnât get married and have children, how would he face his deceased parents?
But the words died on her lips. She felt that even though she was Lin Liâs good friend, it wasnât her place to say such things. So, she swallowed her words and just stared at him, sullen.
Seeing Su Yue speechless for once, Lin Li couldnât help but break into a triumphant grin.
"Hmph... What are you so smug about? Youâll regret it when youâre old..." Su Yue couldnât resist retorting when she saw the corners of Lin Liâs mouth turn up in a self-satisfied smile.
"Hey, *sis*, youâre three years older than me! Instead of wasting your time worrying about whether Iâll ever get a wife, you should worry about yourself! A few more years and youâll be unmarriable," Lin Li shot back casually.
"So what if Iâm three years older? We could ask any random person on the street who looks younger, me or you, and theyâd most likely say Iâm younger! And whatâs this about being unmarriable in a few years? Let me tell you, I can find a boyfriend anytime I want. And the number of guys who want to marry me? Thereâs a long line. Also, donât you dare call me âsisâ again. It sounds awful. If you call me that one more time, I wonât be so nice."
Lin Liâs counterattack hit a nerve. Su Yue, who had been endlessly set up on blind dates by her mother, threatened him menacingly.
"Sis, sis... Whatâs wrong with calling you sis? What are you gonna do about it?" Lin Li laughed, getting a little too cocky as he continued his assault.
However, his triumph didnât last long. He soon paid a painful price.
"Oww... Stop pinching, stop pinching! Iâm sorry! Iâll never call you sis again!" Lin Li yelped, wincing in pain.
"Hmph, you know youâre wrong now, huh? Iâll forgive you this time. If you ever dare to do it again, the punishment will be twice as severe."
Seeing Lin Li admit his mistake, Su Yue immediately released her slender fingers from the soft flesh of his waist and warned him with a radiant smile.
"Resorting to violence when you canât win an argument... youâre too much!" Lin Li muttered under his breath, rubbing the spot where Su Yue had pinched him.
"Lin Li, what are you muttering about?" Su Yue heard him and asked with a sweet smile, but her sparkling eyes held a faint hint of a threat.
"..."
Lin Liâs gaze moved down from Su Yueâs lovely face, traveling south until it finally landed on her long, fair hands.
He saw those same fair handsâthe ones that had just launched an attack on the soft flesh of his waistâtwitch slightly.
It seemed as if she was ready to repeat her previous action on his waist if his next words werenât to her liking.