Tanghulu's Sweetness

After escaping the main road where she had suffered "social death," Huo Wu hugged the heavy bag of snacks and turned into a relatively quiet side street. Leaning against the cool wall, she panted softly, feeling that the heat in her face had yet to fully fade.

The bag in her arms gave off the aromas of all sorts of food, constantly reminding her of what had just happened. That guy... How could he say something like that so naturally?! "I'll support you"... Was that something one could just say so casually?! Did he even know what those words meant?!

Huo Wu's heart was still racing as if she had a rabbit tucked inside it. She forced herself to calm down and tried to arm herself with her usual pride. Right, he was just a loose-tongued, eccentric guy. She couldn't take his nonsense seriously!

But... the very real "sincerity" in her arms made it impossible for her to fully convince herself.

Just then, Zhang Bufan ambled over, still wearing that relaxed smile that left her both annoyed and helpless.

"Why were you walking so fast? No one was chasing you." He walked up to her and naturally reached out, smoothing the slightly messy hair at her temples from her hurried pace.

Huo Wu shrank back like a startled deer and glared at him warily. "Y-you... Don't get handsy!"

Zhang Bufan obligingly withdrew his hand without getting angry. His gaze fell on the bag she was clutching tightly, and he smiled. "What? Isn't it tiring to hold it? Try some first. If you don't like the taste, we can buy from another shop next time."

"There's going to be a next time?!" Huo Wu nearly screamed, then realized she had overreacted and hurriedly lowered her voice. "There won't be a next time!"

Zhang Bufan raised an eyebrow but neither confirmed nor denied it. He merely held out his hand, signaling for her to give him the bag.

Huo Wu hesitated for a moment before handing it over. It really was quite heavy to keep holding.

Zhang Bufan took the bag and opened its drawstring closure. The mixed sweet fragrance became even richer. As though selecting treasures from his own vault, his eyes swept across the dazzling assortment of snacks before landing precisely on the pile of intact, bright-red tanghulu.

He carefully took out one skewer. Its sugar coating was crystal clear, its hawthorns plump, gleaming enticingly beneath the sunlight spilling through the gaps in the eaves. This one seemed even better than the skewer Huo Wu had eaten earlier.

He held the tanghulu but did not immediately hand it to Huo Wu. Instead, he examined it carefully, then brought it to her lips, his voice carrying a coaxing gentleness.

"Come, try this one too. I heard that sweet-and-sour tanghulu are many girls' childhood dreams, and something they still long for after growing up. Look at this skewer. Isn't it sweeter than the one from before?"

His movements were natural and intimate, as though they were a couple who had been in love for years.

Huo Wu looked at the tanghulu held to her lips, then at Zhang Bufan's eyes, filled with amusement and anticipation. Her heart skipped another traitorous beat. She wanted to turn her head away with some dignity and say, "I can eat by myself," but her body seemed to have been struck by a paralysis spell, unable to move.

His gaze was far too bewitching. There was not the slightest hint of teasing in it, only pure anticipation of seeing her taste something delicious.

The surroundings were quiet, with only the sound of a breeze brushing past the street. She could even hear her own heart pounding like a drum.

As if possessed, she parted her lips slightly and, from his hand, gently and carefully took a small bite from the largest hawthorn, the one covered in the thickest layer of sugar.

"Crack—"

The crisp cracking sound of the sugar shell was especially clear in the quiet alley. The familiar sweet-and-sour flavor burst across her taste buds at once. The slight tartness of the hawthorn perfectly balanced the cloying sweetness of the coating, bringing a pleasant sense of satisfaction.

Yet for some reason, Huo Wu felt that this bite really did seem much sweeter than the one she had eaten on the noisy street earlier. Was it because the surroundings were quiet? Or because... the person feeding her was different?

She chewed slowly, her long lashes lowered as she did not dare look at Zhang Bufan's expression.

Watching her take tiny bites like a cautious cat testing the waters, Zhang Bufan found her so adorable that his heart softened. A bit of glistening sugar syrup had stuck to her rosy lips, making her look even more alluring.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and his gaze darkened slightly, but he quickly regained his clarity. He chuckled, his voice carrying a trace of barely noticeable huskiness.

"Mm, it really is sweet."

His words carried a double meaning, referring not only to the tanghulu, but also to the person before him.

Huo Wu's face flushed bright red again. Her heartbeat, which had only just settled down a little, began racing wildly once more. She abruptly raised her head and glared at him in embarrassment and annoyance, trying to swallow the sweet hawthorn in her mouth. But his gaze flustered her so much that she nearly choked.

"Y-you... What nonsense are you talking about?!" She finally swallowed and snapped back indignantly, but the lingering sweetness in her mouth robbed her words of conviction.

(Greasy Daily Life +1)

Zhang Bufan laughed even more cheerfully, as though teasing her was one of life's greatest pleasures. He nudged the tanghulu skewer she had bitten closer to her. "I'm not talking nonsense. Isn't tanghulu sweet? Or do you think it isn't sweet enough? Then shall I have another taste?"

As he spoke, he made as if to put the hawthorn she had bitten into his own mouth.

"No!" Huo Wu cried out. Almost instinctively, she snatched the tanghulu skewer from his hand and clutched it tightly like a little animal guarding its food. "Th-this is mine!"

Only after speaking did she realize how childish and... ambiguous her actions had been! What she had snatched was the tanghulu he had held to her lips, and she had already taken a bite from it!

Zhang Bufan froze for a moment before bursting into delighted laughter. His laughter was bright and magnetic, echoing through the small alley.

"Ha ha ha... Fine, fine. It's yours. It's all yours." Seeing her embarrassed and flustered expression as she tightly gripped the tanghulu as though it were some peerless treasure, he felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction and joy.

Huo Wu was so embarrassed by his laughter that she wished she could throw the tanghulu skewer in her hand at his face like a hidden weapon! But... looking at those crystal-clear red fruits, she ultimately could not bring herself to do it.

She turned away from him angrily and, with her back to him, took small, vicious bites of the tanghulu as though she were biting Zhang Bufan's flesh.

The sweetness continued to spread through her mouth, mixed with an indescribable flutter that left her heart in turmoil.

Watching her puffed-up back, Zhang Bufan knew he could not tease her any further. One more push and her fur might stand on end. He held back his laughter, though the corners of his lips remained raised high. He retied the snack bag, carried it in his hand, and walked to her side.

"Alright, I won't tease you anymore. Let's go, Lord Flame God. This Humble One will carry your bag." His tone was light and teasing.

Huo Wu huffed and ignored him, but she still followed his footsteps out of the alley with him. In her hand, she continued to clutch the tanghulu skewer, now reduced to only a few pieces.

The sunlight remained bright, and the streets remained bustling. But the atmosphere between them had quietly changed. An invisible, sweet thread seemed to have entwined them a little tighter through that shared bite of tanghulu.

As Huo Wu ate her tanghulu, she secretly glanced sideways at the carefree Zhang Bufan beside her.

That guy, although domineering, shameless, and strange in his behavior... did not seem quite so annoying after all.

At least, the tanghulu he bought really was sweet.