What Kind of Ordinary Friend Relationship is Stretching Your Feet Under the Table?

"Where are we going later?"

After taking a sip of milk tea from Jiang Qiuyi, Chen Wen asked once he swallowed.

"Just wandering around~"

With her arm around Chen Wen, Jiang Qiuyi pulled him along as they strolled aimlessly through Tianjie. If she saw something pretty or interesting, they'd pop into the store for a look.

But after over an hour of browsing, neither of them bought a single thing.

"Aren't you buying anything?"

"Nope," Jiang Qiuyi shook her head. "I already bought stuff when I went shopping with Mengmeng before."

"Besides, I'm meeting my dad tonight, and he'll definitely scold me if he sees me buying things."

As she spoke, they happened to pass by a hair salon.

Jiang Qiuyi's peripheral vision caught sight of it, and she immediately stopped.

"What's wrong?" Chen Wen asked, confused.

"Come with me~" Jiang Qiuyi smiled and pulled him towards the hair salon.

"Are you getting a haircut?" Chen Wen asked.

"No, you're getting a haircut," Jiang Qiuyi said with a playful grin.

"No way," Chen Wen refused immediately. "This place is too expensive. The salon by my apartment complex only charges 20 yuan."

Although Chen Wen's family had money, he didn't like wasting it.

As far as he was concerned, cutting hair was something anyone could do, and the pursuit of stylish, intricate hairstyles didn't align with his pragmatic philosophy.

"Oh, come on, your hairstyle is so boring. Let's give you a new look and surprise our parents," Jiang Qiuyi wouldn't let go, pulling Chen Wen into the salon.

Chen Wen was about to refuse again, but Jiang Qiuyi quickly added, "The extra money I spend on this haircut beyond the 20 yuan? I'll save it up by not eating snacks for the next few days, okay?"

"..." Chen Wen sighed helplessly and sat down in the barber's chair. "That's not necessary."

"Hehe." Seeing Chen Wen obediently sit down, Jiang Qiuyi leaned in and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Good boy~"

The salon's Tony Teacher draped a cape over Chen Wen and, at Jiang Qiuyi's request, slowly began to trim his hair.

Since they were already here, Chen Wen no longer felt resistant. He figured if he was spending money, he might as well enjoy it.

And so, as time slowly passed, the already handsome young man in the mirror gradually revealed an even more striking and charming image under Tony Teacher's hands.

Just as Chen Wen's haircut was nearing its end, Jiang Qiuyi's phone rang.

"Hello?" Jiang Qiuyi answered. "You've arrived?"

"Then you guys can wait at the restaurant on the fifth floor. Chen Wen and I will be right there."

"Mhm, okay, got it. You guys go ahead."

"No~ I didn't buy anything today, we were just wandering around."

"We can talk about it over dinner. Gotta go now, bye."

After hanging up, Jiang Qiuyi returned to Chen Wen's side and her eyes lit up when she saw him in the mirror.

Chen Wen's looks were already outstanding, and with the new hairstyle accentuating them, his entire demeanor and image took a step up, making it impossible to look away.

After washing Chen Wen's hair again, Tony Teacher styled it, and the haircut was finally complete.

Jiang Qiuyi paid and walked out of the salon with Chen Wen. She weaved around him, in front, behind, and to the sides, before finally shaking her head and sighing.

"What's wrong?" Chen Wen asked, confused, and instinctively touched his hair. "Is there a problem?"

"There is a problem," Jiang Qiuyi frowned, staring at him. "I'm having second thoughts."

"If you go to school looking like this, I don't think I'll feel safe..."

"You'll attract too many other girls."

"..." Chen Wen fell silent, not responding.

He didn't really think much about his own appearance and usually didn't bother styling his hair, so he had no idea how attractive he currently was to girls.

"Ah, forget it," Jiang Qiuyi hugged Chen Wen's arm and took out her phone, holding it up in front of them. "Let's take a selfie to commemorate this!"

"Didn't your parents arrive already..." Chen Wen suddenly felt inexplicably nervous, as if Jiang Qiuyi's parents might pop out from any corner.

"You're getting worried now?" Jiang Qiuyi rolled her eyes at him, quickly took the photo, and then distanced herself from him. "Okay, from now on, we're back to being just ordinary friends."

"...Okay."

Chen Wen nodded and followed Jiang Qiuyi towards the fifth floor.

Without Jiang Qiuyi's arm wrapped around his, Chen Wen indeed felt a sense of discomfort.

Watching Jiang Qiuyi skip ahead, Chen Wen shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts.

They walked upstairs together and arrived at the restaurant on the fifth floor.

Following Aunt Lu's instructions, Jiang Qiuyi quickly found her parents' table and waved Chen Wen over.

"Dad, Mom~" Jiang Qiuyi chirped happily as she ran up and sat next to a woman who looked quite young, throwing her arms around her.

"Hello Uncle Jiang, hello Aunt Lu," Chen Wen greeted, standing by the dining table and glancing at it.

The table was for four. The two elders sat facing each other. Jiang Qiuyi was now sitting next to Aunt Lu, leaving Chen Wen to sit beside his stern and unsmiling Uncle Jiang.

"Sit down, Xiao Chen. See what you want to eat. We haven't ordered yet," Aunt Lu said warmly.

Chen Wen nodded and sat down, his expression neutral.

If an outsider saw them, they might even mistake Uncle Jiang and him for father and son.

Jiang Qiuyi scanned the menu and tapped away without pause. Chen Wen opposite her simply waited. Aunt Lu then said, "Xiao Chen, order a couple of dishes you like too."

I've already ordered everything he likes... Jiang Qiuyi thought, almost saying it out loud. She then glanced guiltily at Chen Wen.

Chen Wen scanned the ordered menu. It was basically all dishes he liked. So, he ordered sweet and sour pork ribs and spicy diced chicken.

Seeing this, Jiang Qiuyi's eyes immediately crinkled with a smile.

Once the dishes were ordered, Aunt Lu started chatting with Jiang Qiuyi about family matters. Uncle Jiang remained silent, taking out a document to review, not wasting a moment.

"Xiao Chen, you have summer vacation in half a month?"

"Yes."

"Qiuqiu said she'll come back with you then. Please keep an eye on her for Auntie during this time, don't let her mess around."

"Okay."

"Mom~ Who's going to mess around?" Jiang Qiuyi protested. "I'm very well-behaved, okay?"

"Well-behaved, my foot?" Aunt Lu retorted. "Don't you remember? When you were in elementary school, you snuck off to play by the river and fell off the railing, unable to get back up. We didn't even know."

"In the end, it was Xiao Chen who found you by the river late at night in the dark."

"Normally, you need someone sensible like Xiao Chen to watch you. Otherwise, who knows what kind of trouble you'll get into!"

Jiang Qiuyi pouted rebelliously. "These are ancient history..."

As she spoke, she glared subtly at Chen Wen.

It was clear that, from childhood to adulthood, Chen Wen was the "child from someone else's family" Aunt Lu always talked about.

If Jiang Qiuyi didn't like him herself, she would have hated him long ago.

The incident above happened over ten years ago, yet her mother still brought it up frequently, like an invincible weapon of attack.

Every time her mother mentioned it, Jiang Qiuyi would recall the memory of being picked up by Chen Wen by the river. The feelings of gratitude and joy would well up, making it impossible for her to retort to her mother.

Thinking of this, Jiang Qiuyi secretly took off her high heels and quietly extended one foot, stepping onto Chen Wen's thigh.

Chen Wen felt the strange sensation on his leg and instinctively looked under the table.

?!

Uncle Jiang was right there!

[Pu Jie Ri Ji]: Went home today to get some early autumn clothes. Got back to school after four, had lunch, took a nap, woke up after seven, had dinner, and then started writing. The second update depends on how things go.