Snack Buddy

Lin Chudong smiled wryly. "I've already eaten. How about I buy you another one?"

"No, I want this one."

Lin Qiqi took his hand and bit straight into the ice cream.

As a disciplined female star, those two bites of ice cream made her incredibly happy.

Lin Chudong was a little surprised that Lin Qiqi didn't seem to mind sharing with him. Did that count as an indirect kiss?

Was this woman calculating or just innocent?

Was she like this with everyone, or only with him?

There was no reason for her to be like this with him, right?

The only thing Lin Chudong had going for him was that he could write songs. He'd just asked her about it, and she hadn't wanted any. Maybe she really was just oblivious.

"Is that all?"

Lin Qiqi said,

"Of course not. I want to eat lots of things. Buy a few different snacks, and I'll take a bite of each one, okay? You can finish the rest. Don't let them go to waste."

Lin Chudong nodded. Even if she took a bite of each and threw the rest away, he wouldn't mind.

"I want grilled gluten, cold noodles, chicken wings stuffed with rice..."

Lin Chudong memorized the list, and then drove straight to the Snack Street ahead.

Lin Qiqi said, "Da Fei, this is where we met last time. You were riding a motorcycle. Remember?"

Lin Chudong smiled. "I remember. I looked pretty cool on that motorcycle, didn't I?"

"Very cool. I really want to ride one. Will you take me for a ride?"

"Sure. I'll take you after we've had our snacks."

Lin Chudong bought a whole pile of snacks, and the two of them started eating in the car.

The grilled gluten was coated in oil and barbecue seasoning. It smelled delicious even from a distance.

These snacks, so ordinary in the eyes of everyday people, were like the finest delicacies to Lin Qiqi, a top female idol.

"Da Fei, you go first!"

Lin Qiqi loved watching him eat. It was like watching a mukbang streamer—the sight had a certain magic to it.

Lin Chudong took a few bites. Lin Qiqi swallowed. "My turn!"

She grabbed Da Fei's hand and leaned in to take a bite, her face full of satisfaction.

Lin Qiqi took a bite of everything, and Lin Chudong polished off the rest.

"I'm so full. Will you take me for a ride now?"

"Sure. Put on a disguise."

Lin Qiqi put on sunglasses, a mask, and a hat, then sneaked out of the car.

Back at the Piano Shop nearby, Lin Chudong grabbed the keys, hopped on the electric scooter, and took Lin Qiqi for a ride. Liang Yin and the others still hadn't returned. They were probably still on the road.

"Where are we going?"

"To the beach!"

The setting sun reflected off the pebbles along the shore, tinting the whole scene in warm hues.

Lin Chudong and Lin Qiqi walked a long way, eventually stopping beneath a lighthouse.

Sitting by the roadside, Lin Qiqi took off her high heels.

"Da Fei, my feet are so sore. Let's play rock-paper-scissors. If you lose, you have to rub my feet."

"Da Fei, why do you always throw scissors? I keep winning!"

"You're so bad at rock-paper-scissors."

Sitting by the lighthouse and feeling the sea breeze, Lin Qiqi felt completely at peace.

"It's so beautiful. Da Fei, don't you think so?"

"Beautiful."

Lin Qiqi was talking about the sea. Da Fei was talking about her.

Lin Qiqi rested her chin in her hands. "Whenever I missed my mom, I used to come here and look at the sea. Mom said that when people died, they all went to live in the ocean."

Lin Chudong was about to ask her something, but Lin Qiqi spoke first.

"She passed away fifteen years ago."

Lin Chudong sighed. "You're twenty-one this year, so your mom was with you for six years. That's not bad."

"I never got to meet my mom."

Lin Qiqi froze for a moment. "Why?"

Lin Chudong said, "She died after I was born. I was adopted by an orphanage, and I don't even know who my father is."

It was hard for ordinary people to understand the pain of growing up without parents.

Most of the money Da Fei earned went toward building schools. It wasn't because he was exceptionally noble; he was simply grateful.

Lin Qiqi looked at him for a long while, then said,

"I should've asked you to bring your guitar. I really want to hear you sing."

"Then how about I sing without the guitar?"

Lin Chudong smiled. "Sure. What would you like to hear?"

"'Chengdu.'"

"Let's walk down the streets of Chengdu, oh-whoa... How about we sing it together? Like they do on the show."

"Hehe, no. You sing much better."

Lin Chudong and Lin Qiqi sat side by side, their shadows stretching long in the sunset, while the sea breeze drew beautiful ripples around them.

Lin Chudong's voice softened.

"I'll sing a different song."

"That burst of laughter reminds me of Those Flowers

Quietly blooming for me in every corner of my life

I once thought I'd stay by her side forever

Today we've gone our separate ways, lost in the vast sea of people

Have they all grown old?

Where are they now?

We each went our own way, bound for the ends of the earth

La... I miss her.

La... Is she still blooming?

La... Go on...

They've all been swept away by the wind, scattered to the ends of the earth..."

Before long, Lin Qiqi's head came to rest on Lin Chudong's shoulder.

When the song ended, he turned to look at her. The girl had already fallen asleep.

She was sleeping soundly, her little face squished against his shoulder until it was all out of shape.

It was a quiet, beautiful moment.

A little over ten minutes later, Lin Qiqi woke up. He wasn't sure if she'd heard the classic song.

"Are you awake? It's about time I went back. I'll have someone come pick me up."

Lin Chudong asked, "Your manager?"

"No need to trouble Sister Song. I'll ask my dad to send someone."

"Then you'll have to ride the scooter back. It'll get stolen if we leave it here."

Lin Chudong smiled. He couldn't help thinking that this girl was incredibly thrifty.

With her popularity, she wouldn't care about a thousand or two yuan. And if she wanted to keep her figure, it wouldn't be a big deal to take one bite of a snack and throw the rest away.

But instead, she'd stopped ordering once Lin Chudong couldn't eat anymore, so the food wouldn't go to waste. Now she was even worried about the electric scooter.

"Okay, I'll ride it."

"Can I come eat snacks with you again sometime?"

"Sure."

"Then you're my Snack Buddy from now on. That way, we won't waste food."

This girl really was thrifty. She was probably from a poor background, just like him.

Girls from poor backgrounds were all...

Before Lin Chudong could finish his thought, a Bentley Mulsanne pulled up in front of him.

The Bentley's gleaming emblem was dazzling.

A middle-aged driver wearing white gloves got out and opened the car door.

"Miss, please get in."

"Bye, Da Fei." Lin Qiqi got into the car, looking a little reluctant to leave.

"Bye..."

Lin Qiqi was a rich girl?

After the car drove away, he quickly looked it up. The car cost several million yuan.

So he was the only one who'd come from a poor family.

Snapping out of that romantic moment, Lin Chudong slapped his thigh.

"I should've known she was rich. I could've borrowed some money from her just now!"

In the novels he'd read, the male lead would meet a rich, beautiful heiress and shamelessly borrow money from her, then make a fortune. He really ought to learn from them.

Ding.

A WeChat message came in.

Liang Yin: Da Fei, you didn't run off with Lin Qiqi, did you?

Lin Chudong: I'm fine. I'll be back soon.

Liang Yin: Did you take my electric scooter?

Lin Chudong: Yes.

Liang Yin: Get back here, now. You can run off with someone, but don't steal my scooter.