Then Let's Go Get a Foot Massage Together

Gan Yan Yu did not know how long she had slept.

She only remembered having a very, very long dream.

In the dream, many voices seemed to be calling her name.

"Yan Yu, there's no future in learning this! Have you forgotten what happened to your grandfather in the end?!"

"Yan Yu, you've spent too long hanging around that old fool. Now you've become just as stubborn and unreasonable as him!"

"I'm sorry, Miss Gan Yan Yu, but our contract ends here. Please do not come looking for us again."

"Yu, you can't put off this illness any longer. Go to the United Kingdom. Grandpa will wait for you to come back."

Gan Yan Yu suddenly opened her eyes and sat up from the sofa.

She was surrounded by an unfamiliar environment.

Morning sunlight streamed through the balcony's glass door and spilled across the floor.

The sound of running water came from the kitchen. Looking at the cleaned-up table, she finally recalled everything that had happened the night before.

She had actually fallen asleep in Lin Tian's home.

Gan Yan Yu held her forehead.

How much trouble had she caused him?

Drinking really did lead to trouble. Drinking really did lead to trouble!

Almost instinctively, Gan Yan Yu pulled away the blanket covering her and checked herself.

Her slip dress, underwear, and hair were all neat. There was no sign that she had been touched at all.

Her head hurt a little, though, and her thighs were sore.

It was probably because she had been running around outside for so long last night and drunk so much alcohol.

The girl put on her shoes and followed the sound to the kitchen door.

She poked her head in and saw Lin Tian wearing an apron, skillfully working a spatula in the kitchen.

"You're awake?"

"Mm."

Gan Yan Yu walked into the kitchen and came to Lin Tian's side.

"What are you making?"

"Egg noodles."

Lin Tian held out his hand. "Soy sauce."

Gan Yan Yu picked up the Haitian Soy Sauce from the table, opened the cap, and handed it to Lin Tian.

Lin Tian poured it in smoothly, then said,

"Eggs."

"How many?"

"Two."

"Okay."

She handed him the eggs.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

They went into the pan.

Lin Tian then handed the spatula to Gan Yan Yu and walked over to the cutting board nearby.

Chop! Chop!

He chopped up a row of scallions and tossed them into the pan, while Gan Yan Yu quickly flipped everything with the spatula.

The two moved like longtime partners who had worked together for years—clean, efficient, and perfectly in sync.

Before long, the noodles were ready.

They sat facing each other and began eating breakfast.

Gan Yan Yu gently poked an egg with her chopsticks, and runny yolk seeped out.

She picked up the egg and took a bite of its soft center.

The salty fragrance of the yolk burst across her tongue.

The girl's eyes widened abruptly.

"Good?" Lin Tian asked.

"Mm-hmm!"

Gan Yan Yu nodded hard, then took two more bites of the steaming noodles.

After that, she cupped her cheeks in her hands, her face instantly blooming with happiness.

"It's delicious!"

Making such simple egg noodles taste this good really took skill!

"Lin Tian, I never expected you to be such a good cook too."

Gan Yan Yu praised him without hesitation.

Who would have thought that the biggest emotional swing the girl had shown would be over a bowl of egg noodles?

Lin Tian smiled. "Living alone, egg noodles are what I make most often. I guess I've picked up a few tricks."

"When are you going to school?"

"In a little while."

"Are you coming home at noon?"

"Usually not."

Although Lin Tian was a day student, going back and forth by subway was still too much trouble.

During lunch break, Lin Tian usually went to the library near the school to read, or found a milk tea shop and slept with his head on the table.

But—

Lin Tian looked at the girl in front of him.

Although the system had successfully bound itself to him, what worried him most was that the moment he left, Gan Yan Yu might go try to end her life again.

"You're not coming back at noon..."

Hearing that, Gan Yan Yu bit her lip and fell into thought.

"What is it?"

"Before you go, I want to repay you. A meal, milk tea, or going somewhere to have fun—anything is fine. You choose."

Gan Yan Yu said seriously,

"From yesterday until now, I've been troubling you the whole time. I can't just leave like this."

By "leave," you meant go meet God, right?!

As long as you don't run off to kill yourself, that'll count as repaying me.

"Today at noon won't work. How about tonight?"

"Tonight... Ah..."

Gan Yan Yu bit her index finger and sank into thought again.

After a long while,

"I'd better just give you money. You can eat or drink whatever you want. I still have a little savings," the girl said.

Just treating him to a meal and milk tea already required calling it "savings"?

Looks like she was a broke loser too, just like him.

Of course Lin Tian could not take her money. If he did, he would not be able to keep Gan Yan Yu around.

Just then, he suddenly noticed that the girl eating noodles seemed to have poor posture.

"What's wrong with your arm?"

"Huh?"

Gan Yan Yu froze.

Lin Tian suddenly reached out and squeezed her shoulder.

"Ow, ow..." the girl let out a soft moan.

"Did you wear yourself out yesterday?"

"Yeah... My legs are still sore right now."

"Then do you want to get a foot massage?"

"A foot massage? Where? Do my feet stink?"

As she spoke, Gan Yan Yu lowered her head, lifted one little foot, and wiggled her toes.

She looked at Lin Tian innocently.

"Not that kind of foot washing!" Lin Tian said. "A spa, you know? Massages. It can help relax your body."

"Isn't that expensive?"

Hearing that, Lin Tian grinned.

Like performing a magic trick, he pulled a voucher from his pocket.

—Golden Impression Foot Massage 399-yuan discount voucher!

"When I get back tonight, you treat me to dinner, and I'll take you for a foot massage. How about it?"

Gan Yan Yu stared blankly at the voucher in Lin Tian's hand.

Then she lowered her head and looked at her toes.

She hesitated as she said,

"It... it's not impossible."

"Then it's settled!"

Lin Tian stood up and said cheerfully,

"Then don't run around today, okay? Wait for me tonight. I'll take you for a foot massage!"

With that, Lin Tian got up and picked up his backpack from the sofa.

Before Gan Yan Yu could react, Lin Tian took out his phone again, opened WeChat, and held it in front of her.

"Add me on WeChat."

Lin Tian said, "Once I'm at school, you can contact me there if anything comes up."

"Okay."

Gan Yan Yu opened her QR code, and Lin Tian scanned it to add her.

Her name was Sunshine After Rain.

Her profile picture was a sunflower.

Was this really a WeChat name a female high school student in 2024 would use??

Lin Tian suddenly felt as if he had crossed into another era.

Even that twenty-four-year-old woman he had met yesterday who cosplayed as a high school girl had called herself "I'm the Hottest on the Lush Green Plains" on WeChat.

No wonder people said everyone involved in classical music was an old fossil. Gan Yan Yu seemed about the same.

"I'm leaving, then."

Lin Tian slung his bag over his shoulder and opened the door.

Before leaving, he did not forget to look at Gan Yan Yu once more.

"If anything happens, make sure you message me!"

Bang!

The front door shut.

As he walked toward the subway station,

Lin Tian took a deep breath and pulled out his phone.

He recalled Gan Yan Yu's murmurs in her sleep the previous night.

He switched browsers and opened last night's search history.

He had searched for Gan Yan Yu's name.

Yet the first article was not about Gan Yan Yu, but someone else.

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