Weekend Gathering (Part One)

On a weekend morning, Tang Wulin had been staring at the chat screen on his phone for nearly ten minutes. The message in the chat box—"Gu Yue, we're having a weekend get-together today. Let's go buy some ingredients."—lay there all alone. He set his phone on the table, then picked it up again, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the edge of the screen.

Xie Xie poked half his head out, his hair as messy as a bird's nest. Squinting at Tang Wulin's appearance, he could not help laughing. "Boss, stop staring. No matter how hard you stare, your phone won't automatically pop up a reply." "That sleepyhead is definitely still asleep. She won't wake up before noon."

Tang Wulin said nothing, only gripping his phone a little tighter. Outside the window, the leaves of the plane trees rustled, and patches of light danced across the floor.

"Ding-dong."

The crisp notification sounded especially loud in the quiet room. Tang Wulin lit up the screen almost instantly—it was Gu Yue's reply. A simple "Okay," followed by a round, chibi cat sticker, the cat hugging a fish and smiling with its eyes narrowed. Then another message popped up: "Wait for me by the dorm entrance. I'll get ready."

Tang Wulin's fingers hovered over the keyboard. He deleted and rewrote his response several times before finally replying with only one word: "Okay." He slipped his phone into his pocket, suddenly moving as briskly as if he were a different person.

"Let's go." He patted Xie Xie on the shoulder, unable to suppress the curve of his lips.

The camphor tree outside the dorm building cast a broad patch of shade. Tang Wulin and Xie Xie stood beneath it. The occasional student jogging past stirred a faint breeze. Tang Wulin's gaze remained fixed on the glass door of the dormitory.

The glass door was pushed open.

Gu Yue stepped out. Her pale blue dress gleamed softly in the sunlight, its hem swaying gently with her steps. It was the one they had bought together at the mall last week.

She walked toward them, her hair loosely tied behind her head, with a few stray strands resting against her cheeks. Tang Wulin looked at her and suddenly forgot what he was going to say.

Xie Xie nudged him with his elbow. "Boss, is Gu Yue pretty?"

"N-No... not pretty." Tang Wulin blurted it out before realizing what he had said, and his entire face instantly flushed red.

Gu Yue had already reached them. Hearing that, she paused and looked up at Tang Wulin, one eyebrow lifting slightly. Morning light reflected in her eyes, along with Tang Wulin's flustered expression.

"I—I meant, you look really pretty in what you're wearing today!" Tang Wulin hurriedly tried to fix it, not knowing where to put his hands.

"So what you mean is," Gu Yue said unhurriedly, a hint of amusement in her tone, "that what I wore before wasn't pretty?"

Xie Xie stood nearby, his shoulders shaking as he struggled not to laugh. Tang Wulin was so anxious that sweat formed on his forehead. "No! You looked pretty before too! You've always looked pretty! You look especially pretty today!"

His incoherent response finally made Gu Yue laugh. Her laughter was clear and bright, like wind chimes beneath an eave stirred by the breeze. She raised a hand to tuck the stray lock behind her ear, her eyes still smiling. "I'm teasing you."

Xie Xie chimed in at just the right moment. "Gu Yue, stop picking on Boss. He'd been waiting for your reply since early this morning. He nearly stared a hole through his phone." After saying that, he winked at Tang Wulin.

The blush on Tang Wulin's face had not entirely faded. He lowered his head and rubbed his nose, then secretly glanced at Gu Yue again. She was looking up at the sunlight filtering through the treetops, the line of her profile appearing especially soft in the light.

"Let's go," Gu Yue said as she turned back to them. "Aren't we buying ingredients?"

Xie Xie walked half a step ahead, humming an off-key tune. Tang Wulin and Gu Yue walked side by side, with just the right distance between them—close enough for him to catch the faint scent on her, like grass after rain.

When they arrived at the supermarket entrance, Tang Wulin checked the time and said to Gu Yue and Xie Xie beside him, "Le Zhengyu and Xiaoyan went to buy alcohol and drinks. Xinglan and the others went to buy seasonings and seafood. We'll get the meat." Gu Yue nodded and said as she walked into the supermarket, "You have to get to the supermarket early for fresh meat. If you come late, all the good cuts will have been picked over." With that, she pushed open the supermarket door and headed straight for the fresh food section.

All kinds of meat were displayed before the butcher's counter. Gu Yue picked up a pair of tongs and carefully looked through the piles of meat. She first picked up a piece of pork and examined it closely under the light, then shook her head and put it back. "This one won't do. It's a little too fatty." She picked up another piece and frowned. "This one looks a little dry. It's not fresh enough." Standing behind her, Xie Xie could not help rolling his eyes. He muttered quietly to Tang Wulin, "I knew this would happen. Gu Yue is pickier than anyone when she shops."

Tang Wulin smiled without saying anything as he watched Gu Yue keep selecting. Gu Yue turned to the butcher and asked, "Sir, do you have any better meat? I want good quality." The middle-aged butcher answered with a grin, "Of course. We got some marbled beef in today. Beautiful pattern, guaranteed fresh." Gu Yue's eyes lit up. "Let me see it." The butcher took out a large piece of beef from the refrigerated case. Sure enough, it was bright red, with evenly distributed fat like snowflakes. Gu Yue picked it up with the tongs and inspected it carefully, then nodded in satisfaction. "We'll take this one." She turned to Xie Xie. "Xie Xie, pay."

Xie Xie froze for a moment, then hurriedly asked the butcher, "H-How much is it altogether?" The butcher weighed it and said with a smile, "1,623 Federation Credits. The marbled beef is 342 Federation Credits per pound, and this piece is a little over four pounds." Xie Xie felt a sharp pang in his heart, but seeing Gu Yue's calm expression and Tang Wulin watching nearby, he forced himself to say, "T-That's not too expensive, haha." He pulled out his wallet and paid, silently pleading, Gu Yue, you little ancestor, please don't pick anything even more expensive.

Tang Wulin bought a large bag of pork and chicken nearby, and their total price was not even half that of Gu Yue's marbled beef. Carrying the bag over, he saw Xie Xie's pained expression and could not help smiling. But Gu Yue was not finished yet. She spotted a rack of lamb chops beside them and pointed at it as she asked the butcher, "How much are these lamb chops?" The butcher quoted a price, and Gu Yue immediately said, "Could you make it cheaper?" The butcher shook his head. "No, miss. That's a fixed price. I can't go any lower."

But Gu Yue refused to give up. She pointed at the marbled beef they had just bought. "I already bought such an expensive piece of beef from you. What's wrong with making these lamb chops a little cheaper? Consider it for a returning customer." The butcher was a little swayed by her words, but he still hesitated. Gu Yue continued to bargain, talking from the quality of the meat to their customer relationship. In the end, the butcher could not hold out any longer and said with a wry smile, "Fine, fine. I'll knock off five Federation Credits. No lower than that." Gu Yue nodded in satisfaction, paid, accepted the lamb chops, and raised her eyebrows smugly at Tang Wulin.

Tang Wulin looked at her little triumphant expression, his eyes full of indulgence. "You picked well," he said softly. Xie Xie, standing to the side, was already completely petrified. Looking at Gu Yue, he could not help complaining inwardly: Is this really Gu Yue? She's usually so cool and aloof. How did she turn into an old auntie the moment she entered a supermarket? She can even haggle now? He shook his head, picked up the groceries, and followed the two of them deeper into the supermarket.

After the three finished shopping, they left the supermarket and headed toward the meeting place.