This Bowl Is on the House

Only then did Huang Bohan realize that "170" referred to her weight. He immediately demanded that Chen Zhu reimburse the eight yuan he had spent on the taxi.

"Live and learn. Download the Anti-Fraud Center App next time."

Chen Zhu muttered something Huang Bohan couldn't understand. Yuanyuan wasn't actually 170 jin, but at under 1.6 meters tall, she was definitely overweight.

Next, Chen Zhu and Huang Bohan discussed where to go to play video games.

They each had their own ideas. Chen Zhu wanted to check out Tianhe City, since it would become the liveliest place in Yuecheng in the years ahead.

Huang Bohan wanted to go to Capital Road because there was an Anime Star City there, where they could read manga when they got tired of gaming.

"I suggest Shangxiajiu."

Zhao Yuanyuan suddenly chimed in.

"Why?"

Chen Zhu asked politely, "Is it because the arcades there are newer?"

"No."

Zhao Yuanyuan shook her head. "Because there's a really good ice cream shop there."

Chen Zhu and Huang Bohan: ...

In the end, however, the three of them went to Shangxiajiu. Neither Chen Zhu nor Huang Bohan could persuade the other, so they might as well go along with Zhao Yuanyuan's suggestion.

It was a pedestrian shopping street with food, drinks, and entertainment all in one place anyway. They would find something fun to do no matter what.

Shangxiajiu was exceptionally busy on Sundays. Besides Yuecheng locals, there were plenty of tourists from elsewhere. Before online shopping became a habit, people had to queue even when they walked into a random brick-and-mortar store to buy clothes.

Chen Zhu and Huang Bohan picked an arcade that looked busy. Huang Bohan even pulled Chen Zhu aside at the entrance to lay down the rules.

"Even brothers need to keep things fair. You can't pick Orochi, Crazy Iori, or Crazy Leona. No attacking when I'm stunned, and no raw supers when I'm cornered..."

"Chen Zhu, Bohan, let's get ice cream first."

Zhao Yuanyuan interrupted excitedly from beside them. "I spotted the shop!"

Huang Bohan glanced at Chen Zhu.

After a moment's thought, Chen Zhu agreed. "Let's get ice cream first, then. Otherwise, she'll be bored standing around while we play."

He also reassured Huang Bohan, "Zhao Yuanyuan just ate. An ice cream should fill her up."

Perhaps because the ice cream shop was so good, there were plenty of customers queuing. Chen Zhu stood there for over ten minutes before his turn finally came.

"Three ice creams, all strawberry."

Chen Zhu handed the money through the window.

After another long wait, Chen Zhu finally received the first little tub of ice cream and handed it to Zhao Yuanyuan.

"Thank you, Chen Zhu~"

Zhao Yuanyuan spoke in a sugary voice.

Huang Bohan pretended to throw up.

By the time Chen Zhu had collected the other two ice creams, his forehead was covered in sweat. Just as he was ready to head happily back to the arcade, Zhao Yuanyuan stared off somewhere else and said, "Chen Zhu, there are lots of people queuing for those lamb skewers over there too."

"Don't you still have..."

Chen Zhu stopped halfway through his sentence. She had already polished off her ice cream.

"Why don't we give you the money and you go buy them yourself?"

Huang Bohan couldn't help suggesting.

"But I don't want to be out in the sun."

Zhao Yuanyuan sounded terribly put-upon.

Chen Zhu found it a hassle too, but their parents knew one another, so he couldn't simply abandon her or ignore her... Still, the sun really was scorching. He turned to Huang Bohan and said, "Why don't you go buy them? You're darker than us anyway."

Bohan might have been an honest fellow, but he wasn't stupid. He shook his head like a rattle. "What's that got to do with me? Being dark doesn't mean I'm immune to the sun."

"When we play later, besides all those conditions, I can agree not to use Kyo Kusanagi."

Chen Zhu offered another concession.

Huang Bohan was a genuine high school student, after all, and cared far more about winning games than Chen Zhu did. After a brief hesitation, he said, "No Robert either."

"Deal!"

Chen Zhu handed Huang Bohan the money.

Once the lamb skewers arrived, Chen Zhu told Zhao Yuanyuan seriously, "This time, you have to be good and come along while we play."

"Mm... mm..."

The chubby girl agreed while turning her eyes toward a convenience store next door.

For the first time, Chen Zhu felt how exhausting it was to look after a child. Looking worn out, he asked, "What else do you want to eat? Let's buy it all at once."

"Fish ball noodles!"

Zhao Yuanyuan answered happily.

Perhaps realizing she had made rather a lot of requests, she immediately promised, "I'll be full after the fish ball noodles."

"Come on, come on! Let's get the fish ball noodles!"

Huang Bohan sounded a little impatient. Chen Zhu remained relatively calm. After all, once he started working, he would encounter rigid, old-fashioned bosses who were even more annoying.

There was something odd about this convenience store, though. A crowd was packed around the checkout, noisily clamoring as if they were all fighting to pay.

While Chen Zhu was still puzzling over it, Huang Bohan suddenly nudged him and whispered, "Yu Xian."

"Where?"

Chen Zhu thought she was shopping outside and even rose onto his toes to look around.

"Not outside. Inside."

Huang Bohan pointed at the convenience store cashier.

Only then did Chen Zhu notice that the cashier was actually Yu Xian.

She wasn't wearing her school uniform today, but a white long-sleeved shirt and ink-blue jeans. The pure white shirt looked simple, while the fitted jeans hugged her long, slender legs, making them look so straight that anyone looking felt tempted to reach out and touch them.

Her long hair, streaked with burgundy highlights, fell to her waist, its ends curling naturally. She wore little makeup on her flower-like, oval face. Her fair skin almost seemed to reflect light, forming a natural contrast with her vivid, cinnabar-red lips.

Chen Zhu suddenly understood why so many people were gathered there. They were all here to admire a beauty.

But Yu Xian wasn't someone to be trifled with.

Sure enough, as soon as they came a little closer, they heard her crisp voice scolding people.

"Mister, buy it if you want it. Otherwise, put it down. Stop squeezing that cigarette pack! Who am I supposed to sell it to once you've crushed it?"

"A hundred US dollars? I don't have change for that. There's a bank next door. Exchange it yourself!"

"Don't ask me for directions. I came down from the mountains to work. I don't know this area either."

A young man in glasses who looked like a college student stood hesitating for ages with a red bean bun in hand. Finally, as he paid, he worked up the courage to say, "H-hello... could I get your QQ?"

Yu Xian raised her slender brows and said expressionlessly, "Sorry. I don't add people on QQ, I don't have a mobile phone, my landline's been cut off, and I live under a bridge."

"Oh, oh, okay."

The young man in glasses slunk away, leaving his bun behind and even forgetting to ask for his money back.

"Unbelievable~"

Yu Xian rubbed her tired head. Who knew how many times this happened every day? Couldn't they just buy something like normal people?

"Hello."

Another customer's voice reached her ears, but this one sounded a little familiar.

Yu Xian pulled herself together and raised her head, only to discover that it was the boy from Class 11 who had given a speech onstage last week.

Yu Xian remembered Chen Zhu's name. Seeing that there were three people in his group, she figured he had come to Shangxiajiu with friends.

"What would you like?"

Yu Xian asked directly. She wasn't the sort to feel inferior just because a schoolmate had discovered her working part-time.

Why should she feel inferior about earning money through her own efforts?

"Three bowls of fish ball noodles."

Chen Zhu also pretended not to know Yu Xian. In truth, there was no need to pretend. They weren't really that familiar with each other anyway.

"Four bowls!"

Beside him, Zhao Yuanyuan suddenly held up four chubby fingers.

"Why?"

Huang Bohan even made a point of counting everyone. There were only three of them.

"Because I'm having two bowls!"

Zhao Yuanyuan declared with perfect confidence in her little-girl voice.

The corner of Chen Zhu's mouth twitched. Looking utterly defeated, he told Yu Xian, "Still three bowls. I won't eat. Just a bottle of cola for me."

Yu Xian glanced at Chen Zhu without saying anything else.

At convenience stores like this, the cashier prepared the fish ball noodles herself. And since it was on a busy pedestrian street, with the dangerously beautiful Yu Xian at the till, Chen Zhu and the others waited almost fifteen minutes before she brought their noodles over.

Chen Zhu took a look and suddenly asked, "Why are there four bowls? We only ordered three."

"You waited too long. This bowl is on the house."

Yu Xian spoke casually. As she turned away, the ends of her hair swung lightly across Chen Zhu's chest.

"Did she give us an extra bowl because we go to the same school?"

Huang Bohan asked with a grin.

"No idea."

Chen Zhu picked up some noodles and took a bite. They were firm and springy, and with the special sauce, they really were pretty good.

Yu Xian must know how to cook.

Chen Zhu took a sip of cola, thinking to himself as he watched the passing crowds through the convenience store's glass wall.

Then a tall, powerfully built figure appeared at the entrance. He was so robust that it was hard not to notice him.

His looks were average, but he stood a full 1.9 meters tall. He wore a loose shirt and shorts, along with a pair of the latest air-cushioned basketball shoes. The red swoosh stood out prominently, as though he was afraid people might not realize they were Nike.

One look at that outfit was enough to tell he was a sports student.

More precisely, he was probably a sports student from Zhixin Middle School, since its logo was printed on his shorts.

(Thanks for your support. There'll be another chapter tonight at eight.)

(End of chapter)