You don't actually want to be a dog, do you?

Perhaps because Yu Xian hadn't been at the convenience store that afternoon and had forgotten to restock, she discovered there were only three blocks of noodles left when she went to make fish ball noodles for everyone.

And so the problem became another brainteaser:

Three blocks of noodles, four people. How should they divide them?

They couldn't exactly pick someone at random and chop them to death.

The trouble was, Zhao Yuanyuan raised her hand again and eagerly announced, "I want two bowls!"

Fine, fine, fine. Now they would have to randomly chop two people to death.

"Then I'll skip dinner."

Chen Zhu rubbed his slightly hungry stomach. The afternoon really had taken a lot out of him, but he couldn't fight Zhao Yuanyuan over food.

Yu Xian rolled her eyes at him. "You're not going to starve!"

After returning to the convenience store, Yu Xian seemed to have worked something out, and her attitude toward Chen Zhu gradually returned to "normal."

"Normal" for Yu Xian didn't mean becoming sweet and approachable. Whenever something annoyed her, she would glare straight at it, even if it was Chen Zhu.

Next, Yu Xian cooked noodles for Huang Bohan and Zhao Yuanyuan. By the time they had both eaten their fill, it was already eight thirty in the evening.

Huang Bohan felt it was about time to go home, but he was too embarrassed to bring it up. It was like visiting a friend's house: once everyone had eaten, drunk, and talked about pretty much everything, suddenly standing up and announcing you were leaving would spoil the mood.

At a time like that, though, if someone took the lead and suggested going home, everyone would leave in a big group.

Huang Bohan glanced at Chen Zhu. He thought Chen Zhu was the best person to bring it up, but Chen Zhu hadn't even eaten yet.

Zhao Yuanyuan?

Damn, she was still drinking the noodle broth.

In the end, Chen Zhu noticed Huang Bohan's awkwardness and told him outright, "Here's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you. Walk Yuanyuan home."

"Huh?"

Huang Bohan had thought everyone would simply go their separate ways. He wasn't particularly willing. This would be the first time in his life he had walked a girl home.

Bohan wasn't hoping for someone on Yu Xian's or Song Shiwei's level, but surely it didn't have to be this 170-centimeter-tall, innocent high school girl.

Still, Huang Bohan couldn't bring himself to refuse in front of everyone. He could only trail behind Zhao Yuanyuan with his head hanging low, while the chubby girl kept turning back from time to time.

"Bohan, there's a place around the corner that makes really good fried skewers."

"I'm not hungry."

"Really? But they're seriously, seriously good."

"Fine. Let's go have a look."

Once those two left, only Chen Zhu and Yu Xian remained in the convenience store, along with the manager, who occasionally vanished without a trace.

"Keep that brown paper bag with the evidence safe. Don't lose it..."

Chen Zhu felt he ought to say something. Otherwise, sitting there in silence until dinner would be pretty dull.

"Mm."

Yu Xian took two packs of instant noodles off a shelf and was looking down as she tore open the packaging. She thought Chen Zhu was being a little long-winded, reminding her about even such trivial things.

What Yu Xian didn't know was that with someone like Chen Zhu, you had to listen for the second half. The first half might just be a way to get the conversation going and lighten the mood.

"So... was that your dad earlier?"

Chen Zhu asked. This was the real second half.

"Mm."

Yu Xian paused, then nodded.

It was the same "mm," but her tone was distinctly different, as though she didn't want to admit it but had no choice.

"Your dad remarried after your parents divorced?"

Chen Zhu asked again.

Yu Xian didn't answer at first. Instead, she emptied the noodles into the pot. As the water bubbled away, clouds of steam rose, blurring her face.

After a long while, she said calmly, "Yes. He married someone else."

Her voice, too, seemed threaded with that drifting mist.

"Your stepmother won't let your dad give you money, not even for living expenses, so you came out to work part-time."

Chen Zhu continued, "And you're living with your grandmother now..."

Clatter!

Chen Zhu was halfway through when he suddenly heard something that sounded like an object being knocked over. Then Yu Xian came striding out, pointed her spatula at him, and demanded angrily, "Tell me! When did you start asking around about my family?"

"I didn't, I didn't."

Chen Zhu hurriedly denied it. "Any normal person could figure that out from what you and your dad said earlier."

"Really?"

Yu Xian was a little skeptical, because she didn't think she could have figured it out.

"With your brains, could I possibly fool you?"

Chen Zhu slipped in a little flattery.

"That's true."

Only then did Yu Xian give a satisfied smile. Then her smile slowly froze, and her voice sank a little, carrying a trace of longing and reluctance to let go. "But my parents didn't divorce. My mom died."

"I'm sorry."

Chen Zhu felt bad, but he still couldn't quite understand. "If that's the case, your dad has a duty to support you anyway. Why won't you take the money?"

"Every time I get money for living expenses, that woman fights with my dad. Then she starts saying things about me, and about my mom too."

Yu Xian lifted her chin and said stubbornly, "My mom left me a little money before she died. Once I scrape together enough to get to college, I can go teach kids to draw. I don't want my mom getting blamed even after she's dead."

Chen Zhu finally understood. After spending the afternoon with her, he had realized that beneath Yu Xian's gorgeous, fiery exterior, she was independent, strong-willed, and unafraid to love or hate.

Perhaps even that fiery attitude was only a way to protect herself because her looks stood out so much.

After all, once there was a stepmother, her father was practically no different from a stepfather. That was why she had gradually grown used to relying on herself for everything, even reaching for nothing more than a ballpoint pen to defend herself in a crisis.

Yu Xian had only come out to check whether Chen Zhu had secretly been asking about her family situation.

When Chen Zhu said he hadn't, she believed him.

Just as she was about to go back and make dinner for the two of them, the elusive manager appeared again. She had already changed into her after-work clothes and said, "Yu Xian, the lights will be going off soon. Get things cleaned up early, and remember to lock the door."

With that, she hurried off to catch her bus.

What does she mean, the lights are going off?

The thought had barely crossed Chen Zhu's mind when a click sounded, and the convenience store plunged into darkness.

Yu Xian's voice came from nearby. "To save on electricity, we're connected to the building next door. They finish work at nine thirty, so our power cuts out right on time too. Go sit by the window. There's light there, and dinner will be ready soon."

"Got it."

Chen Zhu closed his eyes, then slowly opened them again, trying to let them adjust to the sudden change. Then he carefully made his way to a chair beside the glass wall.

Outside, everything was still brightly lit and bustling. The pitch-black convenience store was like a little pebble embedded in a luminous pearl, looking out of place and rather forlorn.

Before long, Yu Xian had finished two plates of stir-fried noodles with egg.

Chen Zhu tried a bite and found that they were actually quite good, especially considering she had made them in the dark.

Yu Xian took a bite too, then suddenly remembered something and hurried to the checkout counter. When she returned, she was holding a bottle of bright red chili sauce.

"Want some?"

Yu Xian scooped out a spoonful and held it beside Chen Zhu's plate.

"It'll give me heatiness."

Chen Zhu shook his head.

"You don't appreciate the finer things in life."

After taking that jab at Chen Zhu, Yu Xian mixed the entire spoonful of chili sauce into her own noodles. Barely two bites later, she was panting and fanning her mouth with her hand. She hurried off to pour herself a glass of mineral water, bringing Chen Zhu a bottle of orange juice while she was at it.

Chen Zhu asked, "Why aren't you drinking orange juice?"

Yu Xian snorted. "You think orange juice is free? Come on, all this stuff gets deducted from my wages!"

"Heh."

Chen Zhu didn't stand on ceremony. Smiling, he unscrewed the cap. "Then hurry up and make lots of money once you're in college. When you treat me to dinner in the future, you'll have to open a bottle of '82 Lafite."

"Just you wait!"

Yu Xian scoffed, but privately made a note of that awkward name, "'82 Lafite."

They soon finished eating, but neither wanted to move or talk.

Yu Xian sipped her purified water and stared absently at the neon lights outside.

In the half-light, Yu Xian's oval face resembled painstakingly sculpted porcelain. After the chili, her lips looked like glistening cherries, their healthy flush more striking than their allure. Her gaze was clear one moment and hazy the next.

When clear, her eyes shimmered; when hazy, they held a dreamy sensuality. An unconscious press of her lips added a playful charm that suited both smiles and pouts.

"All full! Time to clean up!"

Perhaps realizing it was getting late, Yu Xian stood up, giving herself a little encouragement. To make cleaning easier, she first held her hair tie between her teeth, then reached up to gather her loose hair.

At that moment, moonlight happened to fall across her. Her figure beneath her white shirt was graceful and lovely. Faced with that sight, Chen Zhu felt he would hardly be a normal man if he didn't say something flirtatious.

"So..."

Chen Zhu gave a dry cough. "This afternoon, you said you'd rather kiss a dog than kiss Zhang Chao. You're not actually going to kiss a dog someday, are you?"

"Why?"

Yu Xian suddenly turned to look at Chen Zhu. "You don't actually want to be a dog, do you?"

Chen Zhu hurriedly waved his hands. "Don't be ridiculous! How could I? Nothing of the sort! I just remembered how our teachers taught us as kids that we should be as loyal to our friends as dogs..."

He wanted to have it both ways. What a hypocrite.

Yu Xian stopped speaking and silently watched Chen Zhu. There was no telling what she was thinking.

After a long while, she suddenly said softly, "Then close your eyes."

Chen Zhu immediately obeyed, even doing his best to hold back the urge to swallow.

You're the one choosing to kiss me. I didn't ask you to, and I never said I wanted to be a dog.

After waiting a little, Chen Zhu suddenly felt a finger flick his lips gently, ever so gently.

"You really are a bit of a pervert!"

Yu Xian hadn't kissed him, and she had disappeared too. Before long, her voice came from the kitchen. "Chen Zhu, walk me home later!"

"No time!"

Chen Zhu shouted, "My wife's having a baby! I have to hurry home!"

Damn it. You won't even give me a little something, but you're happy to keep bossing me around.

(Three thousand words-please vote, please vote!)

(End of chapter)