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墨書 Inktalez
Seven o'clock in the evening.
The days of winter pass quickly, and in a daze, Miao Chengmin even feels as if he has crossed over from the summer days. Looking at the dark school gate and the neon-lit snack shops outside, he finds it hard to adapt—this is the north, after all. Wasn't there always a sunset glow at seven in the evening before?
"Oh!"
Lost in thought, Miao Chengmin suddenly realizes and pats his head, self-deprecatingly saying, "It's already winter. Only in summer can you see the sunset glow at seven in the evening. Ha. Sigh... It's been another semester since I first met Ming Juan."
Miao Chengmin glances at his phone; the agreed time is approaching, but Ming Juan hasn't shown up yet. He eagerly turns back to look at the path he just walked, but unfortunately, he still doesn't see that figure that captivates countless boys on the school road.
"Wow, time flies..." Not seeing Ming Juan, Miao Chengmin turns around and pulls his thoughts back into reminiscence. After this week, winter break will begin. This semester has been anything but ordinary for him; having gone through so many unusual events, he really wants to savor this semester again.
"Yes, it really is fast. Soon we’ll be on break."
"Huh?" Hearing that pure voice, Miao Chengmin suddenly looks up and focuses: "Ming Juan? What are you doing outside the campus?"
"Hehehe..." Ming Juan tilts her head like a little rascal, her small hands behind her back as she sweetly smiles, "Did you think I was late? I've been here for quite a while already. Come on out; the taxi is waiting."
"Just the two of us?" Miao Chengmin swipes his face to unlock the school gate, walking forward in disbelief.
"Who else could it be?" Ming Juan rolls her eyes at him. "That restaurant's smallest dish costs at least three digits; I can't afford to invite anyone else. Plus, they don't take regular reservations, so I had to go there this afternoon to place an order. Sigh... I hope my serious preparations can meet your expectations..."
Ming Juan's voice gets quieter; Miao Chengmin barely catches the last part and hurriedly waves his hand: "How could I let you think that? You're a young lady; it's only right for me to help you..."
"Hmph, I don't want you to think that either." Ming Juan opens the car door and surprisingly lets Miao Chengmin go in first. "I told you before; I'm no longer a young lady. Just treat me like an ordinary girl."
Ming Juan hopes that through this "thought education," she can completely dispel some of Miao Chengmin's unnecessary concerns about her. She believes that gradually, Miao Chengmin will find the courage to develop feelings for her. In fact, during this date, Ming Juan isn't entirely confident about winning over Miao Chengmin either. She has never pursued anyone before; compared to Miao Chengmin who sits in the back seat staring blankly out of the window, Ming Juan fidgets with her hands nervously.
Once they are in the car, neither of them speaks; their eyes gaze out of their respective windows as the wheels roll along various shops and residential buildings, flashing with a hint of youthful innocence. Miao Chengmin is still pondering how to chat with Ming Juan when the car's music begins to fill his ears:
"Goodbye my girl, witness my failure, unable to give you a future..."
"Eh?" Miao Chengmin hears this and playfully asks the driver: "Uncle, you listen to this song too?"
"Haha! This is an old song from decades ago!" The driver exhales a puff of smoke and slowly turns the steering wheel in a wide arc, almost knocking Ming Juan against Miao Chengmin's shoulder as she listens intently. Miao Chengmin looks down at Ming Juan who nearly toppled over and gently holds her arm to prevent her from falling. Ming Juan lifts her head; their eyes meet for a moment, and she instantly feels shy as she gazes at Miao Chengmin's face and giggles before sitting up straight.
"When I was your age, I also had a deeply memorable romance. So this song has carried my sentiments all these years," explains the driver uncle.
"You've heard it?" Ming Juan points at the song title displayed on the screen ahead. Miao Chengmin nods and replies: "I often listen to it because I really like smoky voices."
"Mm~" Ming Juan suddenly adopts a gossiping expression, "Listening to such a sad song—did you have a past relationship?"
"No way! How could I? I'm just a poor guy," Miao Chengmin quickly defends himself.
"Haha! Your girlfriend might be jealous then, young man!" The driver uncle glances back at the two young people and jokes.
"Ah! We... we are not!" Miao Chengmin panicked upon hearing this. As a child from a poor family, how could he dare to have thoughts about the young lady? He was immediately flustered, fearing he might offend Ming Juan. "We really aren't, Uncle, please don't say that!"
"Hmm?" Through the rearview mirror of the car, the driver could see that Ming Juan had shyly lowered her head, delicately pressing her palm against her cheek, deliberately avoiding Miao Chengmin's anxious gaze, seemingly stifling a laugh. The driver saw right through Ming Juan's little thoughts and smiled knowingly.
"Young man..." The driver looked at the stream of cars ahead with their red tail lights flashing and said slowly, "The most beautiful things are always the most regrettable, and the best things are always those we lose. I hope this saying doesn't come true for you."
After a while of being stunned, Miao Chengmin began to reflect on the driver's words. The car fell silent again. By the dimly lit window, Miao Chengmin quietly turned his head to look at Ming Juan, who had been silent. The tips of her brown hair fluttered in the wind, gently brushing against his heart like autumn leaves, dancing with tenderness.
"Hello, are you the guest who reserved table number seven for two?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Please follow me."
"Wow..." Miao Chengmin followed behind Ming Juan as they walked towards table seven, looking around with his head tilted up. The opulent interior was dazzling with lights, and even the patterns on the walls seemed meticulously arranged. Although Ming Juan had mentioned that the food here was very expensive, there were still many diners present. Elegantly dressed people came and went; just watching them made it clear that they were not ordinary patrons. For this date, Miao Chengmin had specially chosen his favorite Nike sweatshirt paired with jeans, but here he felt like a clown.
"Sigh..." Miao Chengmin sat down and watched Ming Juan calmly and skillfully communicate with the waiter across from him. "You don't look like a young lady; that long dress suits this place perfectly. Indeed... sigh, poverty limits my imagination."
"Alright." After the waiter left, Ming Juan leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands as she looked at Miao Chengmin. "The first dish will be served soon."
"You’re amazing," Miao Chengmin remarked, glancing up at the chandelier and wondering how much he would have to pay if he broke it.
"Amazing?" Ming Juan smiled slightly. "What else do I have besides a bit of money? Hmm?"
"There is," Miao Chengmin blurted out. "You dare to eat monkey brain; I definitely can't. Just don't ask me to eat that later."
"Pfft!" Just as Ming Juan took a sip from her wine glass and heard Miao Chengmin's words, she quickly covered her mouth to avoid spitting it out. "I'm sorry for losing my composure... Monkey brain? Who told you they serve such terrifying food here?"
"Ah..." Miao Chengmin was stunned. "My roommate said Michelin restaurants have monkey brain..."
"Are you trying to make me die laughing? Hahaha..." Looking at Ming Juan laughing with her head thrown back made Miao Chengmin feel even worse; he swore he would scold his foolish roommates when he got back.
"Oh dear, your roommate is just messing with you! Let me enlighten you." Ming Juan cleared her throat, shook her head to toss aside her hair, and raised a finger to explain: "First of all, Michelin is an honorary title for restaurants; you know about the Nobel Prize, right? It's like that. Also, monkey brain is banned in our country; you think you can eat such terrifying things here? Maybe your brain has been eaten instead! Hahaha..."
"Haha, that's true..." Miao Chengmin scratched his head and looked at the small dish placed in front of him. "What is this?"
"Chestnut Puree with Chestnut Cream," Ming Juan introduced while pointing at the cup filled with something resembling yogurt. "It has diced ham and sourdough croutons on top. One cup per person; cheers!"
"Huh?" Miao Chengmin looked confused. "Can this be eaten like drinking?"
"Of course not," Ming Juan teased him playfully. "Just improvising; come on, go along with me."
Since Miao Chengmin didn't understand anything anyway, he followed Ming Juan's lead. When they clinked their cups together, Ming Juan laughed triumphantly and let out a giggle that was so evident in her expressive eyes. Watching her made Miao Chengmin's restrained desires begin to stir.
"Maybe... it's not impossible..." For the first time, Miao Chengmin had such thoughts.
As various meticulously prepared dishes were served, Miao Chengmin now felt that the colorful and unfamiliar food before him resembled a man-made patch of grass, with various colors of delicacies dotting the green. A gentle sniff would greet him with a warm aroma. Across the table, Ming Juan looked like the goddess amidst that grassy blue sky, while he stood on the grass, admiring her beauty.
"Have you thought about finding a partner? Hmm? Brother Miao?" Seeing Miao Chengmin somewhat distracted, Ming Juan waved her chopsticks and asked.
"Ah? I thought about it during my freshman year," Miao Chengmin snapped back to reality, feeling a jolt—this was too obvious; Ming Juan was hinting at him.
"Then go find one," Ming Juan said casually as she scooped up a piece of tuna.
"Find...," Miao Chengmin sighed deliberately, "I can't find anyone."
"Haha." Ming Juan smiled lightly. She wanted to speak up; that thought had crossed her mind countless times, but she never had the courage to voice it.
"Can I find you?"
"Ah?!"
At first, there was a moment of daze, and after a long pause, Ming Juan finally focused on Miao Chengmin across the table. A delightful sense of ambiguity suddenly spread between them. Ming Juan ultimately felt shy, lowering her head and covering her mouth, unsure how to express her excitement to her beloved.
Miao Chengmin simply sat quietly, as if appreciating her beauty. Indeed, Miss Ming with her flushed cheeks was utterly enchanting.
"Actually, I've been waiting for you to say something," Ming Juan mustered her courage and admitted.
"So have I," Miao Chengmin replied bashfully with a silly smile. Their movements mirrored each other perfectly as they rubbed their hands on their pant legs, gazing at each other with affection across the table.
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