18-year-old Lin Tian, right in the prime of his adolescence... Nah, men are forever young.
Once a boy feels liked by a pretty girl, it's easy for him to fantasize.
Sometimes, he doesn't even need to feel liked.
Just one glance is enough.
Enough to keep a teenage boy blissfully happy for an entire day.
Of course, there is one exception—
If the person is from Foot Washing City.
After Gan Yanyu displayed some inexplicable behavior, it was hard for Lin Tian not to let his imagination run wild.
But soon, he dismissed this momentary thought.
A girl who's preoccupied with planning her afterlife, where does she get the time to think about such things?
Surely she's not thinking about where to get buried with me, right?
On the contrary, thinking about one's own impending death seems a bit morbid.
"I'll go change my clothes first, let's eat on this street later."
"Okay." Gan Yanyu nodded.
...
Leaving the main street, at past 8 o'clock, the business district was at the peak hour for after-dinner strolls.
Lin Tian walked along, casting his eyes toward the restaurants by the road.
Hot pots, barbecues, sauerkraut fish, home-style dishes...
Sometimes, Lin Tian felt the world was just one giant business street.
No matter which city, which street, which business center.
Back and forth, it's all the same stuff.
As Lin Tian walked, he soon realized there was no one beside him.
Turning around, he saw Gan Yanyu was four or five meters behind him.
She walks so slow.
Lin Tian stopped and waited until Gan Yanyu caught up, tilting her head and looking at him with a puzzled expression.
"What to eat?" Lin Tian asked.
"What do you like?"
"Me?... I'm fine with anything."
Lin Tian wasn't picky.
On the way out, he had already snacked on two green bean cakes, so he wasn't really hungry.
In fact, he had agreed to let Gan Yanyu treat him to a meal just to kill time.
"What I asked was 'what do you like to eat,' not 'what to eat,' do you literally like everything?"
Hearing Lin Tian put it that way, Gan Yanyu suddenly spoke a bit more seriously.
And even used a rhetorical question, something she had never done before.
This rhetorical question forced Lin Tian to take things seriously as well.
What's wrong?
Does she dislike when people say "whatever"?
As a girl, this awareness is quite good, usually men are the victims of the "whatever"!
Just then, Lin Tian spotted a shopping center ahead.
"Wanna go look inside the mall?"
...
The two took the elevator up from the first floor.
As they passed the third floor, Lin Tian suddenly reached out, tapped Gan Yanyu's shoulder,
And pointed towards a video game arcade ahead.
"Wanna go play a bit?"
Gan Yanyu followed the direction Lin Tian pointed, gazing at the brightly lit arcade, looking a bit dazed.
"You like playing this?"
She turned her head towards Lin Tian.
"Actually, I'm not hungry yet, just killing some time."
"We can buy a coupon on Meituan for this place, 19.9 yuan for 50 tokens, it's pretty cheap, I can buy it now if we go."
Lin Tian thought.
Since we're going to kill time, taking Gan Yanyu to a video game arcade to play would be a good choice.
Maybe it'll awaken her inner child?
Find some fun things to do, think about the joys of life or something.....
"It's okay, we can just sit in a restaurant and eat slowly."
Gan Yanyu's response outright killed the idea.
"Okay."
Lin Tian had nothing to say.
What a boring woman!
But why does every question I ask, Gan Yanyu questions if I like it or not?
Whether I like it or not, who cares, I'm asking about you!
Lin Tian suddenly felt something.
Gan Yanyu is like a companion he hired, and he is the boss.
During the accompanying session, everything revolves around oneself.
Had I known this earlier, I would have been more assertive!
Now we're at the dining area on the fourth and fifth floors.
Lin Tian began to seriously filter his options, planning to choose a place where they could eat for a long time.
Home-cooked meals? Directly ruled out, since they'd finish in just a few bites and there'd be no reason to stay seated.
Buffet? No, most buffets have a 2-hour time limit.
Hotpot seems so-so, too – you can't just drink soup after finishing the food, right?
With such choices, they wandered around the two floors again.
Finally, Gan Yanyu couldn't help but speak up:
"Lin Tian, what are we actually going to eat?"
"How about... you choose?"
After saying that, Lin Tian earnestly explained, "I really don't mind anything."
"Lin Tian..."
Just then, the girl stopped walking.
She said softly:
"Did you come out to eat just to accompany me?"
"Ah?"
Lin Tian was startled.
Before he could react,
"If that's the case, let's just go back."
A hint of sadness and seriousness suddenly appeared on Gan Yanyu's face.
"Huh?"
Lin Tian was even more confused,
"What's wrong, no, why would you think that?"
His face changed so quickly, as if he had been unexpectedly elbowed.
"Tonight's dinner, it was my way to thank you for last night's hospitality, right?"
Gan Yanyu took a deep breath and said each word very clearly.
"Yes."
Lin Tian nodded earnestly.
"But why do I feel like you are just accommodating me? Not giving a clear answer when asked what to eat, and even thinking of spending more money to do other things... If you're not enjoying it, then I'm not really repaying you."
The girl stared straight at Lin Tian, her eyes full of resentment.
She couldn't understand what Lin Tian was thinking.
She originally wanted to cook a meal for Lin Tian herself, but because he had to work, it turned into dining out.
No matter where they ate, her intention was to properly thank Lin Tian for last night.
The issue here wasn't about money, but the significance of this meal.
Afterwards, they would owe nothing to each other.
Gan Yanyu could then leave this world with peace of mind.
But tonight, Lin Tian seemed not to care about the meal at all.
Since leaving the restaurant where he worked, he had been talking about odd, inexplicable things.
As if telling Gan Yanyu:
This meal isn't anything special, it doesn't matter, I just want to find something else to do right now, even if it's just strolling around...
But when the girl asked Lin Tian, "Is this what you like doing?"
The answer she got was "just to pass the time".
Therefore, dining with me is also just a formality.
Then what's the point of my repayment...
Lin Tian stared blankly at Gan Yanyu.
He seemed to understand the girl's point, yet not quite.
His goal was simple, to find a way to keep Gan Yanyu by his side, to get through tonight if possible...
"Well, um..."
Lin Tian raised his hand and honestly explained,
"I just ate three of your mung bean cakes and am not very hungry, so I'm just not in a hurry."
"Then when I invite you to dinner, you..."
For a moment, Gan Yanyu didn't even know how to describe her feelings.
How should this be said?
Can this meal satisfy you, does it count as repaying last night's favor?
...
How brain-racking!
The girl felt a bit dizzy too.
"Actually, whether we eat or not, it really doesn't matter..." said Lin Tian.
The girl's pupils dilated in an instant.
She looked up.
Lin Tian continued:
"Actually, as long as you are with me tonight, whatever we do doesn't matter."