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Chapter 299: Chapter 142: Suddenly, What Should I Do If I Really Want to Fall in Love?!_2
Before the vendor could respond, Gu Jiuyue hurriedly poked his arm and whispered her request, "I want to try the medium spicy... Mild is so boring!"
"Alright, alright."
Su Huai immediately changed his order, "Big brother, one mild and one medium spicy, please!"
As the vendor busied himself, he tried to upsell, "Only two for the five of you? Will that be enough?"
Su Huai laughed, "Those three won’t eat this kind of stuff..."
"Oh!"
The vendor had an epiphany and, leaning in, asked in a hushed, mysterious tone, "Central Government bodyguards, right?"
Hey, check out the imagination on this one!
Su Huai couldn’t help but laugh. He didn’t nod or shake his head, just carefully watched the vendor’s process.
Actually, grilled squid is one of the least technical street snacks, even easier than making a pancake.
As long as the ingredients are fresh and the sauce is good, it can’t go too wrong.
The actual taste, of course, wouldn’t compare to the top-notch ingredients at Gu Jiuyue’s home; to even compare them would be an insult to money.
But just this little thing had Gu Jiuyue’s eyes lit up with desire.
She stared fixedly, salivating madly, licking her lips at least five times in one minute.
This kid really hasn’t eaten anything, has she...
Su Huai took the cooked squid, wrapped it in a paper towel at the end of the stick, and handed the mild one to her.
"Here you go, try this one first. If you can handle it, then try the medium spicy. Be careful, it’s hot!"
"Okay!"
Gu Jiuyue nodded vigorously and couldn’t wait to take a bite—white warning.
And while others usually bite from the side, she had to be different and bit from the top end of the stick. However, she could only catch one tentacle in her mouth, so the rest of the tentacles smeared her lips and cheeks.
"Wow, this is so delicious!"
The unique flavor of the grilled squid was a pleasant surprise to her, and she even emphasized to Su Huai again, "It’s really amazing! You should try it too!"
"The spiciness is just right? Then can I eat the medium spicy?"
As Su Huai held the stick out for her confirmation, she quickly replied, "You eat! But wait, let me take a small bite first."
So Su Huai raised it up to her mouth, offering it from the side.
After one bite, she started hissing and huffing on the spot.
"It is indeed a bit too stimulating, but the flavor is really good, you picked a particularly successful first food stall!"
Gu Xiaojiu was truly a cute woman who excelled at encouraging others and sharing credit, as could be seen from this small detail.
Su Huai thought: Wasn’t it you who picked it? And now you’re finding reasons to compliment me?
He knew it, but it didn’t stop him from being happy about it.
Just as adept at providing emotional value, Pei Shuyu and Gu Jiuyue had completely different styles.
The former was more dependent, like a dog exposing its belly to you, while the latter was more equal, willing to share everything she had with you.
If one could date two such girlfriends at the same time...
Ah, spit it out!
One mustn’t harbor such thoughts; remember, a true man doesn’t talk about love, only about partners!
Huai was as tough as iron, his king-like aura unfurled, and he polished off the squid in a few bites.
But Gu Xiaojiu, exclaiming how delicious it was, couldn’t take more than a few bites before putting the majority of the squid back into the bag, murmuring to herself.
"No, no, I’ll be full if I keep eating. I need to save some room..."
Su Huai offered her an out, "You really can’t eat too much of this stuff. Just a taste is enough."
"Okay!"
She cheerfully agreed, then began looking around left and right, "Huaihuai, have you seen a trash can?"
Su Huai casually took the paper bag from her, "Don’t throw it away."
"Ah?"
She looked up bewildered, "But what should I do? I can’t just give you my leftovers, right?"
From her expression, it was clear that she truly had no experience with this.
Su Huai was also stumped.
Taking the squid was an instinctive reaction; since he was a child, his family had taught him not to waste food.
But what to do with it, he hadn’t figured out.
Eat it himself?
That didn’t seem quite right either...
To Wu or Andy?
It seemed even less reasonable for them to eat their young lady’s leftovers.
For a moment, Su Huai was actually stumped by a mere half-eaten piece of squid.
Seeing Su Huai’s hesitation, Gu Jiuyue didn’t quite understand, "What’s wrong?"
Su Huai shook his head, "Can’t throw it away, it’s not right."
"Huh?" Gu Jiuyue was confused.
So Su Huai immediately realized that the education she had received definitely didn’t include not wasting food.
That’s right, born with a severe congenital heart disease, her family was preoccupied with how to make her healthier and live a few more years; they probably didn’t have the capacity to care about teaching manners and etiquette.
Furthermore, the Gu family was so wealthy, they probably made a bunch of nutritious food every day, letting her pick whatever she wanted to eat, with each bit eaten considered a victory.
To eat 10% and leave 90% was still a win.
Waste? What waste!
So it was impossible for her to have such awareness, she and Su Huai grew up in completely different environments.
Having understood this, Su Huai suddenly felt an inexplicable annoyance—not towards Gu Jiuyue, but a kind of irritation that he couldn’t quite put his finger on.
It’s like...
Well... how should I describe it?
Suddenly discovering that a good friend, whom you thought shared your core values, wasn’t actually that aligned after all, and even had many conflicting ideas, yet it was no one’s fault, almost like some cosmic joke?
Su Huai wasn’t sure if that explanation made sense, but anyway, it was a sudden wave of emotion.
"Forget it."
He pulled out a skewer with a flick of his wrist, ready to deal with the problem himself: "I don’t mind, let me clean up for you."
"Oh."
Gu Jiuyue obediently nodded, without any additional emotion; she calmly accepted it.
Su Huai quickly finished the rest of the squid in a few bites and threw the paper bag and skewer into a trash can by the roadside, immediately feeling much lighter.
Damn, why the fuss?
After all, she’s just a good friend, you aren’t planning to really date the little rich girl anyway...
Gou Huai chuckled and waved his hand forward, "Let’s go, on to the next one!"
Then he was suddenly stopped by Gu Jiuyue grabbing his arm.
"What’s up?"
Turning around in confusion, Su Huai saw Gu Jiuyue’s serious little face looking up at him.
"Su Huai, let’s do this next time!"
"What?"
She spoke slowly and carefully, making sure to be clear, as if she was afraid that Su Huai would be unhappy or dissatisfied.
"No matter what we buy, we’ll only get a small portion, then have the seller cut it up for us. I’ll eat a little bit, and you eat most of it, but I don’t want you to eat my leftovers, we eat together. That way we won’t waste food..."
Su Huai suddenly felt a warm current fill his heart.
He was always the one nurturing others, but now, for the first time, someone was nurturing him, and the volume was overwhelming, creating a sense of fullness.
But still, he had to ask, "What if it’s really unappetizing, and neither you nor I like it?"
"Then it’s not our fault!"
At this moment, Gu Jiuyue’s thoughts were so clear and independent, strong without placing any constraints on herself.
"Why force ourselves to finish something that’s not delicious? Just toss it!"
Pausing for a moment, she added in a slightly aggrieved baby voice, "My father established a medical charity fund specifically for treating congenital diseases in children. Every year I donate at least a million from my own pocket money; I’m not an ill-mannered bad kid."
Kill!
Su Huai was instantly defeated and wanted to joke with her, but his mind couldn’t organize the words.
"Alright, I’ll listen to you."
All Su Huai could do was to respond dryly, his magnetic baritone hoarse and deep, since he couldn’t resonate due to a dry throat and stuffed nose.
The essence of the problem wasn’t how rich or generous or kind she was—that was all superficial.
The core was—Su Huai thought that Gu Jiuyue, who he assumed to be fundamentally different from him and living in a different world, was actively and earnestly trying to reach out to him.
Her actions might be clumsy, but that honest heart shone like gold.
Having lived almost 40 years, when had Su Huai ever experienced this?
A heart, desolate and scarred like that of a lone wolf, suddenly began to beat rapidly and violently.
Damn, suddenly really wanted to fall in love... What to do now?!
