Going home for Chinese New Year, I squeezed onto a bus with three energetic young women.

Pingxian County, a street lined with snack stalls.

Before even getting off the bus, the group could smell the warmth and life of everyday life.

"This...this is the food street?"

Jiang Ruyue peered out the car window, her eyes filled with curiosity as she looked at the rows of small carts and the tables and chairs scattered around.

"It smells so good!"

"Of course, many of them involve tough work, definitely exciting." Bai Li unbuckled his seatbelt, opened the door, and got out of the car.

Chen Tingting and the other two had been itching to get started for a long time.

As soon as they got out of the car, the three of them went straight to Fatty Sister's barbecue.

"Fifty skewers of lamb, then five skewers of lamb kidneys! And..."

The group sat on the stools, and Jiang Ruyue looked just like a curious child.

Because her family had always forbidden her from eating these things, this was the first time she had ever eaten them.

A short while later, a large plate of cumin-flavored and spicy grilled skewers was served.

The smell was too strong.

For Jiang Ruyue, who had always lived a life of luxury, this was like feeding a newborn baby a shot of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor).

"Why...why are there black things on this?" Jiang Ruyue asked, pointing to a string of gluten.

Li Jiaxin rolled her eyes, picked up a skewer of gluten, and, completely unconcerned that it was too hot to handle, took a bite of half of it:

"This is called 'thousand-year-old brine, ten-thousand-year-old oil,' this is the taste we're after!"

"Ten thousand years?... " Jiang Ruyue felt her cognitive system collapsing.

Bai Li picked up a skewer of stinky tofu, which was covered in a dark sauce and sprinkled with cilantro.

He held it to Jiang Ruyue's lips.

"Come on, open your mouth."

The pungent stench assaulted the very top of my head.

Jiang Ruyue instinctively leaned back, her expression even more interesting than when she saw Yang Zhe ask her to step on her head.

"I don't...this seems like..."

She wanted to say it was like shit, but her good upbringing made her swallow the word.

"This is the taste of freedom," Bai Li said earnestly, trying to convince me. "Your parents won't let you eat it because they don't understand this kind of joy. Just one bite, just one bite. If you find it disgusting, you can spit it in my face."

Jiang Ruyue looked at Bai Li's smiling peach blossom eyes.

The taste of freedom?

She held her breath, closed her eyes, and tentatively bit off a small corner of the stinky tofu.

The crispy outer layer crumbles between your teeth, followed by the piping hot, soft interior, and then...

The savory, spicy, and savory sauce burst in my mouth.

Jiang Ruyue opened her eyes.

It wasn't as disgusting as I had imagined; instead, it was a unique and refreshing taste sensation.

"Hmm!"

She didn't say anything, but instead grabbed Bai Li's wrist and stuffed the rest of the stinky tofu into her mouth.

"Slow down, no one's going to take it from you." Bai Li smiled and took a napkin to wipe the sauce from the corner of her mouth.

This bite was like opening Pandora's box.

For the next half hour, Jiang Ruyue completely let loose.

Forget about table manners, eating slowly, and calorie counting—to hell with all of that!

She held a grilled gluten in her left hand and a large meat skewer in her right, her little mouth glistening with oil as she ate.

"This is delicious! What's this? Chicken skin? It smells so good!"

"Where's that white one? The little treasure in my palm? Why is it so fragile?!"

"I want to drink that! That green water!"

"That's Sprite mixed with Erguotou..." Bai Li was about to stop her when Jiang Ruyue picked up Chen Tingting's cup and took a big gulp.

"Cough cough cough! It's so spicy! But...it feels so good!"

Jiang Ruyue's face was flushed red from the alcohol, and her big eyes were misty with tears.

She let out a cumin-flavored burp and leaned back in the plastic chair without any regard for her image.

The surrounding area was filled with the sounds of car horns and vendors hawking their wares.

"Bai Li..."

Jiang Ruyue turned her head and looked at the man beside her.

The dim lighting gave his handsome face a warm glow.

"I'm so happy."

She grinned foolishly, stretched out two fingers to grab Bai Li's sleeve, not caring that her hands were covered in oil.

"I've never felt so relaxed. I don't have to worry about my posture or how I look while eating."

"I feel like I'm truly alive now."

Seeing the girl's slightly drunk appearance, Bai Li's heart softened.

A meal made with gutter oil made the child this happy.

"As long as you're happy." Bai Li took her greasy little hand in his. "I'll bring you anytime you want to come."

Chen Tingting was picking her teeth when she saw this scene and couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark:

"Wow, bro, your knack for finding the right solution is getting more and more amazing! You won over your goddess with just a roadside stall meal?"

"Shut up and eat your kidneys." Bai Li glared at her.

Time flies.

Bai Li glanced at her phone; it was 7:10.

"That's enough." Bai Li patted Jiang Ruyue's head. "You should go back now. If it gets any later, your parents will find out and send me to the police station."

Upon hearing the words "Mom and Dad," the light in Jiang Ruyue's eyes dimmed slightly.

That cage of rules and repression is about to close again.

"Can we... not go back?" she muttered softly, as if in a final struggle.

"No." Bai Li refused decisively: "Rebellion requires resources. If you run away from home now, you'll only starve to death on the streets; you won't be able to do anything else."

"When you're capable of earning your own money, you can go wherever you want."

Jiang Ruyue pouted. Although she was unwilling, she knew that Bai Li was telling the truth.

……

The Panamera started up again, leaving the bustling food street behind and heading towards Half Moon Bay.

The carriage was very quiet.

After the initial excitement wore off, a sense of melancholy began to creep in.

When they arrived at the tree-lined road at the entrance of Half Moon Bay, Bai Li parked the car in an inconspicuous corner.

"Alright, let's do it here."

Jiang Ruyue unbuckled her seatbelt slowly, as if she was deliberately stalling for time.

She grabbed the colorful wig and looked down at her own Want Want bodysuit.

The experience of this day felt like an absurd yet beautiful dream.

"Go ahead." Bai Li turned his head and looked at her. "Go back and take a shower quickly, so your family doesn't smell the cumin on you."

Jiang Ruyue pushed open the car door and stepped out.

"Wait a minute," Bai Li's voice rang out.

Jiang Ruyue stopped and turned around. Her eyes shone brightly in the night, as if they held a galaxy within them.

"Um?"

"Tomorrow is Lunar New Year's Eve." Bai Li smiled, her expression exceptionally gentle. "Wishing you a happy Lunar New Year's Eve in advance."

Jiang Ruyue looked at him, her lips moving slightly.

She had "Happy New Year's Eve" on the tip of her tongue, but she shook her head.

"don't want."

She stared stubbornly at Bai Li: "I'll say Happy New Year's Eve to you tomorrow! I won't say it today!"

Because saying it makes it seem like the holiday is over ahead of schedule.

Leaving it for tomorrow means there will still be a reason to stay in touch, and there will still be something to look forward to.

"Thank you for today!"

Jiang Ruyue suddenly gave Bai Li a bright smile. That smile lacked her usual aloofness and forced delinquency, and only showed the radiance of an eighteen-year-old girl.

"I'm so happy! Really!"

"I think... I've found something I enjoy doing..."

Without waiting for Bai Li's reaction, she ran towards the dark villa.

Her bright red Want Want bodysuit stood out against the night sky, and her wig swayed as she ran, looking both comical and adorable.

[Ding! Target: Jiang Ruyue. Affection Points +10. Current Affection Points: 30 (Friend).]

A system notification sounded.

Bai Li watched the departing figure, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up.

"Yo yo yo~"

"It seems like they've already found something they enjoy doing!"

"Oh my, listen to that! It's so cheesy it makes my teeth ache!"

Just as Bai Li was savoring the moment, three perfectly synchronized, extremely sarcastic voices came from the back row.

Bai Li turned around.

Chen Tingting, Li Jiaxin, and Lin Xiaoshuang were seen hugging each other, mimicking Jiang Ruyue's tone and expression from earlier, and adding their own dramatic flair.

Lin Xiaoshuang, in a high-pitched voice, cupped her face in her hands:

"Brother Bai Li~ Thank you for taking me to eat gutter oil~ I really like it~"

Li Jiaxin rolled her eyes, looking completely affected.

"I've found something I love to do~ which is to play fishing games with you at the internet cafe~"

Chen Tingting, on the other hand, had a thuggish look on her face:

"Big brother, that naive girl is gone. Shouldn't we talk about serious matters now?"

"Serious business?" Bai Li feigned ignorance: "What serious business? Taking you guys home to sleep?"

"Come on!"

Chen Tingting leaned forward, her alluring face close to Bai Li's ear, her warm breath carrying a dangerous allure.

"Who said that today? Leave the door open tonight after it's done."

"Now you've scared people, eaten gutter oil, and even played the good guy," Li Jiaxin added sarcastically from behind. "Big brother, you're not trying to renege on your debt, are you?"

Lin Xiaoshuang joined in the fun, grabbing Bai Li's collar and refusing to let go: "That's right! Big brother, you already promised us!"

The atmosphere in the cramped carriage instantly became both alluring and tense.

Bai Li smiled. It would be a fool not to eat meat that's been delivered to his door.

He's no saint; people begging him to be a scumbag, how could he let them go?

He was just about to agree.

"Buzz—Buzz—"

My phone suddenly vibrated.

Two large characters flashed on the screen: "Mom".

Bai Li frowned and opened the text message.

You have to be home tonight! Your dad's already chopped the dumpling filling!

Only then did Bai Li realize that she hadn't been home for several days.

He reluctantly showed his phone to the three of them:

"There's nothing we can do, the imperial edict has arrived."

"so……"

"My beloved concubines, I can only choose your consorts tomorrow night for New Year's Eve."