How come you're also my ex-girlfriend?

"You waited from a little after ten o'clock until eleven-thirty. Jiang Yiyao, you're really something."

Upon entering, Xu Yan sat down on the sofa with an air of nonchalance, leaving Jiang Yiyao, who was already inside and could no longer run out, with nothing but helplessness.

"I didn't ask you to wait for me..."

Jiang Yiyao carefully sat on the other side, the distance between her and Xu Yan seemingly as vast as mountains and seas.

"Of course! If I didn't wait for you, wouldn't you just run away?"

"Why would I say I'm not going to follow through... Don't talk nonsense, I never said I wouldn't do it."

Now you're being stubborn. Xu Yan sneered, "Yes, you're not going to back down now that the recording has been produced. I can only say that you've lived up to my expectations of you."

"If you say that again, I won't sing!"

Jiang Yiyao tried to throw a tantrum, her desire to back out hadn't completely died.

Don't give me that.

"I never intended to renege on my promise!"

"Then why did you see me running just now?"

"Nonsense! You sat there without saying a word, and then suddenly appeared. I thought you'd run into some bad guy. That's a girl living alone's instinctive reaction, okay!"

As if she had found a valid reason, Jiang Yiyao argued her case forcefully.

However, it would be strange if such a lame excuse could fool Xu Yan. But then he suddenly remembered something, "But how did you know I got promoted? I didn't even have a chance to tell you."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yiyao immediately tensed up, her long legs snapping together. Her eyes darted around, unable to settle.

"I don't know... I just believed in your abilities from the beginning, so the bet with you was just a way to motivate you..."

"Hehehe, well, thank you so much."

"So these kinds of bets shouldn't be taken seriously..."

"I've sent the recording."

"Oh! I was just kidding... Are you hungry? How about we go get something to eat?"

Jiang Yiyao blinked, instantly switching to a cute and charming demeanor. Since hard tactics weren't working, she could only try softer ones.

"Thank you, I'm not hungry right now. Let's talk after you finish singing."

"...Actually, it doesn't have to be tonight. It just needs the right occasion and atmosphere to have the right feel. There's an old saying that you can't rush things."

Xu Yan glanced at her. "You think you can take advantage of me?"

"Don't make me slap you!"

Xu Yan wasn't afraid at all. He leaned back lazily on the sofa and said, "Anyway, I'm not leaving until you finish singing tonight."

"Then I'll sue..."

"I'll release the recording before you even sue me, let's see who's faster!"

There was really no other way now. Jiang Yiyao gritted her teeth, her face flushed, but she could only manage to utter, "Who can be faster than you, Super Boy?"

Xu Yan: ?

So you resort to personal attacks when you can't win an argument? That's incredibly rude.

"If you don't sing, I'm going to sleep right here."

"Ugh, this is so annoying... Wait, I'm going to change my clothes!"

"Why don't you just take another shower?"

"You're really something."

"You've been dragging this out. I haven't even complained about you wearing a school uniform. Just start early and finish early. A song is only a few minutes long, is it really necessary?"

Jiang Yiyao thought to herself, "This isn't something you're supposed to do, of course you don't need to!"

But since things have come to this point, it's better to die sooner rather than later, so let's just have a quick death.

So the girl took out her phone, cleared her throat, and said, "Okay, I'll sing now, alright?"

Xu Yan looked at her and said, "How am I supposed to hear you sitting so far away?"

Jiang Yiyao blushed slightly. "How old are you to be hard of hearing?"

"We agreed beforehand that we would strictly follow the requirements. Are you trying to back out now?"

That threatening face again... Next time, no matter what, I must check if the other person has any listening devices on them!

Reluctantly approaching Xu Yan, the boy turned around, straightened his back, and looked at Jiang Yiyao, whose cheeks were getting redder and redder and whose movements were getting slower and slower.

Thankfully, they finally got close, albeit slowly. At that close enough, he could clearly hear her uneven breathing, but unfortunately, he couldn't hear her heartbeat. It must be incredibly dramatic right now, right? The thought that this girl, who was always so sharp-tongued and critical of him, would have such a difficult moment made Xu Yan want to laugh.

As she got closer to the boy, Jiang Yiyao's mind became increasingly chaotic.

The other person's scent uncontrollably entered her nose, and even though the air conditioning was on in the room, she felt a burning heat that made her sweat.

End this quickly, end this quickly!

She tried to remain calm, opened her phone, found the accompaniment, and kept her head down the whole time: "Then I... I'll begin."

But then they heard a deep voice from above, "Raise your head."

"..."

Are you freaking cosplaying as the domineering Dragon King?

But now, the girl, who just wants to start and end things quickly, has a strange stubbornness growing in her heart.

She took a deep breath, raised her head, and met Xu Yan's gaze with a hint of provocation.

One way to avoid getting caught in a whirlpool is to make the other person feel awkward first.

Xu Yan's gaze was very close, as if locking onto him, unbiased and unwavering, and he did not try to escape.

Everything around me suddenly slowed down, as if it were about to freeze in that moment, and breathing felt like a hot wind blowing from the equator.

She still... had nowhere to escape.

"It seems I can only offer polite greetings; I once possessed your gentleness too..."

Jiang Yiyao probably didn't even realize how she suddenly forgot everything and started singing to Xu Yan.

Even though my mind felt blank, and even though I felt it was difficult to speak or breathe at that moment, a strange emotion gave rise to the urge to speak. My numb face could no longer feel how hot it had become.

Now, the person I can't look at is myself. I want to embarrass him, but it seems to backfire.

But he seemed to be listening attentively and looking intently at me.

Jiang Yiyao could only use the opportunity of looking at the lyrics to constantly avoid making eye contact with the other person, and her breathing rate remained unstable for a long time.

I miss you so much, every night.

"A solitary narration, memories scattered like leaves."

"I can't figure you out; the faded familiarity is just an illusion I've created..."

Xu Yan still remembered the past, when they were in junior high school together and went to school together. Back then, this girl liked to share with him the songs she had recently found enjoyable.

Every other day, Xu Yan would learn this song and then hum it along the way to school or on the way home from school.

Memories fade, and the summer breeze back then wasn't as scorching as it is now.

He remembered that, apart from his own voice, the girl's voice was ethereal and melodious, making his journey home every day happy and relaxed.

And now, she seems to sing even better. Her voice is more delicate, and her pitch is more accurate... but she can never go back to that little path that always smelled of starch sausage and scallion pancakes.

It seems that too much has been lost along the way.

Time flies and leaves us behind; the cherries ripen and the plantains turn green.

Mingming initially only wanted to use this opportunity to shatter the other person's arrogance in front of her, make her feel ashamed, and thus please herself.

But it seems that such thoughts have vanished, and the living room has become like a deserted street with an evening breeze blowing, except for them.

The surrounding leaves were falling continuously, and a light rain began to fall from the sky.

Neon lights flickered in the distance, making everything both hazy and transparent.

The singing came from the direction of the flashing light. He wanted to run in that direction, but the singing grew fainter and fainter.

"Okay...I'm done singing!"

Jiang Yiyao quickly distanced herself from the two, then lowered her head slightly, her hair falling down to partially conceal her already flushed cheeks.

Xu Yan then came to his senses, coughed twice to clear his throat in a somewhat deliberate manner, and then touched his neck and said, "Not bad, you sang better than before."

Jiang Yiyao looked up at the slightly unnatural-looking boy, and snorted, "You want my opinion? You're tone-deaf and you're here to critique others."

"Can't I listen even if I can't sing? I can't even praise you..."

"You can praise me now. After you've finished singing, don't call me a jerk anymore. Go home right now."

Xu Yan couldn't help but laugh, "You seem to be in a hurry. Why are you getting so anxious just from singing a song?"

"I'm not in a hurry. It's getting late, I need to rest. Do you know how important a good night's sleep is for a beautiful woman like me?"

Xu Yan thought for a moment and then said, "Didn't you just say you were hungry and wanted a midnight snack? Are you going to eat or not?"

"Eat your head!"

How am I supposed to get a late-night snack now? Just thinking about how she sang in front of him earlier makes Jiang Yiyao want to disappear into a crack in the ground. She's not just a stinking rat in the dark sewers anymore, she's a mole!

How embarrassing!

Xu Yan stood up, stretched her shoulders and neck a little, and then said, "Do you have any leftover ingredients at home? I'll cook you something to eat."

"You do it?"

Jiang Yiyao looked at the handsome young man who had stood up in surprise, "You can cook?"

Xu Yan shrugged. "You don't understand me, and I don't blame you."

The boy went into the kitchen and searched for a long time, but only found eggs, noodles, chopped green onions, and some seasonings.

"I can only give you noodles to eat."

"...the man below."

"Whoever is overthinking it knows the truth in their heart."

Jiang Yiyao felt that this bastard was just putting on an act, probably to disgust her at the end, until the aroma wafted from the kitchen, instantly tantalizing her taste buds.

Unable to resist peeking out, I saw the boy's natural and carefree back view in the kitchen, making it seem so real.

Boiling noodles and frying eggs naturally doesn't take long.

A moment later, Xu Yan brought the noodles he had made to the living room, and Jiang Yiyao, who was already impatient from the aroma, deliberately stood up awkwardly.

I glanced at it.

It should have been just an ordinary fried egg and noodle soup, but I don't know if it was because I was really hungry or what... but I couldn't stop drooling.

"Why does it smell so good..."

She couldn't help but get closer little by little.

Xu Yan smiled and handed the chopsticks to the other person, "It's a pity you don't have any lard, otherwise it would be even more fragrant."

Jiang Yiyao asked suspiciously, "When did you learn to cook noodles? I've never seen you do that before."

"It's something I learned recently, the next one isn't difficult."

"You didn't learn this specifically to woo that girl from your old class, did you?"

"Don't disgust me, and what does learning to cook have to do with chasing girls?" Xu Yan said irritably. How can you be disgusted when you're cooking for someone?

"Because men who can cook are very attractive...except for you, of course."

"Tch." Xu Yan scoffed. "Don't worry, even if I learned to cook to woo a girl, I definitely wouldn't woo you."

"Still want to pursue me? You're dreaming. I'll give you a million in dowry. You'd better make that much money first."

Jiang Yiyao picked up her chopsticks.

Xu Yan thought for a moment, "Then can I pay you two hundred first and experience it for one night?"

The girl froze for a moment, then snapped in embarrassment and anger, "That's a PC!"

"You're not allowed to insult love like that!"

"roll!"

……