How come you're also my ex-girlfriend?

Have you had breakfast yet?

The rain pattered against the umbrella, each glistening droplet breaking at the edge.

Young men and women, youthful and beautiful, with perfectly matched appearances, walked on the wet road.

It was no longer the sweltering summer; the wind, carrying moisture, was slightly cool. Xu Yan casually asked, smelling the faint fragrance of hair wafting by.

Jiang Yiyao's gaze shifted an inch, glancing over the rain falling on his profile as if several frames of a movie had been flipped.

"I can't cook, so what am I going to eat? I'm thinking of going to the cafeteria to try their wontons and dumplings... Lili said they taste good."

In the past, Jiang Yiyao would usually answer these kinds of questions with a rhetorical question. No one should dislike someone who answers questions with questions, but this time it seems a little different. At least she added an explanation afterward.

"How good can the food in the cafeteria be? Or are you short on cash lately and can't afford to eat out anymore?"

Xu Yan said with a grin.

Seeing Xu Yan's expression, Jiang Yiyao got angry and wanted to punch him.

"You think I'm treated like you are at home? You can't even afford a penny for food. Don't you know girls are raised in luxury?"

The two grew up together, so Jiang Yiyao knew exactly how Xu Yan's family raised their children.

When we were kids, I often ate my drinks without permission. Even when we were in junior high, I would shamelessly ask you to treat me to rice noodle rolls after school.

It's not hard to understand, really. If you don't want your son to go astray, you control your spending. This situation will probably improve after Xu Yan goes to university.

As for myself...

She was a bit short on cash, and her two husbands at home were causing her trouble. To combat the inexplicable anxiety she felt late at night, she unknowingly bought a lot of things on online shopping platforms that she wouldn't actually use often.

We definitely need to tighten our belts.

It's just that admitting these things to Xu Yan is a bit shameful, just like how she absolutely doesn't want to reveal her vulnerability to Xu Yan, and how she has to step out of her room to answer her mother's phone calls.

But he still heard it, and they even watched a movie together, spending a strange night together.

That's outrageous.

"It's too long, I don't understand."

"you..."

"Does that mean I don't need to treat you to breakfast?"

Swear words must be spoken to cleanse the mind, but after uttering just one word, he saw the smiling face of the boy holding the umbrella looking back at him.

The shoulders, slightly damp from the rain, revealed their outlines, which were not thin but rather bulged from the act of holding up an umbrella.

A young man's shoulders shouldn't bear the weight of hardship and despair, but rather the promise of a gentle breeze and a bright moon. Jiang Yiyao, inexplicably reminded of this phrase, lowered her eyes awkwardly, then couldn't help but look up again: "You're going to treat me to breakfast? Has the sun risen in the west? No, it's raining today, no sun."

Xu Yan, standing still, sighed deeply, one hand in his pocket. "I've noticed your attack power is getting weaker and weaker. What's the reason? It's not because you have some ulterior motives towards me, is it?"

"Are you blind?!" Jiang Yiyao's fists clenched upon hearing this. "If you have a fever, take a day off and stay home to sleep. Don't say things like that in the street to hurt a young girl like me in the prime of her life!"

"It's delicious!"

Xu Yan nodded in satisfaction and then walked towards the side of the street.

Jiang Yiyao: ?

It really gave him a good time!

The key point is that it doesn't seem like acting.

"What are you still standing there for? Aren't you going to eat breakfast?"

Xu Yan was already standing in front of the bustling noodle shop not far from the school gate.

Jiang Yiyao narrowed her eyes slightly. "Really treating?"

Xu Yan patted his pocket. "Young Master Xu has no shortage of money. Order whatever you want to eat."

"I want to add five hundred eggs."

"Boss, give this strong woman an extra five hundred eggs. She can't leave until she finishes them all."

"Shut up, you're crazy!!" It's okay to be shameless in front of Xu Yan, but when Xu Yan actually opened his mouth to the boss, Jiang Yiyao couldn't hold back anymore. She jumped over to cover Xu Yan's mouth, and her slender figure jumped with such an arc... Xu Yan couldn't help but look at the water droplets falling from the eaves.

Xu Yan ordered a bowl of celery and beef noodles, which was almost the most expensive dish in the restaurant, making Jiang Yiyao, who had been hesitating for a long time, widen her eyes.

"You took out a nude loan, and you're eating such expensive food!"

The boss's eyelids twitched. Good heavens... these words came from a girl's mouth? And she's so pretty!

Then I heard the tall, handsome guy next to me say, "Yeah, want a photo? I'll give you one to enjoy."

The boss couldn't help but widen his eyes, even turning his head to look at the almanac hanging to the side, wondering what day it was. These young people these days are so outrageous! What are they even teaching in school?!

"Get lost! I don't care about your trashy body. I want to be like him, boss."

After saying that, Jiang Yiyao turned around and looked for an empty seat, afraid that if she was even a little slow, Xu Yan would notice the unnaturalness in her expression.

It's not that this is so difficult to say; the two of them have had rather explicit conversations before... It's just that she does know a little bit about Xu Yan's physique.

I used to think he was quite thin, but these past few times when I sat on the back of his bicycle and held his waist, I could feel that his lines were noticeably different.

Perhaps... he really does have a great physique.

Why does my face inexplicably feel hot whenever I think about something that seems to have nothing to do with me?

When feelings of unfamiliarity and inexperience arise, the best course of action is to run away – this has always been Jiang Yiyao's experience.

When Xu Yan leisurely sat down next to her with his number plate, Jiang Yiyao immediately frowned. "Why are you sitting next to me? Go sit across from me."

Who sits right next to a girl while eating, even if they're not a couple?

Xu Yan said irritably, "Didn't you see the store is almost full? If someone comes looking for a seat, won't one of us sit next to me and the other next to you? That would be so awkward."

"You're quite observant."

"Of course you care about that. It's not because you're shy if I sit next to you, is it?"

The boy asked mischievously, his aggression at its peak.

The girl, who had always been at a disadvantage in this morning's verbal sparring, took a deep breath this time, smiled at Xu Yan, and displayed her most perfect, flawless expression. "So, you're sitting next to me because of this? It's not that your possessiveness kicks in just because you think about what if another guy sat next to me, is it?"

Xu Yan: ?

Is this being intensified?

Xu Yan did not show the tense expression or panic that Jiang Yiyao had expected.

He paused for a moment, then nodded to himself. "Of course."

Jiang Yiyao: ...

What is he saying?!

The smile vanished from Jiang Yiyao's face, replaced by a look of astonishment in her wide eyes.

Some thoughts haven't even formed yet, but a racing heart is a more instinctive signal.

The already handsome and fair-skinned young man lowered his head slightly, creating an inexplicable sense of ambiguity and pressure as he closed the distance between them.

"After all, it's the pig I raised."

"I'm really going to chop you up!!"

"Ha ha ha ha."

Playful banter seemed to explain the blush on her face, as if that fleeting, ambiguous heartbeat could vanish without a trace.

The exaggerated movements, the exaggerated expression on his face that somewhat lacked his usual composure, and the slightly upturned tone of his voice that he couldn't quite control...

Does such a thing as a trace that can be completely erased truly exist in this world?

Everything in the past is a prologue.

Everything that happens leaves a trace.

The bickering and arguing ended, and the noodles were served.

The boy leaned back and stretched his body inexplicably, yawning.

The girl looked around aimlessly, searching for the vinegar and chili peppers that were clearly placed on the table.

After stretching, Xu Yan's thoughts of "possessiveness" had mostly disappeared. He then pushed the vinegar and chili peppers in front of Jiang Yiyao.

He thought to himself, "Finally, I can start eating breakfast."

"Hmm? Jiajia, there's a seat here!"

"Oh...it seems like someone's there."

"It's okay, it's just breakfast, we're all in the same school... Huh?"

Xiao Yujie only noticed something was off about the couple sitting opposite her, who looked like they were in a puppy love relationship.

It's not that she's too good-looking, but because...

Lin Jia stood to the side, looking at the boy who was eating noodles with his head down with a slightly surprised expression.

What surprised her wasn't that Xu Yan was here, but that there was such a beautiful girl next to him!

Moreover, the girl's gaze was fixed on him with a hint of curiosity.

It was so beautiful, almost blindingly so, that Lin Jia suddenly felt an inexplicable urge to escape.

She even hoped that Xu Yan would look up at her at this moment and say her name, as if only then could the situation be resolved.

but...

I'm going to eat, eat, eat!

Jiajia.

Who?

We're really not familiar with each other.

……