Oh no! I've only been a freshman and I've already been targeted by a mean upperclassman.

Li Chen let her do as she pleased, a smile involuntarily creeping onto his lips.

"What are you laughing at?"

After Yan Xi finished taking the picture, she took a half step back, crossed her arms, and looked at him.

"I wasn't laughing at anything."

Li Chen pointed to the stone platform next to him, "I brought you something good."

Yan Xi looked in the direction he was pointing.

The insulated box with the "Tingtaoxuan" logo stood out in the dim light.

She froze for a moment.

As a local from Linjiang who grew up in that circle, she naturally knew where this takeout came from.

"Tingtao Pavilion?"

Yan Xi raised an eyebrow, a hint of inquiry in her eyes. "Where did you get the money?"

"Borrowing flowers to offer to Buddha".

Li Chen walked over, picked up the insulated box, placed it on the wide table by the railing, and opened the lid.

Although the heat had dissipated somewhat, the overpowering aroma remained strong.

A huge Australian lobster lay quietly inside, its color enticing.

Yan Xi looked at the lobster, her eyes flickering slightly.

The method, the ingredients, and the familiar plating style.

Apart from that old man who goes to Tingtaoxuan for a meal every month, there's no one else.

Moreover, she loves this restaurant's garlic and cheese baked lobster the most, and many people know that, but the only people who can accurately buy it and deliver it to her are her father and this fool in front of her.

Yan Xi didn't speak, she just quietly looked at Li Chen.

Li Chen felt a little uneasy under her gaze, so he coughed and handed her the disposable gloves.

"Eat it while it's hot. It's still warm from running all the way here."

Yan Xi did not take the gloves.

She leaned against the railing, the night wind blowing through her long hair.

"Li Chen".

"Um?"

How did you know I like to eat this?

She asked casually, but her eyes were sharp, as if she wanted to see through Li Chen's little scheme.

Li Chen paused for a moment.

说实话？

He said his dad had just called him over for tea, and they sparred a bit, almost breaking his bodyguard's ribs. In the end, his dad gave him two lobsters as a gift.

Then I guess we won't be able to eat lobster tonight, and I'll have to explain for ages.

Moreover, the fact that Yan Zhen didn't call Yan Xi directly shows that the old man also had concerns and didn't want his daughter to feel like she was being monitored.

Since that's the case, let's just play dumb.

Li Chen tore open the glove packaging, slowly put them on, and then skillfully peeled open the lobster shell, picking out the fattest and most tender piece of meat.

"I had a dream last night."

He held the shrimp meat to Yan Xi's lips and talked nonsense with a straight face.

"In my dream you told me you wanted to eat lobster, and you specifically wanted one this big."

Li Chen gestured, "I figured dreams are the opposite of reality, or some kind of omen. I happened to pass by this store, and it looked nice, so I bought it."

Yan Xi looked at the meat being offered to her mouth, then at Li Chen's face, which seemed to say, "Praise me!"

dream?

Just passing by?

Tingtao Pavilion is in the northern suburbs, while the school is in the south; the route is quite roundabout.

Moreover, Tingtaoxuan operates on a membership reservation system, and ordinary people can't even get in the door if they just pass by, let alone pack up ingredients of this caliber.

This lie is so full of holes.

But Yan Xi didn't expose her.

She knows her old man all too well.

If Li Chen were really just an ordinary student, Yan Zhen would never have let him take this thing away.

The fact that Yan Zhen gave him this lobster means this guy... passed the test?

There might even have been something she didn't know about.

Yan Xi opened her mouth and bit into the piece of shrimp meat.

It has a strong garlic flavor and the meat is tender and bouncy.

Still a familiar taste.

"Is it tasty?"

Li Chen asked, his eyes filled with expectation.

Yan Xi chewed a few times and swallowed.

"good."

She gave a reserved assessment, but the smile in her eyes was unmistakable: "Barely edible."

"That's good."

Li Chen breathed a sigh of relief and began peeling the second piece.

"Since it was in your dream..."

Yan Xi watched him intently peeling shrimp, then suddenly asked, "So... I often appear in your dreams?"

Li Chen's hand trembled, and a piece of shrimp meat almost fell to the ground.

This potentially disastrous question came out of nowhere.

He looked up and met Yan Xi's eyes, which seemed to be smiling but weren't.

This woman is fishing again.

"That's right."

Li Chen steadied himself and stuffed the second piece of meat into her mouth, silencing her next words, "Not only are there scenes of you, but also scenes of people wanting to eat and drink."

"That's why I'm working hard to earn money now, so that I won't be unable to support you when I wake up from this dream."

Yan Xi's mouth was stuffed full of meat, her cheeks bulging, like a hamster eating.

The jokes I had prepared were blocked.

She glared at Li Chen, but it wasn't very offensive.

After chewing the meat in her mouth, Yan Xi took out a tissue and wiped her mouth.

"Alright, stop joking around."

She looked at the insulated box, her expression becoming somewhat complicated.

"This stuff isn't cheap, and it's hard to buy."

"Li Chen".

She called his name, her tone becoming more serious.

"Um?"

"Don't be so silly in the future."

Yan Xi reached out and gently brushed her fingertips across his cheek, where a little oil splattered from peeling shrimp earlier remained. "There are some things you don't have to bear alone."

She was referring to the issue of dealing with her father.

Although Li Chen didn't say it, she could guess that the meeting behind this lobster was definitely not easy.

Even though Yan Zhen has cultivated his character and temperament, he still retains that江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) spirit.

Li Chen, a freshman, faced that old fox alone, and who knows how many difficulties he suffered.

Li Chen was stunned for a moment.

Immediately, he grabbed Yan Xi's hand that was placed on the side of his face.

My palms are warm.

"Not stupid."

Li Chen looked at her and smiled frankly, "I think it's worth it."

"A lobster for a smile from you? That's a steal!"

Yan Xi looked at him.

This guy always manages to use seemingly frivolous words to precisely hit the softest spot in her heart.

She didn't pull her hand away, letting him hold it.

"Glib-tongued."

Yan Xi gave a soft hum and looked away, gazing at the distant night sky.

"The sea breeze is strong tonight, let's finish eating quickly and go back."

"Okay."

Li Chen continued peeling shrimp.

Yan Xi took out her phone and, using her body as cover, secretly sent a WeChat message to the "Old Yan" contact at the top of her chat list.

[Xi]: The lobsters have arrived.

The reply came instantly.

[Old Yan]: ? ? ? What are you talking about, daughter? What lobster?

[Xi]: If you don't pretend, we're still father and daughter.

[Old Yan]: ...Ahem, you gave that kid the job? How did it taste? Was it still warm?

[Xi]: Not bad.

[Old Yan]: That's good, that's good! That kid... he's alright, quite energetic.

Yan Xi looked at the reply on the screen, and a very faint smile appeared on her lips.

Looking quite energetic?

To receive this evaluation from Yan Zhen, it seems that Li Chen's performance today was more than just "passable".

She put away her phone and looked at Li Chen, who was still struggling with the shrimp shell.

Under the streetlights, the boy's profile was sharp and defined, his focused gaze fixed only on the food in his hand and the girl beside him.

Yan Xi suddenly felt that the wind tonight didn't seem so cold.

"Li Chen".

"what?"

"Leave some for me, don't peel them all."

"Don't worry, it's all yours, I won't eat it."

Open your mouth.

"Um?"

A piece of peeled shrimp meat was stuffed into Li Chen's mouth.

Yan Xi withdrew her hand and looked at the scenery as if nothing had happened.

I dreamt about you too.

The sound was very faint, and most of it was blown away by the wind.

Li Chen was chewing on the meat when he froze.

"What?"

"It's nothing."

Yan Xi turned around and walked towards the lobby with her back to him. "Take your trash with you after you finish eating. Don't cause trouble for the cleaning lady."

As Li Chen watched that dashing departing figure, the shrimp meat in his mouth seemed even sweeter than before.

Did you dream about me?

Is this... a return gift?

He quickly stuffed the remaining lobster meat into his mouth, packed up the insulated box, and hurried after them.

"Senior, wait a minute!"

"what?"

"What did you dream about me about? Did you dream that I peeled shrimp for you for the rest of my life?"

"Dream on!"

"I dreamt that you failed your advanced math course and begged me to tutor you."

"...That's too poisonous!"

In the corridor, the shadows of the two were stretched long by the light and slowly overlapped.