Many years had passed since the Lady Boss had seen them, so it took her a while to recall those distant events.

  She would have long forgotten if it were not for the little girl and her antics that left a deep impression on her.

  Han Xiao did not look at the wonton noodles in front of him. Instead, he waited for the Lady Boss’s reply. Noticing the silence stretch, he asked, “Did she say anything else?”


  The Lady Boss sighed upon hearing Han Xiao’s question. “She did not say anything. She just ate her wonton noodles with a forlorn look. It was clear she was heartbroken when you left.”


  The boss got up and returned to the kitchen after answering. Han Xiao stared at the wonton noodles in front of him. The portion of noodles was smaller than he remembered, and the price had also increased by a lot.

  The only thing that remained unchanged was that the bowl was still as big as before.

  He gripped his chopsticks tightly and bit into the noodles. He chewed on it, savouring its taste; the flavour was as he remembered. However, when he looked up, he saw the empty seat opposite him. He could no longer see the girl’s satisfied smile; his heart was also missing a piece.

  …


  Qin Shu followed Fu Tingyu out of Aunty’s Wonton Noodles and continued down the street of snacks. He walked at a leisurely pace that matched hers, enjoying the relaxing view around them.

  Although she had just eaten two bowls of wonton noodles, the fragrance from the shops on both sides still aroused her appetite.

  Fu Tingyu suddenly stopped in his tracks, causing her to bump into him. Fu Tingyu’s magnetic voice sounded over her head, “What are you thinking about?”


  Puzzled, Qin Shu looked up at him. “Nothing. W-why did you stop?”


  Fu Tingyu stared at Qin Shu. He pointed at the snacks on display and asked, “Would you like that?”


  Qin Shu followed the direction of the man’s finger and saw a few pancake-like snacks cooking in a pan. She glanced at the signboard next to the stall and realized that the snack’s name was ‘oyster omelette’ – not a local speciality.

  Nonetheless, it had to be delicious with how good it smelt.

  She nodded. “I want to eat it.”


  Fu Tingyu said to the stall owner, “Two bags of oyster omelette, please.”


  “Coming right up.” The stall owner worked swiftly. A minute later and the oyster omelettes were ready. He packed them in two separate oilpaper bags before handing them to Fu Tingyu.

  Fu Tingyu paid for the omelettes and handed one of them to Qin Shu. He reminded her, “It’s fresh out of the pan. It’s still hot.”


  Qin Shu accepted the oilpaper bag Fu Tingyu offered her. Steam billowed out of the small opening, carrying with it a mouth-watering aroma few could hope to resist. Still, Qin Shu was in no hurry to eat the omelette. She did not fancy the idea of scalding her tongue.

  With their snacks in hand, Fu Tingyu led her further down the street of snacks.

  After walking for a while, the oyster omelette cooled, so they each ate their omelettes.

  The oyster omelette did not taste bad. Qin Shu could not help but feel that it tastes exceptionally delicious – more so than those snacks she often ate back in Jiangcheng.

  Qin Shu did not know where Fu Tingyu was leading her. Even as they were about to walk out of the street of snacks, Fu Tingyu kept mum.

  The oyster omelette was not large, so they finished it in short order. By the time Qin Shu and Fu Tingyu finished eating their respective snacks, they had exited the narrow alleyway forming rows of snack shops.

  Qin Shu sent Fu Tingyu a questioning look.

  His temperament had not changed one bit. Even though he had just finished eating a snack off a roadside vendor, he still maintained his elegant disposition, which did not seem to match his surroundings.

  Fu Tingyu continued walking, with no sign of his slowing down any time soon.

  Around ten minutes later, the couple arrived at a moat. A stone bridge connected the two banks. On the other side, an assortment of gift shops selling trinkets of every shape and size.

  The two of them walked hand in hand over the stone arch bridge and arrived on the other side of the moat.

  Fu Tingyu threw the oilpaper bag into the trash can at the side. Then, he took out a tissue from his pocket. Instead of wiping his mouth, he gently wiped away the oil stains around Qin Shu’s mouth.

  There was no sense of discomfort as she allowed Fu Tingyu to wipe her lips.

  Qin Shu looked up at Fu Tingyu. He wore a serious expression – as if he were polishing a priceless jewel and not wiping oil stains off her lips.

  “Did you do the same for me in the past?”


  Fu Tingyu paused. Under the illumination of a street lamp, Qin Shu’s pale cheeks were painted red, and her starry eyes were as clear as water.

  His fingertips accidentally brushed against her soft lips, causing ripples to form over his stern expression.

  She blinked. It was just a simple question, yet why was Fu Tingyu struggling to answer her?

  Before she could finish her thought, Fu Tingyu’s handsome face enlarged itself infinitely in the span of a few seconds. A shadow draped over her, concealing the red lantern behind him.

  They exchanged a passionate kiss.

  Han Xiao, who had just stepped onto the stone bridge, saw this scene. He came to a halt.

  After finishing his wonton noodles, Han Xiao unconsciously wandered over to the stone bridge.

  It was the Qixi festival. He accompanied the Little Munchkin twice in the past.

  Never in his wildest dreams did he expect to see a scene like this.

  The girl he wholeheartedly wanted to protect had now become someone else’s wife.

  …


  …


  Fu Tingyu whispered into Qin Shu’s ear, “Compared to who you were in the past, I prefer the way you are now.”


  Qin Shu was helpless to resist.

  With a crimson blush, she asked, “Were you a hooligan back then too?”


  “Even if I was, what can you do?” Fu Tingyu smiled as he clasped her hand in his, continuing their track towards City Tower.

  Qin Shu felt an inexplicable urge to laugh, thinking: is there nothing you don’t dare to do?

  She scratched Fu Tingyu’s palm. “Tell me about the past, about the two of us.”


  Fu Tingyu tilted his head and stared at Qin Shu. Looking at her palm-sized face, he suddenly recalled the chance encounter before they had had before they went up the mountain. Smiling, he countered, “Then tell me, how could you have had had your way with me? How do you explain your hooliganism when we first met?”


  “Hmm?” Qin Shu sent him a questioning look. “Are you sure you’re not talking about yourself? How could I have treated an unknown boy like a hooligan? Besides, do I look like the type of woman who would casually lay her hands on a boy?”


  She denied any accusation of hooliganism resolutely.

  Fu Tingyu pulled her into his arms. “The first time we met, you pounced and had your way with me. If you weren’t behaving like a hooligan, how else could you have taken advantage of me? You are the one who ought to be taking care of me since I’ve married you.”


  “What nonsense! How could I have pounced on you? You’re so much taller than me. At that time, I was only a little over ten years old. How could I have pounced on you in the way you claim?” Qin Shu’s sharp retort was firm and uncompromising.

  It happened to be the Qiqiao festival; he planned to learn martial arts on Mount Qi that year. When he arrived, it was already quite late, so he decided to stay the night in Feng Yue City and climb up the mountain the following day.

  Having lived in a big city, Fu Tingyu had never seen the Qiqiao festival in full swing.

  Who knew that his curiosity over the festival proceedings would lead him to be surrounded by a group of young girls.

  In the end, to get rid of the group of girls, he hid behind a peddler selling umbrellas.

  Yet he did not expect…


  “You tackled me just as I came out from hiding! You clung onto me like some monkey, refusing to let go……”