Love Affairs in Melbourne-Chapter 33 - 32 The Feeling Inside the Stomach

That feeling, how could Qi Yi not understand?

Who else could understand better than him?

At this moment, Yan Yan made Qi Yi’s heart ache.

Yan Yan called him "Grandpa" because he always overthought things.

Ultimately, it was because he was too naive at the time, naive enough to pretend to be mature every day.

When you’re young, being academically excellent often brings preferential treatment, and Qi Yi received so much of it that he became afraid of losing it.

Such preferential treatment is a double-edged sword.

The favored ones become vain.

If the excellence of those favored could continue indefinitely, then actually, this vanity wouldn’t be such a big deal.

But if such a person were to find themselves in a more excellent group and realize they were just average, or find others excelling in certain areas more than them, they would inevitably feel psychological pressure.

This is why the exemplary student and beauty you knew in primary school could, by middle school, become someone who is manipulative.

At first, the beauty might still be outstanding, perhaps only surpassed in a minor aspect by someone else, but she just can’t accept it, to the extent that she ends up becoming someone even she doesn’t recognize.

This is a classic case of misplaced vanity leading to psychological issues.

This was also the fundamental reason why Yan Yan was targeted in college.

Of course, Qi Yi was also vain; this vanity wasn’t inherent but had been continuously imposed on him by those around him from a young age.

For Qi Yi himself, he actually particularly disliked the pressure brought about by this vanity.

Precisely because of this, Qi Yi wasn’t someone who liked to express his thoughts directly.

This is also why, under the premise of a misunderstanding that Yan Yan was ceaselessly "encouraging him to confess," it took him nearly a year to take that step.

Otherwise, even if he had been very fond of her, he couldn’t lower his face to do it.

During his high school days, Qi Yi couldn’t bear the embarrassment of rejection.

Actually, everyone has their own troubles.

It’s just that some people’s troubles are easily seen, while others’, even when spoken, are not believed.

For instance, the high school-aged Qi Yi’s distress over unwanted vanity was something most of his peers couldn’t understand.

Although Qi Yi did come to Melbourne, there were too many real-world problems he hadn’t considered.

When the two of them were together, Yan Yan always managed to easily resolve all of Qi Yi’s psychological issues.

But who would resolve Yan Yan’s psychological problems?

"I originally wanted to stay a few more days and just make it back in time for the New Year, but I didn’t expect that the tickets from Melbourne back to the country would be so hard to buy, and there was no way to change the flight," Qi Yi answered another question that Yan Yan had asked earlier.

"So that’s how it is. Are all airlines like this?" Yan Yan tried hard to adjust her emotions.

Some words, heavy when kept inside, are just a sentence when spoken.

"Yes, I just called, and there are none available," Qi Yi felt even worse than Yan Yan.

"Only sweets can rescue the human mood. I just ordered ten Mignons, ten Cioccolaterias, and ten Biscottis." Yan Yan, not knowing what else to say, changed the subject first.

"Do you calculate your dessert orders in ’tens’?" Qi Yi’s attention was shifted somewhat by the exaggerated quantity in Yan Yan’s words.

"What’s so strange about that? Mignon is the kind of small cake eaten in one bite, Cioccolateria is also a one-bite chocolate, and Biscotti is a one-bite biscuit.

There are dozens of each category here, and I just picked the most distinctive five kinds from each, two of each kind.

One portion they will bring to us soon, and another portion will be packed for you to take away, you can put it in the fridge first, and it will be no problem to take it back to the country." Yan Yan explained her reasoning for the quantity of desserts she ordered.

Brunetti is considered to have Melbourne’s longest dessert display cabinet, because it really has too many varieties of Italian desserts.

Moreover, besides the ones Yan Yan ordered, Brunetti also offers custom birthday cakes and even on-site catering services.

In her free time, Yan Yan loved coming to Brunetti for afternoon tea, not only for the Italian pastries but also coffee was another important reason.

"Qi Yi, I’ve been gone so long, why haven’t you ordered anything to drink yet? Let me tell you, although many people think of Brunetti as a dessert shop, their coffee is genuinely superb," Yan Yan attempted to switch to a more relaxed topic.

"I don’t know which one is good, I was waiting for you to come and help me order," Qi Yi naturally continued with the topic.

"Is that so? Actually, the coffee here is all quite distinctive; for myself, I would order an Affogato.

Hot espresso poured over specially-made Italian ice cream, the hot and cold mix seems contradictory, yet the taste is perfectly unified.

Every time I drink this coffee, I feel like I’m swallowing an entire contradictory yet unified Yan Yan.

It’s like my very own personalized coffee.

Hmm, if you were drinking it on a regular day, I’d recommend you try the shop’s most Italian Mafia-esque coffee Corretto.

But considering you hardly slept last night, I think only the caffeine from a Double Espresso could save you," Yan Yan quickly made her suggestion. (note 1)

"Corretto?" Qi Yi looked at the coffee on the Drinks Menu, "Why do you call it Mafia coffee, just because it has some liquor in it? And why do you think Mafia coffee suits me? Do I look like the Mafia to you?" Qi Yi asked with a hint of confusion.

"Well, this street is in Carlton, and back in the day, it was a famous gathering place for the Italian Mafia ’Carlton Crew.’

But naming Corretto as Mafia-style coffee is purely my personal preference, with no historical basis whatsoever.

Haha, why? Are you interested in this ’Mafia coffee’?" Yan Yan asked with a laugh.

"Not really," Qi Yi responded.

"Then I’ll call someone to take our order, I’ll just get you a Double Espresso." Yan Yan gestured for a waiter to come over.

"How can I help you, Miss?" the waiter asked Yan Yan promptly.

"Can I have an Affogato?"

Yan Yan was about to order for Qi Yi as well, but today’s waiter was particularly quick and directly asked Qi Yi what he’d like to order:

"Good morning, Sir. What can I get for you today?" the waiter inquired.

"Make it two," Qi Yi declared bluntly, keeping his coffee order simple. (note 2)

"Aren’t you supposed to drink a Double Espresso? Why order an Affogato too? Aren’t you tired?" Yan Yan was curious why Qi Yi would order the same coffee as hers, since Affogato was usually more popular with girls.

"Tired, yes, but I’m more interested in the experience of ’swallowing Yan Yan.’" Qi Yi mimicked Yan Yan’s earlier manner of speaking.

"Uh, you certainly have strong tastes. Actually, this shop’s Colazione is the most popular and the tastiest," Yan Yan mentioned, feeling a bit guilty. novelbuddy.cσ๓

"Colazione? Breakfast?" Qi Yi asked, slightly puzzled.

"Yeah, you really are a super scholar, even understanding ’breakfast’ in Italian," Yan Yan said, full of compliments.

"Because my roommate at Stanford was from Italy. But the look on your face now... Why does it give me the feeling that I’ve inadvertently been taken advantage of?" Qi Yi’s confusion deepened.

...

note 1:

Double Espresso, simply put, is a combination of Double (twin) + Espresso (Italian espresso).

It’s a regular espresso but made with a double portion of espresso grounds.

Even more exaggerated is the Triple Espresso.

Those who don’t usually drink coffee might find that one cup of such coffee could keep them awake for an entire day and night.

note 2:

Many people might say "Make it double."

Double (twice the amount).

But Qi Yi said, "Make it two."

Two (two portions).

Although in specific contexts, most waiters would understand, or they would check with the person taking the order.

But Qi Yi’s phrase is the true mark of a scholar.

"Make it double" usually means asking for double the portion of a meal or drink. Like the Double Espresso mentioned in note 1, it doesn’t mean that an extra portion of coffee powder would lead to the use of two cups.

Or if you feel one egg in your breakfast isn’t enough and you ask for two.

In any case, "Double" refers to increasing the serving size of your own meal or drink.

If you want to convey "I want the same thing as the person who just ordered," "Make it two" is the authentic expression.

But language, after all, is just a tool for communication; understanding each other is what matters.

From a linguistic perspective, there’s no absolute grammatical incorrectness; usage often dictates correctness.

For example, in Chinese, there might be more people who know the incorrect version "买单" (to pay the bill) than those who know the correct "埋单," so now "买单" has also become the correct term.

Like how "Long time no see," originally considered to be very Chinglish (Chinese-style English), has gained widespread usage due to its frequent use—even by foreigners who find this greeting much better than talking about the weather.

Now, "Long time no see" has become a formal, fashionable, and authentic English greeting.