Chen Tingting pouted, wrinkling her chin.

After hearing what Lin Ruoxi said, Chen Tingting felt even more upset.

Xue Rui sat down to eat with Lin Ruoxi, a smile playing on his lips. He hadn’t expected to tease Chen Tingting to the point of tears.

’Right. Gu Muxue is usually the one to shoo Chen Tingting away. Even though that girl only looks fierce on the surface, Chen Tingting is timid. A single cold look from Gu Muxue is enough to scare her off.’

’But Lin Ruoxi is different. The girl is innocent and simple, always speaking her mind.’

’And on top of that, she’s outstanding in every way. The astonishing things she says so casually have a wide area of effect when it comes to crushing people’s spirits.’

"What else do you want to eat?" Xue Rui asked softly.

He had made Chen Tingting cry, and this was the first time he had seen her so quiet—just like when he first met her in that little alley. It tugged at his heartstrings.

Chen Tingting’s mouth was stuffed full. Her eyes darted to the drink on the table.

Xue Rui casually stuck a straw in and offered it to her, intending for her to take it with her hand.

But instead, Chen Tingting leaned forward and bit directly onto the straw. Seeing Xue Rui’s helpless expression as he held the cup, she burst out laughing.

Seeing that Chen Tingting felt better, Xue Rui immediately pulled the cup away, leaving only the straw dangling from her mouth.

After swallowing her food in a few gulps, Chen Tingting glanced at Lin Ruoxi, who was offering her some fries, and her mood immediately sank again.

"Um, eat more so you can grow taller," Lin Ruoxi said.

"I’m full," Chen Tingting said, wiping her mouth.

Although Chen Tingting secretly believed she could still grow, she also knew that at seventeen, her height was more or less set. Eating more wouldn’t make a difference.

Xue Rui looked at Lin Ruoxi. The girl was carefully examining a spicy chicken sandwich before taking a big bite.

"Mm, this is pretty good," Lin Ruoxi said, her eyes widening slightly.

Then, the spice made the girl’s mouth drop open slightly, and she picked up the Coke on the table to take a sip.

Xue Rui picked up his own and took a bite. The taste was bland, nothing special. Just a normal beef burger with the texture of processed meat.

’Come to think of it, didn’t I think it was delicious the first time I had it?’

High-calorie foods are all like that. The first bite is amazing, but it’s just average after that.

Just like how the first sip of a Coke is always the best.

Seeing Xue Rui frowning as if he was dissatisfied, Lin Ruoxi asked, "Is the beef one not good?"

Xue Rui smiled. Letting Lin Ruoxi have a taste was faster than explaining. He offered her the burger in his hand. "Want a bite?"

"Mm, okay." Lin Ruoxi didn’t hesitate, taking a bite right where Xue Rui had.

Chen Tingting stared, dumbfounded. ’Xue Rui left such a clear bite mark, and Lin Ruoxi just ate from it without a second thought?’

’Isn’t that an indirect kiss?’

"You... You ate it?" Chen Tingting’s cheeks flushed red.

The spot where the food had been bitten had a distinctly different sheen from the saliva on it, yet Lin Ruoxi didn’t seem to mind at all.

Xue Rui laughed. ’Chen Tingting clings to me every day, jumps on my back, and even once declared she’d be the one to pay for a hotel room...’

’So it turns out that was all just a tough act. In reality, she’s just an inexperienced little girl who’d make a face like that just from seeing people share food?’

Lin Ruoxi didn’t answer right away. She first swallowed what was in her mouth and said calmly, "Why couldn’t I eat it?"

"Don’t you mind? There’s saliva..." Chen Tingting whispered, leaning close to Lin Ruoxi’s ear.

She was a bit of a germaphobe when it came to food hygiene. Every time she saw male classmates sharing a cup to drink water, it felt like ants were crawling all over her.

She always brought her own chopsticks to eat at school. Whenever she saw the communal chopsticks in the cafeteria, she couldn’t help but feel they’d been used by all sorts of people, and she could imagine everything those chopsticks had been through.

In truth, she knew the cafeteria chopsticks were sterilized and very clean, but she still couldn’t bring herself to accept them.

But when she saw the two of them just now, she didn’t feel disgusted, just... strange.

She couldn’t put a finger on what she was feeling. She just felt that today was very different from usual.

"Mind?" Lin Ruoxi shook her head blankly. She had never thought about this issue before. Usually at home, she was the one who finished whatever food Xue Rui couldn’t.

’On second thought, Chen Tingting is right. Food that’s been bitten has saliva on it.’

’But I don’t mind Xue Rui’s. I’ve been eating his leftovers for so long and I’ve never gotten sick.’

’I don’t think the beef burger is as good as the spicy chicken sandwich. I was just about to let Xue Rui try mine...’

’Xue Rui likes spicy food, and he’s also a clean person...’

’My food has my saliva on it too... Xue Rui probably wouldn’t eat it.’

"Mine is delicious. I’ll go buy one for you," Lin Ruoxi said. She wanted to give Xue Rui the best.

Xue Rui snatched the burger from Lin Ruoxi’s hand. "Don’t buy another one. We still have all these chicken nuggets. We won’t be able to finish it if you buy more."

As he spoke, he took Lin Ruoxi’s chicken sandwich and started eating it, his bite completely covering the small notch she had made.

Xue Rui nodded as he ate. "This really is good."

He didn’t know if it was the chicken that was delicious, or if it was because he had snatched it from the girl’s grasp.

He suspected it was the latter.

Chen Tingting’s expression soured. She hadn’t felt uncomfortable when Lin Ruoxi ate from Xue Rui’s food, just that it was strange. But seeing Xue Rui eat Lin Ruoxi’s food filled her with an indescribable unease.

"I-It has my saliva on it," Lin Ruoxi said weakly, feeling a little nervous.

Xue Rui froze. ’Why would Lin Ruoxi say something like that?’

’Did Chen Tingting say something to her just now?’

’This kind of thing is better left unsaid, an unspoken act of intimacy between a young couple...’

’But... the girl actually said it out loud in public.’

Some things are indeed embarrassing when said so bluntly.

Although the two of them had chosen a corner table, Lin Ruoxi’s stunning looks meant that people had been secretly watching them the whole time...

Xue Rui could feel the silent stares.

"Yeah, I don’t mind," Xue Rui said magnanimously.

The corners of Lin Ruoxi’s mouth turned up slightly. She didn’t know why, but even though Xue Rui had only said he didn’t mind, she felt incredibly happy—happier than if she’d eaten a chocolate pie.

Chen Tingting’s spirits fell. Neither of them minded the other, which made her feel like she was being left out.

As Xue Rui watched in confusion, Chen Tingting moved behind him. She stared at the chicken sandwich in his hand, at the part with the bite marks...

Overcoming years of germaphobia, she grabbed Xue Rui’s hand and bit into the burger.

"What are you doing?" Xue Rui’s voice rose slightly. Chen Tingting’s action had startled him, and he instinctively pulled his hand back.

But to outsiders, it looked as if the two were fighting over food.

The girl trying to snatch the food from the boy’s hand, the boy constantly on guard against the girl...

"Didn’t you say you were full just now?" Lin Ruoxi looked astonished. She was at a loss for what to do. Chen Tingting was fighting Xue Rui for his burger.

"I’m not full," Chen Tingting said defiantly.

"I’ll buy you another one, just stop fighting over it," Lin Ruoxi said in a panic.

...

The group’s antics made the surrounding diners chuckle.

"Little girl, that’s what you don’t understand. Food tastes best when you have to fight for it. You must be an only child, aren’t you?" an old man laughed.

He recalled decades ago, when resources were scarce and the food was poor, but the taste of something you fought your siblings for was beyond delicious. There were too many only children now who had never experienced those times.

Lin Ruoxi was stunned. ’That old man is spot on. I really am an only child.’

’So, does food really taste better when you fight for it?’

She still didn’t quite understand.

"That brother and sister are so cute," an old woman next to them chimed in. She turned to her grandson and said, "How about you ask your mommy and daddy to give you a little sister to play with?"

The little boy licked his ice cream and said in a childish voice, "Grandma, I want Mommy to give me a big sister."

"You silly little thing, anyone born after you is a younger brother or sister..." the old woman corrected him.

The little boy’s words made Lin Ruoxi laugh. She turned to look at Xue Rui and Chen Tingting.

Xue Rui had shoved the rest of the burger into Chen Tingting’s mouth. "Go on, eat it. I won’t fight you for it."

Chen Tingting’s mouth was stuffed. Suddenly, the food didn’t taste good at all; it was hard to swallow.

A look of sudden realization crossed Lin Ruoxi’s face. The old man was right—the moment Xue Rui stopped fighting for it, Chen Tingting didn’t want to eat it anymore.

Xue Rui shot Chen Tingting a look. "You’re the one who bit it. Don’t waste food."

Puffing her cheeks in anger, Chen Tingting washed the burger down bite by bite with her Coke.

"Little girl, what are you doing tagging along with your brother and his girlfriend?" someone teased with a laugh.

How could they not see it? Earlier, Xue Rui and Lin Ruoxi had clearly been acting like a young couple, feeding each other, joking around, and engaging in little intimacies like talking about saliva.

But this adorable little girl was different. Squabbling with the boy over food, she looked just like a little sister messing with her brother.

Chen Tingting choked, rendered speechless.

She patted her chest and shook the Coke cup in front of her, only to find it was empty.

She turned to look at Xue Rui, but he was playing on his phone, sipping his own drink, completely oblivious that she was choking.

Just as Chen Tingting was about to get up to find some water, Lin Ruoxi noticed she was choking and quickly offered her own drink.

But before she could even open the lid, Chen Tingting bit down on the straw and took a gulp.

"PHEW~" Chen Tingting gasped for air. "Thanks."

Chen Tingting opened her mouth, wanting to say something.

She had just drunk from Lin Ruoxi’s cup...

Lin Ruoxi looked at the straw Chen Tingting had just used, hesitated for a moment, then took the lid off and set it aside along with the straw.

Chen Tingting frowned. She felt as if her germaphobia had vanished, only to be transferred to Lin Ruoxi.

...

Xue Rui finished his meal calmly. ’I’ve done what I promised, so shouldn’t it be time to send Chen Tingting home?’

He glanced down at Chen Tingting. She was in a bad mood, and her eyes were red from crying earlier.

Xue Rui sighed. He felt like he and Lin Ruoxi were out babysitting.

But with Chen Tingting looking like this, how could he send her home?

’If Chen Shen sees her like this, he’ll think his precious daughter has been wronged!’

The top priority was to cheer Chen Tingting up. At the very least, he had to send her home happy.

He leaned in and told Lin Ruoxi his plan.