"No electric boats?"

"We only have two electric boats, but they're already rented out," the owner apologized.

"Alright."

Chen Yu Ying looked at Lin Li upon hearing this: "Which type should we choose?"

"I'm fine with anything," Lin Li was completely indifferent.

He had enough strength, whether it was pedaling or rowing by hand, and if Lin Li ever got tired, it would only be an act to appear human.

"Shall we choose the hand-rowed boat then?" Chen Yu Ying tilted her head slightly and blinked at Lin Li's curious gaze, explaining:

"Because I just said I wanted your legs to rest. If we choose the pedal boat, it would be a bit contradictory, and I'd lose face."

0v0→♡v♡.

Looking at the girl explaining seriously with her cheeks puffed slightly, Lin Li chuckled: "Ying Bao, I've decided that in the future if I eat fish alone, I'll only eat the fish head."

"Why?" Chen Yu Ying was a bit puzzled by the sudden change in topic.

Lin Li: "Because the body of the fish only tastes good with you. Without you, it's flavorless."

"Tch!" The girl, who expected a sweet talk, quickly dismissed it with a scoff, turning her head to look for a vendor. Yet, her light-hearted demeanor and voice showed she was quite pleased.

Chen Yu Ying picked a hand-rowed boat and had the vendor untie the securing rope.

"Speaking of fish heads, class monitor, do you remember the elementary school text 'The Fish Head'?" Lin Li asked with a grin when Chen Yu Ying returned, "The one that goes 'when women become mothers, they start loving fish heads'."

"I do, what about it?" Chen Yu Ying nodded, then asked curiously.

"I suddenly thought of my mom," Lin Li sighed and chuckled, though there was a hint of sadness:

"When I was young, my mom was like in the textbook, taking the whole fish head as she raised me alone. I'd ask her why, and she'd always smile and say, 'Silly child, moms love fish heads, the rest is for you...'"

Chen Yu Ying blinked.

Logically, seeing her boyfriend in this state, she should go up and comfort him, give him a hug, or hold his hand.

But the issue was her boyfriend was Lin Li.

"And then?" So Chen Yu Ying remained still, even feeling an inexplicable urge to laugh, as she asked.

"And then? Then I could only eat rice with chopped chili," Lin Li shrugged innocently and helplessly.

Chen Yu Ying: "…Eh?"

"Wait! The fish you ate was Hunan-style spicy fish head?"

"Yeah," Lin Li nodded, "Didn't you think I looked skinny when school started? It's because of eating Spicy Fish Heads."

"I'm going to report you to Auntie for defaming her," Chen Yu Ying said, unable to hide her smile.

If Chen Yunsong's 'Mom Loves to Eat Fish Heads' was a tribute to maternal love, then Lin Li's 'Mom Loves to Eat Fish Heads' was an ode to rice with spicy chopped chilies.

The vendor pulled the boat over to the dock, signaling that they could board.

"You get on first," Lin Li said.

"Why?"

"Because 'sister you board the boat, brother walks on the shore'," Lin Li explained seriously.

"Crazy," Chen Yu Ying couldn't help but laugh.

Lin Li finally let out a hearty laugh, stepping into the boat first, then turned and reached out to Chen Yu Ying: "Sister, onboard!"

Keeping her smile, Chen Yu Ying took his hand, carefully stepping onto the gently rocking small boat: "Sure thing, brother~"

No matter how dismissive her words might sound, the girl always used actions to cooperate with Lin Li.

"It's so hard to choose... should I have you call me brother or master? Or maybe 'master brother'?"

Lin Li, who had enjoyed the earlier 'brother', now found himself in quite a dilemma.

"Dream on." Chen Yu Ying teased with a light scold, picking up an oar, ready to row.

"Let me do it," Lin Li naturally wouldn't let Chen Yu Ying row, taking the oars from both sides and starting to row.

The small boat created ripples, carrying the two leisurely toward the center of the lake.

The lake water was still relatively clear, and before reaching the center, where it was closer to the shore, sparse underwater grass could be seen swaying gently.

The ripples from the boat reflected the leaden gray clouds, also casting the silhouettes of the two.

Unable to resist, Chen Yu Ying reached out to stir the cool lake water, her fingertips raising a string of sparkling droplets.

"Lin Li, watch behind you." Rubbing her wet fingers, the girl looked at something behind Lin Li, giving a warning.

"What?" Lin Li looked back, but there were no other boats, not even a duck or waterfowl.

A cold finger, moistened with lake water, slipped into his collar from behind.

"Hiss—" Lin Li gasped, curling up defensively.

Then, a laughter even clearer and colder than the lake water came from behind.

In fact, Lin Li was not as shocked as he acted; it was just an act, akin to pretending not to understand a math problem, to entertain Chen Yu Ying.

The laughter behind him was a perfect reward for the performance.

When Lin Li turned back, the girl had already settled firmly back in her seat across, looking at him mischievously before turning her head as if nothing had happened.

Lin Li paused his rowing, leaned to scoop some water with his hand, splashing it lightly behind Chen Yu Ying and nodding his chin in that direction: 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Hey, class monitor, Old Jian is over there dressed as a Playboy bunny dancing on a pole."

Chen Yu Ying, still a bit breathless from laughing just now, shook her head like a rattle, her slightly curled hair tips bobbing: "I want to save some dignity for Teacher Xue, so I won't look."

"Oh my, Bufan's on Red Stone!"