Chapter 34: Luosifen (Snail Rice Noodles)

At 11:00 PM, thick, ink-colored clouds heavily blanketed the city sky. Following dull rumbles of thunder, torrential rain battered against the windowpanes, making a loud clatter.

Shang Ying lay in bed, her phone completely filled with food livestreams. Her eyes were fixed straight ahead, and her drool was practically about to flow onto the bed. So, she posted on her Moments feed.

"My strawberry blew it! Urgent! Urgent! Lady is bleeding heavily! Desperately need a bowl of fragrant Luosifen to save my life! Just needs to be delivered to District XX, Street XX, and you can save two lives! What are you still waiting for?!"

Perhaps it wasn't too late yet, as comments quickly flooded in, with the friend whose avatar was a character "Shang" commenting the fastest.

[Old Man]: “I told you to eat more at dinner, but you didn't listen. Now you know what hunger feels like? You're not allowed to eat that junk food with zero nutrition!”

Shang Ying: …

Block, delete, repost.

Then she explained in the comment section: “Forgot to block my family's old man just now, reposting.”

[The Capital's #1 Handsome Boy Young Master Cui Is Me]: “I was wondering why my comment vanished! Little Sister, which shop's Luosifen do you want? Brother will find someone to send it to you!”

[4 Is Si]: “Don't listen to that fool upstairs boasting, he doesn't even know what Luosifen is.”

[The Capital's #1 Handsome Boy Young Master Cui Is Me]: “Bullshit! Is there anything this Young Master doesn't know?!”

[Xie Tuo]: “So what actually is Luosifen?”

Shang Ying looked at the three of their comments and fell silent.

‘It was truly impossible to get through to you wealthy people!’

However, it was merely a passing whim for her. Lying in bed, she scrolled through a few more short videos and soon put the matter to the back of her mind. While the catchy background music was still playing, a faint set of hurried footsteps quickly crossed the hallway, resembling a drop of rain sliding past the window tonight.

Who knows how much time passed before light knocking sounds echoed. Shang Ying initially thought she was hallucinating, but within a minute, the knocking sounded again.

‘In the middle of the night, who could it be?’

Shang Ying got out of bed, stepped forward, and opened the door. What met her eyes was Shang Yi, whom she had never expected to see. He wore a hoodie, carrying the scent of rainwater from outdoors, and his bangs were lightly dampened.

Since the hallway lights weren't on, Shang Ying didn't notice it in the dim light. She looked at Shang Yi, who blinked his eyes, and asked, "What are you looking for me for this late?"

‘It couldn't be that he was afraid of thunder and didn't dare sleep alone, right?’

Shang Yi's dark eyes flickered twice. Quietly raising his hand, he held a takeout bag, the rainwater on the bag not yet wiped dry, though it was still hot, as he had checked.

Shang Ying switched on the light. The bright glare was slightly blinding, causing both people at the door to blink. She took the bag from Shang Yi's hand, took a look inside.

"Luosifen?!"

"You went out to buy it for me?!"

Shang Ying's eyes lit up instantly, her voice carrying suppressed excitement. She hadn't expected to actually eat it tonight. After all, it was far too late, and delivery couldn't even reach here.

Unexpectedly, this freebie brother of hers had actually brought it back for her! But it was so late, Driver Uncle Chen had already finished work, so no one could have driven him out.

Shang Ying's smile froze instantly, switching into a stern face the next second. Seeing her sudden change in expression, Shang Yi's heart tightened involuntarily, his refined lips pressing into a straight line as his teeth lightly bit his inner cheek.

"How did you go out this late? It's raining so hard outside."

Shang Yi's hands hanging by his sides instinctively clenched into fists. Under Shang Ying's gaze, he slowly opened his mouth.

"Rode a bike."

‘Oho?’ Shang Ying was somewhat surprised, measuring the person in front of her up and down. Tsk tsk, she hadn't expected her refined, scholarly brother could actually ride a bike!

As expected of a teenage boy, he still had a bit of rebellious spirit in him. If he got caught driving without a license, he'd have to go up to the flagpole tomorrow to read a self-reflection speech.

‘Sounds pretty fresh. A top student reading a self-reflection.’

Seeing Shang Ying remain silent, Shang Yi looked at the packed Luosifen and spoke softly, "It's going to get cold."

With that, he took a step back, turning as if to leave. The moment he moved, Shang Ying suddenly grabbed his wrist. A flash of surprise crossed his eyes, but Shang Ying pulled him directly into the room and closed the door.

"How can eating alone be any fun? Come, your sister will let you taste how delicious this Luosifen is!"

Saying that, she patted a chair to motion for Shang Yi to sit down, then unwrapped the tightly packed bag. The moment she opened the lid, a spicy, fragrant, and heavy aroma wafted out.

Taking a whiff, Shang Ying's mouth immediately secreted saliva. She went to grab two sets of bowls and chopsticks, transferred half of the noodles inside, and poured in the soul broth.

Smelling the odor, Shang Yi's nose twitched. He didn't particularly like this smell. Back at the Luosifen shop, the stench had been so strong he had stood five meters away from the shop to wait. The owner had even laughed, asking why he was buying it if he didn't like it.

"Here, try it! Don't look at how smelly it smells, it tastes delicious!"

At the desk, the siblings sat side by side. Shang Ying took a photo, posted it, and immediately began slurping the noodles like a whirlwind, her lips turning red from the spice. The noodles were extremely spicy, but truly delicious, so she continued eating while wiping tears and gasping for air.

Seeing Shang Ying eat with such relish, Shang Yi couldn't help having his appetite piqued. Using his chopsticks, he picked up a single strand of noodle, let it cool slightly in the air to shed some flavor, before placing it into his mouth.

…

‘It actually tasted pretty good.’

A few seconds later, Shang Yi began taking small bites of the noodles as well. His dining habits were very refined and elegant, especially when compared to Shang Ying's casual style beside him.

Shang Ying was genuinely overwhelmed by the spice, her nose running and tears falling. In the end, Shang Yi went downstairs to fetch her a bottle of yogurt before she finally recovered.

The icy, thick liquid entered her mouth, instantly soothing her spicy, aching nerves. Biting down on the straw, Shang Ying chugged two large gulps, then reached out to feel the forehead of the person beside her.

Her palm was warm, warmed by the spice, as it rested against Shang Yi's forehead, like a paper talisman holding him in place.

"Riding a bike out in the rain without a raincoat. The temperature dropped, don't catch a cold." Pausing, she added, "If you catch a cold, you must pass it to me. I don't want to go to school."

‘Luckily, this outrageous remark wasn't heard by Shang Heng, otherwise she would definitely get a beating.’

The temperature on his forehead was moderate. Shang Ying intended to pull her hand back, but Shang Yi grabbed it, pinning it so she couldn't move.

"Sister..."

The boy lowered his head, calling out in a very soft voice. He didn't dare raise his eyes, and his grip on her wrist loosened slightly, afraid of hurting her, yet afraid that if he let go, she would leave

.

The atmosphere quieted down in an instant, their breathing softly falling within the room. Shang Ying could even feel Shang Yi's fingers trembling slightly, and her playful expression faded as well.

Her hand slid downward, covering Shang Yi's eyes. His delicate eyelashes fluttered softly against her palm, tickling slightly.

"Shang Yi."

Shang Ying's cool voice fell into Shang Yi's ears, making his body tremble involuntarily once more.

"Did you do something bad? Calling 'Sister' is useless!”