Chapter 49: Meal Buddy

After signing up for a membership card, Shang Ying would come out of school during lunchtime to buy bread or cake here. Having tried almost everything on the menu, she said "whatever you recommend" and took her usual seat.

Everything tasted pretty good anyway.

The shop owner's surname was Shen, something Shang Ying learned during their fourth conversation. Shop Owner Shen didn't get many dine-in customers, as most orders were for delivery. A customer like Shang Ying who dined in regularly was rare, so they naturally struck up conversations.

Shop Owner Shen thought about the words "whatever you recommend" for a moment, then snapped his fingers with a smile.

"How about I make a new item? I saw a recipe online recently and plan to tweak it a bit. It should turn out quite nice."

Shang Ying replied, "Sure, let's go with that then."

Before long, Shop Owner Shen brought out an exquisite plate of strawberry tiramisu and placed it on the walnut wood table. Just looking at it gave the impression that it wouldn't taste bad. He then took a seat across from Shang Ying.

"I added a layer of strawberry filling inside. You don't like overly rich desserts, so I replaced that layer of cream cheese with strawberry jam."

Shang Ying picked up a small fork, took a bite, and immediately showed a satisfied expression.

"Delicious! Very refreshing. The slight tartness of the strawberry jam balances the sweetness perfectly. It'd probably taste even better after chilling in the fridge for a bit."

Rarely encountering someone who understood desserts so well, Shop Owner Shen happily shared his insights with Shang Ying. After chatting for a while, he squinted his eyes and asked teasingly.

"Student Yingying, it's not lunchtime yet. Don't tell me you climbed over the wall to ditch class?"

European antique glass pendant lights cast a soft, hazy glow over the room, softening the scatter of light across the girl's delicate eyelashes.

"Hey, I'm no bad student! I went through the proper procedures and am currently on leave."

Shang Ying spoke with absolute seriousness, seemingly unwilling to let others misunderstand her as a troublemaker. Shop Owner Shen had merely been joking, but seeing her earnest reaction made him burst into a smile.

Shop Owner Shen asked again, "Are you eating lunch here too?"

"Probably. It's almost time anyway."

"Then stay and eat with me. Eating too many desserts isn't good for a growing kid."

Shop Owner Shen spoke with a gentle, lingering smile, his voice soft and soothing. He was a person with a very gentle aura.

"I happen to be missing a meal buddy anyway, so consider it keeping me company. What do you think?"

He wasn't lying. Ever since opening this shop, he spent most of his time alone, so naturally, he ate alone as well. On occasion, when he felt like cooking a feast, he couldn't finish it, and the food went to waste.

He rented a two-story building in this alley, operating the shop downstairs and sleeping upstairs. When there were no customers, he'd tend to plants or read books, with no familiar faces ever coming to visit.

Shang Ying agreed readily.

"Sure, but let me say this first: I'm a picky eater. If it doesn't taste good, don't blame me for taking two bites and putting my chopsticks down."

Aside from Aunt Zhao's cooking, she had never been satisfied with anyone else's culinary skills. If the house wasn't so far from school, she'd genuinely want to go home for every meal.

Although Aunt Zhao had offered to pack meals for the driver to deliver, Shang Ying found it too troublesome, and food didn't taste as good when it wasn't fresh, so she declined.

Shop Owner Shen smiled mysteriously, not bragging about his cooking to reassure her, but simply brought her a pretty beverage before heading upstairs to cook.

When three dishes, vibrant in color and bursting with aroma, were brought to the table, Shang Ying finally understood why Shop Owner Shen had merely smiled earlier. Turns out he was a hidden master.

Garlic spinach, radish with beef offal, and seafood glass noodle casserole. Every single dish hit Shang Ying's taste buds perfectly. She couldn't wait to take a bite, her eyes lighting up instantly.

"Brother Shen, you're keeping way too low a profile! Your cooking tastes incredible!"

Shop Owner Shen picked up his chopsticks with composure, secretly wanting to correct her address of "Brother Shen," considering he was already a thirty-four-year-old middle-aged man. Calling him "Uncle" would be more appropriate.

Still, he let the kid have her way. After all, being called younger was a good thing. It meant he still looked youthful.

"I originally wanted to make three dishes and a soup, but time was a bit tight. How about I brew you some soup next time? My soup is quite good~"

Shang Ying nodded repeatedly, taking two more bites as her taste buds were completely captivated. She set her chopsticks down, her clear eyes staring intently at Shop Owner Shen.

Faced with her gaze, Shop Owner Shen felt somewhat puzzled.

"What's wrong?"

"Brother Shen, can I get a membership card for your home-cooked meals too?"

"Huh?"

Shop Owner Shen burst out laughing, covering his mouth with a fist, taking a long moment to catch his breath.

"Student Yingying, you really have a gift for humor."

"There's no need for a membership card. You keeping me company for meals is enough payment."

Shang Ying shook her head in disapproval. She wasn't contributing labor or money. How could she eat and drink for free? Her honey-colored eyes rolled upward as she added.

"How about this: we split the cost of ingredients 50/50. Isn't that how meal buddies work? Great, it's a deal then!"

Defeated by her persistence, Shop Owner Shen could only nod in agreement, though he felt happy inside. After all, having someone to share meals with was nice. Suddenly remembering something, he said, "Bring your younger brother along next time. With three of us, the food won't go to waste."

‘Oh right’, she had almost forgotten about her freebie brother. Shang Ying nodded with a smile.

Before this, Shang Ying had brought Shang Yi to the shop a few times, so Shop Owner Shen had met him before. Seeing fraternal twins for the first time had left him quite amazed back then.

Shang Yi was quiet, polite, smart, and handsome. He held a good impression of the boy. Occasionally, Shang Yi would even come alone to help buy food when Shang Ying was sleeping and couldn't be woken up.

As the two were enjoying their meal, a loud crash of tumbling objects suddenly came from outside the shop, followed by harsh shouting and cursing.

"You dog-raised bastard, actually daring to act wild on our turf! Are you tired of living and looking for a beating?!"

"Tsk, still a star student from Capital No. 1 High School? Why is a star student hanging out with delinquents like us? Not afraid your teacher will call your parents? Hahahahaha!"

"Spill it. Are you sent by the Sihai Association? Strange, why would they send a student? If it weren't for our Young Master, you would've gotten what was coming to you!"

Right at that moment, Shang Ying heard a familiar, carefree voice.

"Why waste your breath with him? His name is Huo Yunshu, right? Seeing as you're a student, I won't break your arms or legs. Just give him a good beating."

‘Huo Yunshu?!’

‘And the person who just spoke sounded like Jiang Mei!’

Just as Shang Ying listened to the commotion excitedly, changed her expression, even Shop Owner Shen sensed something was off. Knitting his refined brows, he stood up.

"What's going on outside? I'll go take a look. You stay sitting here, Yingying."

"Don't go!"

Shop Owner Shen's footsteps froze the second her words fell.