The paper bag was warm, and the heat of the doughnuts passed through it to my hand.
Walking beside Gu Fan, I occasionally took a bite of the chocolate-coated doughnut, feeling so content that my cat ears kept twitching.
At the dessert shop on the first floor, while picking out what to eat, Gu Fan chose a hot milk treasure drink, and I stuck with my usual doughnuts.
Compared to trying something new, I preferred what I was familiar with.
“Hm… this hot milk treasure is really good.”
Gu Fan said.
He held an ice cream cone filled with what looked like very sweet cream.
At the bottom, there seemed to be a clump of glutinous rice?
It looked reddish.
“Is it? Then you’d better finish it quickly, or I’ll snatch it from you.”
I teased, trying to come up with something playful.
I wasn’t sure if it would be well received, but the words were out, so I smiled along.
What was meant as a casual remark made Gu Fan look over at me.
“Do you want some? I can give you a bite.”
He offered.
“Eh?”
I was stunned for a long moment before I processed what he just said.
“Can I really have some?”
“Of course. It’s not expensive anyway, so if you want it, just have it.”
No, it wasn’t the price of the hot milk treasure that mattered to me, but… looking at the bite marks on the edge of the ice cream cone, I swallowed unconsciously.
Ahem, just to be clear, I only wanted to try the hot milk treasure, not interested in any kind of indirect kissing! Really!
After reassuring myself like that, my confidence slowly returned.
Encouraged by Gu Fan’s encouraging gaze, I took the hot milk treasure and deliberately pretended to bite the same spot Gu Fan had bitten.
“Mmm~ so sweet~”
The sweetness made my heart tremble in waves, and my tongue felt like it was soaked in honey, every nerve happily moaning and shouting in delight.
I took very small bites—in fact, only my lips touched some of the sweet cream; I barely even got to the glutinous rice at the bottom, and only ate a tiny piece of the cone.
Even so, I still felt this bite was overwhelmingly sweet—probably boosted by the power of my mind.
“Want another bite?”
Maybe because I was eating with my eyes squinting happily, Gu Fan glanced at the half-finished hot milk treasure in his hand and offered it toward me.
“No, no, you don’t have to. If I eat too much, Gu Fan won’t have any left.”
I’m not a greedy person.
My real intention was just to interact more with Gu Fan, with a tiny bit of sneaky self-interest mixed in—that’s why I dared to take a bite.
Standing on the shopping center’s escalator, I looked around.
It was a weekday, so not many people were shopping—a perfect time for chatting.
I squeezed the doughnut bag in my hand and decided to follow my plan to ask Gu Fan about his likes and hobbies.
“Gu Fan, do you like this dessert?”
Would giving food as a birthday gift be weird?
Usually, people give decorations or practical things; thoughtful ones give the stuff the other person wants to buy lately.
But I just wanted to know what Gu Fan liked to eat.
Whether someone sends food as a birthday gift after that is someone else’s business—I don’t care.
Though I have little experience and usually stay home, with few friends, I probably know better than many about what people want for their birthday.
Because I once longed so much for my mother to give me some ordinary little toy—or even just a warm hug.
I gazed at Gu Fan as the escalator slowly carried us upward, but he kept a contemplative expression.
I still remember… the birthday gifts Gu Fan gave me when we were kids—there were five in total, but they weren’t things; they were experiences deeply etched into my memory.
The reservoir… the church… the school… many ordinary, everyday places turned into venues where Gu Fan celebrated my birthday.
We just bought some snacks and ate while walking, just like now.
But ever since graduating elementary school, Gu Fan never celebrated my birthday again, and the one and only birthday gift I had gradually slipped away from me.
Only when we reached the second floor did he suddenly come back to his senses, taking a big bite of his hot milk treasure, revealing the red glutinous rice at the bottom.
“Hm… not bad? Eating something warm in winter is really nice.”
Looks like Gu Fan wasn’t actually deep in thought earlier, just daydreaming.
I puffed out my cheeks, wanting to tease him for zoning out in front of me, but thinking better of it, I swallowed the urge to avoid seeming petty.
The decorations on the second floor of the shopping center were noticeably prettier.
Since Christmas was approaching, many shops had already decorated with festive Christmas vibes, and the corridors outside were lined with colorful ribbons and red plastic stockings.
It looked really nice—would be even better to come out on Christmas day itself.
Thinking this, I secretly decided to ask Gu Fan in advance to hang out together for Christmas—I mustn’t let anyone else book him first.
After passing several shops, I kept glancing at Gu Fan’s expression.
He looked around with interest but didn’t focus on any particular store.
Just as I thought Gu Fan wasn’t really interested in shopping, he suddenly stopped.
I glanced at the nearby shop—it seemed to be selling small toys?
A variety of toys were displayed on shelves, spaced out a bit, and each item had a tag explaining how to play with it.
“Interested? Shall we go in and take a look?”
I didn’t want to miss the chance to find out more about Gu Fan’s interests.
Seeing him staring fixedly at something inside the shop, I quickly asked.
Gu Fan nodded blankly, his attention caught to the point that he didn’t really respond to my words, just gave a perfunctory nod and walked inside.
I was a bit annoyed, but seeing him so focused, I didn’t want to disturb him, so I hurried to follow his steps, wanting to see exactly what had drawn Gu Fan’s attention.
When I reached his side, I saw the object he was fixated on—a camera?
“Gu Fan, do you like taking photos?”
It was one of those ultra-small mini cameras, equipped with an elastic strap so it could be hung around the neck and used whenever you wanted.
I glanced at the price—only seventy yuan.
I’d never seen Gu Fan take photos with his phone before, maybe because when he’s with me he doesn’t play with his phone much—at most, just checking the time.
Gu Fan looked a bit hesitant about my question too, perhaps unsure why he was suddenly interested in the camera.
“Maybe? I kind of want to try capturing scenes and memories in photos.”
“Then should we buy it? Uh… I can give it to you as a birthday gift.”
Although it’s usually best to give birthday gifts quietly on the birthday itself, I’m the kind of person who’s impatient with anticipation—I’m always afraid I’ll slip up and reveal it too early, or worry someone else might give the same gift, or that Gu Fan might have already bought one himself.
So I planned to give it to him early.
Gu Fan didn’t respond to my offer to give him the camera.
Instead, he looked at me curiously and said, “Eh? You still remember when my birthday is?
It’s been so many years already…”
Halfway through, Gu Fan abruptly stopped himself, smiling as he changed the subject without mentioning the distance between us over these past three years.
“This camera is your responsibility now—I’ll accept this birthday gift early.”
Gu Fan really is… as understanding as ever.
After paying, I watched Gu Fan excitedly fiddling with the blue mini camera, while silently deciding to prepare another gift for him on his actual birthday.
If possible, maybe even get a Christmas present in a few days as well.