“Mmm~ So good~”
I squinted my eyes in satisfaction, chewing the ramen noodles in my mouth.
After saying that terribly embarrassing line at the classroom door, Gu Fan had swiftly taken my wrist and led me toward the stairwell.
Back then, I thought he was about to scold me—maybe even harshly—for saying something so weird in such a public setting.
But instead, he simply brought me downstairs.
And then… he brought me to this ramen shop.
Without me even asking him to eat lunch together, Gu Fan had taken the initiative.
Hehe, doesn’t that mean I still matter to him?
“We haven’t even gone a full day without seeing each other. How come you’re already missing me?”
That question floated casually into my ear just as I was picking up a few brightly colored noodles with my chopsticks.
The ramen shop was a bit noisy, so it took me a second to fully register what he’d said.
I absolutely couldn’t admit that I’d come looking for Gu Fan with any sort of twisted intent.
Even though, in truth, I’d been provoked by Shiratori earlier… and I had grown a little addicted to Gu Fan’s gentleness and warmth.
“Uhm… It’s nothing. I just wanted to see you. We’re friends, right? No matter how much time we spend together, we never get tired of each other.”
As I answered, I tried to slip in a clumsy excuse—partly to test Gu Fan’s reaction.
I slurped the noodles I’d picked up and stirred the soup with my spoon, pretending to be casual.
The clink of metal against ceramic echoed in crisp, rhythmic notes, but my mind was entirely on Gu Fan.
I didn’t even register the sound I was making.
Gu Fan swallowed the piece of fried egg in his mouth slowly, wiped his lips with a napkin, and glanced at me with a laid-back expression.
“Yeah, it’s always fun being around you, Zhi Nian. Even if we don’t say anything—just sit quietly—it feels… like a breeze brushing past. Peaceful.”
“Wuuueh…”
A shameful little sound escaped me…
Gu Fan really… always manages to hit the softest part of my heart with such nonchalance.
Just hearing those words was enough to make me feel light and floaty.
Maybe… that’s just Gu Fan’s gift?
I’m not sure if he says such sweet, heart-tingling things to other people, but I really hope I’m the only one who gets to experience something this wonderful.
Of course, I know Gu Fan wasn’t born with this kind of charm. He must’ve gone through a lot, gained tons of experience, and honed his ways until he could sway my emotions so effortlessly—lifting me high one moment and dropping me low the next.
My fingers trembled slightly as I scooped up some broth from the bowl.
I took a tiny sip, but could barely taste it—like my sense of taste had been temporarily hijacked to go daydreaming about Gu Fan.
I slurped my noodles with a slow, muffled rhythm.
When Gu Fan and I eat together, we only chat occasionally—most of the time we focus on the food.
I guess it’s that whole “don’t talk while eating or sleeping” thing.
…But honestly, I really dislike that saying.
I mean, when we finally get a chance to be together like this, why not take the opportunity to talk?
Are we really just meeting up to eat a meal and go to bed?
Wait—bed?
My imaginary cat ears suddenly stood bolt upright.
Let’s pretend—hypothetically—if I got to sleep in the same bed as Gu Fan…
Ugh, hold on! Disclaimer: this is just a what-if scenario.
Anything can happen in a hypothetical, right?
No need to go nitpicking myself about it.
That’d just ruin the fun.
So with that mental leash off, I continued to let my imagination run wild.
Say, due to certain special circumstances, Gu Fan ends up crashing at my place.
And—oh no!—my mom’s bed collapses.
What a coincidence!
Then some mysterious creature steals all the stuffing out of our sofa cushions.
And the floor?
Freezing cold because it’s the middle of winter.
So under those conditions… wouldn’t it be totally reasonable for us to share a bed?
Following that logic, in the winter down here in the south, you have to keep the doors shut tight and pile on the heavy blankets.
Which means, if I were lying next to Gu Fan, the whole room would be filled with his warm, calming, delicious scent.
And we’d be all snuggled under the same covers, too.
Since the weather’s cold, it wouldn’t be too much if I snuggled into Gu Fan’s arms to warm up, right?
I mean, even my imaginary cat ears and tail are curled up from the chill.
And Gu Fan does like cats so much—if I just act a little cutesy and clingy, he’s bound to forgive me.
Fufufu…
The more I think about it, the more excited I get.
What do I do?
I already can’t wait to dive straight into this fantasy and play out the next scene to my heart’s content.
“Zhi Nian? Lost your appetite?”
Gu Fan’s concerned voice yanked me back to reality.
I blinked, dazed.
Ugh, I’m such an idiot.
Daydreaming right in front of Gu Fan like this…
What was I thinking?
Sure, it’s pretty normal to drift off while eating, but I had spaced out so hard that my chopsticks had frozen mid-air.
I suddenly realized that I was holding my chopsticks in one hand and a spoon in the other, both hovering over the bowl like I was conducting some kind of bizarre ritual.
Anyone who saw me would definitely think I was a weirdo.
Why do I keep embarrassing myself in front of Gu Fan like this?
Honestly, I could’ve totally avoided that.
But no—I keep making the same mistake again and again, like I never learn.
“Ah… no, I was just spacing out a little,” I quickly explained, snapping back to the present.
Didn’t want to keep Gu Fan waiting too long and test his patience.
“Hm? So, Zhi Nian, what do you think of the ramen? I don’t think I’ve brought you here before. The broth’s pretty flavorful, right?”
“It’s really good! Let’s come here again next time!”
To me, even the most basic food is enough.
Fancy, expensive meals don’t taste that different in my mouth—they’re just a bit tastier, that’s all.
This broth was decent, sure, but I still preferred slurping noodles.
Not because of the taste or anything—it’s just easier to chew.
Plus, it’s the kind of food you can eat without thinking too hard.
Just stare at the bowl, pick up the noodles, and eat until you’re full.
Or rather… as long as I get to eat with Gu Fan, even food from a street stall would taste like the best thing in the world.
Mmm…
I can’t help but sigh a little.
When it comes to appetites—food, sleep, and sex—most people are focused on satisfying their hunger.
But I guess I’m a bit different.
The latter two seem to dominate for me.
…Wait, no!
I can’t think like that.
If I do, doesn’t that mean I’m admitting I’ve been having impure thoughts about Gu Fan?
I shook my head, forcefully tossing those dirty thoughts out of my brain, then huffed and continued eating my noodles.
This time, I was smart enough to keep eating while daydreaming.
The portion of ramen wasn’t particularly large, so it only took us about ten minutes to finish.
At my insistence, Gu Fan gave up on his sneaky plan to quietly pay for everything himself, and we split the bill evenly.
Truthfully, I had wanted to treat him, but I knew with his personality, he probably wouldn’t accept it anyway.
It was still early, so after a quick discussion, we decided to head home for a nap.
We made our way toward the parking lot together.
Halfway there, I hesitated for a bit, wondering if I should ask Gu Fan why he suddenly decided to bring me out for lunch.
Gu Fan isn’t like me—he doesn’t act randomly or impulsively.
If he does something, there’s usually a reason behind it.
Maybe my conflicted thoughts were written all over my face, because after just one glance, Gu Fan picked up on my unease.
“What are you thinking about? Need my help?”
“Um… I just wanted to know why you invited me to eat ramen…”