10 - The Tenth Flavor

Translator: tarararawr

Xian Bei did not sleep.

With this kind of situation…….how could she sleep…….

With her mind occupied, she awkwardly fiddled with the Choo Choo cat 1 pendant on her backpack.

Chen Zhuo was also silent while he drove.

At a red light, he tilted his head to take a look at Xian Bei. The little girl didn’t do what he said about resting and was thinking about things.

Her eyelids drooped slightly towards her plump cheeks. Her eyelashes were not very thick, but they were very long like some kind of plant…….a touch-me-not plant 2 that will curl its green leaves…….

He didn’t know how old she was.

Was she……underage?

His fingertips tapped the steering wheel for a while. Then, Chen Zhuo asked, “How old are you?”

Xian Bei stopped fiddling with the cat pendant.

After a few seconds of silence, the girl put her left hand into a V, which should mean “two”.

Immediately afterwards, the ring finger came out, adding a “three”.

“23?” Chen Zhuo asked.

Xian Bei nodded.

“Just graduated from college?”

She still nodded.

“Full-time artist?”

Xian Bei froze for a few moments and continued to nod slowly.

But Xian Bei’s heart was already stormy for a long time.

He’s read her manga! AAaahhhh!!

It’s the most shameful thing to be exposed to the real world!! ><

Chen Zhuo started driving again and stopped asking questions.

Xian Bei had a chance to catch her breath and without realizing it, she was twisting her fingers. After an unknown period of time, she heard the man next to her call out, “We’re here.”

The car also stopped slowly.

Xian Bei squinted to look at the buildings and scenery passing by the window. She blinked several times in surprise. This was……

Zhongshan City Plaza, near the neighborhood she used to live?

She’ll live here in the future?

Surmising her reaction, the man spoke again. “Let’s get out of the car.”

He opened the door of the driver’s seat and went out.

Xian Bei did know the reason why, but she lightly touched her forehead. She obediently pulled on her backpack and followed him out of the car.

Chen Zhuo went to the back of the car and took out her things: a large suitcase and a small duffel bag. He also didn’t put them on the ground. Instead, he carried one in each hand effortlessly.

Xian Bei felt very guilty. She pulled her backpack’s straps and quickly chased after him. She held out a hand to signal that she could take the bags.

Chen Zhuo didn’t allow it since he was tall and strong. This sort of weight was trivial. He only asked, “Do you have everything?”

There weren’t many things in the first place…….Xian Bei’s eyes looked in all directions several times, pretending to check before nodding to confirm.

“Let’s go.” Chen Zhuo started walking.

Despite the doubts that were exploding in Xian Bei’s head, she bit her lower lips to control herself. Silently, she let him lead the way.

The man seemed to have deliberately slowed down to walk besides her when they started walking.

Xian Bei concentrated on looking down, while she secretly stared at the tips of his shoes as they walked in unison.

After turning the corner, she saw in her peripheral vision that the tall figure to her left unexpectedly stopped.

Suddenly, her backpack handle was pulled by him.

Xian Bei stopped with fear.

The man smiled. “Look up.”

What? Xian Bei slightly raised her eyes…….

……

…………

………………

Xian Bei unwillingly exploded like she was instantly thrown into a boiling kettle.

"

"

Aaahhh, why was there a mailbox in front of her……

She was less than a hand’s width away from it and she almost hit her head.

Chen Zhuo asked, “Do you usually walk like this?”

Xian Bei: “……”

No……she would……look up at the road._(:з」∠)_ 3

When she accidentally looked at someone in the eye, it felt like she would be shot with a gun. She would lower her head to dodge and she would be scared of more deadly attacks.

However, when she walked next to Chen Zhuo, she would feel more nervous and shy out of nowhere. She was very much afraid to raise her head. She was afraid for a second when the man suddenly turned around to look at her. He said something to her that she was unprepared for.

“If you don’t say anything, then I will take it that you agree.” Chen Zhuo explained his reasoning.

Xian Bei was about to shake her head to explain herself, but caught a glimpse of the man pulling down his folded sleeves. The unbuttoned cuffs that were at his elbow loosened. He put it in front of her.

“Hold it.” The man said.

Huh?

What?

Hold what? Hold his hand??

It can’t be……

Xian Bei’s heart was pounding. She couldn’t stand this type of pressure.

N-n-no need ……even her inner thoughts started stuttering.

Chen Zhuo seemed to be able to see through all of her thoughts. He only murmured, “Hold the sleeves. You don’t need to hold my hand.”

Right now, the hand belonged to a man that was calm and orderly.

Xian Bei’s face was burning hot. How could she have the courage to hold his hand…….But if she refused, would he be unhappy?

When she fell into many difficult situations, every kind of friendly interaction would entangle her to exhaustion. It only made her want to hit her head on the ground.

He withdrew his hand when he became aware of her hesitation.

Chen Zhuo asked, “No?”

Xian Bei hesitated for two more seconds and nodded.

He was rejected. However, Chen Zhuo’s tone was still considerate and he maintained a smile.

He rolled up his sleeves. Somewhat teasing, but more so helpless: “Then how can I guide you?”

Xian Bei was dumbstruck with those words. She felt a burst of heat coming from her face and her mind was distressed. She couldn’t hold back and whispered, “It’s okay……”

In the same weak voice, she added, “I can see……”

“Good.” Chen Zhuo was listening carefully and heard her voice.

“Yeah……” Xian Bei responded.

They continued walking.

Chen Zhuo focused his eyes and examined her. “Still not looking up?”

Xian Bei knitted her eyebrows and made a firm decision.

The brim of the hat slowly rose and the girl finally looked forward. All the light pouring in made her feel a bit uncomfortable.

But soon, a more impactful view diverted her attention.

It’s right in front of her eyes.

And it’s a plain and simple logo on top of the old and white rough wall.

[Zhong Yi].

[Zhong Yi]?!

Wasn’t this wall the one on the cover of the delivery app?

Wasn’t the calligraphy exactly the same as the one on the packaging?

Was this really the milk tea shop that was so delicious and unparalleled? The spiritual source of her soul?

The faint fragrance of sweet milk tea was already lingering in her nose and it confirmed her guesses.

Meanwhile, the man next to her said something that seemed inconceivable to her.

“You will live here in the future.”

——

Although Chen Zhuo didn’t want to walk through the door and cause trouble, he still ran into assistant store manager Zhou. The assistant store manager was throwing out the garbage.

This was the first time he’s seen the boss bring a woman……er, girl back. Zhou Qingshu quickly looked at his boss straight in the eye and asked, “Who is this?”

Chen Zhuo did not answer. He only brought Xian Bei, who suddenly tensed up, to the door to go upstairs.

Chen Zhuo went downstairs when the little girl was settled. He left her alone on the second floor to look around the place and unpack her luggage.

If he was not there, she should feel more comfortable and could adapt to the environment more quickly.

Sure enough, it only took half an hour for everyone to know what happened.

The assistant store manager, who was keen on all matters, already informed everyone about this “chance encounter”.

Several of the employees ran around in high spirits to coerce their boss for more information.

“Boss, boss, we heard that you brought a girl back?”

“Is she pretty?”

“Awesome. Before we never heard about anything. But now that she has appeared, did you move in together?

“Why don’t you bring her down so we can meet her?”

……

Zhou Qingshu, this person, interpreted the phrases “a genius in retrospect 4 ” and “a thief crying stop the thief 5 ” clearly and brilliantly. “All right, it’s over. You know you’re all so gossipy, so I won’t say a word.”

“Go, go, go. Go back to work! Don’t be noisy here. You’ll give people a headache. Be careful because the boss might deduct your pay. Really…….can’t any of you see it? It’s so obvious. Can I show it to you when I want to? Our Boss Chen has a golden house 6 .”

He stopped speaking and shot a glance at Chen Zhuo, who stood at the side pouring water for himself.

The man did not have any joy or anger on his face. He calmly took a sip of water and still did not say a word.

He put down the cup. Thinking of something, Chen Zhuo’s eyebrows slightly opened up and he had a fleeting smiling expression.

If I don’t say anything, then does it mean that I agree?

The author has something to say:

Failure to hold hands. (fog 7 )

Boss Chen, please keep up your efforts.

From bilibili:

Footnotes

Choo Choo cat is a white cat from the Korean stationery brand JETOY. Example A Mimosa pudica is a plant that is also known as touch-me-not. Its leaves will fold inward and droop if touched. Wikipedia Emoticon used to express discomfort. Example 事后诸葛亮 (shìhòu Zhūgě Liàng) – idiom that means hindsight 20-20. 贼喊捉贼 (zéihǎnzhuōzéi) – idiom that means to accuse somebody of misdeeds and shift the blame away from himself. 金屋藏娇 (jīnwūcángjiāo) – idiom for magnificent house built for a beloved woman. 雾 (wù) – internet slang for just kidding