After Breaking the Ice-Beauty's Heart - Chapter 26

Chapter 26: “It Was Just Because You Were The One Who Reached Out To Me.”

Zhou Nianzhi was just stunned for a moment, and the person in front of her had already taken the plate of buns from her hands.

“You’re so fast. Your hair is already dry.” Zhou Nianzhi looked at Song Yuli’s back. Her short, shoulder-length hair was on her clean white T-shirt, and a pair of blue shorts revealed her long, straight legs.

Wait a minute, this is not what Zhou Nianzhi should be focused on.

She immediately pulled her gaze away.

Song Yuli put down the plate and replied, “My hair is short, so it’s quick to wash and quick to dry.”

“Why does that sound so familiar?” Zhou Nianzhi said, turning around to take the plate from her grandma.

But Song Yuli was one step ahead of her again.

It seems that having long legs really does have its advantages. She got there in two steps.

“That’s what you said before, Student Zhou.” Song Yuli carried the plate and brushed past Zhou Nianzhi.

“You even remember that?” Zhou Nianzhi was surprised. This was years ago, in high school. She used to envy Song Yuli’s long hair, but she herself couldn’t grow it out because she was always in a hurry to finish her homework and go play. She just felt that short hair was quick to wash and quick to dry.

Song Yuli put down the second plate of buns and said, “My memory is also pretty good.”

“That’s so modest of you, Student Song,” Zhou Nianzhi said. “With your memory skills in high school, anyone would have praised you as a ‘dark horse.'”

“Student Zhou is still better,” Song Yuli said, opening a new pack of tissues and placing it on the table. “After all, it was only after you explained things to me that I made a little bit of progress.”

Zhou Nianzhi was so amused she laughed. “Are you calling an improvement of hundreds of ranks ‘a little bit’? Then your huge progress must be ranked number one in the universe.”

Song Yuli pulled out three chairs and replied, “If that’s possible, I can try to work hard.”

Grandma, holding a pair of chopsticks, listened to their conversation, squinted her eyes, and laughed several times. “It’s so nice to be young and full of life.”

“Grandma, when are you going to give Yuli her ginger soup?” Zhou Nianzhi stopped talking to Song Yuli and asked Grandma with a smile.

“Oh my, look at my memory,” Grandma said, patting her forehead and handing the chopsticks to Zhou Nianzhi. “You take the chopsticks. I’ll go get the ginger soup.”

Zhou Nianzhi’s eyebrows curved. She took the chopsticks, kept smiling, and nodded. Then, she turned around, walked over to Song Yuli, put down the chopsticks, and smiled, showing her two canine teeth. She looked at the person across from her and said, “Little Student Song is going to drink ginger soup.”

She always remembered that Song Yuli hated drinking ginger soup the most. Every time Grandma made her some, she would be too embarrassed to refuse, so she would just have to drink it.

At that time, Zhou Nianzhi would sit next to Song Yuli and see her perfect features scrunch up from drinking the ginger soup. Because of that, she also became afraid of the taste of ginger soup.

But that was okay. She didn’t have to drink it today.

So, she had to seize the opportunity to properly tease Song Yuli.

But this time, Song Yuli just gave a soft smile, which made Zhou Nianzhi a little confused.

But before she could figure it out, a shock came first.

She walked into the kitchen, wanting to help Grandma bring the bowls over, but when she looked, she saw there were two bowls.

At first, she didn’t think too much of it. She just asked, “Is Song Yuli drinking two bowls this time?”

But Grandma’s reply made her unable to believe her ears—

“The other bowl is for you. You look a little weak, and I’m afraid you might catch a cold, so you should drink some ginger soup too.”

Zhou Nianzhi’s reaction could only be summed up in one word: “Huh?”

Now it was Song Yuli’s turn to laugh at her.

And she laughed very openly and brightly, not holding back at all.

Zhou Nianzhi turned around and saw that Song Yuli was already standing behind her. In the time she was stunned, Song Yuli had reached out, taken the two bowls, and placed them on the table.

“Come and eat, Student Zhou,” Song Yuli said, beckoning. “The soup will get cold soon.”

Zhou Nianzhi: “…”

She seriously suspected that Song Yuli had been replaced by a different person.

But when the aroma of the buns filled the air again, Zhou Nianzhi immediately threw everything else out of her mind.

They smell so good!

Zhou Nianzhi hadn’t even sat down yet when her stomach let out a thunderous growl. Her eyes were sparkling, and all she could see were the buns. She couldn’t be bothered with anything else and just wanted to take a bite.

Before she could grab a bun, Song Yuli had already patted her hand.

Zhou Nianzhi was stunned. Her hand was suspended in the air, and she gave Song Yuli a confused look. “Why did you pat me?”

Song Yuli replied, “Go wash your hands or get a pair of chopsticks.”

Zhou Nianzhi was speechless, knowing she was in the wrong, but she still wouldn’t give up. She mumbled, “I was going to wash my hands. Why did you pat me?”

Song Yuli smiled, sat down on a chair, and looked up at Zhou Nianzhi. “You patted me too.”

“When did I pat you?” Zhou Nianzhi blurted out.

Song Yuli said, “On WeChat.”

Zhou Nianzhi: “…”

In the two seconds of silence, a million notifications of “You patted ‘Lychee’ and said your partner Zhi Zhi is so cute” flashed through Zhou Nianzhi’s mind.

“You have a very good memory,” Zhou Nianzhi mumbled, giving Song Yuli a sideways glance before going to the bathroom.

And Song Yuli caught her.

“Go quickly,” Song Yuli said, raising an eyebrow and smiling at Zhou Nianzhi. “I’ll eat all the buns if you don’t.”

Zhou Nianzhi immediately quickened her pace, muttering, “No, you have to save some for me.”

“Oh, you two, your relationship is still so good,” Grandma said, picking up the blanket from the sofa, her eyes almost squinting into a line from smiling. She then said to Zhou Nianzhi, “Don’t rush, Zhi Zhi. If you finish them, Grandma will steam more for you.”

“Thank you, Grandma—” Zhou Nianzhi washed her hands, took a tissue to dry them, and grinned.

Grandma said, “Go and eat after you wash your hands. Try Grandma’s cooking.”

“Okay!” Zhou Nianzhi nodded heavily, returned to the dining table, grabbed a bun, and tried to put it in her mouth.

“Wow, it’s hot, hot, hot…” Even though the freshly steamed bun had been sitting on the table for a while, it was still a hot summer day. And because Zhou Nianzhi was impatient, she just grabbed it. Of course, it was hot.

Song Yuli quickly said, “Put it down.”

The next second, the bun was already in Zhou Nianzhi’s mouth.

Zhou Nianzhi took a bite, and probably because it was hot, she rolled it around in her mouth before chewing and swallowing.

“Ah, it’s absolutely delicious,” Zhou Nianzhi said, looking up happily. She didn’t care about the grease on her mouth and said in a light tone, “It’s so delicious that it’s inspiring me to write a poem for this delicious bun.”

Zhou Nianzhi thought for a while but couldn’t write anything.

Maybe it was because she was too happy at the moment.

Song Yuli chuckled and didn’t say anything. She also lowered her head and took a bite of a bun.

Grandma, holding her blanket, said, “Eat slowly. Don’t choke. And remember to drink the ginger soup.”

“Okay—” Zhou Nianzhi replied, her mouth full of a big bite of bun. After she swallowed, she realized that Grandma wasn’t eating with them, so she turned to her and said, “Grandma, aren’t you going to eat?”

“I already had dinner,” Grandma said. “Even though I want to spend more time with you, I’m old now, and my body can’t handle it. I’m very sleepy, so I’m going to go to bed.”

“Then you should go rest. We’ll clean up after ourselves,” Zhou Nianzhi said, waving the bun in her hand and bidding Grandma farewell.

Grandma smiled and then turned to go back to her room.

So now, at the dining table, there were only Zhou Nianzhi and Song Yuli left.

The lively and cheerful atmosphere from a moment ago suddenly became silent. Even the sounds from other residents outside the door were amplified.

Zhou Nianzhi lowered her head and looked at the bun in her hand. It had a thin skin and a generous filling. It was a traditional meat filling with some fatty meat, but it wasn’t greasy. One bite would release some oil, which added to the flavor. Paired with some green onions, it was very fragrant.

The bun was delicious.

But the temporary feeling of happiness made Zhou Nianzhi a little uneasy.

“Did you not tell Grandma…” Zhou Nianzhi looked at the delicious bun in her hand, but a feeling that none of this belonged to her arose in her heart. She sighed lightly. “…that we’ve already broken up?”

Song Yuli gave a muffled reply, “No.”

“Grandma gave me the bracelet,” Zhou Nianzhi said, taking another bite of the bun, as if preparing herself. “I’ll give it back to you later. It doesn’t belong to me.”

Song Yuli refused very directly. “Keep it if she gave it to you.”

“But when an elderly person gives a valuable item to someone, it means…” Zhou Nianzhi paused, hesitating whether to say the rest.

“It means they’ve accepted you?” Song Yuli also didn’t look at Zhou Nianzhi. Instead, she focused on her bun. “You’re overthinking it. She’s just thanking you.”

“What did I do to deserve thanks?” Zhou Nianzhi shook her head. “I’m just eating and drinking at your place for free, and I haven’t helped with anything. I’ve been a lot of trouble. To be honest, every time Grandma thanks me, I feel a little guilty.”

After hearing everything, Song Yuli just asked calmly, “Do you really not know why Grandma thanks you?”

“I…” Zhou Nianzhi opened her mouth but swallowed the words she wanted to say. In the end, she could only shake her head. “I don’t know.”

If it was what Zhou Nianzhi thought it was—

She shouldn’t know.

If it wasn’t, she would be seen as “presumptuous.”

She shouldn’t say it.

Some words should be kept inside forever.

Saying them out loud would just be a joke.

But Song Yuli didn’t want to hide anything. “It’s because of me.”

“Don’t say it,” Zhou Nianzhi said, not wanting to hear more. She lowered her head and continued to eat the bun. “Just eat your bun.”

Song Yuli didn’t obediently listen to Zhou Nianzhi. Instead, she chose to speak her mind. “I only changed after I met you.”

“Oh, the bun skin is separate from the filling. It’s so delicious,” Zhou Nianzhi said, not wanting to bring up the past. She kept trying to change the subject.

But Song Yuli wouldn’t give her a chance.

“Zhou Nianzhi, you know,” Song Yuli said relentlessly, as if she wanted to blurt out all the words Zhou Nianzhi was afraid to say. “You know that Grandma is thanking you for appearing in my life.”

“What about my appearance?” Zhou Nianzhi put down the bun. “Was it because I explained questions to you? It’s not. It’s because you were smart, so you improved quickly.”

Song Yuli said, “That’s just one part of it.”

Zhou Nianzhi continued, “Then was it because of the instant noodles I bought for you when you didn’t have any money? A valuable bracelet isn’t needed for that.”

“That’s also just one part of it,” Song Yuli said softly.

“Then…” Zhou Nianzhi was annoyed, and her voice unintentionally got a little louder. But then she remembered that Grandma was still sleeping, so she quickly controlled her volume, lowered her voice, and said, “Then what is it?”

Song Yuli looked at Zhou Nianzhi, her gaze deep, and said, “Actually, the main reason is just because you were the one who reached out to me.”