Little Fish and Mint - Chapter 5
Yu Ge hadn’t realized he’d smiled.
Seeing SpongeBob’s horrified expression, he wondered what he’d done.
Xu Yitong froze, holding the dripping cone, speechless.
Her mind was a whirl. His laughter, his calling her (censored) (censored) baby… played on repeat.
So strange…
He’d called her “baby.”
She was mortified.
Didn’t anyone tell Yu Ge how captivating his voice was? His cold tone calling her “baby”… well, even “SpongeBob” was incredibly disarming.
If souls had physical form, hers would be melting like her ice cream.
Oh, right, the ice cream!
Xu Yitong snapped out of her daze. “Ah! My clothes!”
Panic ensued.
She frantically wiped at the mess with tissues, her movements slowing as shyness crept in.
It was the first time she’d been this close to him for so long.
She glanced at him.
He held a cookie, and in the dim light, she saw a faint blush on his ears.
Combined with his earlier behavior, she concluded he was tipsy.
But… just one beer?
He and Yu Nuo were truly siblings, both lightweight drinkers.
Emboldened, Xu Yitong carefully shifted closer, whispering, “How long have you been sitting here?”
He didn’t answer. She inched closer. “Why are you ignoring me again? Don’t you recognize me?”
He continued eating his cookies.
Maybe the laughter had been her imagination.
She moved closer still. “Are you drunk?”
He stopped eating, turning to look at her. “You…”
Her heart leaped. “Yes? What about me?”
She leaned in closer, pretending to listen, but her gaze wandered.
So close… She could see his long eyelashes, his flawless skin… she wanted to pinch his cheek. His lips, perhaps due to the alcohol, looked soft and red…
She stared, mesmerized.
“Are you planning to sit on my lap?”
“…”
Xu Yitong closed her mouth, embarrassed.
Under his gaze, she huffed and reluctantly moved back.
Stupid ice king, so guarded even when drunk, she thought. His smile is so nice. Why the serious face?
They stared at each other. Xu Yitong couldn’t resist commenting, “Has anyone ever told you…”
She mimed waves with her hands. “…that your face radiates cold air?”
Yu Ge: “…”
“It’s better than my air conditioner.”
His eyebrow twitched. He looked away. “No.”
He’d answered her first question.
A drop of water landed on her face. She touched it, confused. “What was that…?”
More drops splattered her arm. “Ugh,” she looked up. “Is it raining?”
Yu Ge didn’t move.
Xu Yitong hesitated.
He wasn’t moving… and she didn’t want to either.
She was finally spending time with him…
She’d tough it out. She’d share this unexpected rainy moment with him.
Summer rain arrived suddenly.
Swift and merciless.
Thirty seconds later…
Xu Yitong wiped her face, her vision blurred, misery washing over her.
What was with this rain?
Was it hail? It hurt.
Just my luck, she thought. Why not rain harder and wash off my false eyelashes too?
Yu Ge stood.
He was drenched.
He bent down to pick up the empty beer can. “Wait, are you leaving?” she asked.
His sobriety, and his usual coldness, returned. His look said, What else?
…
…
Yu Ge had a low alcohol tolerance, a physical intolerance; he was slightly allergic. He rarely drank, and never excessively. He disliked losing control.
Tonight was an exception.
Drinking, and…
One beer hadn’t truly inebriated him. He’d wanted to clear his head. But her unexpected arrival and chatter had sobered him up.
The base was nearby. Already wet, he didn’t bother with an umbrella.
He tossed the can in a bin.
As he walked, the rain lessened, and a hand grabbed his arm.
He looked down.
A wet hand with bright red nails. He thought idly of a vengeful ghost.
“I… I got you an umbrella from my car,” Xu Yitong said, breathless. “You long-legged people walk so fast.”
Yu Ge turned.
Oh.
A vengeful SpongeBob.
He looked at her.
Her diamond earrings glittered in the rain. He recalled Awen complimenting her beauty.
Perhaps the alcohol hadn’t completely worn off; his mind felt slow.
Xu Yitong, short and without heels, had to stand on tiptoe to hold the umbrella over him.
He didn’t take it, and her arm ached.
He looked away. “Thank you, but I don’t need it. You use it.”
He gently freed his arm and walked on.
Exasperated, Xu Yitong stamped her foot. How stubborn could he be?
She chased after him, chattering. “No, you’ll catch a cold! How can you play if you’re sick? It’ll affect your performance.”
Mimicking his serious face, she said, “If you don’t want the umbrella, I’ll walk you back.”
“No need, thank you,” he said again.
Yu Ge wasn’t talkative.
He didn’t know what else to say. He stepped around her.
Good heavens, he’s impossible, she thought, sighing.
“Don’t walk in the rain!” She caught up, grabbing his arm. “Drinking and getting rained on is bad! You can’t play if you’re sick!”
Before he could refuse, she shoved the umbrella into his hand. “Stop being difficult!”
She ran off.
But…
A minute later, she was back.
For the fourth time.
Yu Ge seemed resigned.
He stopped. “What is it?”
He figured if she insisted on walking him back again, he wouldn’t refuse.
Xu Yitong tilted her head, her eyes shining. “You still don’t remember my name, do you?”
Yu Ge: “…”
He didn’t remember her.
Unless sun-dried SpongeBob counted.
As if expecting this, she didn’t seem bothered. She studied his expression, then cleared her throat. “Let’s get acquainted then! I’m Xu Yi Tong.”
“Xu like ‘slowly but surely,’ Yi like ‘to rely on,’ Tong like ‘fairy tale.'”
She continued quickly, “And I don’t know why you call me SpongeBob, but my nickname is Zhenzhen, like Mr. Krabs’ daughter. Just remember my nickname!”
Distant thunder rumbled.
Her clear voice, mixed with the rain, reached his ears.
✧✧✧
The OG team was surprised to see a drenched Yu Ge enter.
Awen: “Why are you back?”
Roy: “Why are you soaking wet?”
Will: “Why are you carrying a pink umbrella?”
A pink, lacy umbrella.
Yu Ge ignored them.
He put the umbrella away and went upstairs.
…
…
After showering and changing, Yu Ge returned to the training room, where the others were preparing.
The Summer Split began this week, ending their vacation.
The training room was noisy.
Little C, seeing Yu Ge, looked relieved. “Bro… I need a favor.”
Yu Ge dried his hair, opening his computer. “What?”
Little C fidgeted. “I lost another solo to Awen. He wants me to buy him supper, from that expensive barbecue place.”
“So?” Yu Ge sat down.
Little C looked embarrassed. “Can I use your Meituan account?”
“Did I lose?”
Little C mumbled, “You still owe us from last time… Awen just didn’t dare ask.”
His voice trailed off. “And I’m almost broke.”
Yu Ge tossed him his phone.
Little C grinned, opening the Meituan app. As he was about to order, a WeChat message popped up.
Little C called out, “Bro, some Zhenzhen person messaged you!”
He resumed ordering: Eggplant, green beans, spicy beef, pork… “Awen, what do you want?”
His phone was snatched away. “Wait, I’m not done!”
Yu Ge took his phone back.
He had very few WeChat contacts, so there was only one person who would message him at this hour.
Happy Zhenzhen: [I’m home~]
He scrolled up.
She’d sent him several unanswered messages before.
Generic greetings like “Hi, have you eaten?”, “You were amazing today!”, “Hi, what are you doing?” He usually ignored them.
…
…
Meanwhile, the OG training room was filled with the sounds of keyboards and mice.
The barbecue was late, probably due to the rain.
Little C picked up Yu Ge’s phone to call the delivery driver.
Just then, another WeChat message arrived.
“Fish God, you’re on fire! So many girls messaging you! First Zhenzhen, now Xu Yitong…”
Everyone turned to look.
✧✧✧
After messaging Yu Ge, Xu Yitong showered, dried her hair, and grabbed some milk. She lay in bed, scrolling through Douyin, Weibo, and Xiaohongshu, before nervously checking WeChat.
Still no reply.
She despaired.
He must have blocked her!
Did such cold-hearted people exist?
She thought for a moment, then typed: [Don’t forget to return my umbrella! Don’t lose it!]
Yu Ge received the message after a ranked game.
He pictured her forcefully giving him the umbrella.
He twitched his lips.
Will whispered to Roy, “Did you see Fish smile? Creepy…”
Roy glanced at him. “No… Must be your imagination.”
…
…
Five minutes passed. No reply. The scheming SpongeBob clutched her phone, anxious.
Had he seen through her?
Probably not.
She sent another message, feigning nonchalance: [Let me know when you’re free to return the umbrella.]
Resigned to no reply, she reread her messages. Just as she was about to close the chat, her phone chimed.
She froze.
Two words appeared in his green chat bubble.
Little Fish: [You decide]