On Sunday, Gu Yu brought several assignments with him. The weekend foot traffic was concentrated around breakfast and dinner, leaving plenty of free time in between. Aside from prepping ingredients, there was a fair amount of leisure time that he needed to put to good use.
In truth, Gu Yu wasn’t actually that studious. He simply wanted to finish his homework while at work so he wouldn’t have to suffer through it at home. That way, he could truly relax.
Besides, Luo Ming was right there beside him.
The place where he set his books was the medium-sized dining table in the shop. On regular days, it was piled with various items, and it was also where the Boss let the two of them eat their lunch.
At 10:00 AM, the vegetable washing and chopping tasks the Boss had assigned were finished. Gu Yu spread out his books, the end of his pen resting against the corner of his mouth, and began to wrestle with those obscure and difficult problems.
Warm sunlight could still be seen in late autumn. The soft light spilled into the shop, covering the tabletop and casting a shadow from his pen.
It was very quiet. There were few pedestrians on the street. The concrete road was paved with golden light, and the sky was clear and crisp, a deep blue without a single cloud. The air was woven with the fragrance of roses drifting from the flower shop next door.
Luo Ming was wearing a light blue hoodie. Most of her snowy neck was hidden by the collar, and her fine, long hair was spread over her shoulders, as smooth as black silk.
With her head resting on her hand, she watched the quiet street outside. Frequently, she would steal a glance at Gu Yu, watching him seriously writing and drawing on the paper, his attention focused and completely unguarded.
‘This quiet, gentle time is so nice.’
Gu Yu suddenly looked up at Luo Ming and waved her over, pointing to a problem on the page.
Four or five lines of writing occupied the large blank space on the paper, leaving a lot of room for the answer. It was clearly a time-consuming, difficult problem. The scratch paper next to it was nearly filled.
“Do you have any ideas?” Gu Yu glanced at the girl who had sat down beside him.
“Let’s find the derivative first, then… I think our teacher explained this last time… let me think…”
Luo Ming’s Mathematics grades were about the same as his; they both ranked among the top in school and often explained problems to each other.
She took the scratchpad and naturally snatched the pen from Gu Yu’s hand. Their skin brushed inadvertently. Her snowy fingers were soft and cool, and the contact caused Gu Yu’s heart to flutter.
Luo Ming didn’t notice, or perhaps she didn’t care. She took the pen and began her calculations. Gu Yu looked at the problem, but his gaze couldn’t help but drift toward her face.
‘She’s really… so beautiful…’
She was thinking, and out of habit, she also pressed the end of the pen against the corner of her mouth. Such a small action reminded Gu Yu of the term “Indirect Kiss,” but he felt it wasn’t quite appropriate. The stirrings in his heart continued.
The words hovered on the tip of his tongue for a while, but Gu Yu didn’t say them. Not only might it break Luo Ming’s train of thought, but it would also make them both feel awkward.
However, as Luo Ming thought seriously, the end of the pen accidentally slipped into her mouth. She realized it and immediately pulled it out, looking at Gu Yu with some embarrassment. A faint blush crept onto her face. “…Um… I didn’t do it on purpose…”
A surge of heat splashed against the heart in his chest, distorting its originally calm beat. Gu Yu tried his best to appear indifferent. “It’s… it’s okay. Do you have an idea for the problem?”
“Yes, almost. I’ll write out the steps.”
Luo Ming lowered her head. The tip of her pen touched the paper as she wrote out the solution. A peaceful, touching smile curved at the corners of her lips, though it was unclear if it was from the joy of solving the problem or if she was secretly laughing at the boy’s shy behavior.
Her hands stopped moving, and Luo Ming moved the notebook in front of Gu Yu. They were very close, and a light, delicate fragrance lingered at the boy’s nose.
“Find the derivative of the original function here first, then look for the interval where the derivative’s graph is greater than zero…”
She explained it very carefully. In fact, Gu Yu could understand it all; he didn’t need such a detailed, step-by-step explanation. Skipping a few steps would have been more concise.
Once she finished writing the answer in her neat and elegant handwriting, Luo Ming glanced outside the shop door. A customer had arrived.
“Take a look at it first. I’ll go take care of that.”
“Then I’ll help—”
“No need, it’s just one customer. I can handle it. You look at the problem first.”
Luo Ming stood up to take the customer’s order, prepared the requested meal, put the lid on the takeout box, and handed it over in a bag. When she turned back, Gu Yu had already solved the problem.
With his Mathematics homework finished, Gu Yu put away his notebook. The bright sunlight outside grew more intense, and the skin it touched felt warm, dispelling the autumn chill.
It was almost noon. Gu Yu packed away the scattered homework on the table and took two plates from the cabinet.
Soon, the crowds would increase, so they had to finish lunch a few minutes early. On weekends, the Boss allowed them to eat at the shop, provided they handled the cleaning of the dishes themselves.
A scoop of thick soup, a few pieces of cabbage and lotus root… Luo Ming and Gu Yu both happened to avoid the meat dishes. The Boss was good to his employees, so they wouldn’t push their luck, even though the Boss had said several times that they could add a few pieces of meat.
After a hurried lunch, they spent the next 1 or 2 hours dealing with the flow of people. They skillfully cooperated to handle the long line of customers. Seeing that there were no new guests, Gu Yu sat down and slumped over the table.
“Are you tired?” Luo Ming leaned against the wall, watching Gu Yu lying there as if he had lost all his strength.
“Not really tired, just a bit sleepy.” Gu Yu let out a yawn.
“We haven’t prepared the ingredients for tonight yet. Peeling potatoes, shredding them, peeling eggshells, and…”
“Alright, alright, I get it. There’s still a lot to do.” Gu Yu reluctantly sat up straight.
“There’s no rush yet. You can sleep for a bit first. I’ll wake you up in a while.”
“Really? But slacking off again… my conscience feels a bit guilty.” Even as Gu Yu spoke, he slumped back down.
“As long as we finish what the Boss assigned, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it. I’ll call you if he comes.”
“Okay then… I’m sleeping…”
Gu Yu closed his eyes, pillowed his head on his arms, and relaxed. His consciousness drifted into a heavy slumber.
The warm sun was just right, and the street had grown quiet. Luo Ming watched the occasional car pass by on the road. Pedestrians were scarce. Her hand, resting on the white ceramic counter, slowly clenched.
10 minutes later, she called the boy’s name softly. “Gu Yu?”
There was no response. She turned around and walked closer, calling again in an equally soft voice. “Gu Yu?”
Gu Yu was still sleeping soundly. His exposed face had soft, handsome lines. His nostrils flared slightly with his weak breaths, his skin was clear, and the sound of his breathing was small and fragile.
Luo Ming watched in silence. Saliva pooled in her mouth. Her pupils were like ink, and the dark surface of her eyes reflected the boy’s completely defenseless state. It was as if he were tempting her to reach out and touch him, to snatch away the joy that should have belonged to her.
A sour, aching sensation rippled through her lower body, and chaotic voices rang in her ears. Luo Ming lowered her head and brought her face close to Gu Yu’s. The tempting delicacy was right before her eyes. Her rationality shattered piece by piece as greed occupied her consciousness.
Her long eyelashes cast shadows. Her heartbeat grew increasingly wild. Luo Ming brought her face even closer to the boy’s. The long hair at the side of her face fell down as her thin lips touched his cheek.
Then, she immediately pulled away. The rush of pleasure almost instantly destroyed her sanity. Luo Ming was afraid she would do something that would cost her more than she gained, so she gritted her teeth fiercely to force herself to calm down.
‘Wait a little longer, just a little longer. Soon… I won’t have to act like some shameful thief.’
‘Gu Yu, you are mine.’
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