On the morning of the second day, Xia Yu arrived at the shop a little after nine to prepare for opening.
Today, there was a small Volleyball Activity on the Beach, so people came and went, and the beverage orders increased a lot.
Kk and Cheng Li were worried she couldn’t handle it alone, so they arrived at the shop after ten to help.
“Ha meow beauty, give us two pomegranate juices and three watermelon juices.”
Another group entered the shop—six or seven boys, all wearing swim trunks and no shirts.
It was normal to dress like that by the Beach, but what was more eye-catching was that they were all in great shape, with well-defined abs and chest muscles.
After ordering, they found seats in the shop and laughed about the Volleyball game they’d just played.
“Not bad looking.”
Kk leaned over and whispered.
“En?”
Xia Yu made a sound, glancing at her and seeing her motion toward the group of customers.
Xia Yu understood and smiled lightly.
“Hey, hey, I’m still here, you got caught checking out handsome guys, didn’t you?”
Cheng Li said darkly from the side.
Kk immediately denied it.
“I wasn’t looking, I was just telling Xia Yu to look. Right, Xia Yu?”
Cheng Li lowered his voice.
“Don’t lie, Xia Yu can see Xu Baiyan every day, how can these compare?”
Kk protested.
“Then I see you every day too, and it doesn’t count for me either.”
Cheng Li snorted softly, barely satisfied.
But Xia Yu, standing nearby, felt something was off. How did she and Xu Baiyan suddenly become compared to a couple like them…?
“I don’t look at the Coach every day, either.”
Xia Yu quietly refuted.
Cheng Li curled his lips.
“Then just answer, am I right or not? Is Xu Baiyan more interesting than these pretty boys?”
Xia Yu hadn’t intended to answer, but for some reason, the image from last night in Xu Baiyan’s bathroom popped into her head.
Broad shoulders, narrow waist, fair skin, abs, v-line… everything in the right place and, honestly, even better-looking.
If comparing, Xu Baiyan’s physique was definitely better than anyone present.
“I don’t know!”
Xia Yu lowered her head to make juice, but her ears turned red from the images in her mind, and her heart pounded erratically.
Damn, why do I remember so clearly…?
Cheng Li didn’t notice and just said,
“Alright, then next time, let him show off. He actually looks pretty good shirtless.”
Xia Yu:
“…That’s not necessary.”
“It’s fine, employee benefits.”
Xia Yu grabbed the watermelon juice and escaped from the counter before her ears got any hotter.
“Watermelon juice is ready. I’ll take it over first.”
“Okay.”
Kk replied.
After she left, Kk laughed and kicked Cheng Li.
“Does Ayuan know how generous you are?”
Cheng Li smiled ambiguously.
“So what? Last night that guy was showing off in the group about having a considerate and filial disciple. So, you have to show off your strengths as a master, or your disciple might run away!”
***
Today was a busy day in the shop, and it wasn’t until six o’clock that Xia Yu handed everything over to Kk and finished work.
At this hour, it was too late to go to Xu Baiyan’s house and cook a big meal, so she decided to find a Canteen to pack some food, buy some ingredients for soup, and make a simple stew.
But just as she left the shop, she ran into Song Yu’an and the others.
They were probably heading out for dinner too, gathered together.
“Xia Yu!”
Xue Enjin spotted her and waved hello first.
Xia Yu paused, then walked over with a smile.
“Going to eat?”
“Yeah, where are you headed?”
“I’m going to the Fruit Market.”
“Huh? You’re going to cook yourself?”
Xia Yu hadn’t answered yet when Song Yu’an spoke up.
“Cooking for yourself is a hassle. We’re all going to eat. Join us.”
Xia Yu shook her head.
“I’m not going. I have to prepare something for the Coach.”
Xue Enjin was surprised.
“You mean for Xu Baiyan?”
Song Yu’an’s expression instantly darkened.
“Xiao Yu, are you really going to cook for him yourself?”
“Just making some soup is fine. I’ll pack the rest from the Canteen and take it over.”
Xue Enjin had also heard about Xu Baiyan’s injury, and after glancing at Song Yu’an’s expression, she said,
“Is the idol any better now?”
“Not that fast. He still needs a Walking Stick to get around.”
Xia Yu checked the time on her phone.
“Should I go ahead? I’m worried I’ll be late.”
Xue Enjin smiled and nodded.
“Alright, next time we’ll arrange a meal together.”
Xia Yu turned to leave, but just as she took a step, her wrist was grabbed.
She looked back in confusion to see Song Yu’an frowning at her.
“He has so many friends around, he doesn’t need you to deliver food for him.”
“I don’t deliver every meal… Sometimes when I’m busy with work, I let his friends handle it.”
“Then let others do it. You’re already busy enough. You don’t have to go out of your way.”
Xia Yu frowned.
“But his ankle injury was partly because of me. I feel—”
“Why do you take everything on yourself? He’s not even your anything!”
Song Yu’an’s obviously unhappy tone silenced everyone.
His roommates behind him glanced at each other without a word.
Xia Yu’s gaze trembled slightly.
A moment later, she pulled Song Yu’an’s hand away.
“Everyone in Hai Cheng has taken good care of me since I arrived, including the Coach. He’s taught me Surfing and Skateboarding very seriously. I truly consider them friends.”
“So since he was hurt because of me, I can’t just ignore it.”
She spoke calmly.
“Yu’an-ge, if there’s nothing else, I’ll go. You all enjoy your meal.”
With that, Xia Yu left.
This time, Song Yu’an couldn’t hold her back. A complex, indescribable frustration rose in his chest.
“In that case, let’s go. If we’re any later, there’ll be a line for dinner.”
Cai Weihao patted Song Yu’an’s shoulder.
Song Yu’an stared at Xia Yu’s back for a while before turning and following the others in another direction.
“I wonder how long it’ll take for Xu Baiyan’s leg to heal? If it takes a month or two, does that mean Xia Yu will deliver meals for that long?”
Cai Weihao remarked.
Xue Enjin said,
“Looks like Xia Yu cares about him a lot, even cooking herself.”
Another roommate chimed in.
“Hey, do you think, after spending so much time together, something else might happen between the two of them…?”
Xue Enjin looked over.
“What?”
“I mean, the idol’s so handsome, Xia Yu is pretty and cute. Maybe sparks could fly.”
At this, Cai Weihao glanced subconsciously at Song Yu’an.
Clearly, the latter’s face wasn’t looking too good.
But the others seemed oblivious, chatting away.
“It’s possible. Xu Baiyan doesn’t have a girlfriend, right?”
Xue Enjin replied,
“As far as I know, he doesn’t. But that face of his is really popular.”
“Of course he’s popular. Maybe Xia Yu started delivering meals because she had a crush!”
“Don’t say nonsense, okay?”
Song Yu’an interrupted coldly.
“She’s just soft-hearted. It’s normal to treat an injured friend well. Don’t talk about crushes.”
The roommates instantly fell silent, and the smile faded from Xue Enjin’s face as well.
Cai Weihao rubbed his nose.
“Uh… they’re just joking, don’t take it seriously.”
The others, knowing Song Yu’an had always been close with Xia Yu, guessed he didn’t like people gossiping behind his back, and quickly laughed it off.
“Yeah, yeah, just a joke.”
Song Yu’an said nothing more and walked ahead.
Xue Enjin watched his back for a long moment before finally smiling at everyone.
“So, what do you want to eat? Let’s pick one of those three shops we narrowed down earlier.”
***
For the next two days, Xia Yu’s shifts were all day shifts, so she didn’t have time to cook breakfast or lunch.
She had He Jiasen check on things, and only brought food to Xu Baiyan at dinner.
Friday was Xia Yu’s day off.
After getting up, she walked around outside, bought some ingredients and desserts, and took a taxi to Xu Baiyan’s house near eleven o’clock.
During the day, Xu Baiyan usually stayed on the first floor but couldn’t move around for long, spending most of his time sitting on the sofa, watching his Tablet or playing games.
When Xia Yu arrived, he put down his Tablet and, using his Walking Stick, followed her to the Kitchen.
“What did you buy? It’s a lot.”
By now, Xia Yu was very familiar with his Kitchen.
She tidied up as she answered.
“Ingredients for lunch, and some instant food you can keep in the fridge. If you’re hungry alone, just heat it up.”
Xu Baiyan leaned nearby, watching her work.
“How much was all this? And for these past days too. I’ll transfer it to you.”
Xia Yu looked at him in surprise.
“No need. I said I’d handle your meals, so I meant it.”
She spoke earnestly, making Xu Baiyan feel a bit guilty for pushing the ‘injury’ responsibility onto her and keeping her delivering food for him.
She was genuinely feeling responsible.
Xu Baiyan cleared his throat.
“I pay Jiasen and the others when they bring me food too. It’s only fair.”
“Really, it’s fine. But…”
Xia Yu smiled awkwardly.
“If you insist on paying, just deduct it from future Surfing lesson fees!”
Xu Baiyan was taken aback, then smiled.
“So that’s your plan?”
Xia Yu nodded rapidly.
“And if you could give me a super discount on top, that’d be perfect.”
“Ambitious.”
“So, is it a deal?”
“I’ll consider.”
‘Consider’ basically meant yes.
Xia Yu cheered up.
“Coach, you have to get better soon!”
As the Kitchen filled with a faint aroma, Xu Baiyan watched her busy figure, feeling content.
As for whether he wanted to recover quickly… it didn’t really matter.
***
Half an hour later, Xia Yu finished preparing the day’s food.
Xu Baiyan was in the living room, watching TV on the sofa.
A huge screen was playing a Criminal Investigation Movie from Ten Years Ago.
While waiting for the soup to finish, Xia Yu watched with him for a while.
“Can we eat in the living room? Then we can watch the movie while eating.”
She asked.
Xu Baiyan was a bit of a neat freak.
The sofa area was covered with thick carpet, and he never allowed eating messy or soupy foods there.
But Xia Yu looked so glued to the screen that his rules wavered.
The movie was pretty good, and pausing to eat felt like a shame.
“Fine, let’s eat here.”
Voice low, she sat directly on the carpet to eat a few minutes later.
Xu Baiyan followed, sitting beside her, eating while watching the movie.
They ate for about half an hour, but the movie wasn’t over, so they put down their chopsticks and moved back to the sofa to finish watching.
The early plot was mysterious and intriguing, but the reveal was lackluster and bland.
Still, having watched this far, they wanted to finish it.
Sure enough, when the killer was revealed at the end, the motive felt inexplicable and awkward.
The credits began to roll upward—the movie was over.
Xu Baiyan turned off the TV, intending to tell Xia Yu the ending was a bit disappointing—only to find she’d fallen asleep.
He didn’t know when she’d dozed off, her body tilted on the sofa, breathing evenly against a pillow.
The second half really wasn’t engaging enough—it even put her to sleep.
Xu Baiyan smiled, reaching out to wake her.
But as his hand neared, he paused.
Because of the movie, the blackout curtains were open, and the living room light was soft, sunlight filtering through gently.
But that was enough to clearly see the person beside him.
Her skin was fair and pale.
Despite all the time spent at the Beach, she didn’t seem to have tanned much.
Her eyelashes were thick and curled.
He remembered that whenever she got nervous, they’d tremble like two little butterflies about to take flight.
Because her face was pressed against the pillow, her cheek was squished, mouth slightly open, looking both silly and… cute.
“I’m not bold enough, not lively enough, not outstanding enough, so I’m the one nobody likes.”
“No one likes me. Others are better, more special.”
Suddenly, the words she’d spoken when drunk that day echoed in his mind.
Xu Baiyan rested his chin in his hand, puzzled.
How could someone think that about themselves?
Clearly…
“Coach.”
His thoughts were interrupted as the sleeping person suddenly opened her eyes.
Xu Baiyan froze, meeting her sleepy gaze.
The distance was too close—he didn’t have time to look away.
“Is the movie over?”
She murmured, sounding half-asleep, almost like she was acting spoiled.
“It’s over.”
“Then why didn’t you wake me…?”
Xu Baiyan hesitated.
“I meant to.”
Then why didn’t you?
Xia Yu waited for his answer.
But Xu Baiyan said nothing more.
The living room was silent, with the TV off, not a sound remained.
Xia Yu looked at him, her thoughts slowly returning.
She’d actually fallen asleep during the movie.
En? Why was he looking at her…
Why were they so close?
Confusion and embarrassment mingled in the air, making her cheeks burn.
But his gaze didn’t move, resting softly on her.
Xia Yu didn’t know why, but she also didn’t say anything, nor did she look away.
She looked at his eyebrows, nose, and finally his lips…
That was where she’d kissed him that day.
Realizing this, her heart began beating irregularly, almost wildly, and she had to swallow.
“Were you busy this morning?”
He finally asked.
Xia Yu bit her lip, unable to steady her racing heart.
“I wasn’t working today… Maybe I got up too early and fell asleep.”
“En. Do you want to know who the killer was?”
Xia Yu looked at him.
“I do. Who was it?”
“The female lead’s younger brother.”
“Ah.”
Xia Yu’s eyes widened.
“I thought it was her boyfriend.”
“No, her boyfriend loved her very much.”
When he said ‘love,’ he smiled a little. Different from usual—gentler.
Xia Yu’s eyes flickered, finally looking away.
“I’ll catch up on the second half next time if I have time. If there’s nothing else, I should go.”
She stood up.
“You can watch the second half again now.”
He said suddenly.
Xia Yu looked back.
“But you’ve already seen it.”
Xu Baiyan leaned back, speaking lightly.
“I can watch it with you again.”