As he stepped into the shop, the aroma of food greeted him warmly.

The shop wasn't large, but it was clean, with every table polished to a shine. The prices were reasonable, and the business had been thriving ever since the owner opened it twenty years ago. The taste was impeccable.

At least Yan Feng loved it here.

Taking a seat, he turned his head and called out, "Uncle Zhang, two bowls of beef noodles!"

"Hey, got it!"

A cheerful voice came from the kitchen, sounding comforting and pleasant.

Waiting always felt long, and the atmosphere between the two gradually turned awkward. Yan Feng glanced at Chen Xi, but before he could speak, he quickly looked away.

He couldn't help it; this girl was just too beautiful, exuding a cold and distant aura mixed with hidden allure. He simply couldn't meet her gaze.

But staying silent wasn't a solution either, so he bit the bullet and awkwardly asked, "Chen, Chen Xi, right?"

The young girl looked up at him, her eyes slightly puzzled.

Yan Feng swallowed and continued, "This shop has been here for a long time, and the food is great. I used to come here with your mom sometimes. It's been so many years..."

As he spoke, he felt a bit melancholic, touching the slightly worn table corner in silence.

"Oh." Chen Xi responded, her tone indifferent.

It was clear she didn't like the topic.

Yan Feng could only chuckle awkwardly, and they both fell into silence for a while.

The clock on the wall ticked away, having turned for countless years, with the same large and small hands, but he was no longer the naive child he once was.

"You..." Yan Feng tried to speak, but as soon as he met her gaze, he quickly looked away again. After hesitating, he asked, "How old are you this year?"

"19, a junior in college." (She is actually a high school student, but there have been some modifications here in order to pass the review.)

Her response was quick, though her tone remained as cold as ever.

"I usually have student loans and work during the winter and summer breaks to earn money, so I don't need much..."

"No, no, that's not what I meant, I..." Seeing that the young girl thought he was concerned about money, Yan Feng quickly shook his head in denial, meeting her even more puzzled gaze.

This time, he couldn't avoid it, sitting there as if frozen, staring blankly at the puzzled young girl in front of him.

His face unknowingly flushed slightly, and he had to fake a few coughs to cover it up, then turned his head again and said, "You don't need to worry about money. If you need any, just ask me. You don't have to work during the holidays anymore. You're at a crucial stage now, just focus on your studies."

Feeling a strange awkwardness, Yan Feng swallowed, took out his wallet, and handed a bank card to the young girl.

"This card has fifty thousand yuan in it. I don't usually use it, so feel free to spend it. The password is..."

At this point, his lips moved slightly, his eyes drifting aside, and his voice lowered, "It's... your mother's birthday."

Another silence followed. Chen Xi looked at the bank card on the table, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, then looked up again, reassessing the man in front of her.

A strong build, a well-tailored suit, a slightly weathered face, sharp features, and those two bold eyebrows—all the hallmarks of a young professional.

But...

"Why don't you dare look at me?" Chen Xi asked.

"Huh? Me? No, not at all..." Yan Feng's Adam's apple bobbed as he tried to argue, but he still wouldn't meet her eyes.

The figure that had appeared countless times in his dreams was now sitting right in front of him. Even if he didn't want to, he had to admit he felt something different for this young girl he'd just met a few hours ago.

She looked so much like her mother...

But Yan Feng was an adult and knew he was projecting his feelings for Bai Xi onto the young girl, so he was trying hard to suppress those thoughts.

The young girl didn't realize the impact her appearance had on men. Even without the added allure of being a first love's daughter, her cold yet alluring beauty had already attracted countless gazes in the short time she'd been in the shop.

Yan Feng was still pondering how to brush it off when suddenly, two large hands appeared in front of him, along with two hearty bowls of beef noodles.

"Here you go, Xiao Feng, your beef noodles," the shop owner glanced at the young girl across from him, winked, and asked, "And this is...?"

"I'm his girlfriend."

Before he could answer, Chen Xi calmly stated.

Both Yan Feng and the noodle shop owner were stunned. He stared wide-eyed at the young girl who was also staring at him, then quickly turned to the owner and laughed, "Haha, Uncle Zhang, you see, this kid is nothing like her mother; she loves to joke, haha..."

The man called Uncle Zhang took a full five seconds to process, then looked at the two of them before realizing it was just a joke, chuckling awkwardly as he left.

Watching his retreating figure, Yan Feng instinctively wiped a cold sweat off his brow.

With the problem resolved, a wave of confusion filled his heart. The man pursed his lips and looked at the young girl still staring at him, his expression serious, "Hey, do you know what you just said!?"

"Of course I do," Chen Xi replied casually.

"Then why did you say you're my girlfriend!? Do you know how dangerous that is!? If someone saw and believed it, I could be thrown in jail, and then no one would take care of you!"

The man lowered his voice, but the young girl across from him remained expressionless, picking up her chopsticks and starting to stir the noodles in her bowl.

"Dangerous?" Chen Xi's tone carried a hint of mockery, "If I didn't test you like that, it could really be dangerous later."

Yan Feng was puzzled, "What do you mean?"

But Chen Xi, whether too hungry or deliberately keeping him in suspense, ignored his question and lowered her head, eating voraciously.

"Hey, hey, slow down. If it's not enough, I'll get you another bowl..." Yan Feng sighed. He didn't understand why she said that, but it seemed she was genuinely starving.

After a few bites, the young girl finally looked up, speaking with her mouth full, "If I hadn't said I was your girlfriend just now, after this bowl of noodles, I probably wouldn't be a virgin anymore."

Yan Feng's eyes widened again, quickly glancing around and whispering, "Hey, what nonsense are you talking about!"

After gulping down two more big bites, the young girl seemed to choke a bit, so he grabbed a bottle of mineral water from the fridge and handed it to her.

Gulping down the food, feeling a long-lost sense of fullness in her stomach, Chen Xi continued to explain, "We just met, and you brought me to a shop near your home for noodles. If you had any ideas about me, wouldn't eating these noodles be dangerous?"

Yan Feng was puzzled again, "Ideas, what ideas?"

"To seduce me."

Once again, he was struck by her bluntness, feeling both shocked and amused. Fortunately, they were sitting in a secluded spot, so no one else was paying attention.

Feeling like he was being mistaken for a creep, he didn't know how to describe his feelings, only managing to ask with a wry smile, "Why would you think that?"

"Then why don't you dare look at me?" Chen Xi stared straight at him, asking, "Or is it that you don't dare look at my mom?"

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Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan