Xia Biming went to her favorite street noodle house for takeout. She loved eating at home the most, so she always took food to go. Upon arriving at the noodle house, there was a long line going out the door. 'Ugh, this place is too delicious for its own good. The line is always long, but I'll wait. I haven't had auntie's noodles in so long.'
It took ten minutes for her to reach the front reception and take her food with her. As she turned around a man bumped into her and knocked all her food down with her. "Ah!" Biming shrieked and she landed on her but. Good thing she wasn't wearing a skirt today.
"Aiya! Are you okay? There were too many people and I got pushed into you." The tall man was really apologetic. He felt awful for having bumped into someone with hot soup. That's when he noticed that the hot red broth had soaked her white blouse thoroughly and was showing her undergarments underneath. Her white skin had also turned red from the heat.
"What happened here? Oh! Xia Biming! Are you alright? What happened? How could you be so careless with this hot soup?" The old auntie rushed out after hearing the commotion. Seeing that the person was one of her regular customers, she felt awfully bad for her. "Dear, let me run and get you some cool towels to clean yourself up. But you should still go to the hospital to make sure the burns aren't serious." The auntie left in a flash.
"Ow, it really hurts. How could someone be so rushed to fall onto someone else?" She scolded the man who pushed her.
The tall man looked at her face again and a light bulb went off in his mind. 'Is this Xia Biming?' He thought before he voiced out, "Hey, I'm really sorry. It was all my fault. Let me take you to the hospital. I can't leave knowing the situation you're in."
Xia Biming felt that this man looks familiar, but her mind was clouded with the pain and frustration from the fall. "No need, I'll go myself." She stood up, only to realize that her shirt was soaked through and her chest was being displayed. Her arms flew up to cover her chest, but she also flinched from the pain of scalded skin.
He noticed the pain in her face and took off his sweater to cover her front portion before he lifted her up in his arms and made way for his car.
"Hey! Let me down! I'll go by myself; I don't need any more trouble from you!" Biming really felt helpless.
The man gave her a sarcastic look, "You actually need my help. It's only right for me to do this. I caused a great disturbance to you. Please, this will be the only way for me to be rest assured."
"Fine. Just don't talk to me."
The doctor determined it to only be first degree burns and prescribed a cooling gel to lessen the inflamed skin and help it heal faster. The nurses helped her clean up and she no longer smelled of soup. She managed to grab an extra shirt from her car before they headed to the hospital.
She changed into the light pink blouse and her stomach rumbled loudly. 'Man, I wish that soup fell into my mouth instead of on me.' She really wanted those noodles. Her mouth salivated at just the thought of it.
Her thoughts were disrupted with the entrance of the man. "Hey, I feel really bad about what happened, so I brought you a serving of the soup from that noodle shop." He handed her the takeout bag which made her stomach growl again.
"It's okay, thank you. You should eat it yourself. I'll get myself some food. Sorry for making you wait for me in the hospital." She stood up and headed for the exit.
"But I got it just for you. Please eat it. If it makes you feel better, I got myself some too." He smiled and pulled another bag from behind his back. He was now giving a shy smile while holding two bags of takeout food.
Biming pondered for a second before accepting the bag of food and thanked the man. They decided to eat together in the cafeteria of the hospital since it was too chilly outside.
She kept stealing glances of the man's face before it struck her. "Can I ask you something?" The man nodded, signaling her to ask what she wanted.
"Have we met before?"
He chuckled, "Wow, I've never heard a woman use that pickup line. Its always the man using it."
Biming rolled her eyes, "Its not a pickup line, I'm really serious. I feel like we've met somewhere before, but I can't place it." She really racked her mind for who this person is.
"You're right. We've met before. You hit me on my bike a while back."
'Gasp! He's right! He's the man from that night!' Xia Biming stared at him with mouth and eyes widened. She was speechless. How was she to respond to such an embarrassing night?
"Heh, its okay. Everyone goes through a breakup. I'm just glad that you didn't get in anymore trouble that night." Chang spoke up, noticing her blank stares.
"Um, I'm really sorry about that night. And thank you again for helping me."
"No need to thank me, you still owe me that favor. Remember?"
"Didn't you just cash in it right now?" she questioned.
"Hmm… if you think about it, tonight's events cancel each other out. I do feel awful about bumping into you, but I still brought you to the hospital!" he retorted.
He could see the gears working in her mind, "Alright, I'll give you that. You also got me food. I'll let you off this time since it was an accident."
They finished the rest of their meal with small talk about how they've been since that rainy night. But he didn't bring up when he saw her at Club X. That would be his little secret. He drove her back to her car and wished her a safe trip back home. She did the same.