"Yeah, I'm still in the country and won't be going abroad anytime soon. Thanks, teacher. Have a good day."
In the BMW, Ye Yinan was chatting fluently with a teacher from abroad.
Shen Lang watched, a bit stunned. He couldn't believe this quiet, scholarly, and beautiful girl was the same person who had just had a wild M-type outburst.
Maybe this is what they mean by contrast.
Ye Yinan hung up and looked at Shen Lang. "Where should we go to eat?"
"You pick."
Shen Lang handed her his phone with the food navigator open and started chatting casually. "Your English is pretty good. How long have you been studying abroad?"
"About seven years. Don't you know English?"
Ye Yinan tilted her head, holding the phone. "I remember you said you just graduated from college not long ago, so you should know English, right?"
"Of course."
Shen Lang scoffed. "Just nod for yes and shake your head for no. That's all there is to it."
Ye Yinan blinked, confused by his strange pronunciation, looking a bit silly.
"Ahem, have you found a place to eat?"
Shen Lang's face turned red as he quickly changed the subject to cover up his high-school-level English.
If it weren't for the fact that Ye Yinan was a girl, Shen Lang would have said: 'Yes is just a compliment, OMG is the real approval!'
Ye Yinan was scrolling through popular restaurants on her touch screen phone, but none of them seemed to catch her interest.
Suddenly, her attention was caught by a barbecue stand outside the car window.
When Ye Yinan was a child, she once smelled that pungent oil aroma and it made her crave it. Her strict parents had never let her eat such junk food.
Recalling those childhood memories, Ye Yinan pointed excitedly at the barbecue stand across the street. "Shen Lang, I want to eat that!"
"A barbecue stand? You really know how to pick a place."
Shen Lang chuckled and turned the wheel decisively.
Turns out, rich girls are easily attracted to junk food. Romance dramas weren't lying!
He parked in front of the barbecue stand. Ye Yinan, excited like a little girl, quickly ran over to the smoky stand and eagerly looked at the ingredients in the portable fridge.
It was like a royal princess incognito meeting a candy vendor.
"Shen Lang, I want to eat this!"
Ye Yinan pointed at a bloodied frog, her excitement evident.
"Whoa, going straight for something so intense, huh?"
Shen Lang teased, grabbing a basket with two frogs and handing it to her. "Get whatever you want."
"Okay."
Ye Yinan brushed her hair back and carefully selected meat from the fridge, filling her basket with all kinds of meat, not picking any vegetables.
Someone might think she hadn't had meat at home.
After ordering, the two sat at a small table by the road.
It was Ye Yinan's first time eating on the street, and she was thrilled, looking around and occasionally shaking her legs with excitement.
Shen Lang put his car keys and phone on the table. "With this much food, let's see what you'll do if you can't finish it."
"We can always take it to go."
Ye Yinan proudly reminded him.
"Oh, you know about takeout?"
Shen Lang was surprised. "I thought people like you just order a huge table of food and only eat a little."
"Come on, I'm rich but not stupid."
Ye Yinan corrected him. "Besides, saving food is everyone's responsibility. Haven't you heard of the poem about pitying farmers?"
"Impressive. Didn't expect you'd know that."
Shen Lang nodded in approval. "Much better than those students who think everything foreign is better."
"I've never been into foreign fads."
Since they got out of the car, Ye Yinan had been unusually excited, almost like a different person. She even picked up Shen Lang's cigarette from the table and examined it curiously.
"I'm curious, why do guys smoke?"
Ye Yinan asked, holding the cigarette. "Is it just to look cool in front of others?"
"I smoke when I'm alone too."
Shen Lang smiled. "Am I showing off in front of ghosts?"
"Hmm, I guess."
Ye Yinan nodded, opening the cigarette pack and taking out a cigarette. She sniffed it, then awkwardly put it in her mouth, playing around with it.
"Don't lose your mind here."
As Ye Yinan was about to light the cigarette, Shen Lang quickly grabbed the lighter and cigarette from her, worriedly saying.
"If your dad finds out I brought you out and taught you to smoke, he'd probably kill me!"
Ye Yinan agreed. "Yeah, my dad might really do that."
Shen Lang: "..."
"Boss, are you just getting off work?"
Seeing the fancy car they drove and how much meat they ordered, the owner came over with a smile, chatting and handing Shen Lang a cigarette.
"What about mine?"
Ye Yinan called out to the owner, "I'm a customer too. Where's mine?"
"Oh, yes, of course."
The owner quickly gave her a cigarette, as smoking isn't rare for women these days.
"Hehe."
Ye Yinan took the cigarette with a silly smile, feeling recognized.
She then played with the cigarette for a bit and generously handed it to Shen Lang. "Here, you take it. I don't smoke."
"You're really something else."
Shen Lang laughed, amused by this sweet, naive girl. Was she from that village of clueless girls?
After chatting for a few minutes, some shrimp skewers were served.
Having never eaten shellfish, Ye Yinan looked unsurely at the shrimp and then at Shen Lang, who was peeling shrimp.
She put on disposable gloves and tried to peel shrimp like Shen Lang, but ended up making a mess, tearing the shrimp meat and getting pricked by the shells.
"So clumsy."
Shen Lang teased, handing her a peeled shrimp tail. "Here you go, rich girl."
Ye Yinan's eyes lit up, and she eagerly bit into the shrimp tail.
"How is it? Still okay... Whoa, you!"
Feeling her agile tongue on his fingers, Shen Lang was totally thrown off.