"Whoa, what are you doing?"
Feeling his finger being wrapped by a soft tongue, Shen Lang quickly pulled his finger away, making a popping sound, with a strand of glistening saliva still connecting them.
"Can you act normal?! People are going to see us!"
Shen Lang, blushing and heart racing, took off his disposable gloves, nervously glancing around to see if anyone noticed. Thankfully, no one seemed to pay them any attention. The only other person nearby was a guy shaking his legs and scrolling through Douyin with the volume turned up way too high.
"Look, this guy's name is Xiao Zhuang, and he's surrounded by hundreds of little caramel buns…"
"Ha~"
Ye Yinan let out a deep sigh, her delicate face showing excitement and joy, with a dreamy look in her eyes. Her expression was so over the top, she might as well have been making peace signs with her hands.
"It's weird, Shen Lang."
Ye Yinan's breathing became noticeably heavier.
"Even when I bite my own fingers, it doesn't feel like this. Why does biting your finger feel so special?"
"I don't know, and I don't want to hear it. Please talk about something normal."
Shen Lang shook his head, pretending to be clueless. He really wanted to know why this person was biting her own fingers.
"I want to try it again!"
Ye Yinan sat on a small stool next to Shen Lang, grabbing his wrist with one hand and placing his other hand on her lap.
"I can let you touch my leg. Didn't you say you like touching legs the most?"
"Oh, please."
Shen Lang felt like crying, struggling silently. This was the first time he was so meek in front of a girl.
"Can we just eat? You can't do this stuff outside!"
"Then let's find a private place."
Ye Yinan said bluntly, not seeing anything shameful about it.
The other customer watching Douyin and the barbecue stall owner both threw shocked and curious glances at the two.
"Eat your shrimp. What's with your head, full of yellow junk!"
Shen Lang blushed deeply and quickly shoved a peeled shrimp tail into Ye Yinan's mouth.
The meal was a rollercoaster for Shen Lang.
Having a girl who was always ready to do anything and everything in public was, in some ways, quite torturous.
After paying, Ye Yinan insisted that Shen Lang take her to a nearby night market.
This night market street, close to another university in Jianghai City, was packed with people since it was break time, filled with vendors shouting their wares.
On the way, Ye Yinan was visibly excited, stretching her neck to check out every stall.
"Shen Lang, this place is so rich, selling so many antiques. Hey, my dad has a vase like this—could it be that my dad's is fake?"
"Don't touch, okay? This stuff is from last week. If you accidentally break it, it might become from the Shang or Zhou Dynasty."
"Ew~! Shen Lang, this place smells awful. Is the boss cooking poop in that pot?"
"Whoa, don't say that. They're making snail rice noodles. It smells bad but tastes good. Sorry, boss, she's just joking."
"Shen Lang! This must be a brothel, right? I've seen such shop names abroad with shady business!"
"They're just selling fried chicken. The shop's name is 'The Chicken,' though it does sound a bit dodgy."
"Shen Lang, Shen Lang, I want to see this! A snake-headed human and a girl in a vase!"
"Alright, let's go check it out. I'm curious too."
...
The night market street was quite long, and Ye Yinan went from stall to stall.
After over two hours, they finally walked out of the street, carrying big and small bags of purchases.
Ye Yinan ended up buying a bunch of strange little trinkets. If someone didn't know better, they'd think she was a vendor from Yiwu.
Throughout the trip, Ye Yinan was exceptionally happy, her tone cheerful and no longer as cold as before.
"Shen Lang!"
In the underground parking lot, Ye Yinan stopped, her cold willow-leaf eyes now filled with joy and determination, a faint smile on her delicate face.
"I'm really happy today. I want to kiss you!"
"Just because you're happy? Why do you want to kiss me?"
Shen Lang, confused, asked.
Ye Yinan, looking determined, said, "I don't know. I just want to kiss you."
Shen Lang was about to explain something but, thinking about Ye Yinan's unique understanding and high level of affection, he decided to smile and confess, "Ye Yinan, let me tell you something."
Shen Lang openly shared all his issues.
Ye Yinan listened quietly and, after a moment of careful consideration, replied honestly, "Shen Lang, you're a bit unethical. What you're doing isn't right. And what about the future? Are you planning to move abroad?"
"Yeah, just know that I'm not a good person."
Shen Lang self-deprecatingly smiled, "So it's best if we don't get too close. We can be friends, but don't get too involved. It's better for both of us."
"Do you like them? Will you take responsibility for those girls?"
Ye Yinan asked directly.
"Of course."
Shen Lang answered without hesitation.
"Even though I initially liked one girl just for her looks, I got to know her over time and found her gentle and considerate, and eventually grew to like her. It's a case of love growing with time, right? Am I a bad person or what?"
"As long as you're responsible for them, you're not a bad person. But it's still a bit unethical."
Ye Yinan gave a fair assessment: "Such things can't be done openly, so you end up secretly dating them, right?"
"Can't I just be a decent person?"
Shen Lang scoffed, not wanting to explain further. He thought Ye Yinan seemed a bit naive but was actually quite smart.
This was also why Shen Lang was willing to chat with Ye Yinan on social media. Her straightforward and brave personality was refreshing.
She could cut through complex issues and give answers based on her own understanding, discarding societal norms.
How to put it? Ye Yinan was like a somewhat emotional AI robot, a saint in a confessional.
No matter what Shen Lang shared with her, she could provide rational insights.
"Alright, let's go. I don't want your dad coming to look for me."
Shen Lang picked up the big and small bags, walked past the elegant Ye Yinan, and headed toward his BMW M8.
Tap tap tap
Ye Yinan quickly ran over, lifting her fair neck and asking, "You haven't said whether you agree or not!"