"With Xiao Yuer's personality, she would definitely drag me to dinner."
"Shen Youchu is too naïve, maybe she's not very sensitive to Western holidays, maybe she just forgot about it."
On his way back to school from the New Century Electronics Factory, Chen Han Sheng analyzed various possibilities based on their personalities and habits.
Before he even got back to school, Xiao Rongyu's call came in.
"Chen Han Sheng, that night when we were building the snowman, you made me cry again."
Xiao Rongyu said on the phone.
"It was my fault."
Chen Han Sheng apologized sincerely.
"Last week I asked you to eat with me and Senior Gu, you agreed, but then you made excuses."
Xiao Rongyu continued.
"The entrepreneurial base had some issues, I explained it to you later."
Chen Han Sheng apologized again.
"And…"
Xiao Rongyu was about to continue.
Chen Han Sheng directly interrupted, "It's 11:55 AM now. If you want to argue, let's do it now. Wait another 5 minutes, and it'll feel too forced."
"What?"
Xiao Rongyu pretended not to understand.
"Tonight is Christmas Eve, let's have dinner together," Chen Han Sheng said directly, adding, "Next time, if you want to say something, don't beat around the bush, both of us will be exhausted."
"Hmph, you're just worried I'll find an excuse to refuse!"
...
After handling things with Xiao Rongyu, Chen Han Sheng wanted to see Shen Youchu's reaction. She had spent the entire afternoon reviewing her studies, and sometimes when their eyes met by accident, she would quickly look away, embarrassed.
"She's so clueless, she probably doesn't know what Christmas is."
Chen Han Sheng clearly underestimated the influence of the surrounding environment. Around 6 PM, Shen Youchu hesitated for a long time before finally making up her mind and said, "Tonight... can we have dinner?"
Saying this must have taken a lot of courage for her, as her voice trembled.
Chen Han Sheng was taken aback. He thought this was the first time Shen Youchu had ever asked him out to dinner, but the timing was unfortunate.
Seeing Chen Han Sheng hesitate for a moment, Shen Youchu quickly waved her hands, "Then, never mind, you can go ahead and do your thing."
She said, lowering her head and rummaging through her small cloth bag. Suddenly, she pulled out a large red apple.
"This... for you."
Shen Youchu blushed, looking down, holding the apple in both hands and lifting it to Chen Han Sheng's eye level.
"My Christmas gift?"
Chen Han Sheng was even more surprised.
"Mm-hmm."
Shen Youchu raised her head slightly to glance at him. Her little face was as red as the apple, and she seemed worried he might not accept it. Her peach blossom eyes showed a hint of shyness and expectation.
"Alright, let's go. What do you want to eat tonight?"
Chen Han Sheng let out a breath, reached out to put the large apple in his bag. He knew he couldn't just walk away. Shen Youchu's feelings couldn't be disregarded or wasted.
"Hot pot, is that okay?"
Shen Youchu softly asked. In her mind, perhaps the cafeteria's 30-yuan hot pot was the ultimate meal.
Chen Han Sheng agreed, of course. As long as it wasn't eating at East University, any cafeteria in the Finance College would do.
They arrived at the second cafeteria, where they had eaten hot pot last time. There were clearly more couples dining there tonight, and the smell of hot pot filled the air.
Chen Han Sheng was about to pay, but Shen Youchu took out her familiar, worn-out little wallet, "Can I pay?"
"Why?"
"You gave me my salary."
Shen Youchu whispered.
Chen Han Sheng chuckled. It didn't matter who paid.
He went to their seat and pulled out his phone to send a message to Xiao Rongyu.
Chen Han Sheng: Got some things to do tonight.
Xiao Rongyu: What do you mean?
Chen Han Sheng: It's not that I'm skipping dinner, I'll eat after I finish up.
Xiao Rongyu: Hmph, that's your bottom line. Don't lie to me again!
At this point, Shen Youchu came back with the ingredients. Chen Han Sheng didn't reply to the message and put his phone back in his pocket.
Knowing that Chen Han Sheng could eat a lot, Shen Youchu still brought the same ingredients as last time. Chen Han Sheng subtly touched his stomach.
Tonight, he was going to have two meals; he had to suffer a little first, but tonight, he'd treat her to some yogurt.
As usual, Shen Youchu waited for Chen Han Sheng to eat first. He urged her a few times and joked a little, but Shen Youchu still insisted on waiting for him to eat until he was full before she touched her chopsticks.
"Why is it 2002, and we still have this outdated rule?"
Chen Han Sheng used to enjoy this type of situation where he could satisfy his masculinity, but tonight, he hated it. He didn't dare delay any longer for fear of looking strange, so he quickly devoured most of the shrimp and meat, before Shen Youchu finally picked up her chopsticks.
Shen Youchu ate slowly, just like her personality. She took two minutes to eat a shrimp and even checked its head to avoid wasting anything.
Once Chen Han Sheng was done, he waited for her. He kept fiddling with his lighter, sometimes squeezing it hard, clearly showing he was anxious inside.
But on the outside, he remained calm, occasionally giving Shen Youchu a gentle and affectionate smile, then clenching the lighter again to release his impatience.
Finally, after they finished the hot pot, Chen Han Sheng saw that it was almost 7:30 PM. He thought Xiao Rongyu was probably about to explode, but he still insisted on walking Shen Youchu back to her dorm.
One, it made him look relaxed and unbothered, just like usual. Two, he needed to make sure Shen Youchu returned to her dorm and didn't accidentally head to the Yiwu Commodity Center.
...
After leaving the school gate, Chen Han Sheng didn't have time to take the bus. He sprinted all the way to the Yiwu Commodity Center.
Xiao Rongyu had already been sitting on a bench for a while. She had done some light makeup and was pouting, hiding the dimples at the corners of her mouth.
"No, I'm sorry, I was too busy."
Chen Han Sheng said, panting. He hadn't even tried to pretend; what was normally a 15-minute walk, he had run in just 4 minutes.
Xiao Rongyu had been waiting for half an hour. Just as she was about to get angry, she saw that Chen Han Sheng couldn't even catch his breath, and she softened. She knew he had been busy, and soon forgave him.
She then noticed the bag Chen Han Sheng was holding.
"What's inside?" Xiao Rongyu asked.
Chen Han Sheng thought to himself, *Damn, I actually brought the apple with me. I didn't even realize it when I grabbed it.*
But when Xiao Rongyu saw the big apple, she suddenly smiled: "You heartless guy, still remembered to give me an apple on Christmas Eve. I'll let you off for being late this time."
"Ah, uh, yeah, the apple is pretty big, right?"
Chen Han Sheng didn't know what else to say. He stammered a bit before changing the subject, "What do you want to eat tonight?"
"Let's eat hot pot. I saw a hot pot place on the way here. Hot pot is great for warming up in winter."
"Ugh~~"
"What's wrong? You don't want to eat?"
"No, I really do, but I ran here too fast just now, so now I feel like I might throw up."
After finishing the second hot pot, Chen Han Sheng felt like his throat was full of food. He slumped into the chair, speechless.
Xiao Rongyu thought he was just tired: "How about we head back now?"
Chen Han Sheng weakly waved his hand: "Today's a special day. Let me take you shopping."
Xiao Rongyu was thrilled. She thought Chen Han Sheng was being kinder, but in reality, he just wanted to digest his food.
When they were heading back, Xiao Rongyu took out a delicate little desk lamp from her bag: "This is your Christmas gift. I was going to skip it, but since you've been good lately, I decided to give it to you."
Chen Han Sheng looked disgusted: "Why is it pink?"
"I chose it. Of course, I picked my favorite color."
Xiao Rongyu proudly lifted her chin, holding the apple, "I'm going to study now. Don't call me."
After Xiao Rongyu went upstairs to her dorm, Chen Han Sheng shook the pink lamp in his hand, then went downstairs to the girls' dorm at the Finance College and called Shen Youchu down.
"You gave me an apple tonight, so I felt a bit guilty. I specially bought a little desk lamp for you. I hope you like it."
...