A crimson blush, like the soft glow of sunset clouds, crept up the girl’s cheeks.

’How long has it been since he last called me babe? It must have been since our fights became more frequent, each one ending in the silent treatment. I haven’t heard those sweet nicknames since then.’

But over the past few days, Lin Yanwan could clearly feel that since his rebirth, the conflict between them had vanished. In fact, getting along was even easier than in their past life.

’This pet name... it must have slipped out unconsciously while he was completely relaxed, just like back when we were so in love.’

"Uh... You... I think I let that slip out by accident." Jiang Xia was so embarrassed he wanted to slap himself. ’Is she going to think I want to get back together with her?’

"Is that the only thing you’ve said wrong? Weren’t you calling for your mom just last night?" Lin Yanwan took a soft breath, trying to compose herself, but the blush on her face wasn’t about to fade anytime soon.

"Well..."

Jiang Xia was momentarily speechless. He said sheepishly, "It’s all because of habit. Habit is a scary thing."

"Mm..."

’Habit really is a scary thing.’

She agreed softly, lowering her head to continue eating the wontons in her bowl. Her hair fell forward, hiding her flushed cheeks and making it impossible to see what she was thinking.

The atmosphere immediately grew quiet again. Jiang Xia ate his spicy wontons one by one with his chopsticks. The small portion wouldn’t last long for a high school student who burned so much energy daily.

Lifting his bowl, he gently blew away the floating red oil and chilis. He took a gulp, and it went straight down the wrong pipe.

He uncomfortably turned his head away, hacking violently. Lin Yanwan looked at him and pouted, "You can’t handle spicy food, but you still act tough. Serves you right."

"You’re right, but this flavor is so numbing and spicy, it’s really... COUGH COUGH..." Before he could finish, he turned away again, bending over and covering his mouth as he started coughing again.

Lin Yanwan sighed and pushed her own bowl towards him. There were only a few wontons left inside.

"Mine isn’t spicy. Drink some of this soup to soothe your throat."

He didn’t hesitate in the slightest. After all, whatever food his wife couldn’t finish had always ended up in his stomach. He picked up the bowl and downed the soup in a few big gulps. GULP, GULP. His throat finally felt a little better, and he polished off the remaining wontons.

Wang Ming usually timed his arrival at school down to the minute. He’d grab some soup dumplings and soy milk from a breakfast shop along the way and eat while he walked. By the time he finished, he’d be just about at his classroom.

Today, after buying his breakfast and just as he was about to leave, he caught a glimpse of a guy in the corner with his back to him, chowing down. He looked a bit like Jiang Xia.

"Old Jiang?" he called out tentatively.

Jiang Xia turned around instinctively. Wang Ming’s eyes lit up, and he walked over, saying, "It really is you! Don’t you usually get to class earlier than me? How come toda—"

His voice died abruptly when he saw who was sitting across from him.

’Damn it. No wonder he’s in the mood to sit here and eat noodles today. Turns out he’s with the goddess.’

Taking another look, he saw two bowls in front of Jiang Xia. One had chopsticks resting on it, its surface covered in red oil and floating chili peppers. The other was a clear broth with one last wonton in it, and Jiang Xia was holding a spoon with half an uneaten wonton.

In front of Lin Yanwan, however, there was nothing but two used napkins.

He fell silent. Suddenly, everything clicked.

’That bastard. He keeps saying he’s not interested in anyone, yet here he is, walking a girl home, having breakfast with her, and now he’s even finishing the pretty girl’s leftover wontons.’

’The key thing is, the pretty girl let him!?’

’What happened to her aloof persona? Shouldn’t she be a little more reserved?’

’This relationship has probably gone beyond just normal friends. They’re practically lovers, right? Isn’t this progressing a little too fast?’

Watching his best bro silently win over the beauty from the next class, while he himself could only watch Teacher Aoi every day to vent his frustrations, he was so envious he could have ground his molars to dust.

"What are you doing here?"

Caught red-handed by his best buddy, Jiang Xia felt a bit awkward. On the principle of not wasting food, he ate the remaining two wontons in one bite and started gulping down the soup. GULP, GULP, GULP.

Wang Ming’s eyes instantly went wide. ’Is this bastard deliberately flaunting their relationship in my face? He saw me, and he still had to finish it off. Is an indirect kiss with a pretty girl that amazing? He’s not even leaving the broth!’

"Do you think I’m a third wheel? Am I interrupting your date?"

Wang Ming looked utterly heartbroken. ’That damn bastard. Ditching his bro the second he gets a girlfriend.’

"It’s not... Me and Ba—... cough, Yanwan and I don’t have the kind of relationship you think we do," Jiang Xia explained earnestly.

Lin Yanwan silently covered her face. ’If this guy doesn’t know how to talk, can’t he just shut up? Isn’t this kind of explanation just making things worse?’

Hearing this, Wang Ming trembled with anger.

’First "Ba—," now "Yanwan." Calling her so intimately, he’s not even trying to hide it anymore, is he?’

’How long has it been? How are they already like a couple deep in their honeymoon phase, spouting the sickeningly sweet stench of love every time they open their mouths?’

"You’ve misunderstood. Jiang Xia and I really just happened to meet here by chance," Lin Yanwan explained, taking a deep breath.

"Yeah, yeah, a coincidence. Just a coincidence," Jiang Xia chimed in, nodding eagerly.

Hearing this excuse, Wang Ming couldn’t help but feel his face twitch violently.

’A coincidence?’

’Coincidence my ass!’

In his eyes, the way Lin Yanwan explained with a red face looked exactly like she was being shyly coy.

’Today, even if the Tathagata Buddha himself came here with Five Finger Mountain, I’d still say you two are DATING!’

He took a tragic sip of his bland, tasteless soy milk. Glancing again at the pair exchanging amorous looks... ’Damn it,’ he thought. ’We promised we’d be single together, but you went and got a girlfriend behind my back.’

’So I was the clown all along!?’

"Hurry up, enough of this nonsense. If we don’t go now, we’ll be late." Jiang Xia checked the time, pulled a twenty-yuan bill from his bag, and paid for his wife’s meal along with his own.

The three of them walked out of the breakfast shop. Jiang Xia and Wang Ming walked in front, while Lin Yanwan, for some reason, followed at an unhurried pace, not too far behind but not too close either.

’Just thinking about what happened is giving me a headache. After today, who knows what kinds of rumors will be flying around about me and Jiang Xia.’

Wang Ming slung his arm forcefully around Jiang Xia’s neck and whispered sinisterly in his ear, "Old Jiang, so you got a girlfriend and decided to keep her a secret, huh? Didn’t even share the good news with your bro. Hurry up and confess. What’s the deal between you two now?"

Seeing his best buddy’s teeth-gritting expression, Jiang Xia could only say helplessly, "Old Wang, it’s really not what you think. We’re just ordinary friends."

"Bullshit! Keep pretending! Would ’ordinary friends’ walk a girl home in the middle of the night?" Wang Ming sneered.

Jiang Xia’s body stiffened. ’This guy saw us last night?’

"Hmph, cat got your tongue? Don’t tell me the girl was afraid of the dark and asked you to be her bodyguard."

He snorted and continued, "Even if that were true, your relationship still isn’t normal. There was a blackout last night, so how come the pretty girl didn’t come looking for me?"

"And just now, quite an appetite, huh? Eating two bowls on your own. By the way, how were the pretty girl’s leftovers?" he teased with a wicked grin.

Jiang Xia was speechless. ’I can’t just tell him I’ve been eating her leftovers for over a decade and it’s nothing special anymore, can I?’

Seeing his best buddy’s at-a-loss-for-words expression, Wang Ming glanced back at Lin Yanwan, not far behind them. The image of the two being all lovey-dovey earlier flashed through his mind. The soup dumplings in his hand suddenly felt like an unpalatable meal of public affection. CHOMP CHOMP. Each bite was agonizing.

’Oh, God in heaven, can’t you just send a lightning bolt down and strike this damn bastard dead!’