First Bucket of Gold

Entering the break room, Xia Yu understood why the manager had called him over.

The manager took out an envelope and handed it to Xia Yu, "This is your salary, and the rent has been deducted from it."

Taking the envelope and feeling its exceptional thickness, Xia Yu felt a sense of satisfaction in his heart.

After getting the game and going through such a long time, he finally earned his first pot of gold.

Without counting the money, Xia Yu confidently put the envelope into his backpack, bade farewell to the manager, and left the cafe.

He took out his phone and called Kong Hanyue, saying he wouldn't go there today.

"Why aren't you coming? I've already prepared something delicious for you," Kong Hanyue attempted to persuade him.

"I got paid from my part-time job today, so I'm going out to celebrate," Xia Yu said.

"Then bring your mom!"

Who celebrates with their mom?

"I'm going with Yuxue, do you want to come?" Xia Yu asked.

After struggling for ten seconds, Kong Hanyue gave up on the idea of following Xia Yu.

When Xia Yu returned home, he saw Yuxue cooking noodles.

"Ah, brother, why are you back so early today?" the girl asked in surprise.

"I got paid today, let's go out for dinner," Xia Yu waved the envelope in his hand.

"But what about my noodles?" Yuxue looked at the noodles in the pot.

"It's just a bowl of noodles," Xia Yu said generously.

The girl also wanted to go out for dinner, and after Xia Yu persuaded her a little, she agreed. She scooped the noodles from the pot and threw them into the trash bin, then ran into her room to get ready.

Xia Yu sat at the dining table, stared at the noodles in the trash bin for a while, and then went to the kitchen.

He opened the drawer under the stove, and inside, there were many dry noodles.

These days, he had been eating dinner with Kong Hanyue and hadn't asked what Yuxue had been eating. It seemed that the girl had been making do with simple noodles.

Just eating noodles couldn't provide proper nourishment for her.

Closing the drawer, Xia Yu decided to take Yuxue to a barbecue restaurant.

They had to make up for the lost nutrition.

He also needed to think of a solution for future dinners.

As he pondered, he opened the envelope, and there were 13,000 yuan inside – the manager had secretly given him a raise.

After he counted the money, Yuxue, who was ready, came out of the bedroom.

Staring at the girl for five seconds, Xia Yu realized that she had retied her hair.

Girls are really particular.

"Where are we going?" Yuxue held Xia Yu's hand.

"There's a barbecue restaurant nearby," Xia Yu said.

There were many restaurants around the school.

"Will we be full there?" Yuxue had never been to a barbecue restaurant, and in her imagination, barbecue involved two people grilling a few shallow plates of meat around a stove.

"You'll only be full if you can't eat anymore," Xia Yu pinched the girl's cheek and led her downstairs.

When they arrived at the barbecue restaurant, Yuxue forgot her worries and happily waited.

As soon as the waiter set up the grill and put on the meat, her anticipation grew.

"You can eat now," Xia Yu said.

The girl immediately reached out with her chopsticks.

After eating a few pieces of meat, she remembered to show off, took out her phone, snapped a few photos, and posted them in her best friend's group chat.

Then, she just threw her phone aside and continued eating meat.

...

Yan Family.

Yan Li, who was helping out in the kitchen, saw Yuxue's photos and cooed to her mother, "Mom, I want to eat barbecue!"

"Oh, I want to eat too." Mother Yan remained indifferent.

At this moment, shouldn't you say you'll take me to eat next time? What do you mean by "I want to eat too"?

Adjusting her mood, Yan Li asked again, "So when will we go to eat?"

"You wish."

"..."

Seeing that she couldn't succeed with her mother, Yan Li ran to her sister Yan Wei: "Sister, Yuxue is eating barbecue, I want to eat too."

"Who is Yuxue eating with?" Yan Wei slowed down her movements.

"With her brother."

After thinking for two seconds, Yan Wei put down her work and untied her apron.

She came to Mother Yan and said, "Mom, Li Li is clamoring to go eat barbecue, I'll take her to eat!"

"Go on the weekend."

"She's clamoring to go now, let's go!"

"This spendthrift child. Fine, fine." Mother Yan waved her hand.

"?"

Yan Li tilted her head and thought, when did I say I wanted to go today?

But, it would be best if we could go today!

Under her sister's guidance, Yan Li found out the shop Yuxue was at. The Yan family lived near the school, and the two quickly arrived at the shop.

"Yuxue!" Yan Li found Yuxue.

"You really came!" Yuxue was also happy.

"I also want to send pictures to make those guys jealous!" Yan Li took a photo of the barbecue, and a photo together with Yuxue, and sent it to the group chat.

The chat software of this world, called Penguin, has not yet developed the function of Penguin Space, so it could only be sent in the group chat.

The two girls played happily together, but Xia Yu and Yan Wei had no topics to talk about.

After discovering that Yan Wei still had malicious intentions, Xia Yu distanced himself from her. Being aloof to others like a protagonist in a Japanese anime is a very irresponsible behavior.

To put it bluntly, those male protagonists' behaviors are scum behaviors, no matter what kind of reasons they have, they have caused the situation of numerous backups hanging around them.

Before, Xia Yu enjoyed being fed by Yan Wei because he thought that Yan Wei, who was just rejected by him, wouldn't have any intentions; however, after spending time together, she still wanted to do something to him.

Yan Wei could clearly feel this alienation, and she didn't know what to do next.

Asking Gui Zixiao, she could only get a response of "you're pushing too hard," without any solutions.

Halfway through the meal, another one of Yuxue's best friends came, the one who had bumped into Yan Wei and Xia Yu's confession before.

She had come with her mother.

The three little girls chatted and played together, and the whole barbecue shop was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

After dragging on for an hour, all three tables finished eating, and it was time for the three to part ways.

At this time, the girl who came later finally saw Yan Wei's face clearly.

She bent down to her mother's side and told her about what she had seen previously, Yan Wei confessing to Xia Yu.

The young mother looked at the gloomy Yan Wei and stroked her chin.

After paying the bill, she said to Xia Yu and Yan Wei, "The three children are reluctant to part, so why don't Yuxue and Li Li come to my house to play tonight? I will send them to school tomorrow."

Hearing her words, Yuxue and Yan Li both looked forward to it.

Xia Yu and Yan Wei agreed.

The young mother then drove the car to the Yan and Xia families to get the change of clothes for the two.

Outside the barbecue restaurant, only Xia Yu and Yan Wei were left.

By this time, the sky had already darkened, and the surrounding streetlights were dim.

"I'll take you home first," Xia Yu said.

"Okay," Yan Wei replied with her head down.

She was not happy because she knew this kindness came from Xia Yu, and he would do the same for any girl standing here.

The two of them walked under the quiet night sky.

Yan Wei's home was on a street behind the barbecue restaurant. To take a shortcut, the two entered a small park without streetlights.

The park was even quieter, with the rustling sound of leaves echoing and blending with the sound of their footsteps.

Something was not right.

Xia Yu stopped, as there were not just two sets of footsteps, but three.

Seeing Xia Yu stop, Yan Wei also stopped, and now the remaining footsteps were clearly audible.

The pace of the footsteps began to speed up.