"Qing, have some water~" "Qing, try this~"

Su Shui and Lin Ning trailed behind Su Qing, holding snacks and drinks. He had no clue why this little tyrant was angry again, but he was too timid to do anything but follow and try to please her.

"It’s this late already—let’s find something to eat~" Lin Ning suggested. After all, she’d spent the whole day trailing behind Su Shui and Su Qing, only managing to nibble on a piece of bread. Her stomach rumbled loudly, leaving her weak all over.

"Let’s go here first!" She pointed to an exaggeratedly large snack street on the map.

"Fine! I’m hungry too," Su Qing said coldly, following Lin Ning.

…………

……

On the food street, Lin Ning and Su Qing devoured everything while Su Shui stood obediently, holding skewers of lamb, fried snacks, stir-fried noodles, ice pops, and more. The aroma wafted up, making him swallow hard.

Lin Ning, truly starving, abandoned all pretense and wolfed down meat skewers by the roadside. Su Qing channeled her grief into her appetite, shoveling food into her mouth nonstop.

"How can these two eat so much?" Su Shui watched in amazement, and passersby stared at the two beautiful girls feasting wildly.

"Slow down, slow down~" Su Shui feared they’d choke. He unscrewed a water bottle but hesitated over whom to give it to.

Seeing the water, both girls stuffed their mouths even harder—and choked simultaneously.

"Water! Water!" They thrust out pale, delicate hands toward him, looking seconds from suffocation.

Su Shui stared at the two outstretched hands, utterly torn. *This… might rank with the world’s toughest dilemmas, like "if your mom and I fall into water at the same time, who do you save first?"—except here it’s "if both girls choke, who gets the water first?"* he thought wryly.

Both glared at him, choking. He almost wished he could slit his artery to offer them a sports drink straight from the source.

Spotting a bag with a bowl of chicken soup, he sighed in relief. "Thank goodness!" He grabbed the soup, holding out the mineral water in one hand and the broth in the other. "Drink now, before you choke to death~"

*So carrying soup on outings really is useful. Of course, if you only carry WeChat motivational quotes, you might as well jump in the river.*

After this close call, Su Shui strictly controlled their feeding pace, refusing to hand over food the moment they reached for it. The entire bag of snacks vanished as they strolled, while he barely tasted anything.

*Gurgle~* His stomach growled pitifully. "Can we eat something else?" he pleaded, rubbing his belly with a pout.

"Sure, let’s find what you like," Lin Ning said, scanning for his favorites—just as shouts erupted ahead:

"Competitive eating contest! Competitive eating contest!"

A crowd gathered. Lin Ning and Su Qing excitedly dragged Su Shui inside.

On stage, burly men sat before towering stacks of shouzhua bing pancakes.

"Welcome! Today’s challenge is… this!" The suited host gestured dramatically.

A giant shouzhua bing mascot stood onstage—over six feet tall, with tiny limbs and round, beady eyes.

"What ugly mascot is this?" Su Shui muttered. But Su Qing whispered in his ear, "So cute~ Ugly-cute~" She blinked her big eyes at him.

He knew that look. Whenever she wanted something, she never asked directly—just stared with those eyes. From pencils to smartphones, this expression always cost him dearly.

"Got it~" Su Shui trudged onstage reluctantly.

"Perfect! Our final contestant has arrived!" The host seated him. "Begin!"

The others swallowed whole pancakes without chewing. Su Shui ate like at home—peeling the wrapper first, saving the sausage for last.

At first, he enjoyed the tasty pancake. But after a few bites, the grease overwhelmed him.

"Referee, can I get some greens?" He requested lettuce leaves, eating them raw to ease the nausea.

Lin Ning and Su Qing watched Su Shui struggle onstage. "He’ll make himself sick~" Lin Ning fretted.

After barely a third, Su Shui couldn’t stomach another bite—the smell alone made him want to vomit. The burly men beside him slowed too, forcing down their last pancakes.

*Ugh.* He nearly retched, clamping a hand over his mouth.

"Enough! Get down, bro!" Su Qing dashed onstage, pulling him away.

"Leaving now means disqualification!" the referee warned.

"We quit!" Su Qing snapped without turning.

Offstage, Su Shui clutched a tree and vomited violently. Su Qing patted his back, scolding softly, "Why force it when you’re full? Show-off!"

"You wanted it… I thought I might win," Su Shui wiped his mouth, smiling weakly.

Lin Ning returned, feeling his forehead. "No fever. Why stuff yourself like an idiot? That cost three hundred bucks—way pricier than buying the plushie…"

Their scolding warmed his heart.

"Huh?" Su Shui spotted something and sprinted off. "I’ll be right back—wait here~"

…………

……

Lin Ning and Su Qing sat on stools, waiting ages for Su Shui.

"Where’d he go?"

"Who knows~"

Soon, Su Shui returned drenched in sweat, lugging a giant plushie. Up close, it was the ugly-cute shouzhua bing mascot Su Qing had admired.

"For you!" He shoved it into her arms, wiping his brow.

Hugging the plushie, she buried her face in it, watching him pant. "Dummy~"