“As long as you don’t welch, I’ll lend you the money.”

“You can take as long as you need, and I won’t tell your parents.”

“What do you think?”

Ye Yubai decided to buy her loyalty with money.

“A hundred thousand, you know. That’s a hundred thousand, my Little Ganlan~”

The way he said it was practically a devil whispering in her ear.

However...

As if Gan Lan would fall for that.

He’d decided to use money to chip away at her dignity. As it turned out, that was a mistake.

Gan Lan gave a couple of frosty laughs. “Who do you think I am? Do you think you can buy me off with money?”

She was a twenty-five-year-old working adult. She wasn’t that easy to buy off!

Dressing in women’s clothes would expose her identity. No way was she doing that.

Ye Yubai: “Aww~”

Since buying her off hadn’t worked, he was going to try acting cute.

This guy was a real headache when he got all clingy.

The moment Gan Lan saw him acting like that, she thought he ought to be turned into a girl!

Life really wasn’t fair.

Ye Yubai put an arm around her shoulders. “Don’t be such a stranger. Come on, we’re practically family, right?”

Gan Lan: “Get your hand off me. Don’t get so close!”

Ye Yubai: “Aww~”

Gan Lan stopped in her tracks and turned her face toward him, fixing him with a distinctly murderous look.

Ye Yubai’s smile froze.

Gan Lan said flatly, “If you keep getting all touchy-feely with me, I’ll hit you.”

Even though she was so small and skinny, one glare from her was enough to make him feel a little intimidated.

He knew it wouldn’t really hurt if she hit him, but he still quietly let go. Like a big dog that’d been scolded, he shuffled aside with a wounded look.

Gan Lan softened her tone a little. “Anyway, the bet’s off.”

Ye Yubai: “Oh...”

Could he say he didn’t agree?

Gan Lan tightened her grip on the bag in her hand. “To make it up to you, I’ll make you late-night snacks for a week.”

She’d meant to discuss it with him, but somehow it came out as an order.

She was clearly the one in the wrong, yet she still acted like she was completely justified.

Ye Yubai had already been feeling wronged. Now he felt even worse.

This Gan Lan...

She was so mean.

He cautiously asked, “So I can have anything I want?”

Looking at him like that, Gan Lan suddenly felt as if she’d somehow slipped into parent mode.

It was both exasperating and funny.

“Sure, as long as I know how to make it.”

That was her answer.

The light had already faded from Ye Yubai’s eyes, but now they lit right back up.

“Yay!”

He eagerly hooked an arm around Gan Lan’s shoulders and rubbed his cheek against hers.

“Then I want steak tonight! Let’s go grocery shopping! Oh, and get some pasta, too! We can make noodles for dinner!”

…

What a chatterbox.

Teenage Ye Yubai was sunny and adorable.

Compared to him, the adult version was downright terrifying.

Gan Lan couldn’t help comparing him to the man he’d become one day. Every time she did, it completely pulled her out of the moment.

“In my past life, how did things between us get so bad that we wanted each other dead?”

The question left Gan Lan feeling rather lost.

She’d already forgotten a lot of the details.

But facing the adorable Ye Yubai now, the heart she’d once shut away seemed to be quietly opening again.

After Ye Yubai wore her down, Gan Lan followed him into the supermarket.

Ye Yubai took a shopping basket without being asked.

“So today we don’t have to check prices—we can grab whatever we want?”

As he said this, he picked up a nice-looking steak.

He glanced at the price, gave an awkward smile, and put it back.

“They want over five hundred for this tiny piece of meat? Why don’t they just rob me?”

Gan Lan took one look at the steak and could tell it was the good stuff.

The way Ye Yubai gazed at it so longingly was both adorable and pitiful.

“If you like it, get it. It’s not often we have this much money to spare,” Gan Lan urged.

Ye Yubai shook his head.

“It’s over five hundred! Way too expensive. For that much, I could buy a whole ham.”

With that, he picked up the basket and headed farther into the store.

Gan Lan followed him.

After walking a few steps, she looked back at the steak.

She sighed.

Then she turned around.

And picked it up.

…

“Let’s get some of these chicken nuggets. We can dip them in egg and breadcrumbs when we get home, then fry them. They’ll be delicious.”

“Oh, and some carrots. They’re good for your eyes.”

“And cabbage. This looks pretty fresh.”

Ye Yubai chatted away to himself, dropping all the vegetables he pointed out into the basket.

Gan Lan walked past him.

In the produce section, she picked up a bunch of cilantro and a few heads of garlic.

Then, passing through the condiments aisle, she grabbed a bottle of soy sauce, a packet of chili flakes, and some salt.

Ye Yubai always forgot to buy seasonings. Then they’d get home, complain about it to each other, and draw lots to decide who had to run back to the supermarket.

That had happened a lot in her past life.

Over time, Gan Lan had gotten into the habit of doing this.

Forget everything else. Get the seasonings first.

When Ye Yubai looked back at her, she was picking out chili sauce.

Their eyes met for a brief moment.

Ye Yubai quickly lowered his head and pretended to look through the things in the basket.

When he saw the seasonings, he was a little surprised.

He hadn’t expected Gan Lan to be so thoughtful—she’d even noticed that they’d run out of soy sauce at home!

Once again, he thought that sharing a place with her was a smart decision.

Gan Lan casually picked up a bottle of Lao Gan Ma chili sauce and tossed it into the basket.

“Come on. I don’t think there’s anything else we need.”

As she spoke, she started toward the exit.

Ye Yubai quietly followed.

On the way from the produce section to the exit, they had to pass the snack aisle.

Remembering that Gan Lan liked lime-flavored chips, he grabbed a big bag and dropped it into the basket.

While they waited to check out, Ye Yubai looked around again.

“Huh? What brand of gum is this? I’ve never seen it before.”

He picked up a small blue tin and examined it.

Gan Lan was completely absorbed in her phone and had no idea what the person behind her was doing.

By the time it was their turn in line...

Ye Yubai poked Gan Lan on the shoulder and held out the little blue tin for her to see.

“What do you think this flavor’s like?” he asked, meaning the gum.

Gan Lan turned around and glanced at it.

Her brow slowly furrowed.

The moment she realized what it was, she shoved the tin back onto the shelf.

“Are you crazy? Why are you picking this up? You can’t even use it yet!”

Ye Yubai rubbed the back of his head, completely confused.

What did she mean, he couldn’t use it yet?

Was he not allowed to chew gum for now?

Gan Lan grabbed his sleeve and pushed him in front of her.

Ye Yubai didn’t say anything, but he grumbled to himself:

“It’s just a tin of candy. Why’d she freak out like that...?”