“Did you bring the little wontons? What? You didn’t?”

“Then did you bring any happy juice?”

“What do you mean, ‘what’? You didn’t bring that either!”

Ye Yubai looked rather disappointed.

If Gan Lan had simply forgotten her phone when she left the house, he could’ve forgiven her.

But she’d brought her phone, seen his text, and still deliberately hadn’t brought him anything!

What was this girl even thinking?

Gan Lan’s reasoning was perfectly sound. “The stuff they sell on the street isn’t as good as homemade. I’ll make you a late-night snack myself in a bit, and we’ll save some money.”

Right.

Saving money was the real point.

Gan Lan really hadn’t changed at all.

Ye Yubai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Didn’t we just win the lottery?”

Gan Lan didn’t bat an eye. “Yeah, but I’ve already spent my share.”

Ye Yubai blinked in surprise.

Then he remembered Gan Lan saying not long ago that she wanted to buy something really expensive, and it all made sense.

Gan Lan never wasted money. If she bought something, she must really need it.

But what could an underage high school student like her possibly need badly enough to spend so much on?

“What did you buy, anyway? Can I see?”

Gan Lan glanced at him and smiled faintly. She gave him two words: “It’s a secret.”

It was too early to explain Bitcoin to the Ye Yubai of this era.

…

The two of them passed the stairwell and went up to the landing.

That little girl was still leaning over the railing.

Ye Yubai introduced her to Gan Lan. “This is our new neighbor. Her name is…”

What was her name again?

Ye Yubai was embarrassed.

He’d accepted her pastry without even asking her name!

The girl hurriedly said, “I’m Xue Ting. I live across the hall. I just moved in today!”

Xue Ting.

The moment Gan Lan heard that name, she looked up and stared at the girl for a long while.

It wasn’t that she was overreacting. That name had simply left a deep impression on her.

This girl would be forced to transfer schools in a week.

And the reason she’d have to transfer was the vicious bullying she’d suffer at the hands of several girls from the arts class!

In her previous life, they’d become neighbors at this same point in time.

But back then, Gan Lan had been so focused on her studies that she’d never paid any attention to the girl living across the hall.

By the time she learned what had happened to Xue Ting, Xue Ting had already left the city.

Ye Yubai never knew why the girl had been bullied.

Gan Lan herself didn’t find out until five or six years later: those girls from the arts class had taken a dislike to Xue Ting simply because she’d brought Ye Yubai pastries a few times.

There was no need to explain how frightening a woman’s jealousy could be.

“Xue Ting and Ye Yubai had never had anything romantic between them. At most, she’d secretly liked him. She didn’t deserve to be bullied by those women.”

Gan Lan took a deep breath.

A sense of justice welled up inside her.

She felt that in this life, she could help Xue Ting avoid that terrible fate.

It would also let her lay one old regret to rest.

“Hey, Gan Lan, why do you keep staring at that girl?”

Ye Yubai gave her a playful poke.

“Stop staring. She’s already gone inside!”

Gan Lan looked up in confusion and glanced around.

Only then did she realize that, without noticing, Ye Yubai had already ushered her back into the room.

Ye Yubai propped his chin on his hand and looked at her with a grin. “You into that girl or something?”

Gan Lan shot him an annoyed glare. “What are you talking about?”

Ye Yubai said, “I’m not making it up. The way you were staring at her was so intense, you scared her right off.”

Gan Lan: “…”

Could she tell him she’d been staring because she wanted to protect the girl?

Even if she did, Ye Yubai wouldn’t believe her.

“I’m going to make you a late-night snack. You clean up the room.”

As she spoke, Gan Lan tied on an apron and went into the kitchen.

…

As he listened to the clatter coming from the kitchen, Ye Yubai took a closer look at the pastries Xue Ting had given him.

They were nicely made, baked to a golden brown.

He broke off a little piece to try. It was crisp and flaky.

That girl really had skillful hands.

Ye Yubai ate a small piece, then poured the rest into a storage bag.

He planned to save some for Gan Lan to try.

…

Meanwhile.

In the kitchen, Gan Lan had already made a bowl of little wontons.

The filling was ready-made, and so were the wrappers.

These wontons didn’t have much meat in them, but the broth was delicious. Usually, you’d add some dried shrimp and nori, too.

But supplies were limited, so she could only add dried shrimp.

“All done. Here are your little wontons.”

Gan Lan’s voice reached him before she did.

The savory aroma made Ye Yubai look up toward the kitchen.

Gan Lan came out carrying a large ceramic bowl.

She set it down in front of him.

Her fingertips were burning a little.

She pinched her earlobe, hissed, and sucked in a breath of cool air.

“Don’t complain. It’ll do. At least it’s cleaner than the stuff they sell outside.”

When Ye Yubai saw the small, delicate wontons in the bowl, he paused in surprise.

That was unexpected.

He’d never heard Gan Lan say she knew how to make little wontons!

“Gan Lan, something’s off.”

Ye Yubai picked up his spoon, then set it down again.

He stared straight at her.

“Since when did you get so good at cooking?”

Gan Lan froze, then glanced awkwardly to the side.

“I—I just learned. I followed a video on my phone!”

Her voice sounded a little unsure.

But it was enough to fool Ye Yubai.

The boy just said, “Oh,” then lowered his head and started tasting the wontons.

The seasoning was just right—not too salty, not too bland.

The dried shrimp was the finishing touch, bringing the whole broth to life.

And that little bit of chili oil made it impossible to stop eating.

When he came back to himself,

Ye Yubai had already finished the broth, and he still seemed to want more.

When he looked at Gan Lan again, there was a new look in his eyes.

More precisely, it was the kind of look you’d give an idol.

“Gan Lan…”

He said her name and slowly edged closer.

Gan Lan watched him warily and quietly shuffled to the side, keeping her distance.

The two of them played a little game of cat and mouse on the sofa.

In the end, Gan Lan had nowhere left to go. He cornered her in the narrow gap between himself and the sofa.

Ye Yubai grinned and reached out to pinch her cheek.

“To thank you for this perfect late-night snack, I’ve decided to help you out.”

Gan Lan frowned.

What was he going to help her with?

She couldn’t think of anything she needed help with.

“I’ve decided to tutor you until you finish all your weekend homework tonight.”

“…”

What kind of help was that supposed to be?!

“You’re really grateful, right? No need to thank me! We’re so close—there’s no need to be formal!”

“…”

As if she’d ever thank him!

Before Gan Lan could refuse, Ye Yubai grabbed her wrist and led her toward the room.

As soon as they stepped inside, he decisively locked the door.

Gan Lan pressed a hand to her forehead and let out a long sigh.

“No, I don’t have to rush through my homework. I was hoping to get to bed early tonight…”