Did the Tsundere Miss Get Slapped in the Face Again Today? - Chapter 20

Chapter 20: “The Lips Within Reach Are Very Tempting.”

At the noodle shop on the street, the daytime bustle was gone. The street was quiet at night, feeling more serene than desolate.

Jiang Zhi was sitting inside the shop, head bent, slurping noodles.

Lin Anran sat opposite her, arms crossed over her chest, scrutinizing the shop with a look of utter disdain.

Above the shop, there was an old sign with red letters on a white background. Plastic stools were paired with small wooden tables. The open kitchen, where a large pot was bubbling with steam, smelled warmly savory.

The environment could be summed up in two words: rudimentary.

Compared to the Western restaurant from earlier, it was a world of difference. Calling it heaven and earth wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

“Didn’t we already eat? Why do we have to come out and eat this kind of stuff?” Lin Anran asked the person across from her in confusion.

Jiang Zhi swallowed her food, wiping her mouth with a napkin: “How could that palm-sized steak be enough?”

Lin Anran was even more bewildered: “Couldn’t you have ordered another one, or some other items?”

Jiang Zhi smiled helplessly: “A single glass of orange juice there costs ¥588. My goodness, are we eating food or gold? You brought a bumpkin like me in there to experience it and see the world for a couple of bites, that’s enough. If I really want to eat, eating out here is more reassuring.”

Lin Anran: “I’m paying, and I don’t even find it expensive. Why are you being so stingy?”

Jiang Zhi pointed to the QR code at the entrance: “The young lady is generous. How about this: this bowl of noodles is ten yuan. You treat me. Go scan the code and pay now.”

Lin Anran ground her teeth, angrily got up, and went to scan the code.

After returning, she continued to insult: “Truly, pigs cannot appreciate fine food. Ignoring the good food, insisting on coming to the roadside to eat this messy stuff.”

“This is what suits me,” Jiang Zhi tapped her bowl: “Noodles—large quantity, filling, and cheap. The key is that I feel reassured eating it.”

Eating at a restaurant where a glass of orange juice cost ¥588—even though she didn’t have to pay, her frugal consumer mentality couldn’t be easily changed in a short time. She ate with a financial heartache…

Lin Anran looked at the noodles in her bowl, her frown never easing.

“It looks dirty. Is the hygiene here up to standard? Will eating it cause diarrhea? Is this a shop without a license? Does it have a business license?”

Lin Anran’s voice wasn’t quiet. Jiang Zhi quickly turned to look towards the kitchen.

The boss was chopping vegetables, and she didn’t know if he had heard.

“Keep your voice down. The boss will hear you,” Jiang Zhi signaled, shaking her head.

“So what if he hears? This dirty, run-down place—is the food even edible? Eating it will cause poisoning. This must be an unlicensed shop,” Lin Anran’s voice got louder.

“Clang.”

In the kitchen, the boss put down his cleaver and turned his head to look at them, his expression unfriendly.

Great, he heard everything.

Jiang Zhi quickly stood up and smiled apologetically: “Boss, please don’t be angry. She just talks like that, but she means no harm, truly no harm. Your noodles are exceptionally delicious. We’ll definitely be back.”

The boss looked at the politely smiling Jiang Zhi, then at the impolite Lin Anran with her chin tilted up, and finally pointed to the wall:

“See for yourself. The business license is hanging on the wall. This is not an unlicensed shop. It’s very clean. It definitely won’t poison you.”

The boss’s tone wasn’t good; it was a bit aggressive, but understandable.

Jiang Zhi continued to offer apologies. The boss waved his hand, deciding not to pursue it further.

Jiang Zhi breathed a sigh of relief, sat down, and lowered her voice: “Say less. You can save those nasty things to tell me privately. You don’t have to say them to people’s faces.”

Lin Anran: “So what? It is dirty and…”

Jiang Zhi quickly covered her mouth.

“Mmm…” Lin Anran pulled her hand away: “What are you doing? Your hands are dirty. Don’t cover my mouth.”

“Miss Lin, can we consider the situation when we speak? Look at the boss—he’s tall and muscular, his arms are thicker than your thighs. If you anger him, one punch could knock you out. You can’t possibly expect me to protect you if a fight breaks out,”

Jiang Zhi squeezed her own small arm: “With me, I can’t beat anyone. I can’t protect you. I can only get beaten up with you.”

Lin Anran scoffed, raised her hand, and snapped her fingers.

Two bodyguards in black suits abruptly appeared at the entrance.

Another snap of her fingers, and the bodyguards left.

“No one dares to hit me,” Lin Anran lifted her chin haughtily: “If someone wants to, they can try.”

Jiang Zhi: “…”

She had always assumed Lin Anran’s talking style hadn’t gotten her beaten up yet because she had a beautiful face. She didn’t realize it had nothing to do with her face; it was purely because of the close protection of bodyguards, whom others couldn’t defeat…

Jiang Zhi gave her a thumbs-up: “Impressive, very impressive. I worried over nothing.”

As she made the thumbs-up gesture, Lin Anran’s gaze locked onto her wrist—the faded red bracelet.

She wore it every day, treating it like a treasure. Last time, she had simply called it a cheap bracelet, and Jiang Zhi immediately got upset.

Who gave it to her, exactly?

It’s so annoying.

This hateful Jiang Yi!

Lin Anran narrowed her eyes, her expression unfriendly. She was getting angry again.

Jiang Zhi was accustomed to her frequent outbursts and couldn’t be bothered to figure out the reason.

“Do you want to drink this soy milk? You probably haven’t tried it. Roadside noodle shops usually sell this kind,” Jiang Zhi picked up the soy milk bottle by her hand.

“I won’t drink it. It’s a cheap item. I don’t like it,” Lin Anran pouted in disgust.

Jiang Zhi directly pushed the soy milk over: “Give it a try. It tastes pretty good. I think you’ll like it.”

“I said I won’t drink it. It doesn’t look good. I don’t like it.”

That’s what she said, but Jiang Zhi knew she would definitely drink it…

“I’ll go get you a straw. I used the original one,” Jiang Zhi got up to ask the boss for a new straw at the cash register.

When she returned with the straw, the person who had firmly declared she wouldn’t drink it was now holding the soy milk bottle, chewing on the straw, and happily drinking.

In just that short time, two-thirds of the bottle was already gone.

Jiang Zhi wore an “I knew it” expression: “Drink slowly. I’m not fighting you for it.”

Lin Anran chewed on the straw without speaking, continuing to drink like a greedy little cat.

Jiang Zhi sat down opposite her, shaking the new straw in her hand: “Why didn’t you wait? I got you a new straw. I bit that straw already. Don’t you think I’m dirty?”

Lin Anran avoided eye contact, looking down, afraid to look at Jiang Zhi. A flush spread across her face.

“Why is your face so red?” Jiang Zhi asked, puzzled.

Lin Anran’s action of chewing the straw froze. The blush on her face deepened. Her eyes darted around. She didn’t know what she was thinking.

“You’re not allergic to soy milk, are you? Why does drinking this make you look like you’ve had alcohol? Your whole face is red.”

Jiang Zhi stood up worriedly, walked up to her, and reached out to take the soy milk from her hand.

Lin Anran quickly hugged the soy milk to her chest: “What are you doing? It’s mine.”

Jiang Zhi massaged her forehead: “You’re allergic, and you’re still drinking it? Are you so greedy you don’t care about your life?”

Lin Anran glared at her: “Are you crazy? I’m not allergic!”

“How are you not allergic? Maybe you don’t know you’re allergic to this,” Jiang Zhi bent over, leaning closer, cupping her face to check:

“Let me see. I hope you haven’t broken out in a rash. It’s my fault, my fault. I shouldn’t give you everything to eat. You’re a delicate young lady and probably can’t handle this stuff. Why is your face so hot? Do you have a fever? Surely not…”

With her face cupped in Jiang Zhi’s hands, Lin Anran’s cheeks grew hotter. She stared intently at the person so close to her.

She saw the blinking eyelashes behind the black-framed glasses and the lips parting and closing as she spoke.

Jiang Zhi kept talking, but the sound automatically muted in Lin Anran’s ears.

She couldn’t hear what Jiang Zhi was saying, but she could hear…

“Thump, thump, thump.”

She could hear the intense pounding of her heart, each beat faster than the last, like someone drumming on her heart, as if her heart would uncontrollably leap out of her chest.

Lin Anran’s gaze shifted downward, fixed unblinkingly on Jiang Zhi’s lips, as if bewitched by some unknown power.

Jiang Zhi’s lips really did look like jelly—light pink and soft. She wanted to bite them. Very much.

They were so close. A slight lean forward and she could bite them.

Could she bite them? Would Jiang Yi be angry if she did?

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