ATMAWTPM Chapter 26

Chapter 26: If There Really is a God.

Chapter 26: If There Really is a God.

The two walked shoulder to shoulder towards the school gate, Ye Tingtong lowering his head, focused on eating the small cake Shen Jun had brought for him.

The pastry chef at the banquet discovered Shen Jun wanted to take the cake away and specially added a layer of beautiful lace around the edge, showing off their skills. It was even more exquisite than those displayed in outside dessert shops.

Ye Tingtong didn’t notice that this cake was freshly cut, he just thought it smelled a little better than usual.

As soon as Shen Jun lowered his eyes, he could see the earnest look of the person next to him eating the cake. He wasn’t eating slowly, his cheeks puffed out in a curve, his expression extremely satisfied.

Ye Tingtong felt the gaze above him, and remembering something, he asked, “Have you eaten dinner yet?”

Shen Jun paused, “No.”

Ye Tingtong subconsciously frowned. It was almost ten o’clock at night, and he hadn’t eaten yet. If it were him, he reckoned he could faint from hunger during the exam.

He scooped a large spoonful from the center of the cake and offered it over, “Want to eat some cake to tide you over?”

But after he offered it, looking at the fork smeared with cream, he realized something was wrong. He was just about to pull it back when Shen Jun lowered his head and ate the cake he had offered without any hesitation.

Ye Tingtong watched the clean spoon, the tips of his ears instantly burning up. He quickly retracted his hand, lowering his head, pretending like nothing had happened.

Shen Jun politely said, “Thank you.”

The cake wasn’t as greasy as he had imagined, and it had a light, sweet taste.

Ye Tingtong glanced at Shen Jun, finding that the other’s expression was normal, and his heart, which was pounding like a drum, gradually calmed down.

However, he couldn’t be as calm as Shen Jun. The speed at which he ate the cake slowed down visibly, but the cake wasn’t big, and he finished it after a few bites.

The two walked under the tall sycamore trees. In the winter, the dead leaves were falling, and one landed on Ye Tingtong’s hair.

Ye Tingtong was struggling to scrape the cream at the bottom, his hands occupied. He shook his head several times, but couldn’t shake it off.

Shen Jun reached out and naturally removed the dead leaf for him, “Did the exam go well?”

Ye Tingtong scraped the last bit of milk off the bottom, biting the fork, he muttered, “I should pass.”

He wasn’t sure if his solutions were correct for some of the big questions, so he could only be a little conservative with his answer.

After he said that, he cautiously looked at Shen Jun.

In Ye Tingtong’s eyes, Shen Jun was a genius. He had tutored him for so long, would he think he was stupid?

Shen Jun met his gaze, paused, and then casually stroked his fluffy hair, praising, “You’re very good.”

Ye Tingtong felt the weight on his head, realizing Shen Jun had misunderstood—

He wasn’t looking for a reward.

However, he still obediently lowered his head, playing along, his beautiful, curved eyes revealing the fact that the head pat made him very happy.

The journey was short, and the school gate came into view.

Ye Tingtong thought for a moment, “Shen Jun, are you hungry?”

He was afraid that Shen Jun, having only eaten a bite of cake, wouldn’t be able to hold on. Actually, there were many good places to eat near A University. Yu Hui shared them in the dormitory group every day. He remembered that Yu Hui recently said that there was a food street nearby.

Ye Tingtong scrolled through the chat history, opened the location, and found that the food street was less than a hundred meters from them. “How about I take you to get something to eat?”

He patted his pocket generously, “You treated me to cake, and I’ll treat you to a late-night snack.”

Shen Jun looked at his excited expression and smiled, “Alright.”

This smile made Ye Tingtong freeze for a moment.

Shen Jun usually didn’t have much expression on his face, and with the aura he carried, he appeared cold and aloof, making people keep their distance. But when he smiled, that coldness retreated like the tide, and his handsome face was made even gentler by the night.

This was the second time Shen Jun had smiled at him tonight.

Ye Tingtong hastily lowered his eyes, pretending to look at the navigation carefully, “Wait, when we get out of the school gate, turn left and walk a few steps, and we’ll be there. Tell me what you want to eat!”

However, when he arrived at the destination, he couldn’t help but widen his eyes.

To be precise, this was a snack street. Both sides of the street were packed with dazzling food carts, the smell of cooking oil was everywhere, and the vendors were shouting in strange accents to attract customers. In addition, many students were relaxing after their last exams, making the area so crowded that the two could barely walk.

Ye Tingtong began to retreat. With Shen Jun’s status, eating here was really strange, but he looked around and couldn’t see a single shop with a storefront.

It was either a hair salon or an adult buffet.

Ye Tingtong’s temples throbbed, he wanted to take Shen Jun away, but it was too crowded and he couldn’t break free, getting swept along by the crowd.

Just as he was at a loss, a hand landed on his shoulder and pulled him aside. Ye Tingtong gently bumped into Shen Jun’s chest, his hands instinctively grabbing Shen Jun’s lapel.

“It’s a bit crowded, don’t get separated.”

Ye Tingtong responded with an “Mm,” “I should take you somewhere else, this place isn’t good.”

Shen Jun heard the embarrassment in his tone, “I’m not as picky as you think. When I was in college, Yu Mo used to bring me out to drink and eat skewers late at night.”

And then cry while recounting his failed love experiences.

Ye Tingtong looked surprised, “Really? Then I’ll eat here?”

He used to be broke, and he would never buy food outside. When he went out, he would eat with Shen Minghuai or his roommates. Occasionally, when he passed by these places, he was overwhelmed by the smells, but had never tried them.

The food stalls were cheap and good. Ye Tingtong asked a vendor selling fried tofu and found out that a small bowl only cost five yuan.

Ye Tingtong generously waved his hand and had the boss fill two bowls.

Soon, Shen Jun’s hands were full, with fried tofu, candied haws, lamb skewers, ice jelly, and roasted chestnuts.

As long as Shen Jun glanced at a stall, Ye Tingtong would lead him over, buying the most expensive things on the menu.

After buying a plate of stir-fried noodles, Ye Tingtong realized Shen Jun wasn’t following. Turning around, Shen Jun gestured to the food filling his hands, looking a little helpless, “I can’t hold any more.”

Ye Tingtong could only restrain himself and lead him to a secluded corner, “Okay, then you eat first.”

After saying that, he looked longingly at the lamb skewers in Shen Jun’s hands, swallowing hard.

The skewers really smelled so good.

This stall had the most people, and he had lined up for almost ten minutes to buy one.

Shen Jun handed the lamb skewers to Ye Tingtong, “Do you want to eat? The stir-fried noodles will get cold.”

Ye Tingtong coughed, “If you want to eat the stir-fried noodles, I can reluctantly help you finish this.”

After that, Shen Jun did the same, and Ye Tingtong happily helped him with his “problems.” In the end, only the candied haws in his hand were left.

He ate one, and the sourness of the hawthorn made his face scrunch up.

It was all looks and no taste!

Shen Jun couldn’t help but chuckle, reaching out to him, “Give it to me.”

Ye Tingtong quickly handed over the candied haws.

At that moment, he suddenly heard a girl’s giggle next to him. Ye Tingtong turned his head and saw a young couple standing next to him. The boy was struggling with the candied haws, his face screwed up.

The girl saw him looking over and smiled friendly, “It seems like this candied haw vendor is new here. I also hit a dud. There’s an old man at the end of the street who makes amazing candied haws. If you’re interested, you can try it.”

Ye Tingtong returned a bright smile, “Thank you.”

Before leaving, the girl winked at him, smiling mischievously, “Your boyfriend is so handsome~”

The two of them standing together were really pleasing to the eye!

Ye Tingtong subconsciously said “thank you” again, but when he realized what the other person had said, his smile froze, and his face flushed red. He wanted to explain, but the couple had already walked away hand in hand.

Shen Jun went to throw away the trash, missing their conversation. When he came back, he found that Ye Tingtong’s face was flushed, and his eyes were a bit evasive when looking at him.

He looked around, his gaze pausing almost imperceptibly when it passed a certain spot, but it quickly returned to normal, “What’s wrong?”

Ye Tingtong stammered, “It’s nothing.”

He really hadn’t expected that the other person would mistake him and Shen Jun for a couple.

However, their behavior was indeed somewhat similar to a couple’s, except, they weren’t holding hands like that couple…

He changed the subject, “Just now, a young woman said there are delicious candied haws at the end of the food street, do you want to go?”

Shen Jun nodded, “Yes.”

Since Ye Tingtong had mentioned it, it meant that he wanted to eat it.

However, the more they moved towards the middle, the more diners there were, and it was difficult for the two to walk.

Amidst the bumping and jostling, Ye Tingtong, as if possessed, reached out and grabbed Shen Jun’s hand, guiltily making an excuse for himself, “There are too many people, don’t get lost, or else I won’t be able to pay for you.”

His voice was small, and his words were quickly drowned out by the noise of the surroundings. He didn’t know if Shen Jun had heard him, but the other person immediately grasped his hand back.

Ye Tingtong was steadily led forward by Shen Jun. He lowered his head, staring blankly at their clasped hands.

His relationship with Shen Jun was too complicated. The contractual marriage added another layer of explanation to things, yet it couldn’t completely conceal the interactions between them.

Setting everything else aside, he thought, he was now really dating Shen Jun, just like that young woman had said.

Ye Tingtong rubbed his hot ears, turning his head to look elsewhere, but the hand holding the other’s hand quietly tightened its grip.

After eating and drinking his fill, Shen Jun took Ye Tingtong back to Taizi Bay.

Once in the car, Ye Tingtong kept praising the candied haws from the second shop, “That old man’s craftsmanship is really amazing, I hope he makes a lot of money!”

Shen Jun could hear the love in his tone, “If you like them, why didn’t you buy a few more? You can store them in the refrigerator.”

Ye Tingtong shook his head.

This time was definitely the most delicious time, and he didn’t want to buy more and affect his current mood.

The two quickly returned to Taizi Bay. Shen Jun reminded him, “It’s very late, rest early, goodnight.”

Ye Tingtong nodded, but before returning to his room, his hands, which were hanging at his sides, unconsciously tightened their grip. It seemed as if Shen Jun’s warm temperature still remained in his palms.

He thought for a moment, then turned around and said, “Shen Jun, thank you, I was very, very happy today!”

He thought that the last time they went ice fishing on Canglu Mountain was the happiest thing, but he didn’t expect to break that record so quickly.

Ye Tingtong tilted his head slightly, his eyes clean and beautiful as he sincerely expressed his current feelings to Shen Jun.

The light above them fell on his face, clearly reflecting the joy in his eyes.

Shen Jun was silent for a moment.

Ye Tingtong was like a cake with just the right amount of sweetness, beautifully shaped. Many people had seen him in the display window, but no one had ever really stopped. But as long as someone was willing to take one step closer, they would know that his exquisite and beautiful appearance was the least significant thing about Ye Tingtong.

“I’m also very happy,” Shen Jun said, “This is the best birthday present I received today.”

From birth until now, no birthday had been as easy and comfortable as these past few hours.

Ye Tingtong really hadn’t thought that today was Shen Jun’s birthday. “So tonight’s banquet was your birthday party?!”

He picked up his phone to check the time. It was already eleven fifty, and in ten minutes, Shen Jun’s birthday would be over.

“Shen Jun, Happy Birthday!” After congratulating him, Ye Tingtong thought of something and looked distressed, “Did I steal your birthday cake?”

“No.” Shen Jun remembered the bite Ye Tingtong had fed him and smiled, “I got to eat some.”

Of course Ye Tingtong knew what he was referring to, “That doesn’t count…”

“Did you make a birthday wish?”

Shen Jun was stunned for a moment, “No.”

There wasn’t a wishing step during the birthday party, it was like a ribbon-cutting, just cutting the cake as a formality.

He didn’t need to make wishes. If he wanted something, he would go and fight for it himself, he didn’t need useless gods to bless him.

“Are you guys this simple?” Ye Tingtong frantically rummaged through several drawers and cupboards in the house, “I used to make many wishes when it was my birthday. You’re good, not one.”

Although almost none of his birthday wishes had come true, he felt that Shen Jun was so amazing, and the wishes he made would definitely come true.

In the end, Ye Tingtong found a lighter in the kitchen.

He quickly turned off the lights in the living room and lit the lighter. “Quick, make a wish and then blow it out.”

Sometimes when he was too busy, he didn’t have time to celebrate his birthday, so he would do this little routine to comfort himself.

He didn’t expect that it would come in handy now.

Ye Tingtong’s face was alternately lit up and darkened by the flickering flames, blurry and unreal.

Shen Jun reached out and shielded the flame, and Ye Tingtong’s face gradually became clearer.

Ye Tingtong was confused, thinking he didn’t know what to wish for, and reminded him, “You can wish for good health, or you can think big, like wishing to win the lottery for a million dollars tomorrow, or for Shen Group to become the top company in the world!”

Shen Jun couldn’t help but chuckle, “Did you used to make wishes like that?”

Ye Tingtong hadn’t expected to be seen through at a glance, and coughed, “Of course not!”

He urged, “Stop talking, make a wish quickly, otherwise, time will be up. I think, the more you wish at this time, the more effective it is, you try!”

Shen Jun stared at him for a few seconds, and then, under the other’s anticipation, he blew out the flame.

If there really was a god.

He hoped that next year, he could celebrate his birthday with the person in front of him as well.