Meng Chu suddenly understood: “No wonder you were so anxious to drag me out shopping. So you do have a matchmaker.”
“You two get to be all lovey-dovey and don’t want me to have my own spring,” Song Yumian teased.
Meng Chu had been teasing her but now got teased back.
She raised an eyebrow and wisely kept quiet.
But Song Yumian wasn’t done: “Come on, tell me, how far along are you two now?”
“How far along?” Meng Chu was confused.
She casually replied, “It’s fine.”
Song Yumian clicked her tongue twice, “Your mouth is so tight. Are you hiding something from me?”
Meng Chu suddenly felt guilty.
After all, Song Yumian still didn’t know about her marriage plans.
She was still easing the news to her mother, afraid Song Yumian might accidentally blurt it out.
“That dress really looks good?” Song Yumian didn’t press further but asked about the clothes again.
Meng Chu nodded, “Really nice.”
Song Yumian said, “Okay, I’ll change and buy this one.”
When she came out of the fitting room, Song Yumian whispered, “Damn, I should’ve said this earlier. This dress costs over four thousand. Am I being too impulsive?”
Meng Chu glanced at the dress in her hand and sighed, “It is a bit expensive.”
“Let it be,” Song Yumian shook her head.
Meng Chu reached out to take it, “You’re going on a blind date, so dress nicely.”
Song Yumian looked at her taking the dress, “What are you doing?”
“I’m buying it for you,” Meng Chu said calmly, then headed to the checkout.
Song Yumian hurriedly stopped her, “Meng, you’re too generous.”
Meng Chu looked at her, “You said you liked it, didn’t you?”
“But it is a bit expensive,” Song Yumian said shyly.
Meng Chu smiled, “Consider it an early birthday gift.”
Song Yumian hesitated, but Meng Chu was already paying.
When they left the store, Song Yumian linked arms with Meng Chu and coquettishly said, “You’re the best, Chu Chu. How did I get so lucky to be your close friend?”
“Speak properly,” Meng Chu said, feeling goosebumps.
Song Yumian leaned on her shoulder, “Seriously, have you thought about loosening your dating standards?”
“Huh?” Meng Chu was taken aback.
“A woman, maybe? My Chu,” Song Yumian asked seriously.
Meng Chu smiled lowly, “Sorry, no chance.”
Song Yumian: “Call out that dog of a man now. I want to confront him face to face.”
“He’s on a business trip. You don’t have the chance either,” Meng Chu said leisurely.
Song Yumian snorted but looked at her, “I mean, isn’t he your official boyfriend now?”
Official boyfriend?
Meng Chu had always found Song Yumian’s terms for Cheng Jinyu a bit odd.
First “almost boyfriend,” now “official boyfriend.”
Meng Chu smiled, “I guess so. After all, I don’t have any unofficial ones.”
Just then, as they took the escalator down a floor, by the escalator was a surprisingly large Pet Supplies Store.
“Let’s go in here and look around,” Meng Chu suggested.
Song Yumian saw the store and immediately looked a bit troubled, “It’s my day off. I don’t want to see work-related stuff.”
But despite that, Meng Chu dragged her inside.
At the entrance, Meng Chu grabbed a shopping cart and started examining shelf by shelf.
Seeing some dog snacks, she picked up a pack and handed it to Song Yumian, “Dr. Song, can you check the ingredients for me?”
Song Yumian flipped through it and said, “Not bad. You can buy it.”
Just as Meng Chu picked up a few packs, Song Yumian quickly grabbed her hand and pointed to the price on the shelf. “Didn’t you see? This stuff is super expensive.”
“One pack costs sixty or seventy yuan, and a big dog can finish one pack easily.”
As a pet doctor, Song Yumian was well aware of the market prices for snacks.
Meng Chu said, “If you want snacks, I can get some through people I know. They have insider discounts.”
“Okay, get me some then. I’ll just buy a little today,” Song Yumian said.
Seeing Meng Chu say that, Song Yumian suddenly teased, “You said you weren’t serious with him, but you’re already raising a ‘child’ together.”
Meng Chu: “…”
“Can you not be so exaggerated?” Meng Chu smiled helplessly.
Song Yumian said confidently, “Fur babies are children too. Nowadays, couples care for pets as carefully as their own kids.”
Meng Chu fell silent.
She had always known dogs were called fur babies.
But she and Cheng Jinyu weren’t quite there yet… right?
“Besides, you’re acting like a new mom, picking out the best for your kid,” Song Yumian said, very familiar with this symptom.
Sometimes she’d encounter new dog owners who would come in crying with their dogs.
They were so nervous.
Usually, the dog was just feeling sluggish from overeating.
Meng Chu smiled and bit her lip but didn’t stop picking things out.
By the time they left, Song Yumian was carrying a large bag.
After shopping, it was already time to eat.
“Finally, we can eat hot pot. It’s been so long,” Song Yumian said.
The reason she picked this mall was for a popular hot pot restaurant inside.
Since they had made a reservation in advance, they were immediately led into a private room.
“Order as much as you want today. Don’t be polite,” Song Yumian said generously.
Clearly, Song Yumian was feeling guilty about the four-thousand-yuan dress Meng Chu had bought for her.
Meng Chu leisurely flipped through the menu. “Don’t worry, I won’t be polite.”
Although she said that, she didn’t actually order much.
“Are you sure you don’t want to order more?” Song Yumian asked.
Meng Chu nonchalantly said, “Let’s start with this. If it’s not enough, we can order more later.”
“You’re really thin, although you look good,” Song Yumian said with concern.
Meng Chu smiled.
Just as the food arrived and she was about to eat, her phone buzzed with a message.
Cheng Jinyu: 【Are you having dinner?】
Lately, he had been asking her about meals quite often.
Apparently, he no longer saw Meng Chu as someone who would obediently eat on time.
Meng Chu took a photo of the dishes on the table and sent it to him.
Meng Chu: 【About to eat now.】
Meng Chu: 【What are you having for dinner?】
Sure enough, the next second, he sent a photo back.
It was also hot pot.
Cheng Jinyu: 【Same as you.】
Cheng Jinyu: 【Great minds think alike.】
Meng Chu smiled softly at those words.
Then she slowly typed: 【But it was my friend who suggested hot pot tonight. It’s actually you two who are on the same wavelength.】
She had meant it as a playful jab, but surprisingly, he didn’t reply.
Meng Chu: 【Are you mad?】
Meng Chu: 【Okay, I’m sorry.】
Cheng Jinyu: 【Hmm.】
Seeing that single word, Meng Chu imagined how pouty he must be.
She patiently asked: 【If you’re mad, how can I make it up to you?】
Cheng Jinyu: 【Take back what you just said.】
Meng Chu smiled again and obediently retracted the message.
But just as she did, suddenly another message popped up.
This time it wasn’t a text or a voice note.
It was a transfer record.
The orange-colored transfer clearly showed the number “5200.”
Meng Chu stared at the number and fell silent.
Then another message came through.
Cheng Jinyu: 【I’ll pay for dinner tonight. Tell your friend that this hot pot is your suggestion.】
Meng Chu: “…”
She knew that at thirty years old, people could still be childish sometimes.
But she never expected the childish one to be Cheng Jinyu.
And that his point of fussiness was so strange—just because of the phrase “great minds think alike”?
At that moment, Song Yumian was also scrolling through her phone, seemingly replying to messages from dog owners asking about feeding recovered dogs.
She was really caring—even on her day off, she took time to answer those questions.
After finishing her replies, she looked up and saw Meng Chu staring at her.
Song Yumian asked curiously, “What’s up?”
“That hot pot tonight was my suggestion,” Meng Chu said seriously.
Song Yumian’s expression was incredulous but she nodded, “Alright, it counts as your suggestion.”
After that, Meng Chu smiled.
Meng Chu: 【I agree.】
Meng Chu: 【You don’t have to accept the transfer.】
Their dinner didn’t cost nearly that much.
Besides, it would feel weird to accept it out of the blue.
The other side seemed to quiet down as well.
Meng Chu was about to put down her phone when it vibrated again.
She looked down and saw a new voice message in the notifications.
Glancing at Song Yumian, she finally turned and tapped to play it.
Cheng Jinyu’s slow, cool voice echoed softly in the private room:
“Still accept it, or else I’ll feel like I’m confessing and getting rejected.”
Meng Chu was stunned.
Far away in Chengdu, Cheng Jinyu was standing outside the private room, looking down at the chat history on his phone.
After sending that voice note, Meng Chu hadn’t replied or accepted the transfer.
He pursed his lips and smiled wryly, about to turn off his phone.
But at that moment, the bright orange transfer record quietly turned a pale yellow.
On Meng Chu’s side, the chat window clearly showed that she had accepted it.