They found a private room in the restaurant.
After sitting down, Su Yao let out a long sigh, finally pulling herself free from the torment of that nursery rhyme.
Although Mu Nanqiu had only played it three times, it still dealt a ton of damage to Su Yao’s fragile little heart.
She had been in a daze the whole way here, but now she was barely holding herself together.
The private room was quite spacious, enough to seat seven or eight people.
Compared to the stuffy train carriage, this was definitely better.
After Mu Nanqiu took her seat, she pushed the menu toward Su Yao, but Su Yao didn’t dare to take it.
Judging by the exquisite decor, she knew the prices wouldn’t be cheap—definitely not something she could afford.
Just glancing at the menu might give her a heart attack.
Seeing that Su Yao didn’t order anything, Mu Nanqiu didn’t force her to choose either. Instead, she picked up the menu herself, casually flipping to a page and reading the first dish aloud.
“Grilled fish, want some?”
“Uh…”
Su Yao was looking around absentmindedly and didn’t expect Mu Nanqiu to ask her directly.
Like a student called on by the teacher, she sat up straight and started thinking about how to answer.
After a moment’s serious thought, she figured grilled fish shouldn’t be too expensive.
At most, two or three hundred yuan, which was still within her budget.
Although it would sting a little, going out to eat should cost a bit more than usual.
After some inner debate, Su Yao nodded in agreement.
With her consent, Mu Nanqiu nodded back and said, “Okay, then one order it is.”
She finished speaking and continued reading the next dish.
“Mapo tofu.”
“Sounds good.”
“Big plate chicken.”
“Well, that’s okay, hehe…”
“Pickled fish.”
“…”
Several dishes in a row, except for the Mapo tofu, were suitable as main courses for the table.
The two of them, just girls, couldn’t possibly finish all that.
Wasting food was such a pity—that’s money!
Thinking about how her little wallet would be emptied of five or six hundred yuan, Su Yao felt heartache.
Seeing Su Yao fall silent, Mu Nanqiu smiled mischievously and asked,
“What’s wrong?”
“Isn’t it a bit too much, Senior?”
Su Yao honestly voiced her concern, but Mu Nanqiu pretended to be suddenly enlightened.
“Oh? Then, Su Yao junior, why don’t you pick one from those you just mentioned?”
“Um…”
That was like inviting trouble.
Once the choice was back in Su Yao’s hands, she got stuck again.
But if Mu Nanqiu kept deciding, the table would be piled high, and Su Yao would have to grit her teeth and swallow her pain, no matter how expensive.
What should she choose?
Su Yao pondered for a long time before finally making a decision.
She looked at Mu Nanqiu tentatively and asked,
“Then, Mapo tofu?”
Mu Nanqiu just smiled silently.
Sweat broke out on Su Yao’s forehead as she thought for another long while before saying she actually wanted the grilled fish.
“Alright, grilled fish then.”
Mu Nanqiu nodded approvingly, her smile no longer restrained.
She happily hummed an unknown tune while writing down a large portion of grilled fish on the order.
She also added a few vegetable dishes and soup.
The total cost wasn’t too high.
She even asked Su Yao what drink she wanted.
This time, little Yao was wiser and asked for a Coke, but was scolded by Teacher Mu for not drinking too much.
Still, Mu Nanqiu wrote down two bottles of Coke on the order anyway—she really spoiled little Yao.
After finishing, Mu Nanqiu went out to hand the order to the waiter.
When she returned, Su Yao was already leaning back in her chair, no longer tense like at the start.
Mu Nanqiu sat down and said to Su Yao,
“You wouldn’t go to the cafeteria, right? You’re afraid of crowded places, so I had to bring you here. Although this isn’t exactly a fancy restaurant.”
“This is already great!”
Su Yao twisted her hands nervously.
The last time Wang Jing dragged her out, she ran off.
This time it was just Mu Nanqiu, so this counted as her first time eating out with someone.
Before, at most, she would linger near a fast-food place, waiting until it was less crowded to grab a takeaway and find a quiet spot to eat.
Su Yao studied Mu Nanqiu sitting opposite her and couldn’t help but ask,
“Is the person in the game really you, senior?”
“What, doesn’t seem like it?”
Mu Nanqiu smiled and asked back.
It wasn’t about seeming like her or not.
One was online, the other offline. Su Yao felt embarrassed.
She just thought that someone like Mu Nanqiu wouldn’t be the type to play games every night as if going to work.
Su Yao was sure she always saw her online whenever she herself logged in, so she guessed that the “Mu” in the game was a heavy player, and all her in-game words and actions showed a deep understanding of the game.
Mu Nanqiu wasn’t surprised by Su Yao’s doubts.
Even some people close to her didn’t know she waited by her screen every day for others to log in.
“You think I don’t seem like someone who sits in front of a computer all day playing games?”
“…Yeah.”
Su Yao hesitated but ultimately nodded, admitting Mu Nanqiu had read her mind.
She found the question puzzling.
“Because of you.”
“Because of me?”
Su Yao didn’t quite believe the answer.
Mu Nanqiu smiled and said,
“Don’t believe me? You don’t think you have anything good, that you’re easily replaceable. That’s why when I asked you to marry me, you just deleted your account and ran?”
“…”
Su Yao was silent because this time Mu Nanqiu hit the nail on the head.
She really did feel dispensable, easily replaced at any time.
With Mu Nanqiu’s qualities, she wouldn’t lack people to play with.
But Su Yao didn’t have that luxury.
For her, the account she maintained was her only one.
She had no other choices.
That made the relationship unequal and the root of Su Yao’s unease.
That marriage ring meant a further step in their relationship.
To maintain it, more effort would be needed.
And if it broke, she would be the one hurt.
If so, better to refuse it from the start.
Before the ring could be put on, Su Yao ran away.
Mu Nanqiu propped her face on one hand, unabashedly staring at Su Yao the whole time, quietly observing every subtle change.
She spoke gently,
“After you ran away, people laughed at me for a long time.”
After hearing Mu Nanqiu’s words, Su Yao hung her head in silence.
She knew it was her fault.
She lied and caused the awkward situation.
She didn’t mean to runaway from an online marriage, making Mu Nanqiu’s friends laugh at her.
If she hadn’t lied from the start, maybe she wouldn’t have become a girl, and the story wouldn’t have begun.
She would still be the Su Yao living only in her fantasy, disconnected from reality.
Unsure of what to say, she spoke with a slight quiver in her voice,
“Sorry.”
“I don’t blame you. I should even thank you. I was happy when we played games together.”
Looking up, Su Yao’s eyes were a little red and sore as she looked at Mu Nanqiu and shyly said, “Me too.”
Then she lowered her head again.
But just as she did, Mu Nanqiu said,
“So, be my girlfriend. I like you.”
“Huh?!”
Su Yao snapped her head up, staring at Mu Nanqiu in disbelief, wondering if she’d misheard.