After buying the silk threads from the shop, the two of them found a tea shop in the old town to take a short break.
Having ordered their drinks and snacks, Xu Yanxia opened the small cakes Sun Yanan had just given her and shared them with Lu Jingming. Try some. I could tell from the smell just now that they use real, quality ingredients. It should taste pretty good.
Sure.
Lu Jingming took a few to try, then nodded and said, It is not overly sweet, and it does not have that overpowering artificial flavoring smell.
After eating with Xu Yanxia for so long, he now understood that truly good food made with genuine ingredients always had a natural and pure aroma.
The more flashy and exaggerated the scent, the more likely it was the result of artificial additives and chemical wizardry.
Xu Yanxia agreed with his assessment. It really is quite good. The moisture and fluffiness are spot on, the egg flavor is rich, and the aftertaste is very clean.
Good things deserve to be seen by everyone.
As she spoke, she took out her phone and snapped a few close-up photos of the cakes, including the shop's name on the outer packaging, and posted them to her TikTok account.
Lu Jingming watched her and asked, You do not hold a grudge at all?
Xu Yanxia knew what he was asking about. She smiled and said, What is there to hold onto? We were all just kids back then. Most of it was just blindly following what others said, without much actual malicious intent.
Besides, did she not apologize to me?
She popped another small cake into her mouth and continued while eating, The fact that she remembered it for so many years shows that it was weighing on her mind too.
For me, letting go of trivial things in a timely manner makes life a lot easier.
Makes sense.
Lu Jingming smiled and said, My baby truly has both beauty and brains.
Hey,
Xu Yanxia immediately leaned in close and whispered, Can you not call me something so cheesy? It is so embarrassing.
What is so embarrassing about it?
Lu Jingming said with a laugh. Is this not how couples are? Otherwise, you can call me that too. I promise I would not mind at all.
With that, he smiled and whispered into her ear again, Baby.
As his deep voice brushed against her ear, Xu Yanxia's face instantly turned bright red.
Right at that moment, the staff member brought their drinks and snacks to the table.
Startled, she quickly sat up straight and cleared her throat, looking extremely guilty and obvious.
Lu Jingming, on the other hand, looked completely composed as he thanked the staff member, a smile lingering on his lips.
After finally waiting for the staff member to set things down and walk away, Xu Yanxia spoke to him again, But I still think it is too cheesy. You really should not call me that in public.
...Alright then.
Lu Jingming conceded with a look of pity, Then I will call you that when no one else is around.
Xu Yanxia did not refuse this time; she just blushed and started drinking her milk tea.
After eating for a while, Lu Jingming proactively reminded her, Come on, teach me how to tie a true lover's knot. I want to learn from you.
You want to learn from me?
Xu Yanxia found it amusing. Are you serious? Guys rarely like this kind of delicate handiwork.
That is because they are not as good with their hands as I am.
Lu Jingming said this without blushing at all, and took half of the threads from her hands.
Alright then. Seeing that he genuinely wanted to learn, Xu Yanxia began to teach him—
First, take a string and fold it in half. Both ends need to be the same length.
Mhm, same length.
He did as instructed and asked, And then?
Then make a slipknot with the string on the left,
Xu Yanxia slowed down her movements to show him. Do not pull it tight; let it form a loop.
Got it.
Lu Jingming followed suit.
He listened as Xu Yanxia continued, Pass the right string through this loop, then cross it over the left string, and pull it underneath the left string.
Finally, pull it tight slowly.
Pull it tight slowly.
Lu Jingming finished the steps and adjusted the shape at the end. Sure enough, a round true lover's knot was complete.
It is that simple?
He was a bit surprised.
Xu Yanxia told him, That is because this is the simplest version. There are much more complicated ones.
He immediately said, Then I want to learn the complicated ones.
Alright then.
Xu Yanxia continued teaching him—
This time we need four strings, preferably in two different colors.
First, fold the two strings of the same color in half, then pass the other two strings through and pull them to the middle...
Okay.
Lu Jingming continued to follow along carefully step by step. After a bit of effort, a much more beautiful, symmetrical, and plump two-toned true lover's knot was finally finished.
How is it?
Xu Yanxia asked him, Is this one a bit harder?
It is indeed more complicated,
Lu Jingming said with a hint of pride, But it is nothing your incredible boyfriend cannot handle.
What are you saying,
Xu Yanxia laughed. Why do I feel like Xixi was right the other day? You seem to be getting a bit more dramatically arrogant.
That just means I am still young,
Lu Jingming said unabashedly. He handed his two true lover's knots to her, took her two in return, and said, Here, let us trade.
This is called exchanging my heart for yours. We will both keep each other's hearts safe, and neither of us is allowed to lose them.
Okay.
Xu Yanxia carefully placed his two true lover's knots into the inner pocket of her bag.
Meanwhile, Lu Jingming carefully threaded the two knots she made using the metal clasps the merchant had given them when they bought the strings. He attached one to his phone case with a thin string, put the other in his pocket, and told her, I will hang this one in my car later.
To be honest, Xu Yanxia was a bit shocked. She had never seen a guy hang an accessory on his phone case before.
Before she could speak, three girls around her age walked up to them and asked cautiously, Sorry to bother you, but are you Xuxu Xiaoxia?
Xu Yanxia nodded generously and said, Yes, I am.
That is great.
The three girls said happily, We are visiting from out of town. We heard you were from Qingcheng, but we never expected to actually run into you here.
Xu Yanxia quickly told them, Welcome to Qingcheng, and it is very nice to meet you too.
The girls then turned their gaze to Lu Jingming and asked, And is this... Xixi's older brother, CEO Lu?
Lu Jingming politely nodded to them and said, Hello, I am Jingxi's older brother.
Ahhh...
The girls got even more excited, jumping up and down as they said, Coming to Qingcheng was such a good decision!!! We are so lucky!!!
Yeah, we actually got to see both of you in person!!!
So worth it!!!
Xu Yanxia smiled and said, It is also his first time visiting Qingcheng. I am acting as his tour guide today. I am really happy to meet you all too.
As she spoke, she picked up a box of the small cakes to offer them. My former classmate just gave these to me. She opened a dessert shop just up ahead, and they taste pretty good. Here, try some.
No need,
The girls quickly waved their hands politely and said, "We just saw the photo you posted and recognized the background, which is how we found you. We've already ordered our food, but we'll head over to your classmate's place later to buy some and try it out."
"Can we take a picture together?"
"Of course."
Xu Yanxia immediately went over to stand with them and asked Lu Jingming to take the photo for them.
After the picture was taken, the girls happily said their goodbyes and returned to their seats not too far away.
Xu Yanxia sat back down beside Lu Jingming.
The surroundings quieted down once more. Lu Jingming cleared his throat and called out to her softly, "Baby."
