Translator: tarararawr

The Eighth Cup of Coffee Part 1

The pedestrian street was buzzing. The street lights were shining with a saffron yellow. The vendors were shouting one after another, and the narrow roads were crowded with pedestrians.

Yun Xian and Jiang Ying walked forward side by side. They didn’t walk fast or slow, but at the perfect pace.

Jiang Ying saw someone selling oden on the side of the road and bought a cup. The fresh and tender fish meat was covered with tomato sauce1. It was much more delicious than the salad just now.

She chewed on the deep fried fish cake2?and Arctic wings3?contentedly. Her mood rose little by little to a decent level.

After a few steps, Jiang Ying noticed something felt strange and glanced down.

“Yun Xian,” she called out to him. “Wait a minute, my shoelaces are loose.”

When he heard this, Yun Xian lowered his eyes and looked at her shoes.

Today, Jiang Ying wore a French-style dress4?that reached the knee. The neckline was low, showing her collarbone. Her long brown curls draped over her shoulders, and she was wearing a pair of white canvas shoes.

She was usually a white moon in a cold, clear pond, but today she looked bright like a phoenix flower5?on a branch in full bloom, and also like a cherry fruit ripening in spring.

Jiang Ying’s features were not considered exceptional. Jiangnan had so many beautiful women, so she was just considered attractive.

But Yun Xian looked at her for a long time under the moonlight.

It wasn’t until Jiang Ying was about to pass him the paper cup to him, that Yun Xian suddenly returned to his senses.

“It’s not right for you to do that while wearing a dress, let me do it.” Before Jiang Ying could react, Yun Xian knelt down on one knee. The man’s fingers were slender and nimbly tied a beautiful bow.

Every part of Jiang Ying froze when she realized what the man was doing. She only felt a cluster of fireworks explode throughout her body. Sparks were flying around, her heart was pounding, and even her breathing was uneven.

Even though she knew in her heart that he was only being a gentleman, Jiang Ying was still falling for him without even trying.

She stared in a daze at the bow on the white canvas shoes, and suddenly felt like her heart was a mess.

She just convinced herself a few minutes ago that she had no chance with him, and that it would be good to just be friends with him.

But at this moment, her pounding heart was set off because of him and it could not be restrained.

Seeing that she wasn’t following him, Yun Xian stopped and turned around. “Jiang Ying? Let’s go.”

Jiang Ying bit her lower lip without saying a word, and could only walk to him silently.

The pedestrian street was very long, and each end of the street had a different scene. They walked to the end, and their surroundings gradually became quiet.

The evening breeze messed up her hair, and Jiang Ying pushed a few strands from her face to behind her ears.

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“Boss Yun,” she called out to Yun Xian.

Yun Xian stopped and looked at her. “What’s the matter?”

Jiang Ying said, “I forgot to say thank you.”

Yun Xian nodded. “Okay, you’re welcome.”

Jiang Ying: “I’m sorry, I’m really sorry that I’ve caused you trouble.”

Yun Xian: “It’s nothing.”

Jiang Ying wanted to say something, but saw Yun Xian stop in front of a jewelry stall.

The owner was a young girl who was sitting in a chair and playing games.

She heard them coming and quickly looked up. She glanced at them, and said anxiously to his teammate. “Customers are here, I need to go now.”

Jiang Ying smiled at her and said thoughtfully, “You can keep playing, we can look through it ourselves.”

“Okies, okies, sorry.” The girl rushed back to her cell phone to attack the canyon.

Jiang Ying saw Yun Xian leaning over and looking carefully. She asked him, “Is there something you want to buy?”

“Yeah.” He nodded, and picked up a pair to show Jiang Ying. “How about this?”

Yun Xian picked a pair of earrings in the shape of cherries, with golden leaves. The round fruits were bright red and sparkling.

Jiang Ying nodded. “It’s pretty.”

The lady boss looked up while playing the character, and asked, “Does the handsome brother want this pair?”

“Yeah, I’ll take this pair.” Yun Xian quickly scanned the code and paid the money.

The lady boss pointed to the gift box next to her.? “Do you want me to pack it up?”

Yun Xian shook his head. “There’s no need.”

Yun Xian held the earrings and turned to Jiang Ying. He asked, “Can you try it on?”

Jiang Ying reacted at that moment. She pointed to herself with a face of disbelief. “You bought this for me?”

“Who else?” Yun Xian handed the earrings to Jiang Ying. “Put it on and have a look.”

Jiang Ying took the earrings while she was a bit in a daze. She leaned down in front of the mirror. She didn’t know if it was because the light was not very bright that it caused her to not be able to put it in.

“Hiss—”Jiang Ying let out a soft cry as the sharp part scraped her skin.

“Let me.” Yun Xian took an earring from her hand and gently rubbed Jiang Ying’s earlobe with his thumb and index finger.

Under the lamp, Yun Xian found her ear hole. His movements were awkward, but he was very careful to not hurt her.

When Yun Xian leaned closer, Jiang Ying held her breath. She looked away and tilted her head to look at the shadows on the ground.

—They were so intimate, like in the middle of a hug and kiss.

The lady boss looked up at them and said with a smile, “Your boyfriend has such good taste, it matches your dress today.”

When both sides were put on, Yun Xian straightened up, stepped back and took a look. He commented with satisfaction. “Yes, it suits you very well.”

There was a little more weight on her ears. Jiang Ying swallowed her saliva. The tips of her ears turned slightly pink.

The lady boss killed an enemy, and a domineering female voice announced: “You have slain an enermy.”6

Jiang Ying only felt that she was losing blood frantically and was about to be killed by the other party.

“Why did you buy this for me?” she asked.

Yun Xian replied, “I think it suits you, it’s not anything expensive, so just wear it for fun.”

After a pause, he added, “Jiang Ying, with what happened tonight, you only need to remember what happened here on this street.”

As the evening breeze was blowing, Jiang Ying touched her earrings. The world was vast. It was like this man was the only thing in her world, and she couldn’t see anything else.