The small, dilapidated shop fell silent for a few seconds before Ban Shu forced a dry laugh and scratched his head, saying, "Brother Yu is right, fists can't solve problems."
Although he didn't know what the conflict was between Shen Yubai, Xu Chuning, and the young man who looked like a combination of the two, the look Shen Yubai gave him signaled—don't ask more than you should.
Thinking this, Ban Shu cleared his throat and said, "Xu Chuning, we came here to eat; can we order?"
Xu Chuning, who had no reason to drive customers away, needed the patronage for their little shop. She hummed in agreement and pointed to the wall, "The menu is on the wall, what would you like to have?"
Ban Shu looked up and saw that the menu offered nothing but very common and simple noodles and rice noodle dishes, which didn't appeal to him much. But since they were already there, he looked around and asked Shen Yubai, "Brother Yu, what do you want to eat?"
Shen Yubai glanced at the two people standing not far away and felt a subtle and complex emotion stir within him. To his left was the son he and Xu Chuning would have in the future, to his right... Xu Chuning, his future wife?
The surroundings were a stark contrast to the environment Shen Yubai had grown up in, and Xu Chuning was not the type of girl to stir his affections. Why would he be with her in the future?
Noticing Shen Yubai's gaze, Xu Chuning blatantly ignored it. She nudged Shen Sinian with her elbow and said softly, "You take their order here, I'll call my mom over."
Shen Sinian: "… Okay."
He gave Shen Yubai an annoyed glare, with a terrible attitude, "Haven't decided what to eat yet?"
Shen Yubai withdrew his gaze from Xu Chuning's retreating figure, saying indifferently, "A bowl of egg noodles."
Shen Sinian took note and turned to Ban Shu, "And you?"
"I'll have the same as... Brother Yu, egg noodles are fine."
Shen Sinian took note and turned around to relay the order to You Shuzhen who had just come from the back.
You Shuzhen went to cook them egg noodles, while Shen Sinian went to the back to speak with Xu Chuning, "He looked at me in a weird way."
Xu Chuning, who was about to stir-fry the last dish of greens, paused when she heard this, surprised at Shen Sinian's sensitivity, "Weird how?"
She pretended not to understand.
Shen Sinian thought back, knitted his eyebrows, and said, "His attitude towards me was particularly different from last time."
He speculated, "Could he already know the results of our DNA test?"
As soon as he spoke, Shen Sinian's eyes widened with shock as he turned to her, "It's not impossible. The Shen Family has tremendous influence; if they wanted to get the DNA test results from the hospital before anyone else, it wouldn't be too difficult."
Xu Chuning saw his agitation and quickly grasped his arm, "… It's not necessarily the case."
Shen Sinian puzzled, "How can it not be?"
Looking into his eyes, Xu Chuning felt a tiny bit unsure of how to explain. She wracked her brains and finally said, "I'll tell you later, let me finish cooking first."
Shen Sinian: "…"
He choked back a retort, and looking at Xu Chuning's earnest profile, he said reluctantly, "Okay then."
The two whispered in secret at the back, while everyone in the shop took note of everything.
Ban Shu knew Xu Chuning, only because she had delivered takeout to Shen Yubai several times while he was gaming over at Shen Yubai's place; they had met a few times, so he recognized her.
But they weren't close.
From where he was sitting at that moment, he could perfectly see everything going on at the back. When he caught sight of Xu Chuning grabbing the young man's arm, he couldn't help leaning forward and kicked Shen Yubai under the table to get his attention, whispering, "You think Xu Chuning isn't in a puppy love relationship, do you? She looks so honest, but I didn't expect she'd be into early romance."
Prompted by Ban Shu, Shen Yubai turned around and glanced back, his tone apathetic, "You're overthinking it."
"Where am I overthinking?" Ban Shu pressed in a hushed voice, "They're holding hands."
Shen Yubai: "…"
He finally understood how some of the messy school rumors about himself came about. Take the current example: Xu Chuning was clearly grabbing Shen Sinian's arm to stop him from being impulsive, but from Ban Shu's mouth, it had turned into them holding hands.
Speechless, Shen Yubai gave Ban Shu a sidelong glance for a few seconds and said, "You're quite the storyteller."
Ban Shu: "?"
He was confused for a moment and didn't understand what Shen Yubai meant.
"Xiao Shen, your noodles." Just as Ban Shu was about to inquire further, You Shuzhen came over carrying two bowls of noodles, handing the one without green onions and cilantro naturally to Shen Yubai.
Shen Yubai paused, then remembered that he hadn't mentioned he didn't eat green onions or cilantro, nor had Shen Sinian specifically reminded You Shuzhen, but she still remembered his preferences.
"Thank you, Aunt You," Shen Yubai said softly.
You Shuzhen smiled gently, her eyes warm, "No need for thanks, eat up, be careful it's hot."
Ban Shu nodded, was about to start eating with his chopsticks when he noticed that Shen Yubai's expression was a bit off. He raised his brow slightly and kicked him under the table, "What are you thinking about?"
Shen Yubai came back to reality, glanced at him, and said with disdain, "Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand."
Ban Shu: "..."
He didn't even say it, how could he be so sure that Ban Shu wouldn't understand?!
While they were eating noodles, Xu Chuning had already prepared lunch for the three of them. The other customers in the store had paid and left, and she asked Shen Sinian to bring out the dishes, finding an empty table to set them down and get ready to eat.
During the meal, You Shuzhen kept adding food to both Shen Sinian and Xu Chuning's bowls, "You two are still growing, eat more."
Xu Chuning couldn't help but laugh, "Mom, no need to serve me, I'll eat on my own."
You Shuzhen served another piece of meat to Shen Sinian and said cheerfully, "Alright, no serving for you, I'll serve Sinian."
Shen Sinian cupped his hands around his bowl to catch the food You Shuzhen served, "Thank you, Aunt——"
He almost said 'Grandma' when he felt Xu Chuning's deadly glare and quickly corrected himself, "Aunt You."
You Shuzhen didn't notice his slight hesitation and smiled saying, "Sinian, you've worked hard."
Shen Sinian shook his head, lowered his head to eat, "It's not hard."
Although the life here couldn't compare with his previous one, whether it was the food, the living conditions, or daily entertainment - all vastly different, Shen Sinian kind of liked it here. He had found his mother, whom he might only see once a month before, and now he could eat with her every day. He could also help his never-before-met grandmother with some chores, making her life a bit easier.
Thinking of all this, Shen Sinian was very content.
He gradually understood why the Xu Chuning of the past was so determined to realize her grandmother's dream.
Noticing Shen Sinian holding his bowl with both hands, his polite manner of eating, Xu Chuning couldn't help but think that it seemed in another world, in a future time, her son was raised quite well. Not to mention anything else, but he was humble and polite in front of his elders.
At this thought, Xu Chuning felt a bit gratified.
Her genes were really not bad.
Shen Sinian was unaware of her thoughts, only feeling that his mother's gaze during this midday meal was odd, almost as strange as his father's...
He couldn't help but wonder, was this the fated marital bond destined by the universe?
Just as this thought flashed through his mind, Xu Chuning and Shen Yubai, who were not sitting at the same table, coincidentally sneezed at the same time.
"..."
Hearing the sound, the two of them lifted their heads to look at each other simultaneously and then, as if by agreement, averted their gazes.
Ban Shu, observing from the side, was baffled. A terrifying suspicion formed in his mind: Brother Yu couldn't have taken a liking to Xu Chuning, could he? Him bringing Ban Shu here to have lunch at Xu Chuning's mother's restaurant in the middle of the day, was it to establish his presence, or was it to declare war and compete with the guy who looks like him?!
Inside Ban Shu's head, a grand war that nobody knew about began to unfold.