Chapter 22: It Is Not Only the Moonlight That Is Beautiful, But Also You

After finishing her broadcast, Yanye walked toward the convenience store.

She bought a cup of instant noodles and sat on a chair outside the shop, waiting for the water to cook the noodles.

This convenience store had been open for several years. The owner was a lovely young woman who, after graduating and working for a few years, had quit her job to open this shop with her boyfriend.

The prices were affordable, and the owner often made all sorts of handmade snacks. The ingredients were fresh, and the locals loved shopping there. Sometimes, when Yanye returned from a mission in the dead of night, the shop’s lights would still be on. Gradually, she became a regular.

"Working so late again today? Just eating instant noodles? Would you like to change things up? Try the new item I just made: a double-combo of scrambled egg and cheese hot dog."

At this hour, the street was almost deserted. Xiaochen stepped out of the shop, retrieved a freshly heated sandwich from the microwave, and handed it to Yanye.

The warm sandwich sat on the plate. The bread slices cradled golden, fluffy scrambled eggs, with cheese so rich it threatened to spill out, topped with a faint, appetizing char. It smelled faintly fragrant.

The instant noodles in front of her suddenly lost their appeal. Having had no appetite and planning to just make do with the noodles, she now found a delicacy laid before her. She put on a glove, picked up the sandwich, and took a bite.

Her eyes lit up instantly. She looked at Xiaochen with pleasant surprise.

"This is delicious."

Xiaochen sat down opposite her, resting her chin on her hands to watch her. Some people thought the sandwich was delicious; others thought the person in front of them was beautiful.

From the first time Yanye had walked into the shop, Xiaochen had wanted to be friends with her, but she had been scared off by Yanye’s cold, stern, and silent demeanor. She had assumed that if she missed that first chance, there would never be another. Later, when Yanye returned time and again, she gathered her courage to strike up a conversation. Only after getting to know her did she realize how adorable Yanye actually was.

As they grew closer, Yanye appeared mostly in the middle of the night. Xiaochen assumed she worked for a company that required a lot of overtime.

"There’s more in the microwave. If you like it, I can get you another."

"No need, I’m full." The sandwich was very filling, and it felt substantial in her hand. Besides, she still had the cup of noodles; she would eat those after resting for a while.

A customer came down from the internet café next door and turned into the shop. Xiaochen stood up to go inside and attend to the business.

Yanye was left alone at the table. The moonlight illuminated the street.

As the aroma of the instant noodles wafted up, Yanye sighed at how gentle the night felt, then lifted the lid. The steam rose, obscuring much of her vision, and through the haze, a familiar figure approached from not far away.

The moonlight spilled over his shoulders and hair. The vague silhouette gradually sharpened in Yanye's mind into the image of that man.

It turned out that the moonlight was not the only beautiful thing tonight.

Yanye took a bite just as Xu Zhiting stood before her, watching her in silence.

*Is there something on my face?* Did some noodle broth splash onto me? Or was it...

"Do you want some instant noodles, too?"

He hadn't known she would be here; he had just grown accustomed to wandering around this area when he had nothing to do. From afar, he saw someone who looked like her and had walked over.

He sat in the seat Xiaochen had previously occupied, facing her.

"Are the noodles good?"

"Not really." Still, she slowly ate until the very end.

"I know a late-night diner that’s very good. Would you like to try it?" Fearing she might think it was too far, he pointed out that it was just nearby.

Since it was nearby, how could she not know of it? Even so, she followed him, leaving behind the lonely noodle cup in the trash can.

Barely a few hundred meters away, a brightly lit little shop appeared before them.

*Huh?* This shop was never open during the day. She had wanted to go in several times, but had never seen anyone running it. Yet, looking through the floor-to-ceiling glass, everything inside was exquisite; the person who opened this shop must truly love life.

"A shop that only opens at night—can it make money?"

"Is it possible the owner doesn't want to make money at all?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Xu Zhiting pushed open the door. A head poked out from behind the counter—an elderly middle-aged woman.

"You're here." She seemed to know Xu Zhiting, and the two appeared quite familiar. She glanced at Yanye, who was by his side, and her eyes turned playful.

"What would you like to eat tonight?"

"Two bowls of small wontons." Before he even sat down, he added, "Make one of them with less chili." After saying this, he looked at Yanye. "Is that alright? If there’s no chili at all, it’s a bit bland."

As the gaze shifted to her, Yanye nodded to indicate that was fine.

The shop was decorated uniquely. She looked around carefully. Unlike other restaurants, this place felt more like a warm home. A photo on the cabinet caught Yanye's attention. The man’s face had been scribbled out, and standing next to him was a vibrant, youthful girl, smiling brightly with her arm linked through his.

Seeing her staring at the photo in silence, Xu Zhiting took the initiative to start a conversation.

"This is a shop I discovered by accident. I used to come here often to wait for someone in the middle of the night. The owner saw how pathetic I looked and let me wait inside."

Yanye seized on his words. *Often waiting for someone in the middle of the night?* Could it be that he was out on missions in the middle of the night or something?

"Then it seems you’ve already waited for the person you were waiting for." Otherwise, why would he say "used to"?

The owner served the wontons. Xu Zhiting handed Yanye a pair of wiped chopsticks. "Try it. She didn't cook much. You'll be able to finish it!"

Yanye replied dryly, "Oh!" *Would cooking a little more bankrupt you?*

*Wait, why did I take it for granted that Xu Zhiting would pay?*

She had truly wronged Xu Zhiting; he was merely thinking that Yanye had already eaten noodles at the convenience store and was afraid that if he ordered too much, she would overeat.

"You haven't answered my question from earlier."

Xu Zhiting’s bowl had more chili, and he took a bite with satisfaction. A long-lost longing, a blurry memory from many years ago, also contained a similar table. There were also two people sitting face-to-face, though there had only been one bowl of wontons on the table then.

He had thought he was close to forgetting. It turned out he had been waiting for today to remember it more profoundly.

"I suppose I have waited for them."

"Oh! Then congratulations!"

"Thank you. And congratulations to you, too."

*What?* He said this so softly and quickly that Yanye didn't quite catch the meaning.

"Eat up! I'll take you home when you're done. It's so late; it’s not safe for a girl to be out alone."

*...*

*Do you even hear yourself?* With her around, who exactly is in more danger?

Before reaching the intersection, Xu Zhiting consciously stopped his steps. Of the two figures walking side by side, one now lagged a step behind.

Yanye turned to look at him.

"Aren't you coming in to sit for a while?"

"What would be the consequences if I went in today?"

There would be no consequences at all if he went in with her, but Yanye felt a mischievous urge to tease him. "You’d lose five years of your life. Believe it or not?" Her playful tone made it obvious she was joking.

But Xu Zhiting took it seriously.

"Alright, I value my life. I'll just see you to here."

*Is he that easily spooked?*

"You’re that afraid of losing five years of your life?"

He was afraid—very afraid. He knew that some people could live for a very, very long time. That gap was a chasm he could never cross.

Five years! How wonderful it would be to see her for five more years.

"I never imagined the dignified Director of the Bureau of Paranormal Affairs would be such a coward."

Xu Zhiting lowered his gaze and chuckled. Under the dim streetlights, the shadows of the two standing face-to-face seemed to intertwine, as if they were locked in an embrace.