Honey Stewed Squid

Prologue - “Chicory’s” First Love

Do you want to know what love at first sight is?

This exact second.

This exact moment, as she faced the man separated by a single counter from her, she experienced love at first sight.

Tong Nian lowered her head, her fingers making rapid click-clacks as she typed and typed. She was simply trying to create a new password, but her mind was recalling with all its might whether, a second ago, when he had said the two words, “overnight pass” to her, had she smiled at him? It seemed the corner of her lips might have turned up? Or had she just stared stupidly?

With great difficulty, she finally managed to complete the new password set-up. Grabbing a piece of notepaper, she copied down the username and password.

“Um… the overnight price is valid beginning eleven at night and ends at six in the morning. We usually close up shop here at seven, so it’ll be no problem if you stay until seven o’clock.” She set the slip of notepaper on the counter. Then, using what she believed to be her most adorable voice while also purposely acting sweet and thoughtful, with even hints of a cute expression in her eyes, she told him, “Oh, right here”-she pointed at the cupboard behind her“there are some instant noodles and drinks. If you’re hungry, you can ask me at any time. I can boil some water and make noodles for you.”

The man she was making eyes at did not seem to really be listening and merely gave an offhanded nod before taking the slip of paper off the counter and walking away.

Unwilling to spare any extra glances for a girl he did not know…

He was for sure a good man!

Originally, it was actually her guy-BFF plus confidant who had coerced her into helping him keep an eye on the Internet café for an hour. She had not expected at all that she would end up like this, talking as if to herself and falling into that web called love. After the man had led himself inside and chosen a spot in the corner near the window, she had already made the decision: tonight, she was going to make up a little white lie to not go home. Instead, she would volunteer herself up to help her guy-BFF watch over the Internet café for the entire night.

And so, when her BFF came back with two boxes of oden[1] in hand to discover Tong Nian, hiding behind the counter, furtively opening up a package of instant noodles and also grabbing some spicy sticks and chicken feet that had been pickled with hot peppers, her face wearing the look of someone who had fallen head over heels in love, he was seriously stunned.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Her BFF thought she had been planning on sneaking the food and then, after eating it, charging it to him. From behind, he reached out a hand and tapped her on her shoulder. “If you’re going to sneak food, at least don’t have such cruddy taste. There’s some Ferroro Rocher in the cupboard.”

“Really?” Tong Nian was in somewhat of a flurry as she placed all these items on a freshly-cleaned tray. Without even lifting her head, she ordered her BFF, “Hurry up. Hand them over.”

Her BFF was speechless.

Very obediently, he pulled out the entire box of Ferroro Rocher that he had secretly stashed away and had planned on eating in the latter part of the night, handing it over to her. He had thought that Tong Nian would leave him a few, but instead, she ripped it open and poured it all out directly onto the tray.

And then, carrying that lavish late-night “set meal combo,” she headed towards a corner of the cybercafé…

Nervous.

Really nervous.

Even though she was wearing flat-soled shoes, she still felt as if she was going to slip and fall at any moment. The more she worried that the soup from the noodles was going to spill over, the unsteadier her hands became. If she had known… she would have just made him some UFO instant fried noodles instead…

Right as the instant noodle’s soup splashed over for the second time, she finally came to a stop and stood behind him. Her gaze was slightly flustered, and only after sweeping her eyes around the room once did she barely manage to compose herself. “Um… hello.”

Oh God, why did her voice sound so tight?

Such a joke. Where did her beautiful voice of a songstress[2] go?

The man did not respond.

The café-provided headset still hung in its original position. He was using his own personal black headphones that he had brought himself. This picture before her, its composition! For a man to be good-looking, he absolutely had to look good wearing a headset. This was her own unique view on beauty that she had absolutely kept to since she was young. From the instant he stepped into the Internet café, this man’s every movement, every gesture had simply struck the bulls-eye of her heart.

On the computer screen, there was a computer game window that had been maximized. He should be playing games right now? But it was obvious he wasn’t using the keyboard. Extending her index finger, Tong Nian poked him lightly on the back of his shoulder.

The person before her detected this and finally turned around.

Gently, she set the tray down in front of him. “This … is the café’s late-night set meal combo.”

“Oh?” The man first conveyed surprise, but then, he very quickly discerned what was going on. “How much?”

Ah, so she was promoting food items.

Was it popular in Internet cafés nowadays to push sales? But, ten yuan for an overnight pass was indeed too low a profit.

Thinking this, he somewhat languidly pulled out a stack of money from his jacket hanging on the chair.

“Huh? No need—”

“Thirty.” Without warning, the boy who had been behind her rushed over, and laying a hand on her shoulder, he grinningly said, “Individually, the items would total up to forty yuan, but the set combo is thirty.”

Tong Nian’s face immediately flushed, and she threw repeated signals to her BFF with her eyes.

Her guy-BFF, though, pretended not to see anything.

In the eyes of the man in front of them, the expressions in this silent exchange of glances became “the little lovebirds are having a quarrel over the pricing.” He once again gave an “Oh?” and set fifty yuan on the table. “Then, I’ll trouble you to also bring me a can of Sprite. Thanks.”

And so, just like that, the dialogue came to a close.

The scene she had rehearsed in her mind had come to an end before it had even begun…