Chapter 205 - 146: What a Coincidence, I Like You Too

Chapter 205: Chapter 146: What a Coincidence, I Like You Too

’The female lead in his novel was based entirely on me!’

’And she always felt like he was writing about their story!’

’I can’t believe he sold the copyright so quickly?’

’He’s truly amazing!’

Xiao Ran nodded. "It’s true."

’How could I possibly lie about something like this?’

Seeing Xiao Ran’s confident look, Yan Xici’s eyes lit up, and an indescribable joy danced in her features.

She was like a little sparrow darting about a granary.

"That’s really wonderful! I knew it, Brother Xiao Ran, you’re the best!"

Si Yingying also looked at Xiao Ran with a delighted surprise. "Oh my, Teacher Xiao is going to make a fortune again. I’m so jealous, so jealous."

After speaking, she excitedly pulled Yan Xici’s hand, leaned close to her ear, and whispered, "See? I was right to push you two together, wasn’t I?"

’A man like him is a real catch!’

’You know, for a guy like him, never mind that he’s divorced with no kids.’

’Even if he were on his third marriage with two kids, he could probably still attract plenty of pretty young girls!’

Hearing her best friend say this, Yan Xici’s eyelids twitched, and her small face immediately flushed red again.

’How could she say something like that in front of so many people!’

’She has no shame at all!’

’If anyone heard that, I’d just die of embarrassment!’

She pressed her lips together, leaned to her ear, and whispered, "Okay, okay, stop talking. I’ll treat you to a meal later."

Then she added, "Besides, haven’t I already introduced a boyfriend to you?"

’Brother Zhang Chuan is Brother Xiao Ran’s good friend. His character is impeccable, and more importantly, he has a steady job and is a good catch in every way. All in all, he seems much more reliable than the guys Si Yingying used to date.’

"Um, since everyone’s here, let’s head inside. We shouldn’t block the entrance," Zhang Chuan said, rubbing his nose a little awkwardly.

This was a food street, and it was already packed. With the four of them blocking the entrance, never mind anything else, just the constant, unintentional brushing against strangers was making him feel flushed.

It was indeed a bit inconvenient.

"Xici, go see what you’d like to eat. Your boyfriend’s paying tonight!"

Zhang Chuan said with righteous conviction.

’After all, Xiao Ran is a hit now. Not only can he pay back the money he borrowed from me, but I can also tag along with the big shot and get some free food and drinks.’

’Just thinking about it feels great.’

Hearing this, Yan Xici nodded cheerfully. "Okay!"

With that, she quickly extended her small arm and hooked it around Xiao Ran’s.

She said coquettishly, "Let’s go on ahead together. Don’t forget our main purpose for being here today~"

They were here to set two people up; they had to give the pair some space to be alone.

Xiao Ran caught on and grinned at Zhang Chuan. "Alright then, we’ll meet up at the end later. We’re heading off first."

With that, he let Yan Xici link her arm with his and walked into the night market.

’To be honest, it’s been a long time since I’ve been to such a lively place.’

’The last time was probably back when I was still in school!’

Yan Xici’s skin was exceptionally nice. Xiao Ran felt as if the patch of his own skin touching hers had been "infected" by it, becoming just as soft and tender.

The sensation was really quite pleasant.

Yan Xici was like a curious child now, her big, round eyes darting everywhere.

One moment she was looking at the lamb skewer stall, the next at the teppanyaki squid stall. She was dying of indecision.

’I want to eat everything.’

As the one who had taken care of her for three years, Xiao Ran understood her well. He stopped at the lamb skewer stall without hesitation.

"Boss, thirty lamb skewers."

"You got it!"

The owner said enthusiastically. He counted out thirty skewers on the side, then chuckled. "This meat here, it’s from a sheep slaughtered just last night. Super fresh."

The owner was a genuine Xinjiang native.

Smelling the aroma wafting from the stall, the girl rubbed her hands together in anticipation. "Really? That’s wonderful."

Lamb skewers were her absolute favorite!

Yan Xici’s voice was lovely—soft and sweet, yet also clear and crisp. It wasn’t the kind of voice that was cloying; instead, it was refreshing.

The owner, who was sprinkling seasoning on the skewers, couldn’t help but glance at the girl’s face.

The moment he looked, he was taken aback. Even the hand sprinkling the seasoning stopped mid-air.

He asked in astonishment, "Aren’t you two the couple who were livestreaming a barbecue a couple of days ago?"

The truth was, the owner liked to watch livestreams in his free time, especially the slice-of-life kind.

Hearing the word "couple," the girl’s face instantly flushed red, her eyes filled with shyness.

’We’re not... we’re not married yet.’

Xiao Ran, on the other hand, didn’t mind. He chuckled, "You’ve got sharp eyes, my friend."

"Don’t mention it. Actually, I should be thanking you! If it weren’t for you, my stall probably would have gone out of business!"

The owner chuckled.

’And that’s the honest truth!’

A while back, business had been terrible because of the pandemic.

On top of that, after making skewers for ten years, he was just plain tired.

Every day, the smoky, greasy smell clinging to him made him want to gag.

He had actually already taken a break and even put up an ad to sell the stall!

But after seeing Xiao Ran’s barbecue and how many people enjoyed watching it...

...it was as if his passion for his job had been rekindled.

He even started livestreaming himself. Although only a dozen or so people watched, chatting with the netizens felt like a very happy thing to do.

Unexpectedly, just two days later, the restrictions were suddenly lifted.

This caused his business to suddenly pick up again.

It was even better than before!

He was just waiting until he had some free time to catch their stream again and send them some gifts as a thank you.

He never expected the two of them to just show up in front of his stall like this.

He felt this had to be fate!

Xiao Ran was taken aback. "Oh?"

’What’s going on?’

’This is my first time here, and my first time meeting the owner. Where is this coming from?’

"It’s a long story. In short, watching your livestream suddenly made me feel like I’d found my passion for barbecue again. And look at this night market now, it’s packed with people. It’s wonderful, isn’t it?"

After speaking, the owner looked out at the crowded market and couldn’t help but break into a happy and sincere smile.

’Thank goodness I didn’t give up!’

Hearing this, Xiao Ran paused for a moment. ’I never thought I had that kind of effect on people.’