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墨書 Inktalez
"What's wrong? I saw you all chatting happily just now. Why did it suddenly get quiet?"
The two Li Xiaonans exchanged a glance, unsure of what to say, and the atmosphere became awkward once again.
Fortunately, the Spicy Hot Pot Boss was quick on his feet and soon brought over three servings of spicy hot pot.
Li Xiaonan looked at his bowl, where bright red chili oil floated on top, making it hard to see what was inside.
"Eat! Why are you in a daze?" Chen Mo said as she handed out three pairs of disposable chopsticks to Li Xiaonan and Cunning Li.
Unintentionally, her fingertips brushed against both of their skin, causing Cunning Li to become so excited that he could hardly sit still.
He stared foolishly at the chopsticks for a long time, savoring the moment.
Meanwhile, Li Xiaonan paid no attention to the brief contact.
He took the chopsticks and gently stirred the contents of his bowl.
Beneath the thick layer of chili oil were various ingredients: sausage, pork tenderloin, meatballs...
Most of it was meat; the only two vegetables were winter melon and lettuce, while wide noodles served as the staple.
Li Xiaonan stared blankly at his bowl, not because he was confused, but because this was his favorite combination.
Was it a coincidence?
He gazed at Chen Mo, finding it hard to read this girl.
Casually glancing at Chen Mo's bowl, he noticed that her soup was light in color and filled entirely with vegetables.
Li Xiaonan frowned; it seemed she didn't like spicy food. So why did she choose to eat spicy hot pot?
He lowered his head and began to pick through his bowl but never voiced his question.
In no time, Li Xiaonan silently finished everything in his bowl, leaving not even half a noodle behind.
Chen Mo smiled with her eyes narrowed and began transferring her winter melon and lettuce from her bowl into Li Xiaonan's bowl one by one.
Li Xiaonan was stunned.
The other Li Xiaonan was also taken aback.
Cunning Li leaned back in frustration, resting his forehead on one hand and muttered, "I can't eat anymore..."
Chen Mo curled his lips, his gaze unfriendly as he said, "If you can't eat, you don't have to. No one is forcing you to be a third wheel."
Cunning Li was momentarily stunned; usually quick with his words, he found himself unable to muster a single retort.
Chen Mo's expression softened as he looked at Li Xiaonan and smiled, "Have you eaten enough?"
Li Xiaonan did not respond to Chen Mo. Instead, she slowly stood up and asked another question, "Who exactly are you?"
Why was she so nice to me when we had just met? It didn't make sense.
Moreover, standing before her were two people: one was short, poor, and unattractive, while the other was tall, wealthy, and handsome. Any normal girl would choose the latter over me.
Yet she seemed to have a special fondness for me.
This was a reversal of fate—where did all this come from?
Then her target must still be Scheming; she was intentionally trying to provoke him.
But why would she want to irritate Scheming? Perhaps there was only one explanation: she wasn't Chen Mo but Li Yanrong.
She was deliberately using herself to anger Scheming as revenge for her past unfaithfulness.
With this thought in mind, the spark of hope reignited in Li Xiaonan's heart as she quietly awaited Chen Mo's answer.
Cunning Li, slightly taken aback, quickly realized what Li Xiaonan was thinking.
He also stood up, his gaze fixed intently on Chen Mo as he asked, "Who exactly are you?"
Chen Mo furrowed her brows and retorted, "Li Xiaonan, who do you think I am?"
The two Li Xiaonans exchanged glances, the extra pair of eyes belonging to Li Xiaonan's glasses.
They both slammed their hands on the table and shouted in unison, "Li Yanrong!"
"Get lost!"
Silently, she picked up a Sprite nearby and splashed it forcefully onto Li Xiaonan's face.
I can't believe this! And they say it's not me!
Clearly, Scheming and I were both upset about the same issue. Why did she only splash me and not him?
"Li Xiaonan, you bastard! Do you have any idea how many surgeries I've had on my face for you? And you dare mistake me for someone else?"
Li Xiaonan was taken aback. Mistaking me for someone else? Does that mean I know Chen Mo?
But I don't remember anything at all.
Seeing him silent only fueled Chen Mo's anger further.
She shouted, "In your heart, am I worth less than a hair? Did the three years we spent together in middle school mean nothing to you? Li Xiaonan, what do I even mean to you?"
Chen Mo was anything but silent; instead, she screamed desperately as salty tears rolled down her cheeks.
Cunning Li watched with a heavy heart, wishing he could beat Li Xiaonan right then and there.
Yet from Chen Mo's words, he still caught some key points.
Chen Mo cared for Li Xiaonan simply because they had known each other for a long time.
Li Xiaonan swallowed hard, his throat bobbing up and down.
Memories flooded back like a dam bursting open in his mind.
Among those few happy memories from the past was indeed one name: Chen Mo.
Chen Mo was very quiet; this was Li Xiaonan's first impression of her.
That year in seventh grade, Li Xiaonan went to town to attend middle school.
In their class were two peculiar boys; one was a girl named Chen Mo.
Li Xiaonan had gained some notoriety in school—not for any particular reason other than his top grades—but he would spend every afternoon scavenging for scraps.
The word "poor" seemed to have been created just for him.
In stark contrast, Chen Mo came from a wealthy family; her father was the richest man in town.
Their family owned the only villa in town, and the largest supermarket right in the middle of the street was also run by her dad.
But that didn’t change her quirky nature.
Chen Mo wasn’t pretty—in fact, she was quite ugly—had poor grades, and was even a thief.
Even with a wealthy father, her bad habits were impossible to hide.
And so it was that these two originally unrelated oddballs met one sunny afternoon.
Wednesday afternoons were Li Xiaonan's favorite time because he could spend all afternoon picking up trash while listening to lectures. If luck was on his side, he could gather enough money for a week’s worth of meals.
That day, luck was indeed on his side.
Just past five o'clock with plenty of daylight left, he already had over ten yuan in his pocket.
He couldn't help but think: I can buy a bowl of spicy hot pot with two servings of wide noodles and one meat dish!
That stimulating spiciness would numb my tongue for an entire night and make me feel blissfully present for the evening.
Suddenly, the noise at the end of the street interrupted his thoughts.
"You little brat! How dare you steal my bread? Hand over the money or I'll scar your face today!"
"You draw however you want. I was ugly to begin with, so do as you please. And your bread isn't good at all, take it back."
Li Xiaonan frowned slightly. Wasn't that Chen Mo? Didn't his father own a supermarket? Why did he have to steal from another grocery store? Whatever, it had nothing to do with him.
"Smack!" Chen Mo received a slap from the Boss Lady and fell to the ground.
The crisp sound felt like an invisible hand tightly gripping the back of Li Xiaonan's collar.
He bit his lip and slowly walked into the store, grabbing the Boss Lady's hand just as she was about to strike again. "How much is it? I'll pay."
"Three dollars."
"What? I can't even eat dinner for three dollars!" Li Xiaonan huffed, pulling three dollars from his pocket and placing them on the table before dragging the stunned Chen Mo up.
Chen Mo wasn't exactly good-looking—small eyes, a flat nose, a round face covered in pimples—but he was still a classmate and a girl at that. Even if she had made a mistake, it wasn't worth this punishment.
The Boss Lady weighed the money in her hand and said, "Get lost."
Li Xiaonan frowned. "I gave you the money, but you still owe her something."
"Take it," the Boss Lady impatiently shoved the bitten bread into his hands.
Li Xiaonan stuffed the bread into his pocket and added, "You slapped her; you should apologize."
The Boss Lady maintained her stern expression. "You little brat with your poor appearance thinking you can be a hero. Let me tell you..."
"Smack!" Li Xiaonan swiftly slapped her back and coldly said, "Thanks, no need to be polite."
Without waiting for Boss Lady to react, Li Xiaonan grabbed Chen Mo's hand and ran outside.
Behind them, Boss Lady's angry shouts echoed in the air.
Chen Mo finally snapped back to reality, looking at the boy who was almost her height. For some reason, his figure suddenly seemed taller, deeply etched in her heart, impossible to erase.
"Ha... we’re safe here now... Are you okay?" Li Xiaonan released Chen Mo's hand and glanced at her slightly swollen cheek.
Chen Mo shook her head and said, "Thank you, Li Xiaonan."
"Why does your family run a supermarket but you still have to steal from others?"
"So what? He’s always so busy that he doesn’t even have time to look at me..."
Having experienced the ups and downs of life from a young age, Li Xiaonan instantly understood who she was referring to.
"There are many ways to get someone's attention; it doesn't have to be like this."
Chen Mo remained silent, her head bowed.
Li Xiaonan sighed and said, "Actually, you're quite lucky. At least your family is complete, unlike mine... Ah, never mind. You should head home early."
"Wait."
Just as Li Xiaonan was about to leave, Chen Mo grabbed her arm.
"What is it?"
"I'm hungry..."
Li Xiaonan sighed, "I picked up more than ten pieces of trash this afternoon and already threw away three for you. Do you really expect me to treat you to a meal?"
Chen Mo shyly smiled and nodded.
"Come on, you can't be that shameless."
Ten minutes later, the two were seated in a Spicy Hot Pot Restaurant.
It wasn't that Li Xiaonan had compromised; rather, Chen Mo had pulled out his wallet, and the sight of Gramps Mao instantly dazzled Li Xiaonan's eyes.
After Chen Mo promised to treat her this time, Li Xiaonan immediately led him to the Spicy Hot Pot Restaurant and unapologetically ordered almost everything meaty on the menu.
Meanwhile, Chen Mo, who had just complained about being hungry, only ordered a few vegetarian dishes.
"Aren't you hungry? Why are you eating so little?" Li Xiaonan asked as she devoured her food.
"Eating spicy hot pot will give me acne," he replied, while she transferred some winter melon and lettuce from her bowl into his.
"Weren't you saying earlier that there are many ways to attract my dad's attention? Like..."
"Getting first place in every exam."
"Getting last place is more like it," Chen Mo retorted.
"Heh, studying isn't as hard as I imagined."
"Of course, it's not difficult for you, the top student... How about this: you help me with tutoring, and I'll cover your meals. If my grades improve, I'll give you a bonus of ten dollars for each rank I advance."
Li Xiaonan calculated for a moment and realized that Chen Mo's grades were at the bottom. If he got ten dollars for that, then he would be making a fortune.
He immediately accepted this lucrative deal.
From that day on, the two oddballs became friends and spent three joyful years together.
Li Xiaonan wiped the sticky Sprite off his face, pulling himself back from his memories.
He looked up at Chen Mo and found it hard to see any trace of the person he once knew.
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