Green Tea? She's Clearly a Hidden Gem!

Driving toward the inner ring of Yanjing, in the distance you could already see winding, quaint old alleyways with a sense of history.

Oh, that old Beijing flavor.

"Pull over by the roadside. It's hard to drive inside."

Su Muzhi didn't know when she'd woken up. She looked at the scenery outside the window and said with a smile.

It really had been a long time since she'd been here.

"Alright."

Jiang Linyuan found a spot to park the car. He wondered to himself whether visiting the Department Head empty-handed would get him labeled as some tacky outsider by her family elders.

Well, if they said it, so be it. If anyone dared, he'd just have Xiao Su chop them up!

The two of them got out of the car.

"Hehe, just call her to come out and get us. The countryside really is the countryside..."

Su Muzhi looked at the various-sized courtyards around her, having somewhat lost track of the route.

Ever since she'd fallen out with Shen Wanyu, she'd hardly ever been to her house.

"Xiao Su, keep your voice down. Don't get us surrounded."

Jiang Linyuan reminded her. Already, some elderly men and women at the nearby courtyard gates were looking at the two of them with curiosity.

"Hehe, what are you afraid of? Just make the call first."

Su Muzhi didn't care at all. She found a stall selling fermented mung bean juice and sat down, ordering a bowl.

She made the call. Shen Wanyu's voice came through:

"Why are you calling?"

"Department Head! I've come to see you. I just don't know exactly where your place is?"

"And Su Muzhi? Isn't she right there with you? Did you sneak out alone?"

Shen Wanyu asked.

"Sneak out"?! Like I'm sneaking around to have an affair with you, Department Head!

"Hehe, him and I are on North Chizi Street."

Su Muzhi leaned in and shouted.

Shen Wanyu ignored her. That might as well have been useless information. She asked Jiang Linyuan:

"Is there any landmark building near you?"

"Oh, let me see. There's a utility pole here with a small ad for 'Hefty Reward for Bearing a Son.' Damn! They have such low standards..."

"You..."

Shen Wanyu was speechless. Two people: one speaking way too broadly, the other way too specifically. Was there not a single normal person around?

"Also, him and Xiao Su are sitting by a stall selling fermented mung bean juice. There's a big locust tree nearby..."

"Don't say any more. Just send me your location."

Shen Wanyu cut him off directly. Sometimes, she was truly grateful for the advancement of technology.

After sending the location, Jiang Linyuan and Su Muzhi sat at the roadside stall.

"Hehe, I ordered this bowl of fermented mung bean juice for you. Want a taste?"

Su Muzhi's brows lifted slightly as she pointed at the bowl on the table. Beside it were a plate of crispy fried rings and a small dish of pickled vegetables.

"Xiao Su, you're not having any?"

Jiang Linyuan asked.

"Nope. That's all for you. Oh, and when you drink fermented mung bean juice, you have to drink it slowly, savor it. It tastes best when it's cold. Wait a while before drinking."

Su Muzhi squinted, grinning.

The stall owner overheard this and couldn't stop smiling.

This stuff—sour and stinky—and she was telling him to let it go cold and drink it slowly.

Oh, this girl, what a character!

Jiang Linyuan didn't buy Xiao Su's act for a second. He picked up the steaming bowl of fermented mung bean juice and took a gulp.

It tasted like a dirty dishrag!

"Xiao Su, this is really good. You should try some too."

He forced himself not to cough, kept a smile on his face, picked up the bowl, scooped up a spoonful, and brought it to Xiao Su's lips, his voice soft and considerate:

"Your body isn't well, and it's so cold out. Have a little to warm yourself up."

"No need. I can see you really like it. If it's something you like, I can bear a little discomfort for it, that's fine."

"No, no, no. Good things should be shared..."

The two of them went back and forth, caring for each other. A young couple passing by—tourists from out of town—watched with envy.

"Let's order a bowl of that too. You feed me," the girl said.

"Sure, one for you, one for me." The guy nodded, a big smile on his face.

The owner was delighted. He loved watching outsiders drink fermented mung bean juice.

That way, he could also sell them a bottle of water to rinse their mouths for an extra five bucks!

In the end, neither of them took another sip.

After a while, Shen Wanyu arrived.

She was holding her phone, comparing the location, then spotted the two of them at the stall, playfully pushing a bowl toward each other like a scene out of "Big Lang, drink your medicine!" She walked over.

Jiang Linyuan saw her too. With a grin, he called out to the owner:

"One more bowl, please!"

Hehe, Department Head, you get a taste too!

Su Muzhi noticed where his gaze was fixed and turned her head. She saw Shen Wanyu.

"Hehe, took you long enough. So rude."

Shen Wanyu didn't bother acknowledging her. She glanced at the extra bowl of fermented mung bean juice on the table.

"I've already eaten. I'm not hungry."

"Think of it as dessert," Jiang Linyuan said.

Shen Wanyu bent down, picked up the bowl from the table, and chugged it all down in one go, expressionless.

"Finished. You came here, it wasn't just to treat me to fermented mung bean juice, was it?"

Jiang Linyuan was stunned. Were the Department Head's taste buds really okay?

"Hehe, who said he was treating you? Pay for your own."

Su Muzhi shot Shen Wanyu a glance and said with a smile.

Shen Wanyu turned to her:

"Him ordering it—what's that got to do with you?"

Su Muzhi also stood up. It really wasn't comfortable being looked down on while sitting.

"I don't want him spending on you. It's that simple."

Shen Wanyu was stunned for a moment. Then she looked at Jiang Linyuan.

"Are the two of you together?"

"We're good friends," Jiang Linyuan said.

Su Muzhi let out a cold laugh. What good friend sleeps in the same bed?

Shen Wanyu said:

"Then you pay for that bowl of mine, and I'll pay for yours."

"On what grounds?"

Su Muzhi smiled again.

"You buy for yourself. He has me to buy for him."

Shen Wanyu frowned, ignored her, walked straight over to the owner, and paid for both bowls.

Then she returned to the table and looked at Jiang Linyuan.

"Let's go. Didn't you say you wanted to keep me company?"

"When did he say that? I didn't hear him say that."

Su Muzhi asked with a smile. She pointed at Jiang Linyuan first, then looked at Shen Wanyu.

"Right now, he's accompanying me on an outing. Seeing you is just a side trip."

Shen Wanyu said calmly:

"Twisting the facts."

"We're all out having fun. Who's keeping who company? We're all good friends."

Jiang Linyuan bit into a crispy fried ring and cut in.

Both women turned to look at him at the same time.

"Good friends?"

Su Muzhi let out another cold laugh.

"Ah..."

Shen Wanyu sighed, looking somewhat disappointed.

She glanced at Jiang Linyuan, then turned and walked off.

"There are a lot of tourists here for the New Year. It's easy to get separated. You two keep close."

Su Muzhi took Jiang Linyuan's hand and instructed:

"You keep close. I'll just follow you."

Jiang Linyuan thought, then did I need to keep close to the Department Head too?

The three of them walked together. Shen Wanyu led the way at the front. Jiang Linyuan followed behind her, while Su Muzhi held his hand.

With the New Year crowds coming and going, the streets were indeed packed.

Jiang Linyuan looked at the Department Head's hand swinging in front of him. It seemed to shimmer, as if glowing.

I'm a little kid who gets lost easily. I need to hold an adult's hand.

My left hand is already being held by Xiao Su. So my right hand can go to the Department Head!

Thinking this, he reached out and placed his hand on top of Shen Wanyu's.

Shen Wanyu whipped her head around. Her calm, steady eyes met Jiang Linyuan's.

"What are you doing?"

She lowered her gaze to where his hand was holding hers.

"Afraid, uh... afraid of getting lost," Jiang Linyuan said.

His left hand hurt a little. Su Muzhi's eyes curved into crescents as she smiled at him.

I'm still right here, you know.

"Let go," Shen Wanyu said flatly.

"What if I get lost?"

"Let go."

"Department Head, I really will get lost."

Shen Wanyu looked at his left hand, still holding Su Muzhi's.

"Then let go of that one."

"Can't I just not let go?"

"Let go."

Jiang Linyuan withdrew his hand. The Department Head was still the Department Head.

The old warhorse still has a thousand-mile ambition!

Slow and steady wins the race.

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