"Have you been to this place before?" Shen Yueyan asked.
Shen Yueyan and Ling Tian were strolling around Qinghai Lake. After parking his vehicle, they wasted no time and enjoyed the scenery.
"It's my first time coming here." His predecessor had visited the lake once, but he was not him.
"This lake is beautiful," she said. "I'm sure you will find a way to solve your problem once you leave this place."
"Since I'm in a beautiful place with a gorgeous lady, I'm sure I will." He teased her.
"Glib tongue!" she replied.
"Hehe." He chuckled softly.
The duo talked about many things as they strolled around the lake.
When they saw an ice cream seller, they bought some and sat by the lake, enjoying the scenery while laughing happily.
To their surprise, it began raining shortly after they finished their ice cream.
At first, they remained there, but they decided to leave when the rain grew heavier.
"Let's take shelter in that restaurant." She pointed her right index finger at a small place ten meters away from them.
"Alright." He agreed instantly.
After they stepped into the restaurant, a young waitress named Ying greeted them warmly. "Welcome to Huang Restaurant."
Shen Yueyan smiled softly before looking at the menu.
"One melon juice please." After ordering, Shen Yueyan turned to him. "What about you?"
"The same," he replied.
Shen Yueyan returned her attention to Ying and raised two fingers. "Two melon juices, please."
Instead of writing down their order immediately, Ying asked, "Miss, are you two lovers?"
"Why are you asking that?" Shen Yueyan was curious about why Ying suddenly wanted to know about their status.
"We just launched a special couples-only menu," Ying showed pictures of delicious food. "If you order from the couples' menu, you will get a chance to play our discount game, with prizes ranging from five to fifty percent."
Shen Yueyan's eyes lit up when she saw the couple's menu.
'The drinks and food look so delicious, especially that Fruit Parfait and Love Drink.'
A desire to try them emerged within her.
'But Ling Tian and I are not a couple. What should I do?'
An idea to pretend to be lovers suddenly flashed through her mind.
Ying had never met them before, so she would not know if she lied to her.
'Lying or not… lying or not…'
Since she could not suppress her desire, she chose to lie.
'Ling Tian, let's pretend to be lovers.'
She glanced at him as she hit his foot with hers twice.
Even though she didn't say it directly, Ling Tian knew what she had in mind.
'It seems like she really wants to try them.'
He never expected that she would do anything for food and drinks.
'Sure.'
He agreed to help her.
She was delighted when Ling Tian gave a small nod because that meant he was willing to join her game.
"Yes. We are lovers." Shen Yueyan held Ling Tian's right hand and lifted it, showing them to Ying.
"Is that true?" Ying threw a question at Ling Tian.
"Yes," he nodded as he smiled softly. "She is my girlfriend."
"Cancel our previous order. We will have the Fruit Parfait and Love drink instead." Shen Yueyan no longer wanted to drink melon juice.
"Before I write it down, you need to do one more thing," Ying told them that they needed to kiss each other first.
Shen Yueyan widened her eyes in surprise while Ling Tian remained calm.
'Kiss on the lips?'
They thought there was no rule, but they were wrong.
'I will let you decide it.'
Sure, he had teased her several times, but teasing and kissing were two different things, so he would not take advantage of the situation.
Since it was her idea and she didn't want to be embarrassed, she chose to keep pretending.
"We just started dating, so can we only kiss on the cheeks?" Shen Yueyan asked for a little leniency.
"Alright," After thinking for several seconds, Ying decided to give them some leeway. "Please do it now."
Shen Yueyan tapped her left cheek with her index finger and said, "Tian, kiss me."
She called him by his birth name to avoid suspicion.
Ling Tian understood it, so he didn't react strangely.
'She is really an interesting woman.'
He slowly brought his face closer to hers.
When his lips pressed against her tender cheek, her sweet scent wafted into his nose.
If he had no experience with women, her fragrance would have driven him crazy because her soft scent was enough to make any man lose control of himself.
Once Ling Tian broke the kiss, Ying smiled and said, "It's your turn now, miss."
Shen Yueyan turned to him and slowly leaned in.
As she was bringing her face closer to his, her heart suddenly pounded.
But even so, she didn't stop because she needed to kiss him to get what she wanted.
Once her lips pressed against his cheek, she felt electricity running throughout her body as if her heart was telling her that she had found her soulmate.
'What is this feeling?'
A question popped up in her mind.
"Hehe." Ying covered her mouth and giggled softly.
'It seems like she loves her boyfriend so much. She doesn't even want to stop the kiss immediately despite standing in front of me.'
She remained silent because she wanted to know how long she would kiss him.
Once Shen Yueyan came to her senses, she separated her lips from his cheek.
'I got carried away.'
She let out a sigh of relief when he only smiled softly at her.
She then shifted her gaze to Ying and asked, "We have fulfilled the condition, right?"
"Yes," Ying replied with a gentle smile.
Then, they played the discount game and got a ten percent discount. Even though it was small, Shen Yueyan was still thrilled because her goal had been achieved.
"I will double-check your order: one Fruit Parfait and one Love Drink, correct?" Ying said.
"Yes." Shen Yueyan answered in a happy voice.
Ying grabbed a wooden table number and said, "Please take the table number. Your order will be ready in five minutes."
"Alright." Shen Yueyan nodded.
Then, Ling Tian and Shen Yueyan walked to an empty seat and sat facing each other.
"The atmosphere feels better when it rains," she said as she stared at the lake.
"Yes." Ling Tian agreed.
"Ling Tian, don't call me Nurse Shen when we are here," she said in a low voice. "Call me Yueyan. And you must act like my boyfriend."
"Then can I do what boyfriends usually do?" he asked playfully.
"Tian, I suddenly want to pinch your cheeks again." She didn't answer his question.
The corner of his lips twitched.
"Hehe." She giggled softly.
Then, the duo quietly enjoyed the rainy view of the lake.
When she glanced at him, she suddenly remembered what she had done a minute ago.
She wondered why her heart beat fast earlier because she believed she was not in love with him.
'Is it because we are pretending to be lovers?'
She tried to find the answer.
"Hmm?" Ling Tian turned to her when he noticed she kept looking at him. "Yueyan, is there something on my face?"
Shen Yueyan's heart pounded again.
'Why does his voice and gaze affect me like this? Don't tell me…I'm really in love with him? But isn't it too fast?'
She didn't answer his question and kept staring at him as if she were looking at the most handsome man in the world.
At this moment, Ling Tian noticed Ying walking toward them with their order.
Since he wanted them to look like a real couple who enjoyed their time together, he reached for her right hand and slipped his fingers between hers.
Shen Yueyan instantly shifted her gaze to their intertwined hands.
At the same time, another question flashed through her mind because she hadn't noticed Ying yet.
"Here are your orders." Ying put the Fruit Parfait and Love Drink on the table carefully.
'Oh! They are holding hands while enjoying the scenery?'
Her lips curled up into a smile, but she said nothing and continued to serve them professionally.
Shen Yueyan finally understood everything.
'I see.'
She didn't know why, but for some reason, disappointment emerged within her.
"Please enjoy," Ying said with a professional smile.
"Thank you." Ling Tian replied as he smiled.
Ying took the table number and returned to the cashier's desk.
As soon as Ying left, Ling Tian let go of Shen Yueyan's hand.
Shen Yueyan suddenly felt the warm feeling inside her vanish.
She knew that he did it to cover up their lies, but deep down, a part of her wished he would keep holding her hand.
'Should I hold his hand?'