novelaction Chapter 1418 Yunrui's Sincere Devotion: Eating Noodles
Chapter 1418 Yunrui's Sincere Devotion: Eating Noodles
"By the way, how is Cangying?" Gu Yunxi suddenly asked, her tone filled with concern. "When I visited him in the hospital last time, he was still in the recovery period. He should be much better now, right?"
“He’s much better. I visited him last week, and he was already able to get out of bed and walk around,” Gu Yunqian said. “He even asked about you, saying that he wanted to treat you to a meal after he was discharged from the hospital to thank you for your cooperation in his operation at Black Rock Village.”
Gu Yunxi's eyes lit up, and a genuine smile appeared on her lips: "I should be the one thanking him."
After he's discharged from the hospital, I'll treat him to a meal at that old-fashioned noodle shop he mentioned before. Didn't he say he really missed the taste of that place?
Seeing the smile on his sister's face, Gu Yunqian smiled too...
Gu Yunxi stared at the contact's profile picture on her phone screen, her fingertip hovering above the input box, pausing for a full three minutes.
The screen went dark and then lit up again, repeating this several times before she finally typed out a message: "I heard you were discharged from the hospital. That old-fashioned noodle shop you mentioned before, are you free to go tonight?" When the notification popped up that the message had been sent successfully, she instinctively gripped her phone tightly, her fingertips turning white.
This was the first time she had proactively arranged to meet a man other than her family since returning from Black Rock Village.
Less than ten seconds after the message was sent, the phone vibrated. Eagle's reply was concise: "6:30, I'll be waiting for you at the noodle shop entrance."
A period followed, reflecting his usual composure. Gu Yunxi looked at the period, suddenly smiled, and got up to walk to the wardrobe.
She usually wears a white lab coat or dark casual wear, but now she was rummaging through her wardrobe and finally picked out a light apricot cotton shirt, rolling up the sleeves to her forearms to reveal her slender wrists.
She tied her long, loose hair into a high ponytail in front of the mirror, the ends of which curled up slightly. Then, she hesitated and took off the black-rimmed glasses she had worn for many years—her eyes behind the lenses were clear as autumn water, but she rarely looked at herself like that.
"This shouldn't be too casual, right?" she muttered to herself in front of the mirror, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the buttons on her shirt.
At the same time, Cangying stood in front of his dormitory wardrobe, his brow furrowed. His wardrobe was filled with police uniforms and black T-shirts. After rummaging through it for a while, he found a navy blue casual jacket—one he had bought three years ago and had barely worn.
He zipped up his jacket in front of the mirror, then touched his freshly cut short hair; the stubble was neat and tidy, making him look much more energetic than his disheveled appearance at Black Rock Village. The knife wound in his abdomen still throbbed, but he deliberately straightened his back and even took out shoe polish to polish his old leather shoes until they shone. "It's just a bowl of noodles, making it seem like I'm on a mission," he chuckled self-deprecatingly, but still adjusted the collar of his jacket three times in front of the mirror until he was sure there were no wrinkles before leaving.
At 6:25 p.m., Gu Yunxi arrived at the noodle shop entrance five minutes early.
The old shop sign hung above the doorway, its red paint peeling slightly, yet exuding a rich, homey atmosphere. Two large pots stood at the entrance; one simmered bone broth, bubbling and releasing its aroma that wafted far on the wind; the other sizzled chili oil, its spicy scent tickling the nose. She stood under the streetlamp, her high ponytail swaying gently in the breeze, her light apricot-colored shirt appearing especially gentle in the twilight, drawing glances from passersby.
"Dr. Gu?" A familiar voice sounded from behind. Gu Yunxi turned around abruptly, meeting Cangying's gaze. His jacket fit him perfectly, making his figure appear even more upright. His leather shoes made a steady sound on the stone pavement, and his stubble was clean-shaven, revealing a well-defined jawline. Compared to his blood-soaked appearance at Black Rock Village, he now exuded a gentler aura, devoid of his former ferocity. Gu Yunxi's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously tucked a stray hair behind his ear: "You arrived early too."
The eagle's gaze lingered on her face for two seconds before shifting away, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly. "I was afraid you'd wait." His voice was lower than usual, with a barely perceptible hoarseness. He noticed she wasn't wearing her glasses, and her ponytail was tied neatly, making her look completely different from the female PhD student buried in data in the lab—it turned out her eyes were so bright without her glasses.
The two walked into the noodle shop side by side, which was already packed with people. The rising steam blurred their vision, and the sounds of clinking bowls and chopsticks and the laughter of diners created a lively atmosphere.
The owner, a middle-aged man in his fifties, saw Cangying and his eyes lit up: "Little Zhou, you've finally arrived! Last time you said you were bringing a friend, so I specially saved you a window seat." Cangying smiled and nodded, greeted the owner familiarly, and led Gu Yunxi to the window seat.
This was the quietest corner of the noodle shop, with the old town's cobblestone streets visible through the window. Streetlights shone through the glass, casting warm yellow patches on the table. The two sat facing each other, momentarily silent.
Eagle broke the awkward silence first, picking up the menu on the table: "The owner's signature dish is beef noodles. The soup is made from beef bones that have been simmered for twelve hours, and the chili oil is homemade and won't burn your throat. Can you handle spicy food?"
"I can eat a little, just a little spicy is fine," Gu Yunxi said. Watching him skillfully order, she suddenly remembered how he had subtly remembered her dislike of cilantro back in Heiyan Village, and how he would always carefully remove the cilantro from her food. "Do you come here often?"
“When I was undercover, I would occasionally come here for a bowl of noodles.” Cangying’s fingers tapped lightly on the table. “Back then, the pressure was immense. A bowl of hot soup noodles would make me feel like I could hold on.” His gaze fell out the window, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes. “Back then, I thought that once the mission was over, I would definitely come here openly and honestly for a bowl of noodles, without having to pretend anymore, without having to live in fear.”
Gu Yunxi looked at his profile and felt a pang of sadness. "Back in the village, when you said 'chaos is also an opportunity,' I knew you weren't an ordinary person." Her fingers gently traced the rim of her water glass. "I was actually very scared back then, but when I saw the determination in your eyes, I felt confident."
The eagle turned its head and met her gaze. Her eyes shone brightly in the warm yellow light, like they held stars. "I was even more afraid then," he said softly, "afraid that the plan would go wrong, afraid that I wouldn't be able to rescue you, even more afraid... that I would never come back." His voice was soft, but it carried a heavy weight, "But I couldn't back down. I'm a policeman, this is my responsibility."
The word "responsibility" stirred something within Gu Yunxi. She recalled her firm refusal of Shen Chengyu, and her unwavering dedication to modifying the "Nightingale" parameters in the lab—they were both people who persevered for their responsibilities. "I understand," she said earnestly. "Just like I can't let 'Nightingale' become a drug that harms society; that's my responsibility."
Looking at her earnest expression, the eagle suddenly smiled. This was the first genuine smile he had given since returning from Black Rock Village, and even the fine lines at the corners of his eyes softened: "I knew you would understand."
Just then, the owner came over with two bowls of beef noodles, breaking the ambiguous atmosphere between the two. "Xiao Zhou, your mildly spicy beef noodles, with extra beef!" The owner placed the noodles in front of Cang Ying and the other bowl in front of Gu Yunxi. "This lady's is also mildly spicy. I deliberately put less chili in, it's not good for girls to eat too much spicy food."