The ramen shop door jingled shut behind them, and the city air hit Yin Yue like a sigh. It was cooler now late afternoon light painting the sidewalks gold, people bustling by with the sleepy energy of a post-lunch lull.
Liang Yu walked beside him in silence, hands in his pockets, head tilted down just slightly like he was thinking about something too carefully to speak.
Yin Yue didn't break it.
He just matched his pace and let the quiet stretch out between. Not tense, not charged. Just… feel real.
It took three blocks before Liang Yu said, without warning, "I used to work in a place like Café Fated a years ago."
Yin Yue blinked. That wasn't what he'd expected.
"Oh?" he said lightly. "Was it also full of emotionally chaotic baristas and weaponized milk?"
Liang Yu ignored the joke. "It was in my hometown. I was still in school. It was the first job where I had to talk to people and smile at them."
He said the word smile like it still felt foreign in his mouth.
"And?" Yin Yue asked softly.
"I hated it."
"Ah, so your cold aura has humble origins."
Liang Yu didn't look at him. "I wasn't like this back then."
Yin Yue paused.
"Like what?"
Liang Yu's jaw tightened slightly. "Guarded."
Yin Yue waited.
Liang Yu didn't elaborate.
So Yin Yue, against every sarcastic instinct in his body, said nothing clever and no teasing. Just walked.
One block passed.
Then another.
"I think you're still not like that," he said finally.
Liang Yu looked over.
Yin Yue shrugged. "I mean, yeah, you're emotionally constipated and chronically allergic to compliments, but you made me tea with honey. You remember how I like my drinks. You caught a dog with one hand and didn't throw it. You smiled at it."
"I did not."
"You did. The System logged it. It was a milestone event."
Liang Yu exhaled through his nose. It wasn't a laugh. But it wasn't not a laugh, either.
They turned the corner. The café was just ahead now, its familiar flower boxes glowing in the warm light.
"I don't think you're cold," Yin Yue added. "I think you're cautious."
Liang Yu glanced over. "And you think that's better?"
"I think it means you give things time. That's not a bad thing."
Liang Yu was quiet for a beat.
Then: "You're not what I expected."
"Good," Yin Yue said. "Expectations are boring."
"I expected you to be irritating."
"I am."
Liang Yu's lips twitched. "You are."
A quiet moment passed.
Then Yin Yue smiled genuinely, this time. No performance. No punchline.
Just him.
"I like walking with you," he said.
And for once, Liang Yu didn't have a comeback.
He just nodded, once.
Slow.
Like he agreed, but didn't have the words to say so.
The café settled into its late afternoon hush. Light filtered through the windows in golden sheets. Outside, the street had quieted, and inside, a peaceful routine had returned: machines cleaned, chairs stacked, floors swept.
Yin Yue wiped down a tray for the third time, not because it needed it, but because he didn't quite know what else to do.
Liang Yu hadn't said much since their walk back.
But he hadn't pulled away either.
And that, somehow, was more disorienting.
It wasn't until the front door was locked and the lights dimmed to closing hour amber that Liang Yu appeared beside him again quiet, calm, and something unreadable in his eyes.
He slid a cup across the counter.
Yin Yue looked down.
It was a latte. Creamy tan foam just below the rim. But the design on top made him blink.
A tiny, near perfect rabbit.
Not a blob. Not a joke. A carefully drawn little rabbit with round ears, a tiny face, and a slightly tilted head as if it was looking back at him, curious.
Yin Yue stared at it, genuinely speechless.
"…You drew me a bunny," he said.
Liang Yu didn't meet his eyes. "It's just practice."
"It's adorable."
"It's symmetrical."
"It has whiskers."
Silence.
Then, cautiously: "Why a rabbit?"
"You remind me of one."
Yin Yue blinked. "Excuse me?"
Liang Yu finally looked at him, expression still neutral but voice softer than usual.
"You're jumpy, fast talking and constantly look like you're about to bolt. But you stay anyway."
Yin Yue blinked. Once. Twice.
"…That's the weirdest compliment I've ever gotten."
"It wasn't a compliment."
"You compared me to a woodland creature known for anxiety and overpopulation."
"Also softness."
Yin Yue stared at him.
Liang Yu looked back, unblinking.
For a moment, neither of them said anything.
Then Yin Yue cleared his throat, looked down at the cup again, and said, very quietly, "You're really bad at pretending not to care."
That landed.
Liang Yu didn't answer.
But he didn't deny it.
Yin Yue took a sip. The foam hit his lips just right. It was warm, comforting and really good.
"Thanks," he said, still not quite looking up.
Liang Yu nodded once. "Don't tell anyone."
"I'll take it to my grave."
They stood in that comfortable, slightly awkward silence for a long moment.
Not saying anything else.
Not needing to.
Outside, the sky had begun to turn dusky purple. The world moved on.
Inside Café Fated, a tiny foam rabbit floated in a cup between them quiet, ridiculous, and somehow more intimate than any kiss.
Yin Yue was awakened not by his alarm, not by sunlight, but by the dingdingdingding of his internal tormentor.
> 💻 SYSTEM 520:
🎉 Good morning, Host! Love is in the air and also in your schedule!
📅 Today's Romance Prompts:
• Accidental Apron Tie 💘
• Shared Beverage Slip 💋
• Mutual Breaktime Proximity (Forced!) 🫶
• Bonus Event: Unintentional Compliment Crisis 💥
He stared blearily at the glowing screen above his bed.
"…You scheduled my flirting?"
> 💻 SYSTEM 520:
The timeline is stalling. Romance must advance. I've submitted your performance review to HQ.
"Is there an HR department in hell?" he muttered while sitting up. "Because I'm filing a complaint."
> 💻 SYSTEM 520:
Reminder: System reviews indicate that the Male Lead responds to:
[1] Casual touch
[2] Unsolicited sincerity
[3] Mild emotional chaos
"Great. I'll just run into him and cry while complimenting his hair."
> 💻 SYSTEM 520:
That was your Week 3 plan. Would you like to deploy early?
Yin Yue grabbed a pillow and screamed into it.
Twenty-five minutes later, caffeinated and composed (barely), he arrived at Café Fated, shoving the door open like it owed him money.
The bell above the door jingled its usual betrayal of peace.
Liang Yu was already behind the counter, prepping like a statue carved from granite and good skincare. He looked up, nodded once. "You're early."
"I'm being hunted by my own operating system," Yin Yue replied. "It wants me to tie your apron for intimacy."
Liang Yu blinked once. "Is that a threat?"
"Honestly, I'm not even sure anymore."
Liang Yu returned to grinding beans.
Yin Yue sighed and slid behind the counter, and tied his own apron with unnecessary aggression.
Then the system chimed again.
> 💻 SYSTEM 520:
💡 Opportunity Triggered!
Customer Surge in 8 Minutes. Proximity Event Activation Scheduled.
Location: Behind the counter. Space: Narrow. Lighting: Romantically Inconvenient.
Yin Yue muttered to himself as he scrubbed the already-clean sink: "If I get stuck between him and the syrup shelf again, I swear to.."
"Talking to yourself?" Liang Yu asked, glancing over.
"I like the sound of my own suffering."
"Mm."
There was a pause. Then, as Yin Yue turned to grab a stack of lids, Liang Yu stepped sideways and they collided once again.
Chest to back. Close. Too close.
Yin Yue flinched.
Liang Yu didn't move.
Just stood there. Solid. Warm. Extremely unhelpful.
Yin Yue tried to escape to the left. There was a wall.
He tried to pivot right. There was a counter.
He turned slowly, fully intending to back away with dignity and immediately elbowed Liang Yu in the ribs.
"Ow," Yin Yue muttered.
Liang Yu stepped back. "You're dangerous."
"I'm delicate," Yin Yue snapped. "Like a rose with a thorn."
> 💻 SYSTEM 520:
🎯 Forced Proximity Triggered!
Reaction: Minor Fluster.
💖 Affection +2
Progress: 24/100
Romance Level: Warm Milk
Yin Yue inhaled slowly and then exhaled. Turned to the nearest mug and began rearranging it with surgical focus.
"I am not playing your twisted little dating sim," he muttered under his breath.
> 💻 SYSTEM 520:
That's the spirit! 😊
Yin Yue wiped the same spot on the counter for the third time, and very seriously reconsidering homicide.
Yin Yue was restocking sugar packets and trying not to think about how much body heat Liang Yu had radiated during their accidental coffee-shelf collision, when the front door swung open with the chaotic energy of a sitcom entrance.
"Hello hello!" chirped a voice. "I'm here to ruin the peace!"
A girl bounded in look early twenties, twin pigtails, strawberry lip gloss, and an aura that screamed chaotic good. She wore the café's beige apron over a pink hoodie that said "I have no filter and I know it."
"Hi!" she waved, to no one in particular. "I'm Jiang Mei. New part-timer trained barista and emotionally available."
Yin Yue blinked. "Did you just walk in with your own soundtrack?"
"I bring my own theme music," she replied brightly.
From behind the espresso machine, Liang Yu said, "You're early."
"So are you," she countered, then turned to Yin Yue. "You must be the other barista. You're even cuter than the group chat said."