495 Sunflowers

When Ying drove the car towards the outskirts of the town, he finally decided to ask, "Where exactly are we going?" He clutched the seatbelt tightly. "Don't tell me you have some indecent idea running through that brain of yours."

Ying gave him a sideways glance as she smirked, "Why? Do you think I'll really kill you here?" He looked at the side of her face as she went on, "It's not a bad idea though. Even if I kill you here, no one will ever know. He. He. He."

"Your idea of indecent is really phenomenal."

"I know!"

"Even if you murder me, you'll also suffer."

"Poor you! Don't you know how many unsolved murder cases there are in our country? I don't mind making you part of it."

"Evil!" muttered Han Bohai and looked out the window. 

Soon, Ying parked the car and he followed her out. She entered a small street restaurant and he followed along.

"Auntie, two bowls of beef noodles!" Ying called out right after entering and taking a seat at one of the tables as if it was the most natural thing to do. And he also sat down while looking around. Ying was a little perplexed to see his reaction.

She thought he'd be disgusted here but he looked like he frequented places like these. Since there were only a few people here, he took off his mask and said, "You like this place?"

"I like the authentic and homey taste of beef noodles here," she replied. While he nodded in understanding, she asked, "Have you ever ate at a shabby place like this before?"

"I have," he blinked. "My sister loved to eat at these places."

"Really? Interesting..." Ying didn't ask him to explain himself further. She was tapping the chopsticks on the glass on the table when she noticed how his eyes were glued on her face yet again. "Do you realize that you come off as a creep for staring at me like that?"

"Huh? Do I?" he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "But I can't help it. It's all your fault."

"My fault? How is it my fault?" 

"Do you know that sunflowers usually follow the sun?"

"Don't be cheesy with me and say that I'm your sun," warned Ying and he laughed it off.

"Nah, that's not what I mean. Actually, there was a post I read a few years back where they claimed that when sunflowers can't find the sun they turn to each other and share energy. Or perhaps, have a chat?"

"That's not scientifically proven," argued Ying.

"I know." He replied. "My point here, while the post was factually wrong, it's sentiment when applied to a human being is worth noticing." Ying furrowed her brows at him. "Is it wrong that I want to look at you because I feel like that way we'd be closer? Leaving all my nonsense aside, I can't seem to look away."

Ying rolled her eyes at him and after some thinking, she started laughing. 

"What's wrong?"

"Huh?"

"Like sunflower one be like, 'Yo! Bro, there is no sun!' And the second one be like, 'Yeah! I know.' The first one is like, 'Then why are you looking at me?' And the second one be like, 'Let me be the sun for you, bro.'" She was chopsticks as imaginary sunflowers as she literally performed her skit before him. He was speechless. "Can you imagine how touched the first sunflower would be?"

"I can't..."

When the food was served, she again stopped paying him any attention as she continued to slurp on her piping hot noodles. He smiled at the way she chewed the hot noodles while breathing through her mouth.

"What's the hurry? Take it slow..."

"I like it this way," she retorted. She ate in silence for a while but broke the silence with, "Why do you remind me of a lovesick puppy wagging its tail?"

"Do I look cute doing it?" She raised her brow at him as he went on, "I mean as this lovesick puppy do I look cute?"

"Does it matter what I think?" He nodded in reply. "Why?"

"Are you really that clueless or just trying to act like one? Isn't it already obvious that I'm interested in you? Do you need me to spell it out for you again?"

Ying sighed out heavily, "How can you be so brazen? I have never come across someone like you."

"So, it's your first time being pursued like this?" When she didn't answer, he added, "It's good to know that I am the first one." He took a pause as his chopsticks played with the noodles before he voiced out, "I'm not impudent or cheeky. The only reason I'm so straightforward is that I know waiting can get us nowhere."

"What do you mean?"

"If I keep hiding my feelings, it's not gonna help me in any way. And since I'm sure about my feelings, I should just act on those feelings, why should I hide it? Is it a crime to fall in love with someone at first sight? Even if it is, I don't mind being the criminal."

"I don't get it-"

He cut her off as he said, "Look, you're single so am I. I have feelings for you, yours will develop over time. You never know." She opened her mouth to retort but he didn't give her a chance as he went on, "But it won't happen if you keep trying to push me away like this. Don't try to get rid of me, because you can't. I'm a very clingy kind of person. No matter how annoyed you feel, I'll still keep being that clingy and annoying person."

Ying was left staring at his face before she burst out laughing. "You are certainly a different kind of species I met. And oddly, you coming so fast forward and strongly is making me intrigued to know what you're up to."

She felt like she needed to say it and she did. The thing about him was that he was being way too honest and sincere. Even if this new experience was kinda different than what she was used to, was it really necessary for her to live with the love of yesterday when a bright tomorrow was literally banging at her door?