As it turned out, Mei ended up eating with Otis.
The two sat in a small eatery. The table still had dirty dishes from the previous patrons, which the owner quickly cleared away before giving the surface a quick wipe and saying, "What would you like to eat?"
Mei had never eaten in such a humble establishment with Otis before.
When they were dating, they always went to fancy, pristine places—well, as much as their tight budgets would allow.
Mei held back a sigh, inwardly lamenting her current situation. Serves me right for being broke.
But outwardly, she remained composed.
Otis glanced at the menu and ordered, "One fried rice with egg, please." Then he turned to Mei. "Order whatever you like."
Fine. If he can do it, so can I. Mei called for the same: fried rice with egg.
While waiting, Otis stared at his phone, scrolling through NGA forums and Tieba posts.
He hadn't seen Mei with short hair before. The last time they met was in April, during their breakup. After a heated argument, they deleted each other's contacts and hadn't spoken since, let alone seen each other.
But her short hair… it suited her better than he'd expected.
She was already stunning—with her sparkling black eyes, long lashes, high nose bridge, and naturally red lips…
The same lips he'd kissed so many times.
Otis shook his head and focused on his phone again, searching for something to distract himself. Anything to deal with the awkwardness of the situation.
Mostly, he just didn't have the courage to look directly at Mei. How is she still so adorable?
Mei, noticing Otis playing with his phone, took hers out as well. But the moment she unlocked the screen, she froze.
Oh no...
Her phone wallpaper was still a picture of the two of them together. Mei nestled in Otis's arms during their first embrace. She'd deleted most things related to him but couldn't bring herself to erase this photo.
She had thought they'd never meet again, so keeping it didn't seem like a big deal. But now, Otis was sitting right in front of her!
Her face flushed red as she quickly locked the phone and placed it face-down on the table with a clatter.
The screen made a pitiful sound as it hit the surface.
Otis was startled, his heart skipping a beat. He looked up to see Mei lowering her head.
"What's... what's wrong?"
I didn't do anything to her, did I? Wait, why am I nervous? I'm not her boyfriend anymore.
Otis straightened his back, trying to reassert his composure.
Mei brushed her hair behind her ear and said coldly, "I slipped."
"Uh-huh," Otis replied. "Sure doesn't look like a slip to me."
Mei's expression remained unchanged as she picked up her phone and wiped it clean with a tissue. "It was a slip."
Alright then. If you say so.
Otis didn't push further and went back to his phone.
From his angle, though, he could see Mei's pale legs in sneakers. Her feet weren't big—probably a size 36, a detail he remembered vividly.
Wait. Those sneakers...
They looked like the pair he'd bought for her last year.
The more he stared, the more certain he became. She still had them?
Mei's legs were smooth and slightly pinkish, soft and delicate.
Stop.
Otis shook his head, trying to banish the strange thoughts from his mind.
Mei occasionally glanced at Otis, pretending it was accidental.
He still looked the same, though perhaps a bit more muscular.
Has he been working out recently?
Probably. He seemed much more toned now. If he lifted his shirt, he might even have abs...
Wait a second. Otis wasn't looking at his phone.
He was looking at her sneakers.
It was like the saying: "The person on the bridge is admiring the view, while someone in the tower admires the person on the bridge."
Mei's face turned red.
He's looking at my legs?! What a pervert!
Unable to hold back, she pulled her legs back slightly and called out, "Hey, Otis."
Otis's gaze had drifted to her calves—slender, smooth, perfectly proportioned...
"Otis!" Mei called again, this time with a hint of annoyance.
Otis snapped out of it, quickly raising his head. "Huh? What? What is it?"
Mei crossed her arms, frowning as she glared at him.
"You were staring at my legs, weren't you? You pervert!"
Otis thought back. Someone used to proudly show me her legs before... He coughed awkwardly. "No, no. You misunderstood. I was just looking at your sneakers."
"What's there to look at? If that's true, then tell me—what about them?" Mei demanded.
Otis sighed. "Alright. I just noticed you're still wearing the sneakers I gave you. That's all."
Mei froze, glancing down.
Wait. These are... the sneakers he gave me.
Her face burned as she fumbled for a response. "I just... I just..."
"What?" Otis smirked. "Could it be you're still hung up on me?"
Mei's tone turned icy. "I just don't like wasting things. That's all. I've always been practical—people might be guilty, but objects are innocent."
Otis pointed at himself. "I'm guilty?"
"Of course," Mei replied, crossing her arms. "Who else? You think it's me?"
Otis opened his mouth to argue.
"Obviously, it's—"
But before he could finish, two steaming plates of fried rice with egg were placed on the table. The golden grains of rice, dotted with green scallions, looked far better than expected.
The tension broke as the shop owner smiled and said, "Give it a try. If you like it, come back next time!"
They exchanged glances, huffed at each other, and started eating.
Otis thought, She's as stubborn as ever. I thought for a second she might still have feelings for me.
But no, it's just practicality. Mei was always a bit frugal—something Otis had actually liked about her.
And when she saw money, her eyes would light up, hands clenching tightly. It was super cute.
He sighed.
Mei, on the other hand, was eating in silent frustration.
Otis was clearly about to say something to make fun of her. It's his fault anyway.
Why am I even holding onto anything? What's there to hold onto?
She tucked her feet under her chair, remembering how they used to playfully tap each other's shoes under the table when they were dating.
That silly, innocent feeling from back then... it was long gone.
Her eyes grew resolute.
Make money!
Mei clenched her fists. Forget about those silly feelings. Right now, the priority is earning money—not some long-dead romance!
Otis is just an ordinary man. Without my rose-tinted glasses, he's nothing special!
She took a deep breath and said, "Otis, since we're roommates now, I need to set three rules."
Otis looked up. "Huh?"
Back at their apartment, after dinner and buying some essentials, they settled in.
Mei sat on the sofa, legs crossed, while Otis leaned against the wall.
Swinging her pale legs, Mei began listing her rules, counting on her fingers.
"First, when I'm in the shower, you stay in your room. No stepping out."
Otis nodded. "Alright, alright." Like I'd want to peek at you anyway...
"Second, we split the electricity bill evenly. And the hours each of us uses the air conditioner must match."
Otis frowned. "Seriously? That's way too extreme. How am I supposed to measure that?"