024 Heart and Stomach Full, No Room for More

I subconsciously rubbed my already full stomach. Even though the savory scent of lamb soup wafted through the air, it failed to stir any real appetite.

Friendship is something you encounter by chance, but fate is governed by timing.

This meticulously prepared lamb soup, compared to the free Iftar meal provided at the mosque, certainly carried a deeper, more thoughtful touch, yet it had not appeared when I needed it most.

He was too late. My stomach was already filled with other things.

"Thank you, Senior," I said politely, rubbing my hands together with a touch of embarrassment, then added, "But I’ve just finished eating. You could take this to Senior Qianyan and Lian Pian and the others as an extra meal."

A flicker of disappointment crossed Yun Yushu’s expression, though it seemed he had anticipated this. He stepped into the room, placed the insulated food container on the table, and turned back to look at me with a bright, easy smile. "It doesn’t matter if you’re full. You’re supposed to have two meals during the nights you’re fasting anyway. Just eat it once you wake up and feel hungry again. It’s no trouble at all; you just need to warm it up on the stove."

His tone was firm and his manner so natural that I could only offer a vague nod.

Seeing me agree, the corners of his lips lifted as he continued, "I only just found out you were fasting today, otherwise I wouldn't have brought this so late. But it won't be like this tomorrow. I’ll have the dishes ready and bring them to you before you break your fast."

Does that mean there will be more tomorrow?

I was slightly taken aback. Once it registered, I quickly tried to deflect, "You don't need to go through all that trouble; I can cook for myself. Besides, I won't be fasting tomorrow."

"You're stopping?" His tone carried a hint of disappointment, like a hero with no place to showcase his strength.

I nodded. "Irregular eating habits are too hard on the body. I originally intended to lose weight, but I ended up eating even more at night—it was counterproductive."

He narrowed his eyes and took a step back to look at me. "You aren't fat."

"The point of dieting isn't necessarily to actually lose the weight, but to constantly remind oneself of the determination to stay slim."

"Does it work?" His eyes filled with warmth as he laughed. "If a resolution is made too many times, it loses all its effectiveness."

I shrugged. "At least I can say it out loud to scare the fat away."

We both shared a knowing smile, and the lingering sense of unease left by Musa faded just a little.

The male graduate dormitory is quite a distance from the hotel, and since Yun Yushu had gone to the trouble of coming all this way, there was no reason to chase him off immediately. I naturally invited him to the sitting area to chat for a while and to ask for his advice on living in Dubai.

It wasn't until we entered the room that I suddenly remembered I hadn't cleared away the bowls and chopsticks Musa and I had used.

I rushed over in a flurry to clean up the mess, but Yun Yushu’s sharp eyes had already caught it. He pointed it out casually, "Two sets of bowls and chopsticks?"

I had no desire for others to know Musa had been here—it wouldn't be good for either of us—so I made up a lie on the spot for Yun Yushu. "I was so hungry I was dizzy, and I didn't hold onto my chopsticks properly, so I dropped them and had to grab another pair."

He didn't let it go, however, and muttered with curiosity, "And you use a knife and fork?"

I began to spout more nonsense. "I was so hungry after ending my fast that I went to the mosque to get a free Iftar meal first. Naturally, you have to eat that kind of food in the way it’s meant to be eaten."

Yun Yushu burst into laughter and pointed at the leftovers of the Iftar meal. "How could a free Iftar meal be this lavish? With lamb chops and fruit?"

I was startled. I had asked Musa that same question, so I put on a serious face and said, "Perhaps the mosques in Dubai are quite wealthy."

The smile on Yun Yushu’s face deepened. "Xixi, you’re so cute, joking with me with such a straight face. First of all, the people lining up for free Iftar meals at the mosque are all men. Secondly, even if you had the nerve to cut into a crowd of men, they only distribute them to Muslims. And thirdly, I’ve seen the free meals they hand out—I’ve even taken pictures of them."

With that, Yun Yushu picked up his phone, flipped through his photo album, and handed it to me with a beaming smile. "There, look. This is what a free Iftar meal is supposed to look like."