Brick by Brick (Bxb)

Chapter 18: Chen Tian Lin

The shopping district bustled with din and clamour, throngs of people ventured in and out of the malls; patches of red tents encompassed the entire area, each vendor selling a multitude of titbits, goodies and decorations.

There were also food vendors located strategically around the encampment for the sole purpose raking in profits as they fed hungry customers who were in the midst of their annual shopping spree.

With great difficulty, Ming Kai squeezed his way into a more open spot. The shopping bags made it exponentially more difficult to consume the food in his hand.

"Remind me again why we're here?"

Terry had only just managed to get himself out of the crowd, beads of sweat trickled profusely down his neck despite the cold weather. He definitely had it worse than Ming Kai, who at least managed to find a nearby bench and was already munching away at his snack.

"It's your last day here, so my Mom insisted we give you something a little more extravagant."

Over the week, Terry discovered a couple of things about Ming Kai that he didn't know before. He was an excellent cook. So excellent, in fact, that nobody in his household would care to eat out while he was around.

He was also extremely fussy when it came to food. Nope, he doesn't skip his vegetables. He just doesn't care to eat anything that was lacking in taste or presentation, which was just about everything but a few good stalls here and there.

"So...what're you gonna make tonight?" Terry eyes gleamed with anticipation.

"Nothing." He shrugged.

"Huh? Then why did we even buy all of these?!" Terry looked around in confusion. Apart from some décor and party snacks, the plastic bags were chock-full with ingredients.

"Those aren't for you. It's for tomorrow's reunion dinner.*"

Then what about me? 

Terry's expression said it all. As if reading his mind, Ming Kai grinned and stood up.

"Follow me."

It took a long while before the pair finally emerged from the main district. With Ming Kai in the lead, they meandered through some less crowded areas to a local eatery. On the billboard was an unusual heading, "No-Name* Restaurant".

"Sounds like this restaurant could use a boost in their reputation." Terry remarked.

Ming Kai gave him a teasing grin.

"I'll let your taste buds do the convincing."

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Dinner was fantastic! Despite the funny name, Terry wholeheartedly enjoyed the food at the restaurant. It was strange how such a place like that even existed.

Things were finally beginning to settle down in the airport. With the weather returning to normal, flights picked up in frequency and so did the number of passengers.

In a cozy corner of Starbucks, Terry was enjoying a cup of Frappuccino while Ming Kai sipped hot Expresso. There was still a little more than an hour before his flight, and the two decided to spend the time over a cup of coffee.

"Say...how does your family spend the New Year?" Terry asked.

"Not much different from most people. Everyone simply meets at somebody's house and everything gets done over there. It's pretty much settled within a day or two."

To be perfectly honest, New Year gatherings were one of the things Ming Kai dreaded the most. Each year, he would be constantly peppered with questions asking if he had finally gotten a girlfriend. Each time, the answered remained unchanged.