Mama Tan had prepared dinner.

The sound of the shower kept coming from Tan Jin’s room.

Lin Shilan’s mind replayed his last words, so when Tan Ziheng was about to call Tan Jin for dinner, she took the initiative to take on this task.

“I’ll go call him.”

She left the dining table and knocked once on Tan Jin’s door.

Just that once, and the door immediately opened from inside.

He poked out half his head, staring at her silently.

Probably having just finished his shower, the corners of his eyes were tinged with a bit of water-redness.

“…It’s time to eat.” Lin Shilan cleared her throat, her expression somewhat awkward.

After seeing Tan Jin, she suddenly felt a bit uncertain. Normally, Tan Jin was all smiles and laughter without a trace of temper, always loving to joke around with her, making it easy to coax him. But now, before entering his room, Tan Jin had clearly been displeased with her. If she came over again, would he slam the door shut heavily like before?

He didn’t answer her either.

The room’s lights weren’t on, and Tan Jin’s face was shrouded in shadow. He held onto the door, his dark head like a poisonous mushroom growing on a damp tree.

Lin Shilan didn’t know what he meant. In the silent stare-off, Mama Tan brought out the last dish, calling everyone to eat.

So she left Tan Jin’s doorway and went over first.

Lin Shilan chose a corner seat. Tan Ziheng got her chopsticks and bowl, and was about to sit next to her… when a figure flew over and occupied that seat.

She was just about to say “you came out,” but saw he had no intention of talking to her. Tan Jin picked up his rice bowl with eyes straight ahead and had already started eating with his chopsticks.

Mama Tan was clearly someone who often cooked, with the dining table full of delicious food.

Fish-fragrant pork shreds, dried scallop and pork rib soup, steamed yellow croaker, cucumber salad, stir-fried potato shreds, crispy fried pork, black pepper beef stir-fry, spicy chicken cubes… too much to even look at.

Uncle Tan smiled and greeted her: “Little Lan, don’t be shy, eat freely. If there’s not enough food, we’ll make a few more dishes in a bit.”

“How could it not be enough.” Lin Shilan was sincere, without flattery: “This is all too sumptuous, even more abundant than eating at a restaurant.”

The Tan family was thorough in hosting guests. Tan Ziheng noticed Lin Shilan was too far from the pork rib soup and specially ladled a small bowl for her. She picked up the soup bowl and had just taken two sips when, from the corner of her eye, she glimpsed that Tan Jin beside her had already finished a bowl of rice.

Perhaps these dishes were just too appetizing—Lin Shilan herself also ate non-stop. Mama Tan’s stewed soup was delicious and rich, and each dish was made with its own unique flavor.

Today’s grand dinner was to celebrate Tan Ziheng’s return home, and the table’s conversation topics constantly revolved around him. Tan Ziheng had excellent grades since childhood, but he wasn’t the type like Lin Shilan who was good at doing problems and memorizing—his brain was clever and flexible, with a wide range of interests and hobbies, belonging to the type who looked good at whatever he did.

He talked about the robotics competitions and industry exchange meetings he attended in the big city, about the professors and industry celebrities he newly met. Papa Tan and Mama Tan listened attentively, their eyes full of appreciation and support for him.

Despite all these delicious dishes, they mainly chatted, eating slowly and leisurely… However, Lin Shilan noticed that one person had been quiet for a long time.

She turned her head to look at him.

Tan Jin was really eating.

One chopstick could pick up several pieces of crispy fried pork, and he opened his mouth and ate them all in one bite. While chewing on this side, he already started picking up new dishes on the other side. He didn’t make any sounds either, just silently eating by himself, shoveling rice at a speed as fast as a mad dog.

In the blink of an eye, more than half the dishes on the table were already empty.

They chatted their chat, he ate his meal.

Gradually, besides Lin Shilan, someone else noticed the disappearance of the dishes.

Picking up the empty plates of spicy chicken cubes and potato shreds, Papa Tan said cheerfully: “Little Jin has a very good appetite today, did going out make you hungry?”

Seeing the way he ate, Mama Tan was somewhat worried: “You can’t eat this much, what if you get fat back to how you were before?”

Tan Jin turned a deaf ear to the surrounding discussion, eating on his own.

After eating so much, he surprisingly still maintained a steady posture, picking up and swallowing food at a constant speed, not showing any sign of fatigue.

After a while longer, they discovered that Uncle Tan’s earlier statement “if there’s not enough food, we’ll make a few more dishes in a bit” was actually real.

Tan Jin sat in the dining table’s most inconspicuous position, silently consuming massive amounts of food, eating five people’s worth of dishes all by himself.

He had no intention of leaving the table either.

With nothing left to eat, he still sat there dazed.

Lin Shilan secretly glanced at him. He noticed her gaze and also looked at her obliquely with the corner of his eye. She discovered that after eating his fill, his little belly was protruding with a very funny fold.

Realizing he had embarrassed himself, he immediately sucked in a breath, and that area became flat again.

This action reminded Lin Shilan of middle school Tan Jin in the elevator, going to the ramen shop for the big eater challenge.

If he knew what image she was associating, he would probably want to laugh just like her.

But people ultimately can’t drill into each other’s heads, so Tan Jin didn’t know what Lin Shilan was thinking, just as Lin Shilan didn’t know what he was thinking.

Was he blaming her for not taking good care of Jing Jing? Or was it that they had agreed to live authentically and resist her mother, but she had compromised again, so he was disappointed in her?

Lin Shilan thought: I need to find an opportunity to have a chat with Tan Jin.

Mama Tan stood up, tied on her apron and prepared to go to the kitchen to add more dishes: “Kids, what do you want to eat? I’ll make some more.”

“Stir-fry some beef.” Tan Ziheng said.

Mama Tan looked toward Lin Shilan, who hurriedly waved her hands: “I’m full, thank you Auntie, you don’t need to make more for me.”

Uncle Tan raised his eyebrows: “Really? You’re full after eating just those few bites? Little Lan, no matter what you eat, eat a bit more.”

“Really full, you all continue eating, I won’t eat anymore.”

When they were chatting, she was absent-minded, with few opportunities to interject.

So, like Tan Jin, she hadn’t been idle and had indeed eaten quite a lot.

Mama Tan felt she hadn’t hosted Lin Shilan thoroughly and wanted to keep her no matter what.

“Then Little Lan, go to the living room and watch TV for a bit, digest, and eat again later. Even if you don’t want to eat dishes anymore, at least have some fruit at the end.”

Tan Ziheng also persuaded along with her: “That’s right, tonight’s fruit platter is the main event. I specially bought mangoes back, you must try them, they’re so sweet.”

Amid the voices, Tan Jin had already stood up first and walked toward the living room.

Lin Shilan’s thoughts stirred, and she responded with a good to them.

She picked up Jing Jing, who had finished its dog food and was resting, planning to go to the living room to find him.

Unfortunately, Tan Jin wasn’t there.

After leaving the table, he had gone into his own room.

Even through the door, she could hear the game sounds inside.

He was clicking the mouse intensely, and the keyboard was also being pressed with loud clacking sounds.

Lin Shilan instantly lost the courage to talk to him… So this is how it feels to have an ally who doesn’t welcome you. Before, when he took her to the flower and bird market and she didn’t cooperate and just walked away; now the tables had turned, she wanted to talk to him, and it was his turn to give her the cold shoulder.

She sat down in the living room outside his room door.

The sofa here was soft. She stroked Jing Jing’s fur, thinking about how to find an opportunity to communicate with Tan Jin.

Would he come out to eat fruit after finishing his game? Should she stop him then?

But everyone would be there, making it inconvenient to talk. Should she wait until tomorrow then?

Lin Shilan stayed with Jing Jing, and it seemed neither leaving nor staying was quite right.

Even if she wanted to take her leave and go home, with Lu Xiaorong’s condition so poor, it wasn’t appropriate for her to bring the dog back at this juncture. No choice but to ask Tan Jin to help look after the little dog.

In the dining room, Tan Ziheng talked with his parents; on the other side, the background music of Tan Jin’s game was rousing; in the living room, the TV that had never been turned off was playing a melodramatic soap opera.

The environment was noisy, and her mind had countless things to think about. Lin Shilan let out a long sigh.

All day long, she hadn’t rested.

She leaned against the sofa cushion and rubbed her temples.

The little earth dog yawned widely in its owner’s arms.

Infected by this yawn, Lin Shilan’s shoulders felt heavy, and a wave of drowsiness struck.

Her eyelids began to grow heavy. She tried hard to resist, but her eyes still couldn’t help closing.

Tan Jin finished a round of his game.

Looking at the water cup by the desk, he went to the bathroom and poured out all the clean water inside, then walked out of his room door holding the empty water cup.

He didn’t see her in the dining room.

He wandered around the house in a circle and discovered her holding the dog, curled up on the sofa.

Lin Shilan was asleep.

Her long hair spread out, her head tilted, her small face with wrinkled brows.

Even in sleep she was worrying… He squatted beside her, hands propping up his chin, examining her carefully and thoroughly.

The glasses they bought together, she wasn’t wearing them either, wearing the old ones instead.

She smiled at Tan Ziheng, she drank the soup Tan Ziheng ladled for her, she chatted happily with Tan Ziheng. Facing her sleeping form, he no longer concealed his huffing and puffing expression.

Suddenly, he saw that eyesore at the corner of her forehead!

No one was around. Tan Jin sneaked back to his room like a thief and took out a blanket and one of his cartoon band-aids.

Making a shushing gesture at the little earth dog, he tiptoed over and covered her with the comfortable blanket.

Lin Shilan kept her eyes closed, breathing lightly and slowly, completely undisturbed.

The little earth dog Jing Jing was very cooperative with Jin Jin, keeping round dog eyes open yet staying quiet.

He held his breath, his fingers lightly touching her forehead. Sneakily lifting the edge of the band-aid, he slowly peeled it off from the corner of her forehead.

The injury was so serious! Tan Jin cursed Lu Xiaorong fiercely in his heart.

He unwrapped his own band-aid packaging and used the lightest, gentlest force to apply it to her wound.

Finally, worried it wasn’t secure, he used his pinky finger to carefully press down twice on both sides of the band-aid.

Done! He resumed the posture of propping his chin with both hands, looking at her.

The young girl breathed evenly, her cheeks slightly red, with a cartoon dog band-aid on her forehead.

So cute, so cute.

Tan Jin was very satisfied with his achievement.

His family members were still talking in the dining room, no one came over.

This whole series of small actions was truly done without anyone knowing.

The little thief smiled cunningly, smugly walking back to his room with his hands behind his back.

As the sound of footsteps faded away, the person on the sofa opened her eyes a crack.

After confirming no one was there, she raised her hand to touch her forehead.

Despite wanting to act like she didn’t care, she still couldn’t suppress the corners of her mouth, and the blush on both cheeks instantly burned to the backs of her ears.