Chapter 117

Bai Yuerou smiled slightly, lifting the milk tea she was carrying, and said softly, “I bought milk tea for you guys. What are you up to…?”

Tang Huaijin looked awkward, about to say something.

“Rou, can you check if the zipper at the back of my dress is done up properly?” Xia Xinya spoke first, leaning towards Bai Yuerou, playfully shaking her arm, and said with a giggle, “I couldn’t do it myself, so I had the rascal help me.”

Hearing Xia Xinya say this, and meeting Bai Yuerou’s gaze, Tang Huaijin managed to squeeze out a smile and nodded slightly.

“It’s done up,” Bai Yuerou glanced at the dress Xia Xinya was wearing and said with a smile.

Xinya was wearing a dress with a zipper at the back, which indeed wasn’t very convenient, so asking someone to help with the zipper was understandable.

But… Huaijin is a guy, doesn’t Xinya know that there should be some distance between boys and girls?

Although she thought this, Bai Yuerou didn’t say anything. After handing the milk tea to the two, she boldly took Tang Huaijin’s hand and left the clothing store with him.

Standing at the store entrance, Bai Yuerou, for some reason, seemed to be declaring her territory, sticking close to Tang Huaijin, almost leaning on him, and said with a smile, “Where should we eat? Maybe not at the amusement park?”

Xia Xinya sneaked a glance at their hands held together, bit her lip, and forced a smile, “Anywhere is fine, let’s go first.”

Tang Huaijin, who hadn’t spoken all along, suddenly said, “You guys go ahead and eat. I won’t be eating out tonight; I have something to do.”

Although he knew this couldn’t be rushed, Xia Xinya’s reaction just now gave him a sense of defeat, making him realize that the approach he was taking might have some issues. Words alone couldn’t persuade this girl; he needed to provoke her a bit.

Moreover, his sister wouldn’t eat at the amusement park either, and she might video call him later, so going home first seemed better.

Hearing this, Xia Xinya could guess that her words had upset Tang Huaijin. She wanted to explain that she was speaking out of anger, but with Rou present, she ultimately didn’t say anything.

Bai Yuerou also noticed his mood wasn’t great, and with a comforting smile, she said softly, “Alright then, Xinya and I will take you home first.”

Tang Huaijin nodded, following them out of the amusement park and taking a ride back to his neighborhood.

After watching Tang Huaijin leave, Bai Yuerou slowly withdrew her gaze, looking at her best friend with a smile, “Xinya, did something happen between you and Jin just now?”

Xia Xinya’s expression stiffened, feeling guilty and avoiding Bai Yuerou’s eyes, she stammered, “Nothing, really. He probably does have something to do.”

Bai Yuerou observed her best friend’s reaction and sighed inwardly. From Bai Jingxi’s words, she knew that Jin and she were pretending to be a couple to correct Xia Xinya, and judging by their reactions earlier, progress wasn’t going well…

On one hand, she hoped Jin could help correct Xinya. Although she was very close friends with Xinya, she didn’t have issues with sexual orientation and naturally didn’t want her best friend to have such thoughts.

But on the other hand, if progress went well, would Jin no longer need to pretend to be a couple with her…

For a moment, her feelings became complicated, unsure if she should step in and clarify things with Xinya to help Jin, but she was reluctant to give up her relationship with Tang Huaijin. After hesitating for a while, she ultimately didn’t say anything, just forced a smile and said, “Let’s go eat, Xinya.”

“Okay…”

…

Back home, Tang Huaijin had just changed into his pajamas when his sister’s call came through.

Feeling fortunate, he answered the call.

“Hey, Jin, can you help your sister with something?” Tang Yaoyao’s voice was a bit noisy, seemingly still at the amusement park.

“Sis, tell me, what’s up?”

“I’m at the amusement park, planning to eat at home. Can you prepare the meal first? Your Han Yaoyao-Jie and Teacher Shen will also be coming over.”

“Alright, I’ll make a few more dishes. How long until you get home?”

“About an hour.” Tang Yaoyao seemed to have moved to a quieter place, the surrounding noise quieting down, and she continued in a low voice, “It’s all your fault. Last time when that Han Yaoyao came over for dinner, you made the dishes so delicious that Han Yaoyao keeps bringing it up. Plus, with Teacher Shen here, I couldn’t refuse.”

“Make them taste bad this time, okay? After all, you’re just a high school student; they won’t blame you.”

Tang Huaijin nodded helplessly and said, “Alright, alright, I got it.”

After hanging up the phone, Tang Huaijin started preparing dinner. For four people, six dishes should be enough, plus a soup.

Once he had almost finished cooking, Tang Huaijin remembered his sister’s instructions. After hesitating for a while, he added another pinch of salt to the stir-fried choi sum, took a bite, and winced at the saltiness.

Just as he turned off the exhaust fan, the sound of the door opening reached him. His sister entered, leading Shen Yiqiu and Han Yaoyao inside.

“Sis, welcome home.” Tang Huaijin first smiled at his sister, then greeted the two behind her, “Han Yaoyao-Jie, Teacher Shen.”

Shen Yiqiu responded with a simple nod, while Han Yaoyao’s eyes lit up at the sight of him in an apron. She said enviously, “Yaoyao, your brother is amazing, cooking for us like this. It’s so unfair.”

Tang Yaoyao hummed proudly and said, “Envious, aren’t you? Jealous, aren’t you? Well, you can’t have him.”

Han Yaoyao laughed at her friend’s smugness and teased Tang Huaijin from the kitchen doorway, “Jin, how about we switch sisters? How do you think I’d do? Call me sister, and I’ll give you a red envelope.”

Tang Yaoyao wouldn’t have it, pulling Han Yaoyao back to the living room sofa in a huff, “Han Yaoyao, stop dreaming. You’re just an old cow after tender grass. My Jin is still young.”

This was meant as a joke with Han Yaoyao, but it made Shen Yiqiu, sitting quietly nearby, feel a bit uneasy and embarrassed.

She stood up awkwardly and said, “I’ll go help him in the kitchen.”

Tang Yaoyao gave her a curious look and laughed, “No need, no need. You’re Jin’s teacher; there’s no reason for you to be in the kitchen. Yiqiu, you and Han Yaoyao sit tight. I’ll go check on things in the kitchen.”

With that, she cheerfully walked into the kitchen.

Shen Yiqiu nodded silently and sat back on the sofa, pondering Tang Yaoyao’s words.

Because she’s a teacher…?

Tang Yaoyao closed the kitchen door, snuggled up behind Tang Huaijin, wrapped her arms around his waist, and rubbed her cheek against his back with a gentle smile, softly asking, “Jin, did you miss your sister?”

Her hands were still a bit cold from being outside, so Tang Huaijin held them to warm them up and smiled, “Of course I did. Why did you go to the amusement park?”

“Ah, it was that Han Yaoyao. She found out I was out with your Teacher Shen and insisted on tagging along, then dragged us to the amusement park.” Tang Yaoyao complained, “We went too late, didn’t get to do much before we had to come back for dinner. What a waste of money.”

Seeing his sister’s usual demeanor, Tang Huaijin relaxed and smiled, “Alright, dinner’s almost ready, just need to finish the soup. You go rest.”

“Okay…” Tang Yaoyao smiled sweetly, stood on tiptoe to kiss him on the lips, and then clung to him, playfully asking, “Jin, did you listen to your sister?”

Tang Huaijin chuckled helplessly and gestured towards the plate of stir-fried choi sum, “Wanna try?”

Tang Yaoyao took a small bite, chewed twice, and then her face scrunched up as she spat it out, pitifully saying, “It’s so salty, you’re going to put the salt seller out of business.”

“Wasn’t it you who told me to do it…” Tang Huaijin said, half laughing, half crying.

Indeed, Tang Yaoyao couldn’t blame her brother and gave him a playful glare before heading to the faucet to wash it down.

“Hey, hey, the tap water isn’t clean.” Tang Huaijin thought she was going to drink straight from the tap and quickly stopped her.

Seeing her pitiful expression, Tang Huaijin had no choice but to lean down slightly and capture her lips.

“Mmm…” Her mouth was suddenly blocked, and Tang Yaoyao’s eyes widened, half confused, half annoyed, especially with others in the house…

But soon, as the salty taste was drawn away by her brother, her eyes gradually filled with a misty haze, and her hands gently rested on his waist.

After a long moment, Tang Huaijin finally released her, a smile playing on his lips as he teased, “Water isn’t just one kind, is it still salty?”

Tang Yaoyao gave him a playful glare, her cheeks flushed with a charming blush, and she nervously adjusted her clothes before leaving the kitchen.

Han Yaoyao looked at her slightly swollen lips in confusion and asked, “Hey, Yaoyao, what happened to your lips?”

“Nothing, nothing!”