“Come on, don’t be shy.
Ah, open your mouth.”
Qin Xiangyi reluctantly opened her mouth, feeling a bit like she was being treated like a child.
What was even scarier was that, with her good looks, Zhou Muning was radiating a kind of motherly glow, beautiful like an angel descending to earth.
Qin Xiangyi was dazzled by the scene.
Zhou Muning seemed to really enjoy feeding her, a satisfied smile on her face.
“Xiangyi, you really look like a kid right now.”
“I’m not that old to begin with.” Already twenty-eight, Qin Xiangyi started spouting nonsense again, but she was still enjoying this wonderful first time.
Zhou Muning smiled without denying it, then asked, “Is it good?”
“Huh?” Only then did Qin Xiangyi realize she’d been so focused on looking at Zhou Muning that she had no idea what the food in her mouth actually tasted like.
“So it’s not good, huh.” Zhou Muning looked a little disappointed.
“No, it’s just that I was too busy looking at you, so…” Qin Xiangyi answered awkwardly.
Zhou Muning was stunned, clearly not expecting Qin Xiangyi to say that.
After a moment, she picked up another piece of meat and, rather seriously, reminded her again, “This time, don’t look at me.
Taste the food.”
Even as she said that, Zhou Muning’s own face turned red, as if she was remembering what happened at the hotel before.
“Mm… okay, I won’t look at you.” Qin Xiangyi replied, biting into the meat.
This time she tried hard to focus on the taste, but when she noticed Zhou Muning’s expression, she forgot again and ended up just giving a perfunctory compliment about how good Zhou Muning’s cooking was.
“And also, don’t say things like that.
You’re making me embarrassed.” Zhou Muning put down her chopsticks and fanned her face with her hand, trying to cool down her now bright red cheeks.
This pure vibe combined perfectly with Zhou Muning’s beauty, and with her dressed like the girl next door, she looked even more stunning.
A scene like this was something you’d only see in TV dramas or movies.
But Qin Xiangyi, in real life, finally understood what it meant for someone to be a feast for the eyes.
Qin Xiangyi muttered, “I really mean it.”
Zhou Muning covered the food with the insulated lid.
Hearing Qin Xiangyi say that, she almost pressed down on it in embarrassment, glaring at Qin Xiangyi, getting more and more flustered.
“Sorry, sorry…”
“It’s nothing to apologize for.
I was just startled.” Zhou Muning sounded a bit helpless, as if she couldn’t figure out why Qin Xiangyi was so good at sweet-talking today.
Even though it wasn’t the first time she’d been complimented, being praised so directly by Qin Xiangyi made her feel really weird.
It was sweet, but also a little sad.
She really cherished her friendship with Qin Xiangyi, but it seemed like… Zhou Muning turned away to hide her sadness, then continued, “Come on, let’s go sit outside for a bit.
My brother should be back soon.”
Qin Xiangyi agreed, and Zhou Muning apologized, “Sorry, you’re the guest, we should be putting you first, but our family has a rule—if everyone isn’t here, we can’t start eating.”
That was also why Qin Xiangyi had always come to Zhou Muning’s house, but this was the first time she’d actually eaten there.
“That’s actually a pretty good rule.” Qin Xiangyi smiled, and Zhou Muning smiled back, grateful that she was willing to understand their family’s odd tradition.
The two of them chatted as they left the kitchen and sat down next to Grandma Zhou.
“Grandma, we’re here to watch TV with you.”
Grandma Zhou turned and smiled, then focused on the news about Paradise City on TV, not saying anything else.
But Qin Xiangyi noticed this wasn’t the channel she’d switched to earlier, so Grandma Zhou must have changed it on purpose, wanting to know what kind of place they’d be living in in the future.
But even though Zhou Muning had clearly said something, Grandma Zhou didn’t bring up moving to Paradise City, just kept watching TV.
Zhou Muning seemed a bit sleepy, leaning against Qin Xiangyi and watching TV to pass the time.
About ten minutes later, Ye Fan came back, looking tired and carrying extra braised food, probably bought as a treat since he knew there was a guest today.
“Sorry, sorry, I got held up on the way.” Ye Fan gave the two of them an embarrassed smile, but both Grandma Zhou and Zhou Muning were easygoing, so one of them took the food to the kitchen while Grandma Zhou asked Ye Fan if his part-time job was tiring.
“It’s fine.
Xiangyi, welcome.” Ye Fan smiled at Qin Xiangyi, his eyes friendly.
“Hi.” Qin Xiangyi wasn’t sure how the previous Qin Xiangyi used to address him, so she just smiled at Ye Fan, and the two didn’t interact any further.
“Alright, time to eat.” Zhou Muning finished with the braised food and came out smiling with the plates.
“I’ll help too.” Qin Xiangyi immediately stood up to help Zhou Muning, but Ye Fan stopped her.
“No way we’d let a guest help.” With that, Ye Fan quickly got up and brought the dishes out from the kitchen.
Qin Xiangyi felt a bit out of place, awkward and unsure what to do, but Grandma Zhou smiled and said, “Xiangyi, can you help me up?”
It was as if she understood Qin Xiangyi’s discomfort, giving her a chance to fit in.
With everyone being so easy to talk to, Qin Xiangyi quickly relaxed.
After dinner, Ye Fan volunteered to do the dishes.
Zhou Muning, worried Qin Xiangyi would be bored watching TV, took her out for a walk nearby…
“Ningning, you seem really happy.” Qin Xiangyi noticed Zhou Muning had been smiling ever since they left, but didn’t know what she was so happy about.
“It’s just… I’m surprised.
I really got to have dinner with you, Xiangyi.” Qin Xiangyi turned to her in confusion, but Zhou Muning was used to this look and said, “I remember you said a long time ago that you didn’t like eating with other people because it made you uncomfortable.
I never thought one day we’d actually eat together, and with my family too.” Zhou Muning sounded excited, and hearing this, Qin Xiangyi started to get a clearer picture of what the old Qin Xiangyi was like.
She didn’t like eating with elders either, but it wasn’t to the point of outright rejection.
But what was most impressive was how attentive Zhou Muning was, remembering everything about Qin Xiangyi.
She was carefully nurturing this friendship, and was genuinely happy about Qin Xiangyi’s changes.
But the happier she was, the more Zhou Muning feared the coming farewell, dreading how she’d tell Qin Xiangyi that she’d be leaving Ocean City soon.
With these mixed feelings, Zhou Muning’s eyes grew misty, and she felt like if she didn’t look up soon, she’d start crying.
But this emotional turmoil was an opportunity for Qin Xiangyi.
She moved closer to Zhou Muning, trying to take advantage of her vulnerability while her emotions were in chaos.
