Li Linlin had been working out these days. When Chen Yiran arrived, Li Linlin was excitedly showing off her muscles to Chen Xi.

“Your muscles are…… extremely hidden.” Chen Xi leaned over Li Linlin’s arm while holding a magnifying glass in front of her eyes. “If you don’t pay attention, you won’t even notice.”

“……” Li Linlin pursed her mouth and lowered her rolled-up sleeves, intending to show the other party her abdominal muscles. “I also worked on my abs and mermaid lines!”

Just as she was about to lift up her clothes, Chen Yiran opened the door and came in. The two people in the living room and Chen Yiran at the door were all stunned. Li Linlin’s movements froze in mid-air and her clothes slipped from her hands.

“Brother Yiran, you’re here?” Chen Xi was the first to regain her composure and pattered over on her slippers. “You even brought us gifts!”

Chen Yiran was holding several paper bags in his hand, and it looked like he had prepared them.

“Oh, New Year’s gift for you and Linlin.” Chen Yiran handed all the paper bags in his hand to Chen Xi.

“Thank you, Brother Yiran!” Chen Xi happily ran to the sofa and called over Li Linlin, who was still in a daze, “Come here, Linlin, let’s open the gifts.”

“O-oh……” Li Linlin tucked her hair behind her ear, and without greeting Chen Yiran, she moved closer to Chen Xi to look at the gifts. Chen Yiran stood alone in place, feeling somewhat at a loss. He coughed lightly and made small talk, “What were you guys doing just now?”

Chen Xi said while opening gifts, “Oh, isn’t Linlin about to enter the crew? The character she’ll be playing is excellent in sports and is even trained in boxing! The director asked her to practice first so that her body isn’t too weak.”

“Where am I weak? I’ve already built up muscles!” Li Linlin retorted in dissatisfaction.

Chen Xi said, “You have the nerve to call those muscles? Oh, right, Brother Yiran also works out regularly. Take a look at his body and see what muscles are.”

“……” Ahem, no need to tell her, she kinda wanted to see.

“Shanshan is here?” Zhen Tian walked out of her brewery room, holding a bottle of her newly brewed beer in her hand. “That’s great, everyone can try the new beer I made.”

Chen Zui walked out of the room after her and closed the door behind him. “Xixi and Linlin aren’t good drinkers.”

“It’s okay, the alcohol level of this is pretty low. Besides, it didn’t matter if they got drunk today since we’re at home.”

Chen Yiran looked at them and called out, “Uncle, Aunt.”

“En.” Chen Zui responded lightly, but Zhen Tian enthusiastically went up to ask him all sorts of questions.

“I saw Weibo today and it seems that some paparazzi took photos of you on a date with Movie Queen Lu.” Zhen Tian suddenly asked after inquiring about Chen Yiran’s life and work.

The atmosphere in the living room changed subtly, and Li Linlin and Chen Xi, who had been sitting on the sofa chatting in whispers, silently glanced over.

“That was a meal we had with the director, not a date.” Chen Yiran explained, “The company has already clarified, haven’t you seen it?”

“I saw it!” Chen Xi raised her hand. “Just now, Movie Queen Lu personally posted on Weibo to tell everyone not to write things indiscriminately. Right, Linlin?”

Chen Xi bumped Li Linlin with her elbow.

Chen Yiran looked over and Li Linlin instinctively sat up straight. She pretended to act natural and tucked her hair behind her ear again. “Oh, mm…… It seems so.”

“All right, then. It looks like the reporters are writing indiscriminately.” Zhen Tian stood up and smiled at them. “I’ll go to the kitchen to see if the dishes are ready. You can pour the drink first.”

Chen Xi turned back to look at her. “Mom, I want to drink cola.”

“If you want it, go buy it yourself.”

Chen Xi pouted and Chen Yiran laughed. He stood up and said, “I’ll go buy it for you.”

“Wow, it’s still Brother Yiran who treats me the best!” The corners of Chen Xi’s mouth rose up happily and looked at Li Linlin beside her. “Linlin, please go with him and help me choose some snacks.”

Chen Zui looked at Chen Xi. “Forget that you’re ordering Chen Yiran, why are you ordering Linlin?”

Li Linlin hurriedly said, “It’s fine, it’s fine, I’m here to eat and drink today, so helping run errands for Xixi is alright!”

Chen Xi said, “Then you guys go quickly, dinner will be ready soon.”

There’s a 24-hour convenience store in the community where the Chen family lives and even though it was New Year’s Eve, it wasn’t close. Li Linlin and Chen Yiran went downstairs together and walked in the direction of the store.

Li Linlin was wearing the dress Chen Xi gave her on her birthday. It has a round neckline and long puff sleeves, which made it look vintage and elegant. Because Li Linlin likes the color red, Chen Xi made the dress in bright red and decorated the hem with matching oversized bows of the same color embellished with white pearls.

At that time, Chen Yiran saw the pearls on the bow and decided to give Li Linlin the pair of pearl earrings.

However, Li Linlin wasn’t wearing them today.

“Cold?” Li Linlin didn’t wear a coat when she went out. When Chen Yiran saw her folding her arms together, he took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders. “Don’t catch a cold.”

The coat still carried Chen Yiran’s body heat. Li Linlin only felt her shoulders sink, and then she was surrounded by a warm current.

Li Linlin pulled the coat on her shoulders and raised her eyes to glance at Chen Yiran who was walking beside her. “Thank you, Brother Yiran.”

Inside the community, only the street lamps were on and the orange lights fell on top of their heads, coating Chen Yiran’s hair and eyelashes with a layer of soft light. Chen Yiran’s angular profile didn’t seem as unapproachable as usual.

“It’s fine.” Chen Yiran’s steady footsteps could be heard especially clearly in the quiet night. “Xixi just said you’re going to join the crew?”

“Hmm.” Li Linlin nodded. “Filming is going to start in early January. However, most of the filming locations are in A City.”

Chen Yiran nodded, slightly thoughtful. “Has your studio hired additional people?”

“Not yet.”

“Then let me find two assistants for you. You’re filming on set and there’s no one around to take care of you.”

“No need, no need, Wu Hui’er will come with me.”

“Just that little girl?” Chen Yiran was obviously distrustful of Wu Hui’s work ability. “Neither of you has any experience. Let me find two qualified assistants for you.”

Li Linlin thought for a while. It was only to help her find two assistants without having to replace Wu Hui’er as her manager, so it wouldn’t matter if she agreed. Moreover, the people Bother Yiran finds must be quite reliable.

“Alright then, I’ll trouble Brother Yiran.”

The two chatted for a while and then walked to the convenience store. Chen Yiran got a few bottles of cola for Chen Xi and picked out some of her favorite snacks. He carried the basket to Li Linlin and said, “Linlin, is there anything else you want?”

Li Linlin greedily looked at the store employee making milk tea on the side. “I want to drink milk tea……”

Chen Yiran didn’t like this kind of milk tea made entirely with artificial sweetener, but she seemed to be particularly fond of it, so he didn’t say much. “Then buy a cup.”

Li Linlin struggled for a while, but still shook her head and said, “Forget it, forget it, Xixi has now been completely bought by Wu Hui’er and will monitor what I eat. Plus I’m currently working out. If the coach knows that I drank milk tea, I’m afraid he’ll be angry to death.”

Chen Yiran let out a low laugh and walked up to buy a cup of milk tea. “Drink it here. We’ll go back once you finish it.”

“……” Li Linlin felt that Chen Yiran was indulging her to commit crime. “Brother Yiran, it’s not good to do this.”

The corners of Chen Yiran’s mouth curled up slightly and he looked at her with a faint smile. “Oh? Then why did you take it from me?”

“……” Li Linlin pretended not to hear and silently took a sip of milk tea.

Ah! It permeates to her soul!

Chen Yiran saw her put it down after taking only a few sips, so he asked, “Not good?”

“No, but if I gain weight……”

“Don’t worry, meat wouldn’t grow from a cup of milk tea.” Chen Yiran added, “Consider it a reward and indulge yourself once in a while.”

When he said it like that, Li Linlin didn’t have the last bit of struggle left and drank half of the cup of milk tea in one breath. “Brother Yiran.”

She called out to Chen Yiran.

Chen Yiran gave a soft “Hmm” and asked her, “What is it now?”

Li Linlin looked at him. “Do you also indulge yourself at times?”

“Of course.”

Li Linlin blinked twice. “Like buying houses?”

Chen Yiran laughed and told her, “Occasionally, there are times when I don’t want to work.”

“Really? I thought you really enjoy working.” Li Linlin looked at him in surprise. “You’re the only person I’ve ever seen who loves work the most!”

Chen Yiran gently knocked her forehead and told her, “Drink quickly. We can go back when you’re done.”

“Oh, do you want a sip?”

“No.”

The two clerks at the cash register stood together and whispered, “Is that Li Linlin?”

“It must be. She‘s no different from her photos.”

“Is that her boyfriend next to her?” The cashier was shocked. “Little Sister Linlin is still so young, who can be so insane?!”

“……Come on, Linlin is already twenty years old so don’t worry about her relationship.” But why does the handsome guy next to Li Linlin look so familiar? Wasn’t he the one who was rumored to be dating Movie Queen Lu?

Chen Yiran and Li Linlin left the convenience store under the fervent eyes of the store clerks. After returning home, Chen Xi ran up to interrogate them, “What took you so long to buy cola? Did you do something else behind my back?”

“W-we didn’t.” Li Linlin, who secretly drank a cup of milk tea, suddenly felt guilty. “We fed the cat downstairs.”

“Oh, fed the cat——” Chen Xi said meaningfully.

“Xixi, call Shanshan and Linlin over for dinner.” Zhen Tian helped put the dishes on the table and shouted to the young people in the living room, “Let’s eat.”

“Okay.”

Everyone gathered around the table and clinked glasses before starting to move their chopsticks. Chen Xi took a piece of beef for herself and said to Chen Zui and Zhen Tian, “Right, since everyone is here today I want to discuss something with you. Isn’t it winter vacation soon? Me, Linlin and Wu Hui wants to rent a house together outside and use it as our base.”

Chen Zui stopped his chopsticks and looked at them. “Don’t both of you already have a studio?”

Chen Xi answered, “We can’t stay overnight in the studio. If there’s a house, we can stay there every now and then, which is more convenient.”

Chen Zui said, “I think you guys just don’t want to live at home.”

“We’re also doing this for you.” Chen Xi said eloquently, “Look at Uncle Li and Aunt Yu, they’ve been gone for almost three months in order to avoid Linlin and live a two person world. Right, Linlin?”

Li Linlin nodded. “My dad said he’s reluctant to leave my mom, and my mom said she’s reluctant to leave my dad, and so they both went together, no one was reluctant to leave me.”

Chen Zui: “……”

Chen Xi held Li Linlin’s hand and sympathized with her. “I totally get it. I often feel that in front of my mom and dad, I’m just an extra.”

Chen Zui and Zhen Tian: “……”

Next to them, Chen Yiran was originally thinking seriously about the matter of them renting a house, but when he heard their words, he couldn’t help but chuckle. “I used to often feel that way too.”

Chen Zui and Zhen Tian: “……”

“Chen Yiran, are you also okay with them renting a house outside?” Chen Zui shot him a glare.

When Chen Yiran was a child, the only thing he was afraid of was his uncle Chen Zui. Although he had grown up now and Chen Zui couldn’t probably beat him, he still didn’t dare be arrogant in front of Chen Zui. “It’s fine if they want to have some kind of base. It’s not like they’re moving out of the house anyway. However, I won’t feel at ease if they just rented a house outside.”

He thought for a while, then said to the two, “Let’s do this, I’ll have Assistant Wu sort out my properties in A City and you can choose a place you like.”