DISCLAIMER: We don’t own any of the stories published. We don’t know any Chinese language and this is our first time MTL-ing a novel, expect inaccuracies in the translations.

❌ NO SPOILERS. WE ARE MTL-ING THIS AT THE SAME TIME WE’RE READING IT ❌

Translated by: Jie Jie

Unedited.

Hello, December! It’s the last month of the year and I wish everyone to have a happy 2020 ’till the end! Stay safe! ＼(≧▽≦)／

P.S. This is the last chapter I uploaded in my Wattpad.

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Chapter 37 – How to feed my younger brother

An Xumo was stunned for a while before he remembered to put his lunch box down. He hurriedly stood up from his chair, he was obviously someone who had already been on the stage for 5,000 people, but now he didn’t even know where to put his two hands, “Jin, Brother Jinchen.”

Zhou Jinchen looked at him and swept a glance at Tang Tang, who had already lowered her head and immediately closed the two lunch boxes she had taken out. The opaque lid was on top, making it impossible to see the contents.

To be frank, Tang Tang didn’t know why she wanted to hide, but Zhou Jinchen’s gaze was so stressful that she was like a student who was caught stealing snacks in class. Her first reaction was to hide the “evidence” by deceiving herself and the others.

Then, Tang Tang, along with An Xumo, waited with their head down for the Head Teacher Zhou’s lecture.

But when Zhou Jinchen opened his mouth, neither of them predicted what he said.

Zhou Jinchen retracted his gaze and asked An Xumo, “Is the lunch enough?”

An Xumo was stunned for a moment before responding, nodding his head, “Enough.”

Zhou Jinchen turned his head to look at Tang Tang, “If you have any takeaways in the future, you can go to the car after getting your lunch box.”

Tang Tang was also stunned, not knowing why Zhou Jinchen said this to her, but she subconsciously answered immediately, “Okay, I understand.”

She promised before she remembered to ask, “Then, it wouldn’t be nice to eat alone like this……”

An Xumo looked at Tang Tang in surprise. He didn’t quite understand why Tang Tang would say such a straightforward thing to Zhou Jinchen.

In the eyes of outsiders……he and his brother should still be in a state where they don’t know each other very well, right?

An Xumo didn’t know that Tang Tang had already guessed the relationship between the two people when Zhou Jinchen came to visit him after he fell into a coma. With Xin Zimai present, Zhou Jinchen had already found out the information exchanged by Tang Tang back then. When Zhou Jinchen left the ward that day, although he didn’t point it out clearly, Tang Tang listened to what he meant and was already admonishing her not to talk about the relationship between the two.

Therefore, even if her artist suddenly has such a big backer, Tang Tang can only pretend that she doesn’t know anything.

When An Xumo was still surprised, Zhou Jinchen had already replied to Tang Tang, “It’s okay to have a few times occasionally.”

But now, he turned back to An Xumo and said, “A few actors are eating together, do you want to come over?”

An Xumo was stunned again, “……will it bother you?”

Because of his special way of becoming popular, he himself has no connections within the circle. Except for the guests he met in the previous two variety shows, An Xumo didn’t even recognize all of the artists within Jin Dian. Although he also wanted to come in contact with other people after entering the cast, An Xumo hasn’t officially started filming yet, so it seems a bit early to get to know other people.

That’s why he was worried about whether he would leave a bad impression by rushing forward.

Zhou Jinchen directly said, “No.”

Except for him and Lin Rui, most of the actors in this drama are working together for the first time. They are just having lunch together. It makes no difference if there is one more or one less person.

Tang Tang also reminded An Xumo from behind, “Xiao Mo, go ahead.”

This is a good opportunity to get to know the rest of the crew. An Xumo was an idol before and lacked a lot in acting, so it might be good to get to know more people. Tang Tang originally planned to urge An Xumo to get acquainted with the crew earlier, but today is the first day, and she hasn’t found any good opportunity yet. She didn’t expect that it would be Zhou Jinchen who would send this opportunity to her.

Tang Tang thought, it seems Brother Zhou is still taking care of Xiao Mo.

An Xumo nodded his head and said yes. He bent down to pick up his lunch box to follow Zhou Jinchen, but he couldn’t help but pause again when he remembered the beef on top of his lunch box.

When Zhou Jinchen looked up at him, An Xumo said apologetically, “There are still some extra takeaways in the lunch box…..”

Zhou Jinchen directly extended his hand toward Tang Tang, “Bring the lunch box.”

Tang Tong was busy arranging the two lunch boxes on the table and handed them to Zhou Jinchen, then she took off her coat and started to take the sealed lunch boxes out from the two large inner pockets of her coat under the watchful eyes of An Xumo and Zhou Jinchen.

One, two, three……plus the two that were taken out in the beginning, Tang Tang actually brought over a total of six lunch boxes.

An Xumo: “…….”

He said how can Tang Tang looked so bloated in this coat.

Tang Tang also wore a waterproof jacket inside her coat to avoid contaminating between herself and the box. The lunch boxes are kept warm and fresh, and you can’t feel the temperature outside, but the soft-boiled eggs inside are still warm.

Zhou Jinchen looked at the four additional lunch boxes that Tang Tang was holding with both hands, and the expression on his face looked somewhat unreadable. However, he didn’t say much and just reached out his hand to take all six lunch boxes over.

An Xumo wanted to reach out and help, but Zhou Jinchen didn’t let anyone touch them. He raised his head and said to Tang Tang, “Look for Xin Zimai for the meal allowance.”^[1]餐补找辛子麦报。It was a bit confusing to translate QAQ

Tang Tang blinked, “This is part of Xiao Mo’s expense plan…….”

Zhou Jinchen said indifferently, “This one is on me.”

The man’s tone was so calm and logical that neither An Xumo nor Tang Tang, who were present, could think of any further objections. After taking the lunch box, An Xumo followed Zhou Jinchen with disposable chopsticks in hand and went with him to another rest area on the set.

Today’s filming took place indoors, and there was plenty of space in the studio. The rest area where several actors gathered was also indoors. There was a long table with several benches around it. When Zhou Jinchen and An Xumo entered, four or five people were already seated in the room, and they all looked up when they saw someone enter.

The closest one to the door was Lin Rui, also dressed as a teenager. The stylist put a small tail behind his head to make him look younger. Seeing Zhou Jinchen come in, Lin Rui smiled and said, “Jinchen is finally here. If you didn’t come back, we’re going to finish eating.”

After Lin Rui finished speaking, he saw the six lunch boxes in Zhou Jinchen’s arms and raised his eyebrows. Not only him, but also several other people in the room were surprised. Zhou Jinchen said he had to go out for a while, why did he bring back so many things after returning?

Zhou Jinchen nodded to Lin Rui and put the six lunch boxes in both hands on the long table together. Qian Lingyuan, who was on the other side of the table, asked curiously, “What’s this, Jinchen?”

Zhou Jinchen steps aside to make room for An Xumo to take the seat next to him. He took down the stacked insulated lunch boxes and reached out to open the lid of one of the lunch boxes.

The fresh and shiny salmon fillets were neatly stacked together, and the well-processed ingredients had a shimmering watery glow to them.

There were two other dipping sauces in the four slots on the side with the lid, and because the lunch box was scientifically designed, there was no sauce coming out of the dip at all, nor were they mixed together.

The few people in the room are also eating the crew’s lunch box. Seeing the box of fresh salmon fillets, they couldn’t help but brighten up, and even look at the newcomer An Xumo a few seconds late.

An Xumo stood next to him under Zhou Jinchen’s gesture and Lin Rui, who was diagonally across him. While Zhou Jinchen opened the six lunch boxes one by one, he said, “Zimai sent this for everyone’s extra meal.”

Xin Zimai can be considered a legendary figure in the industry. When it comes to the reason for Zhou Jinchen’s popularity, Xin Zimai is definitely the agent. That’s why when Zhou Jinchen mentioned him, the others also knew Xin Zimai’s identity.

After explaining, Zhou Jinchen gestured towards An Xumo again and said, “This is An Xumo, the one who plays Bai Qingchi. We’ve been on a variety show together before.”

An Xumo bowed and said, “Greetings, seniors.”

The people greeted him one after the other. Although the atmosphere was not warm, it was still harmonious. Lin Rui also smiled and said to him, “Come, sit down, don’t be nervous.”

An Xumo said, “Thank you, Teacher Lin.”

Lin Rui waved his hand and said, “You’re welcome. You are younger than Jinchen, right? Just call me Brother Rui.”

An Xumo called out “Brother Rui” again, and Lin Rui responded with a smile.

Zhou Jinchen, who was on the other side, opened all six lunch boxes and looked at them again. Then he closed one of the lunch boxes filled with fragrant soup and handed it to An Xumo, “Send this papaya rib soup to Ma Lao. He is in the room on the second row to the right.”

An Xumo took the lunch box, gesturing to the actors in the room, and left first. Zhou Jinchen put the remaining five lunchboxes in the middle of the long table for the others to eat together.

Tang Tang’s preparation was more than enough for one person. Even An Xumo couldn’t eat so much at one meal. Tang Tang was worried that he was under pressure on the set and wanted to bring more delicious food to comfort him, which is why she brought so much. Thus, when Zhou Jinchen said that Xin Zimai sent this to share with everyone, no one was suspicious.

Unfortunately, because Zhou Jinchen had just left for a long time, a few people’s lunch boxes had basically been wiped out. Although today’s lunch time was very abundant, but letting a few people here continue to taste the delicious delicacies brought, they are also a little more than willing but not strong enough. Even if their eyes are still hungry, their stomachs are already full.

In the end, a few of them just tasted it. Each of them took a little bit, thanking Zhou Jinchen for his kindness. Although the food was really delicious, they couldn’t eat much of it.

When An Xumo came back, the five lunch boxes on the table seemed as if they had not been touched, except for the one with the soft-boiled eggs, which was obviously half gone, leaving the last two on the bottom of the lunch box.

When An Xumo sat back down at the table, Zhou Jinchen said, “Have you sent it?”

“En,” An Xumo nodded.

His expression was clearly still somewhat reserved. Zhou Jinchen glanced at him and asked, “What did Ma Lao say?”

An Xumo thought about it and said, “He said the soup was delicious and he likes it.”

Lin Rui on the other side, laughed and said, “Ma Lao’s exact words must have been more straightforward than this.”

He looked at An Xumo with a smile, “Did he ask you how the soup was made, and let Ma Lao learn it?”

An Xumo was surprised, “How did Brother Rui know……that’s what Ma Lao said.”

Lin Rui smiled and looked at Zhou Jinchen, “Xiao Ma might be talking about you behind his back right now.”

Zhou Jinchen didn’t pay much attention, “Is he still chasing that one with a bad stomach?”

“Yes,” Lin Rui propped up his side face with the palm of his hand. “Ge Ming has not yet been successful, and the road ahead is long. Ma Lao is heartbroken every time he mentions it.”

Zhou Jinchen looked at An Xumo, “Did Ma Zechi chase after you and asked?”

“There was no chasing…..” An Xumo said, “That is, he asked me to tell him that he wanted to ask Brother Jinchen for the recipe of this soup.”

In fact, An Xumo did not expect that he would be able to impress both the father and son of the Ma family with just one delivery of soup and have them chase after him so enthusiastically to ask him.

Zhou Jinchen hooked the corner of his lips and didn’t ask any more questions. He said to An Xumo, “Let’s eat.”

“Yes, hurry up and eat, the food will be cold later.” Qian Lingyuan, who was chatting on the side, turned his head and looked at the lunch box with some regret, “It’s not good to waste such good things. You two are eating late, hurry up and finish them.”

As he spoke, together with another actor, Wang Xianming, moved the five lunch boxes over and placed them not far in front of Zhou Jinchen and An Xumo.

“Thank you, teacher.” An Xumo thanked him and re-opened his lunch box. The soft-boiled egg was still warm, he stuffed half of the egg in his mouth, with the soft yolk leaving a tender taste on the tip of his tongue.

As soon as An Xumo finished the remaining half of the egg, he saw Zhou Jinchen take a fried egg out of the lunch box in front of him and put it on his lunch box.

The full, smooth, and tender fried egg was placed on the lunch box purchased by the crew, which reminded An Xumo of the half eaten egg that was placed on the lunch box when he was caught by his brother.

An Xumo bit his chopsticks and blinked. When he saw that Zhou Jinchen had no intention of speaking, he withdrew his gaze and quietly ate.

Zhou Jinchen said he brought the food, but he didn’t actually eat much of it himself. The others had also stopped their chopsticks long ago and sat down at the table to chat. Although An Xumo kept eating, someone will ask him questions from time to time. After the meal, it invisibly brought the people closer together.

Even though it was just a meal, it was a good start for a good relationship. When they met again, it would be easier to open a conversation.

In the end, almost everything in the five lunch boxes was wiped out by An Xumo, but because Zhou Jinchen was with him, he ate a lot less than usual, and there was still a lot of stuff left in each lunch box.

Zhou Jinchen, who was eating with him, didn’t eat anything else except for the fried egg. Since no one paid attention to him when he finally finished his lunch, others only thought that the two of them had eaten a lot together, and no one was suspicious of An Xumo’s appetite.

After lunch, there was still half an hour before the afternoon work started. Several people started to pack up their things on the table, preparing to go down and read the script and the like. An Xumo helped Zhou Jinchen pack up a few lunch boxes, and Zhou Jinchen called in an assistant to help put the lunch boxes away.

At the end of the day, when no one else was paying attention, An Xumo suddenly heard the words.

“The soup will be returned to you next time.”

When he looked up, he saw that the man had already packed up his things and was wiping his hands with wet wipes. When he saw An Xumo looking over, Zhou Jinchen seemed as if the person who had just spoken was not him at all, and he didn’t even give any explanation for that sentence.

The man just said, “It’s time to go.”

An Xumo hurriedly threw the lunchbox in the trash bin.

There was no need to return it, he thought, as he was now more satisfied than drinking a whole box of hot papaya rib soup alone.

When An Xumo turned around, Zhou Jinchen was standing there talking to Lin Rui, the corner of his eyes swept over, and raised his chin, motioning him.

“Hurry up.”

“Coming!” An Xumo responded and followed quickly.

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The author has something to say:

Let’s carve it with one arrow, five, six, seven, or eight. Not only let everything into his younger brother’s stomach but also did not let everyone doubt his appetite. Gave his younger brother earn the goodwill of the Ma father and son, but also helped the actors get to know his younger brother…..

Older brother’s condition is still in the same state. When he really has feelings and plans to chase Xiao Mo…..hehe.