Chapter 25: Familiar Eyes

Although she trusted Tang Xiaohe’s judgment, she still couldn’t help but want to keep an eye out for her.
With this in mind, Lin Jing agreed, “I’ll go change my clothes.”

Lin Jing changed into a simple cotton t-shirt printed with a giant SpongeBob, somehow found a pair of black-rimmed glasses to wear, tied up her loose curly hair into a messy bun, and wore flip-flops—looking like a homebody who hadn’t left the house in eight years.

Tang Xiaohe twitched her mouth and helplessly rubbed her forehead. “You could just dress normally, no need to go all out like that.”

Lin Jing was unfazed. “Although I know that without any effort, as long as Ji Yanli isn’t blind, he can see your beauty, I think this is the proper etiquette for meeting a best friend’s boyfriend for the first time.”
Tang Xiaohe could only let her have her way.

The three of them arrived at Ji Yanli’s home.

Ji Yanli opened the door from inside. “Come in, no need to take off your shoes.”

Tang Xiaohe looked Ji Yanli up and down. He wore a pair of ordinary gray slippers, and gray casual pants loosely covered the slippers, making his legs look even longer.
The plaid apron around his waist hadn’t yet been taken off, giving him a down-to-earth vibe that was very different from his usual cold and aloof image.

Suddenly, a phrase popped into Tang Xiaohe’s mind—“a perfect and harmonious family.”

Tang Xiaohe, Lin Jing, and Nini sat down together at the dining table.

“Is there anything I can help with?” Tang Xiaohe asked softly.

Ji Yanli smiled warmly. “Just sit down. There’s some soup—I’ll bring it over.”

As Ji Yanli went into the kitchen, Lin Jing leaned closer and said excitedly, “That apron is Burberry, right? Officer Ji’s family is quite well off!”

Tang Xiaohe was speechless. “Are you that shallow? Don’t you look at the big spread of dishes he’s made?”

“Well, I haven’t had a chance to compliment him yet,” Lin Jing nodded, looking around at the dinner Ji Yanli prepared: shrimp with scrambled eggs, tomato and beef, lightly boiled okra, steamed sea bass—meat and vegetables, visually pleasing and nutritionally balanced.
There was nothing to fault in any aspect. He even prepared a small, stewed pear with the core removed and filled with rock sugar and goji berries for Nini.
Considering kids love sweets, Lin Jing couldn’t help but admire Ji Yanli’s thoughtfulness.

Under the table, Lin Jing secretly gave Tang Xiaohe a thumbs up and mouthed, “Awesome!”

Ji Yanli brought the soup over, and Tang Xiaohe quickly pushed Lin Jing’s hand down and stood up. “Let me serve the soup.”

Ji Yanli pointed toward the kitchen. “The soup bowls are in the kitchen; I haven’t brought them out yet.”

Tang Xiaohe went to get them, tiptoeing and struggling to open the cabinet. It was completely empty—there was nothing inside.

From behind, Ji Yanli gently wrapped his arms around Tang Xiaohe and whispered close to her ear, “Not there.”

The warm breath on her ear was ticklish, making Tang Xiaohe flustered. She quickly turned around and glanced at the dining room—Lin Jing was playing with Nini and didn’t notice the kitchen side.

She sighed softly and asked, “Then where is it?”

Ji Yanli pulled out the sliding basket from the lower cabinet and took out four small soup bowls. “Here they are.”

Tang Xiaohe reached out to take them, but Ji Yanli stepped aside, avoiding her hand. “Your hand isn’t healed yet,” he said, refusing her help.

Tang Xiaohe was a little confused. If Ji Yanli didn’t want her to help, then why did he let her come into the kitchen?
While she was still puzzled, Ji Yanli reached out and lightly flicked her nose. “So? Are you satisfied with the meal?”

Tang Xiaohe suddenly realized that Ji Yanli wanted to talk to her alone—that’s why he picked this spot!

Ji Yanli’s face was calm, but his tone was slightly raised, and his eyes sparkled faintly. Tang Xiaohe, who had taught countless students, instantly recognized this familiar look—he was expecting praise!

So, she stood on her tiptoes, leaned in, and gently planted a kiss on his cheek, whispering teasingly, “Not bad! If you find it delicious—there’s a reward.”

Ji Yanli’s Adam’s apple bobbed. This girl originally wanted his praise, but he didn’t expect her to kiss him directly.

The warm sensation seemed to linger on his cheek; Ji Yanli’s ear slowly flushed red. For a moment, his entire world seemed to exist only as the sound of his pounding heart.

His eyes darkened with confidence in his cooking skills, and he was just waiting for Tang Xiaohe’s promised “reward.”

The two of them walked back to the dining table.

Lin Jing glanced at Tang Xiaohe’s uninjured hand, holding several small chopsticks. Ji Yanli placed the soup bowls on the table. Lin Jing smiled faintly and didn’t say anything.

“Xiaohe has a hand injury, so it’s best not to eat anything spicy or irritating. I made the dishes a bit lighter, Miss Lin, I hope you don’t mind,” Ji Yanli explained while serving soup to Nini.

“Oh no, thanks to Xiaohe, I’m already very satisfied to get to taste Officer Ji’s cooking—no complaints at all.”

Nini took the soup bowl obediently. “Thank you, Uncle.”

Tang Xiaohe picked a big shrimp for Nini, who ate it slowly in small bites. But she didn’t grip it well and accidentally dropped it on the table. Before any adult could say anything, Nini had already picked it up and put it in her mouth.
“Don’t eat that—” Tang Xiaohe and Lin Jing said in unison.

Nini was startled and flustered. She immediately stood up and apologized, “Sister Xiaohe, I’m sorry! Did I do something wrong?”

Seeing her like this, Tang Xiaohe felt a pang of sadness in her heart. After a moment of silence, before she could say anything, Nini’s tears welled up, and she sniffled apologetically, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to drop the shrimp on the table.”

At home, Nini always felt anxious during meals. Once, when she accidentally dropped rice on the table, her dad suddenly smashed the bowls and shouted at her mom, “How do you educate the child? She can’t even eat properly! If she doesn’t want to eat, then don’t!”

Her mom responded softly, “It’s just a few grains of rice.” But her dad flung the rice bowl, smashing it on the ground and then physically assaulted her mom.

Arguments like this between her parents were frequent fights that often escalated to physical violence.

Nini was most afraid of making mistakes while eating. She had gotten used to eating quietly like a cat, trying not to make any noise or attract attention.

Tang Xiaohe stood up and hugged Nini. “You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s just shrimp—if it falls, it falls. We were just worried that you might get a stomachache from eating shrimp off the table, so we stopped you. You didn’t do anything wrong, okay?”

Tang Xiaohe comforted her softly. Nini slowly calmed down but still looked uncertain. “Really, it’s not because I made a mistake?”

Lin Jing answered firmly, “Nini didn’t do anything wrong! The one who’s wrong is your dad!”

Nini nodded somewhat understandingly, and Tang Xiaohe’s heart ached even more.