Bai Le was flustered, but kept a straight face and said, "Didn't I like you before?"
Under Xi Yan's tutelage, he has now developed the ability to lie without batting an eye.
Fortunately, Xi Yan didn't pursue the matter further, but instead focused on something else. A hint of coldness appeared on his face. "Before?"
Although he knew he was lying, hearing that still annoyed him.
Bai Le knew something was wrong the moment he saw his expression, and quickly tried to salvage the situation. "Is there anything you want to eat? I'll grill it for you. Besides, my grilling skills are top-notch."
Xi Yan stared at him for a while, then her expression softened slightly. "No need, you can just sit there."
Bai Le was more than happy to agree, so he obediently nodded and then watched him from the side, resting his chin on his hand.
"Brother, have you seen Dad?" Bai Yin approached him with a skewer of grilled meat in her hand, her mouth greasy from eating.
Xi Yan saw another person arrive, he increased the force with which he flipped the roasting meat, causing the juices to splatter and make a sizzling sound on the charcoal fire.
Bai Yin didn't notice, and simply sat down next to Bai Le, watching the sunset on the horizon, taking a bite of a meat skewer, and sighing, "I never thought I'd become an aunt so young."
She paused, then turned her head curiously and said, "Speaking of which, is the baby a boy or a girl? I need to prepare baby clothes."
Bai Le shook his head. "You can have an ultrasound to determine the gender around five months. I haven't gone yet; I'll check when I get back."
He didn't care much about boys or girls, and to be honest, he hadn't spent much time with children. Although he did well at the orphanage last time, those children were so sensible and intelligent that it was heartbreaking. Even if Xi Yan went there with a cold face, those children would still approach him tremblingly, so it wasn't a very useful reference.
"Have you chosen a name for the child yet?"
Bai Le paused for a moment, then shook his head; he hadn't actually considered that question yet.
Bai Yin casually tugged at a blade of grass on the ground and whispered, "So, you're going to move out after you get married?"
Before Bai Le could reply, she muttered to herself, "Yeah, I definitely have to move out."
Bai Le looked at her, sighed, and patted her on the back. "It's not like we'll never see each other again."
Bai Yin's eyes reddened, and she said with a hint of grievance, "But I didn't expect it to be so fast."
She hugged Bai Le tightly and began to sob softly.
Bai Le, somewhat flustered, kept patting her back to comfort her, "Don't cry, you're so old, why are you still crying?"
After much coaxing, Bai Yin finally stopped crying and started laughing. She glanced at Xi Yan again and deliberately lowered her voice. "Brother, if he bullies you, you can come back and stay here."
Bai Le was somewhat amused and exasperated. "Don't worry, he's not as scary as you think."
"Come here for a second."
Bai Le paused, turned around, and sure enough, it was Xi Yan calling him. He stood up and walked towards him. "What's wrong?"
"Give me a hand."
Xi Yan slightly raised her chin, gesturing for him to help her take down the condiments.
Bai Le obediently helped him carry it, but inwardly he was thinking, "Didn't you just say you didn't need my help and just wanted me to sit down?"
After helping him get one, he didn't expect there to be a second one. After some time, Xi Yan finally nodded mercifully, indicating that he didn't need to get any more.
When he turned around again, he found that Bai Yin had already disappeared. Perhaps she had left after waiting for him for a long time without being ready.
"Alright, you can try it."
Xi Yan handed him a meat skewer, saying casually, "Be careful, it's hot. Blow on it first."
Bai Le was just about to start eating with great eagerness when he heard what he said, so he obediently stopped, carefully blew on it, and took a bite, the juices splashed out, leaving a lingering fragrance in his mouth.
"Your cooking is absolutely amazing." Bai Le gave him a thumbs up, his mouth full of meat, and mumbled indistinctly.
Xi Yan glanced around indifferently. The others were all gathered together, and no one else came this way.
As Bai Le was eating, he seemed to remember something and held out the whole piece in his hand. "Aren't you going to eat some?"
Xi Yan's gaze fell on him again, and she pursed her thin lips slightly. "I don't like this."
Bai Le thought about it and realized that he had a lot left over. If Xi Yan wanted some, he could take some himself. With that in mind, he stopped worrying about Xi Yan.
Xi Yan watched him munching on the meat skewers like a little animal, and for some reason, he thought of hamsters. Thinking of this, he slightly raised the corners of his mouth.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Bai Le touched his face with some curiosity.
Xi Yan, without changing her expression, reached out and wiped his mouth. "It's nothing."
Bai Le mistakenly thought that his mouth was covered in oil from eating, and blushed, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
"Would you like to go for a walk on the beach?"
Bai Le stuffed the last bite of the meat skewer down his throat, patted his round belly, and decided that he really needed to go for a walk to digest his food.
Let's go.
The two walked past the crowd toward the beach, where soft white sand lay. It was dusk, and the sunset on the horizon seemed to be ablaze, dyeing the sky with vast expanses of fiery red and gold.
The coconut trees rustled in the wind as Bai Le and Xi Yan walked side by side on the beach. Although neither of them spoke, Bai Le felt very peaceful and not at all awkward.
"What's the name of this island?" Finally, Bai Le couldn't help but break the silence and asked softly.
Xi Yan said calmly, "Sun-Moon Island."
"Why?"
Xi Yan replied, "Because the island's shape resembles a sun and a moon closely side by side."
"Who came up with the name?" Although Bai Le had guessed it, he still teased with a smile.
Xi Yan was taken aback.
Bai Le found a dry spot to sit down, then patted the seat next to him. "Sit down."
Xi Yan frowned slightly, but finally sat down next to him. The two watched as the waves crashed against the rocks and broke into snow-white sprays, some even reaching their feet, rising and falling, creating a splashing sound.