Seeing that her mother had finally dropped all pretenses and stopped beating around the bush, Su Yue no longer made excuses either. She told her mother directly, "I don't have feelings for him."
"Feelings can be cultivated over time. Besides, you've only met Zhang Xiaohao once. How can you be certain you don't have feelings for him?"
"Mom, stop. If I don't have feelings, then I don't have feelings."
"You..." Seeing how determined her daughter was, Su Yue's mother was rendered speechless for a moment.
The mother and daughter fell silent over the phone.
After half a minute, Su Yue's mother spoke again. "Xiao Yue, you say you don't have feelings for an outstanding young man like Zhang Xiaohao, so tell me—what kind of man do you have feelings for?"
Sitting cross-legged on the sofa, Su Yue held the phone in her right hand, while her left rested on her snow-white thigh.
Hearing her mother remain silent for so long before asking such a question, Su Yue froze for a moment. Then, someone's figure surfaced in her mind.
Seeing that her daughter had not answered, Su Yue's mother seemed to realize something. In an uncertain tone, she asked, "Xiao Yue, have you already gotten yourself a boyfriend?"
When Su Yue heard her mother ask whether she had gotten a boyfriend, she was stunned for a moment before abruptly coming to her senses. She immediately denied it, "No. If I really had a boyfriend, I'd definitely tell you..."
"Really not?"
"Really."
"Xiao Yue, don't blame your mother for always trying to set you up. Think about it—you're not young anymore. After the New Year, you'll be twenty-six...
"If you already have a boyfriend, then bring him home for your father and me to meet. After that, your mother won't keep trying to set you up..."
"Mom, I really don't have a boyfriend. Why won't you believe me...? Let's stop here for now. I'm going to take a shower."
"Fine, fine, fine, I believe you. We'll stop here for today. Go take your shower!
"Your mother has one more thing to say: if you really have someone you like, then be bold and bring him home. Your father and I aren't some feudal-era patriarchs. As long as you like him, that's all that matters."
"..." Su Yue responded helplessly, "Got it. If I do have someone, I'll bring him home for you and Dad to see."
After hanging up, Su Yue tossed her phone aside, leaned to one side, and collapsed onto the sofa, burying her head in her snow-soft arm.
"What use is it even if I like him? That blockhead is timid as hell. The slightest bit of initiative, and he gets scared stiff.
"If I say anything, I'm afraid I'll frighten him into turning tail and running. After that, we might not even be able to remain friends." Su Yue muttered under her breath, her heart filled with resentment toward someone.
Inside the living room.
"Crack, crack..."
Lin Li was eating "KFC" while watching television when, all of a sudden, he felt his ears grow hot.
He touched his ear with the back of his hand and grumbled inwardly, Who's talking about me behind my back again?
"Ding-dong..."
Just as Lin Li finished gnawing on a spicy fried chicken drumstick, the doorbell rang.
He pulled a tissue from the paper box, wiped his hands, and got up to walk to the entryway.
Through the peephole, he saw that it was his neighbor from next door, so he reached out and opened the door.
"Miss Xia, what's this...?"
"I steamed some meat buns. Have a taste."
"Oh, you're too kind. Keep them for Zhou Tongtong!"
"I made a few too many, and there are still plenty at home. It's just Tongtong and me, so we can't possibly finish them all. Don't be shy."
It's just her and her daughter at home? What about her husband?
The doubt flashed through Lin Li's mind. He hesitated, then accepted the plate of piping-hot meat buns Xia Qing handed him. "Th-then, all right. Thanks, Miss Xia."
"Just call me Xia Qing." Seeing Lin Li accept the buns she had steamed, Xia Qing smiled.
"All right. Then you can just call me by my name too." Lin Li nodded.
"Mm."
"Wait a moment. I'll clear the plate and return it to you."
"Mm."
Lin Li carried the meat buns into the kitchen. Before long, he returned to the doorway with the empty plate and handed it back to Xia Qing.
"Tell me when you've finished them. I have plenty more!" Xia Qing said with a smile after taking the plate.
"That's more than enough. There were probably eleven or twelve meat buns on that plate. They'll last me two or three meals." Lin Li smiled.
The two chatted for a few moments before parting ways.
"Bang."
After closing the door, Lin Li scratched his head and wondered whether he should make something to eat later as a return gift for the beautiful female neighbor next door.
The thought had barely surfaced in his mind before he dismissed it less than three seconds later.
That was because Lin Li knew that, with his cooking skills, anything he cooked as a return gift for the neighbor would clearly be too embarrassing to bring out.
"Let's leave it at that for now! There's no need to rush with return gifts. There'll be plenty of chances later."
Lin Li walked into the kitchen and picked up a large meat bun from the small basin holding them.
"Hot! These meat buns must have just finished steaming not long ago... Ah, Miss Xia delivered such a large plate right after steaming them. She's really too warmhearted!"
Lin Li shifted the bun between his hands, then took a bite of the large meat bun.
"Hm? There are shiitake mushrooms mixed into the meat. It tastes great. The buns Miss Xia steamed are every bit as good as the ones Su Yue steamed before."
After eating one large meat bun, Lin Li stopped. There was still "KFC" left in the living room, after all! He would go finish that first.
The buns Xia Qing had steamed could serve as a late-night snack when he got hungry later, and he could have another one as breakfast tomorrow morning.
"Splash..."
After dinner, Lin Li squeezed out some shower gel in the bathroom and washed his greasy hands.
"Burp~" Lin Li walked out of the bathroom after letting out a satisfied belch. He had eaten a little too much for dinner today. After finishing the "KFC," he had also eaten two of the large meat buns Xia Qing had steamed.
Maybe it was just his imagination, but he felt that his appetite seemed to have grown a little compared to before.
"People always say that those who do physical labor have big appetites. Looks like it's true." Lin Li thought that perhaps his appetite had increased because he had expended so much energy in the wilderness that afternoon.
With his stomach full and his thirst quenched, it was time to go to the Mysterious Small Island and check on his precious little fruit. He had worked hard beneath the blazing sun all afternoon for its sake!
At the mere stir of a thought, a flash of Spiritual Light flickered across Lin Li's body as he sat on the sofa, and he vanished in an instant.
On the Mysterious Small Island, shrouded in vast white mist, a figure appeared out of thin air.
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