Harry nodded at that, picked up a spoonful, and put it in his mouth. His eyes instantly widened.
The rich smoothness of the eggs and the sweet-tart flavor of the tomatoes burst across his tongue, instantly awakening his appetite. Unable to stop himself, he began shoveling down spoonful after spoonful.
The ingredients were as ordinary as could be. Even though Toby had deliberately made it sweeter to better suit Western tastes, among all the delicacies Harry, a wealthy young master at the very top, had sampled around the world, its flavor could only be considered average.
Yet that very ordinariness made it the most suitable food for Harry's current depressed state of mind.
The sourness stirred up his lost appetite, while the sweetness soothed his bitter heart.
As he ate, the sweet-and-sour flavor seemed to mirror Harry's own life, reducing the simple-hearted boy to tears.
He stuffed food into his mouth while tears dripped into his plate, making the dish's flavor even richer.
At the end of the day, Harry was still only eighteen...
Toby pushed a cup of warm lemon water over to Harry, gently stroking his hair as his tone softened.
"Harry, you know? You and Peter are really alike..."
"After you left New York, Peter came to live with my family. Having lost his parents and you, his only friend, he also fell into a low point in his life."
"Back then, after little Peter was bullied at school, he would often come home and cry in front of me like this."
"But the only difference between you two is that when Peter was bullied at school, he could come back and talk to me. He could hide behind me, and I could stand up for him—make sure no one ever dared bully him again, make everyone