After Spending Half an Hour in My Room, You Call Me Master When You Come Out?

"..."

Jiang Yubai stood there blankly for several seconds before he finally understood what Lin Tingwan meant.

He paused, then cautiously asked,

"Um... you mean you want to go next door to eat?"

Lin Tingwan blinked her beautiful eyes and gently nodded.

Wasn't that strange?

Hadn't Lin Jianxia said her little sister wasn't even willing to leave her room?

Could it be... the intel was wrong?

The thought flashed through Jiang Yubai's mind, but he quickly nodded in agreement.

"Sure. Come to think of it, you haven't been to my place yet, right?"

He tilted his head. "There, it's right next door. Just a couple of steps away."

No matter what, being willing to leave the house was a good thing.

Lin Tingwan did not answer. She merely shuffled half a step forward and stood quietly behind him, looking up at him.

Meeting those clear, bright eyes, Jiang Yubai's heartbeat suddenly sped up.

He gave a soft cough, turned to push open the half-closed door, and led Lin Tingwan outside.

In the living room.

Clear-braised pork ribs, mapo tofu, dry-pot cabbage, and egg drop soup.

Looking at the three dishes and one soup laid out on the table, Lin Jianxia clapped her hands in satisfaction.

After thinking for a moment, she ducked back into the kitchen, brought out two bowls of rice, and neatly set out the chopsticks.

Should I put out drinks too...

Come to think of it, did Jiang Yubai have a favorite drink?

After pondering for a long time without coming up with anything that guy liked to drink, Lin Jianxia puffed out her chest with great resolve.

I'm not putting one out for him. He can get it himself!

A "knock, knock, knock" sounded from behind her. Lin Jianxia gave the dining table one final look before padding toward the entryway in her slippers.

She pulled open the door and complained,

"I'm telling you, Jiang Yubai, you took forever... What did you say to my sister?"

What did I say?

Jiang Yubai looked a little hesitant. "How about... you ask your sister directly?"

Lin Jianxia wrinkled her nose. "Aren't you right here? Why are you making me ask her—"

Her words abruptly cut off.

She blinked as Jiang Yubai stepped aside at the door, revealing the all-too-familiar little face behind him. For a moment, she wondered if she was still dreaming.

"Wanwan, Wanwan," Lin Jianxia's eyes widened, and her tongue tied itself in knots. "Why are you here?!"

"Hey, hey, hey, so it's fine for you, the big sister, to eat a feast next door, but your little sister isn't allowed to come along?" Jiang Yubai shook his head and sighed beside her. "Sigh, what a heartless sister—"

Lin Jianxia had no time to deal with this bastard stirring the pot. She could only stare blankly at her sister, looking as though she doubted her entire life.

Impossible. How could her little sister be willing to go out?

And without her big sister accompanying her, no less!

Seeing her frozen in place, Lin Tingwan took out the spiral notebook she never parted with and showed her sister the line she had just written.

"Eat."

Lin Jianxia blinked blankly and instinctively stepped aside, watching her sister follow Jiang Yubai into the apartment.

Past the entryway, Lin Tingwan looked around with curiosity in her eyes. Finally, her gaze landed on the two bowls of rice on the table, and she stopped moving.

"I-I'll go get rice!"

Lin Jianxia hurried into the kitchen and brought out a bowl and chopsticks.

Jiang Yubai pressed his lips together, wanting to laugh but not daring to.

He truly had not expected Lin Jianxia's little-maid service to be so thorough. She had even set out his bowl and chopsticks ahead of time.

Lin Tingwan did not seem bothered in the slightest. She quietly accepted the bowl and chopsticks her sister handed her and sat down at the table.

Pretending not to notice Lin Jianxia staring at him, Jiang Yubai was about to start eating when he realized that Lin Tingwan had not picked up her chopsticks.

The girl had turned her face slightly and was quietly looking at him.

"What's wrong?" he asked, a little puzzled. "Is the food not to your lik—"

Halfway through his sentence, Jiang Yubai suddenly sensed murderous intent and immediately changed his wording.

"...Are you not used to the setting?"

Lin Tingwan gently shook her head, wrote a line in her spiral notebook, and handed it to him.

"Master eats first."

The instant he saw those words, Jiang Yubai's mind was filled with nothing but three enormous question marks.

"???"

Wait, didn't I only hire Lin Jianxia as my little maid?

Why was you, sweet and adorable Lin Tingwan, getting in on this too?

Damn it, we spent half an hour alone in a room, and when we came out, you called me master. If your sister sees that, won't she kill me?

But in the next second, his tensed body suddenly relaxed.

Oh, right. I remember now.

When I went to Lin Jianxia's place to mooch a meal before, I think I said, "The host eats first"... I never expected Lin Tingwan to remember it.

At that thought, he looked at the girl beside him with a complicated expression.

Lin Tingwan, "the host" is "the host," okay? Dropping one word could cause a huge disaster...

Lin Tingwan tilted her head and gave him a slightly puzzled look.

"Well..." Jiang Yubai thought for a moment, then used his untouched chopsticks to place a piece of pork rib in Lin Jianxia's bowl. "The chef should go first."

"Thank you, Lin Jianxia, for bestowing delicious food upon us—Xiamen."

Lin Jianxia had been wondering what secret code the two of them were speaking. Looking at the pork rib that had suddenly appeared in her bowl, she blinked in confusion.

"Eat, eat," Jiang Yubai urged. "The two of us are waiting for you to pick up your chopsticks."

Lin Jianxia looked up at her little sister, who was quietly watching her, then at Jiang Yubai, who was eager to dig in—

She softly said, "Oh," and put the rib into her mouth.

The broth was clear, the meat tender, and the flavor rich and savory.

It was absolutely delicious.

Perhaps because she had too many questions to ask, Lin Jianxia pulled her little sister back home the moment they finished washing the dishes.

Jiang Yubai did not pay much attention to it. He spent the entire afternoon finishing his weekend homework and even found time to review several ancient poems.

It was nearly dinner time when Lin Jianxia finally came back, looking preoccupied.

But no matter how curiously Jiang Yubai pressed her, the girl merely glared at him. After a long while, she gave an angry "Hmph," then turned and went into the kitchen.

Lin Tingwan did not come over for dinner this time.

As for Lin Jianxia, for some reason, she got angry whenever she saw him. She did not even provide the service of bringing him a bowl and chopsticks anymore.

Jiang Yubai did not know what had happened and did not dare ask. He could only watch as Lin Jianxia did not eat dinner either, then stormed off carrying two insulated lunch boxes.

...Surely Lin Tingwan did not tell her about asking me for hugs, right?

Forget it. The blame probably would not fall on me anyway.

With that thought, Jiang Yubai turned off the bedside lamp and peacefully closed his eyes.

Monday.

Six in the morning.

Jiang Yubai was deep in a soft dream.

In the dream, a girl in a neat black-and-white maid outfit was lowering her eyes as she straightened his collar.

Meanwhile, he lounged back on the sofa like some lord and lazily said,

"Lin Jianxia, massage my back."

The little maid behind him tilted her head slightly, her voice tinged with confusion.

"Lin Jianxia? Master... I'm Lin Tingwan."

Huh?

Jiang Yubai froze. Before he could process those words, three sudden knocks sounded by his ear, followed by an angry shout.

"Jiang Yubai!"

The scene around him suddenly twisted together, then shattered into tiny fragments in the blink of an eye, dissolving at the edge of his consciousness.

He opened his eyes with lingering sleepiness. Before him was the familiar ceiling.

"..."

Jiang Yubai looked around blankly—the room was empty. Where was the girl?

Wait, where did my huge maid go???