"Huh? What?" Song Zhilan's question snapped Lu Xiaoxiao out of her thoughts. Seeing the concern on her family's faces around the table, she hurried to explain, "No, no! I just wore myself out running around today, so I zoned out for a bit!"
Afraid they wouldn't believe her, she immediately perked up, picked up a bite of food, and popped it into her mouth. Then she gave Song Zhilan a thumbs-up and praised her with a grin. "Delicious! A dish like this belongs in heaven-how often could we mortals ever taste it? Mom, you're amazing!"
"Oh, come on, it's not that impressive. You even brought out poetry to flatter me." Song Zhilan looked bashful at the praise, though she was clearly delighted. She served the children more food with even greater enthusiasm. "Eat more if you like it. I'll make it for you again."
Lu Xiaoxiao agreed with a smile. Once she had reassured Song Zhilan, she resumed her conversation with 037 in her mind.
"Uh, where were we? Oh, right. Ji Yunhuai's dad encouraging Cui Anhe to meet Fang Youcheng. What do you think of that?"
"No idea. I'm just a machine, and a pretty dumb one at that. I don't understand human nature at all." 037 answered cautiously, not daring to say too much before figuring out what Lu Xiaoxiao was thinking. "What do you think, Host? Does something seem off?"
"Hmm... a little." Lu Xiaoxiao hadn't really expected 037 to offer any insights. She had simply noticed something odd and was using their conversation to sort through it. "Wasn't Ji Yunhuai's dad always trying hard to get Ji Yunhuai and Cui Anhe together in the original novel? Ji Cheng indulging her seemed to be a big part of why she could pester him so easily. Why has