Slap.
Jin Shan raised his hand to block Fei Yang's face.
"Hey, buddy, Zachary is still at home. It's really not the right time for a love confession."
Danielle: "???"
Fei Yang: "???"
When they saw Zachary walking in with a dark face, Fei Yang looked even more terrified.
He shook his head hard. "I-I didn't!"
Jin Shan, still caught up in his own imagination, looked completely serious like he wasn't just making things up.
"Brother, I'm older than you. I've been through your age.
Your cheeks are red, your eyes look affectionate—it's clear you like Danielle.
I understand—it's your right to chase someone, but since Zachary is still around, maybe show some respect to the original partner."
Danielle's mouth was already twitching.
Why hadn't she noticed that Fei Yang liked her?
Fei Yang was about to cry. Everyone was giving him strange looks. He pushed Jin Shan away.
"Don't just say random stuff because you're older! I don't like Sister Danielle that way!"
Zachary looked relieved.
But Danielle's face turned dark. What do you mean you don't like me?
Fei Yang was truly panicking. Nothing he said seemed right.
He slapped his leg hard. "What I mean is—I do like Sister Danielle, but not like a man likes a woman! It's just friendship!
I-I was blushing earlier because I was hungry! I just wanted to eat some meat, not whatever you were thinking!"
He said all of that in one breath, not caring about how embarrassing it sounded.
Then he grabbed some chopsticks and shoved a piece of meat into his mouth. Instantly, his whole expression changed.
He looked delighted, satisfied...
Jin Shan coughed awkwardly. "I misunderstood, sorry. I'll go bring the dishes."
Danielle looked at Zachary with innocent hands raised.
"I didn't know anything."
Zachary didn't say a word. He suddenly stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Danielle's waist.
Then gave her a big kiss.
Fei Yang almost forgot he had food in his mouth. His jaw dropped in shock.
So intense.
If Leng hadn't come in to grab some cabbage leaves and dragged him out, he'd still be standing there watching.
As they passed by Jin Shan, Leng spoke up.
"Don't try to come between those two."
Jin Shan casually wiped his fingers. His thick black eyebrows lifted slightly.
"What if I want to come between them?"
"Then go ahead and try."
Leng's voice carried sarcasm. Over time, she had figured it out.
Even though it often looked like Zachary listened to Danielle, in truth, it was Danielle who was attached to Zachary.
They balanced each other, filling in what the other lacked.
Anyone trying to come between them? Not likely.
Danielle, her face flushed, walked out of the kitchen and playfully glared at Zachary before holding onto Leng's arm.
"What were you guys talking about?"
Leng's lips curved slightly. "Just nonsense. Anyway, can we grill the meat now? I'm starving."
"Yes, yes, let's grill! Zachary, go to the kitchen and get the secret sauce I made."
Zachary came out holding a big bowl of sauce.
Danielle gave a mysterious smile. "You all try it and tell me how it tastes. Especially you, Jin Shan—see if you can guess what's in it!"
Jin Shan immediately sat up straight and carefully scooped a bit into his bowl to examine.
He could tell there was green onion, ginger, and garlic.
But there was one strong, slightly spicy, tempting smell he couldn't figure out.
"Come on, eat up, don't be shy."
That huge black bear was more than enough for everyone.
The two little kids were eating with their heads down, and Fei Yang even more so—his whole head was nearly in his bowl.
The meal started before sunset and went all the way into the night.
Burp.
Fei Yang let out a loud burp, his belly so full he couldn't bend over.
Yet he was still trying to stuff more meat into his mouth. The two little ones watched him with wide, admiring eyes.
Unfortunately, he had eaten too much—he really couldn't eat another bite.
Leng couldn't watch anymore and yanked Fei Yang up by the collar.
"Danielle, we're heading out first."
"Alright, let's keep in touch."
After Danielle walked Leng out, she came back to find Rain already asleep in Zachary's arms.
Zachary noticed that Jin Shan looked like he had something to say, so he carried Rain upstairs.
Once they were alone, Jin Shan couldn't hold back his question.
"What was in that sauce?"
Danielle grinned. "Want to know? If you want to know, clean the dishes first. Once you're done, you'll find out."
After speaking, Danielle crossed her arms and just stood there watching him.
Jin Shan...
Clean the dishes?
How hard could that be?
Though, he had honestly never done it before.
After clumsily finishing the task, Danielle handed him a small box and pushed him out the door.
Jin Shan hesitated to open it. The familiar smell from dinner was definitely coming from inside.
He quickly tapped his wristband, and in the blink of an eye, a spaceship landed in front of him.
"Young master!"
"Quick—get us home as fast as possible!"
The Jin Family.
Normally at this hour, the head of the Jin family would already be asleep.
But tonight, the whole house was brightly lit. Something was clearly different.
Jin Baiwei was very thin, with sparse hair and a face full of wrinkles.
No one would guess that he was the head of the prestigious Jin Family and owner of the Jile Pure Land restaurant chain.
"Has the young master returned?"
"Sir, five minutes ago, message 'Scallion One' confirmed the young master's return."
Silence returned to the hall. From the sound alone, it felt like only two people were present.
But seated on both sides of Jin Baiwei were two full rows of slightly younger men and women.
No one spoke, but their expressions told very different stories.
Some were hopeful, some dismissive, others indifferent.
Click.
A soft sound at the door.
Everyone turned their heads in unison. Jin Shan rushed in with an eager look on his face.
He didn't even glance at the others—he ran straight to Jin Baiwei.
"Grandfather, look what I brought you!"
Jin Shan never expected Danielle would give him such a huge surprise.
On the spaceship, when he opened the box, there was a braised bear paw inside.
And a smaller box with that strange, tempting smell.
Seeing the dish, Jin Shan's heart stirred.
She knew.
She knew everything.
Before Jin Baiwei could say a word, the middle-aged man sitting to his right gave a cold snort.
"Jin Shan, you're not a kid anymore. Why are you still acting so reckless?
Don't you know your grandfather never eats at night?"
Jin Shan froze. In his excitement, he really had forgotten.
"Sorry, Uncle. I was too careless."
"If you keep being so impulsive, how can we trust you to take over the family business?"
"I heard you haven't visited any of the restaurants in days. What's the matter? Just got promoted to young master and already putting on airs?
Father, I think Jin Shan is still too immature. Maybe it's time to consider another heir."
Once one person spoke, more and more joined in.
It nearly turned into a full-on complaint session against Jin Shan.
Bang.
The table was slammed hard.