Chapter 71: The Beach Party and Hidden Intentions

No wonder even a formidable man like Long Tao had to address Zheng Qiao as ‘Big Sister’; her sheer physical power, demonstrated by stopping an ATV with her bare hands, had already forced Zhong Tian to reconsider the very limits of human possibility.

Moreover, judging by her demeanor, she appeared to have merely accomplished something utterly commonplace; after exchanging a few brief words with Li Jianren from a distance, she calmly strolled back as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

Addressing her as ‘Big Sister’ was, indeed, perfectly justified.

Nevertheless, mindful of her personal aversion to the nickname, and acutely aware of her formidable strength—enough to shatter Zhong Tian with a single punch—Zhong Tian resolved to forever keep the title ‘Big Sister’ concealed within her heart.

Whenever a situation arose, she would simply chant ‘Big Sister, awesome!’ in her mind, offering a silent, internal cheer.

Zhong Tian and the three others took the elevator back to the dining area and settled themselves at the table.

At this moment, everyone was gathered around the dining table.

Several exquisitely plated dishes adorned the dining table, their vibrant colors and enticing aromas stimulating everyone’s appetite.

It was Zhong Tian’s first time encountering such exquisitely prepared Chinese cuisine, which surpassed anything she had ever tasted in even the finest restaurants.

“Jianren’s mom is truly incredible,” Bai Ruijin whispered to Zheng Qiao, marveling softly.

Zheng Qiao nodded in acknowledgment.

“Just to clarify, I’m not Jianren’s mom,” Auntie Wang said, as she brought the last two dishes to the table and set them down before Bai Ruijin. “You can all simply call me Auntie Wang.”

“Oh, I see how it is then…”

Bai Ruijin, having misidentified Auntie Wang, picked up her water glass and feigned a drink, hoping to conceal her embarrassment.

As Auntie Wang settled into her seat at the far end of the table, Zhong Tian and the others picked up their chopsticks, commencing their midday meal.

Lin Chu, seated between Lin Yu and Zhong Jing, relentlessly served them both, somewhat flustering Lin Yu. Zhong Jing, on the other hand, accepted every offering without hesitation, chewing with a cool, impassive expression.

Li Jianren, as was his custom, was devouring his meal with the ferocity of a storm.

Compared to the refined manner of Su Linxi and Chu Lenghu, Zhong Tian felt as though she was witnessing a stark difference between two distinct eras.

Which two eras, precisely?

The primitive and the modern.

Both Bai Ruijin and Zheng Qiao ate rather reservedly, likely due to being guests in someone else’s home, and the presence of several unfamiliar faces at the dining table prevented them from fully relaxing.

As Zhong Tian dined, she observed the others, her mind silently turning over the details of the upcoming beach party.

She absolutely had to create an opportunity for Bai Ruijin and Li Jianren to have some alone time; the primary objective was to allow them to converse more freely and deepen their mutual understanding.

After all, true romance, it was said, always blossomed from a foundation of understanding.

Whether they could manage a good conversation would be the pivotal factor for this late summer beach party!

She would consult with Bai Ruijin right after dinner.

The third LJR Strategy Meeting!

****

‘Is that Zhong Tian’s older sister?’

At that moment, Zheng Qiao, chewing her meal, glanced at the cool-faced Zhong Jing, then at the expressionless, seemingly pensive Zhong Tian, finding herself momentarily unable to differentiate between the two.

‘These sisters not only bear a striking resemblance, but their personalities are surprisingly similar too…’

‘It’s just that the older sister seems a touch more aloof…’

‘And speaking of which, that delicate, doll-like little girl I saw earlier, who was also quite cold, must be part of Zhong Tian’s family too—perhaps a relative of some sort…’

‘With the three of them under one roof, wouldn’t they just freeze each other out completely…’

Zheng Qiao didn’t understand it, but she was profoundly struck by the thought.

Zheng Qiao imagined that if she were to live with the three of them, she would surely find it unbearable, necessitating a move out by the very next day.

Lost in thought, she meticulously finished the last grains of rice in her bowl.

She glanced back towards the kitchen, a faint desire for another bowl stirring within her, but deeming it impolite, she merely looked away and dismissed the thought.

‘I’ll just stick to the dishes.’

Auntie Wang’s culinary skills were, without a doubt, extraordinary, completely captivating Zheng Qiao’s palate and leading her to the profound realization that the emotional scenes in gourmet anime were indeed factual—people truly could be moved to tears by exceptionally delicious food.

While no actual tears welled up, the depth of her emotion was undeniably real.

‘Perhaps I should just follow in my mother’s footsteps and enter the culinary world, dedicate myself to mastering cooking, and then, whenever I have the time, prepare dishes of this caliber for myself—it might even alleviate my future self’s mental exhaustion.’

****

Watching Zheng Qiao devour her meal with such gusto, Bai Ruijin couldn’t help but feel a pang of secondhand embarrassment.

‘She’s eating far too quickly and far too much! Her table manners are atrocious, and she even has this look of utter bliss! While I agree the food is delicious, this is someone else’s home—you shouldn’t let yourself go like this when you’re a guest in someone else’s home!’

Yet Zheng Qiao herself appeared entirely unconcerned.

Or perhaps she was simply oblivious to her current lack of table etiquette.

Bai Ruijin, quietly taking small bites of her food, furtively lifted her gaze to observe Li Jianren, who was likewise devouring his meal with storm-like intensity.

‘An unknowing observer might easily mistake them for competitors in an eating contest…’

****

Auntie Wang observed the nine individuals dining before her, a subtle shift in her mood.

‘The friends Li Jianren mentioned were coming over to visit are all girls…’

‘I wonder what Xiao He’s reaction will be when he returns home and witnesses this scene.’

‘Knowing Xiao He, he’ll probably be absolutely thrilled.’

Auntie Wang smiled, inwardly teasing her best friend.

With a gentle smile, she rose, intending to prepare dessert.

****

“I’ve prepared dessert in advance,” Auntie Wang announced, rising from her seat as she observed that most had finished their meals. “It’s my homemade ice cream; would everyone care for some?”

“Auntie Wang, I’ll have two scoops!”

Like a child, Li Jianren was the first to eagerly raise his hand.

“Alright, then everyone gets two scoops,” Auntie Wang said, then added, “Oh, and are there any girls who can’t have ice cream right now? I’ve also made some macarons…”

“Just bring everything out!”

Li Jianren still had his hand enthusiastically raised.

“Alright.”

Auntie Wang then entered the kitchen and returned, serving each person a double scoop of ice cream accompanied by macarons.

Each serving of ice cream featured two scoops, one generously drizzled with chocolate sauce, the other with strawberry jam.

Zhong Jing carefully scooped up the chocolate-drizzled portion and transferred it to Lin Chu’s bowl.

“Still not a fan of chocolate, I see,” Lin Chu remarked with a smile, pushing her strawberry-flavored scoop of ice cream towards Zhong Jing. “Here, a return gift.”

Zhong Jing simply hummed in acknowledgment, a quiet form of thanks.

Lin Yu, spoon in mouth, covertly observed her older sister.

‘Their relationship is incredibly close, isn’t it?’

She then lifted her gaze to Zhong Jing, whose face, bearing an eighty percent resemblance to Zhong Tian’s, held her captive, making it impossible to look away.

It was truly as her sister had described: a super beauty, and merely observing her impassive expression was enough to set one’s heart racing.

However, according to Lin Chu, this stunning beauty was not only completely inept at self-care but also possessed a rather volatile temper, having even unilaterally beaten up ‘harassers’ during her high school and college years.

Lin Yu, merely hearing her sister’s account, was already thoroughly shocked, unable to imagine the grim scene that must have unfolded.

Compared to her older sister, Zhong Tian was practically an angel.

Yet now, that violent, icy beauty was interacting amicably with Lin Chu, even exchanging ice cream, which gave Lin Yu a sense of unreality.

She also felt a little as though Lin Chu had misled her.

The ice cream portions were not large, and the nine people quickly finished, most then settling back contentedly. Only Li Jianren darted to the refrigerator, swiftly grabbing a few more scoops.

“Aren’t you afraid of a stomach ache, eating so much?” Zhong Tian asked, entering the kitchen to help Auntie Wang wash dishes, while chiding Li Jianren.

“Afraid of what?!” Li Jianren laughed heartily. “I have a body of steel; a little ice cream won’t faze me.”

“If they don’t cast you in the second Superman movie, I won’t accept it.”

Li Jianren flopped onto the sofa, eating ice cream as he selected a TV program.

“Any interesting movie recommendations?”

Lin Yu sat on the sofa. “Aren’t we having a beach party? Are we still watching movies?”

“We just finished eating, didn’t we?” Li Jianren stretched, nearly spilling the ice cream from his cup. “Let’s just sit for an hour first.”

“Good point…”

“Lin Yu!” Lin Chu exclaimed, holding two bags of clothes in one hand and pulling Zhong Jing with the other. “Let’s go change!”

“Now?”

“Yes, yes!”

Saying this, she tossed one of the bags of clothes to Lin Yu.

Li Jianren, spoon in mouth, mumbled indistinctly, “There’s a changing room by the beach. You guys head down first.”

Lin Yu, who had also wanted to rest, saw Lin Chu’s high spirits and followed along.

Zhong Jing, pulled along by Lin Chu, seemed somewhat reluctant as she entered the elevator and descended to the beach.

Having changed into their beach shoes upon entering the house, Zhong Jing, who intensely disliked the sensation of sand in her shoes, displayed a rare expression of distaste, standing motionless before the sandy expanse.

“Come on, we can just rinse off later!”

“…” Zhong Jing was silent for a moment. “Why do you need to take me with you to change?”

“You need to change too,” Lin Chu said. “I even prepared a swimsuit for you.”

“…?”

“Let’s go.” Lin Chu firmly pulled Zhong Jing into the changing room, stuffing the swimsuit into her arms. “Here, put it on and let me see!”

“…I won’t.”

“Be a good girl~”

Outside their changing room, Lin Yu grew increasingly convinced that something was amiss between the two.

While she knew her sister had such a personality, it was becoming genuinely difficult not to let her mind wander to certain implications.

She cleared her throat, hugging her own swimsuit, ready to enter the adjacent changing room.

At that moment, Bai Ruijin, Zheng Qiao, and Chu Lenghu also arrived on the beach.

Lin Yu waved in greeting. “Are you here to change?”

“Yes.”

“Then you go first.”

Lin Yu stepped aside for Bai Ruijin, standing next to Zheng Qiao.

“Alright… Thank you…”

Bai Ruijin appeared somewhat shy; after thanking Lin Yu, she quickly entered the changing room with her bag.

‘These must be the three new faces; I wonder if Zhong Tian is a schoolmate of the boy.’

“Are you classmates with Xiao Zhong?” Lin Yu tentatively asked the two beside her.

“No, we’re all from Class Four, Zhong Tian’s neighboring class,” Zheng Qiao replied. “We only recently met Zhong Tian…”

Lin Yu nodded. “Hmm, when you hang out with Xiao Zhong, do you ever find her particularly cold?”

“She definitely is…”

Zheng Qiao affirmed, feeling that Lin Yu had hit the nail on the head.

“Haha, after you get to know her longer, you’ll find that Xiao Zhong is actually a very warm-hearted girl.”

‘Warm-hearted…’ Zheng Qiao imagined it and felt it might indeed be true.

If Zhong Tian didn’t have a good heart, she wouldn’t go to such lengths to help Bai Ruijin pursue Li Jianren. Perhaps Zhong Tian truly was the type who was cold on the outside but warm on the inside.

“…I think she’s a very good person.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Yu largely confirmed her suspicions.

However…

She grew perplexed again.

Why would Zhong Tian invite several people who were unaware of her male identity to a beach party? Wouldn’t that increase her risk of exposure?

Lin Yu planned to find an opportune moment to ask Zhong Tian.

Chu Lenghu had remained silent on the side, observing Lin Yu with a thoughtful expression.