Xu Nuo stared at her for a while before finally blurting out, “What are you giggling about?”

  “Hehe, I’m just happy to see Sister Lin.”

  Xu Nuo’s mouth twitched. Sister Lin—to an outsider, you’d think they’d known each other forever with how affectionately she said it.

  “Is Xiao Ke in school?” Lin Wanqing suddenly asked.

  “Yup, starting senior year soon.”

  “Your family’s from Jiangcheng?”

  Xu Ke looked surprised. “Huh? How’d you know, Sister Lin?”

  Lin Wanqing froze, wondering how to expin.

  “Do I have an accent or something?” Xu Ke asked, tugging at her hair curiously.

  “A little bit. Most people wouldn’t notice.”

  “No wonder! Sister Lin, you’re from Jiangcheng too, right?” Xu Ke got excited again. “Next time you go back, take me with you! When my brother’s not home, my parents never take me anywhere.”

  “Sure, I’ll call you when I head back.”

  Lin Wanqing didn’t mind Xu Ke’s familiarity—in fact, she kind of liked it.

  She herself was straightforward, and Xu Ke’s carefree personality felt simir to hers.

  Though they’d only spent half a day together, Lin Wanqing already felt fond of her, unconsciously treating her like a little sister.

  “Mm!” Xu Ke nodded vigorously, her shoulder-length hair bouncing as her legs swung restlessly.

  When they reached their destination, Lin Wanqing parked, carefully putting on a hat, mask, and sungsses she grabbed from the car.

  Once inside the private room, Xu Ke watched her take off the mask and hat, saying sympathetically, “Sister Lin, do you always have to go out like this?”

  “It wasn’t so bad before, but tely, I get recognized easily,” Lin Wanqing said with a smile. “Gotta thank your brother for those two songs—they made me blow up.”

  Xu Nuo waved it off modestly. “Just two little songs, nothing big. Pure luck.”

  “…” Xu Ke covered her face. “Bro, your grin’s stretching to your ears.”

  “Ahem, order, order! Senior’s treating us today—let’s go all out.”

  Lin Wanqing rolled her eyes at him. “Xiao Ke, what do you want to eat?”

  In the end, they ordered a few signature dishes on Lin Wanqing’s recommendation.

  None of them drank alcohol. Lin Wanqing raised a gss of juice. “Xu Nuo, a toast to you. Those two songs you wrote really saved me this time. Otherwise, Chen Xiaoman would’ve mocked me for life after that st fiasco.”

  Xu Nuo clinked gsses with her. “Mutual benefit, right? I should thank you for helping me make money. Those two songs earned me three million—without them, I’d have to save my sary for over a decade without eating or drinking.”

  “Bro, we’re rich now?!” Xu Ke excimed.

  “What’s the fuss? With your brother’s skills, making money’s a piece of cake,” Xu Nuo bragged smugly.

  He couldn’t show off like this at the company—too easy to rub people the wrong way.

  But now, it was just Lin Wanqing, who knew how much he’d earned, and his sister.

  Xu Nuo went on a boasting spree, feeling as refreshed as if he’d eaten a ginseng fruit.

  The two women listened quietly, chiming in occasionally, and even that made Xu Nuo feel great.

  Sure enough, showing off was a basic human need.

  Mid-meal, Xu Ke scooted over to sit by Lin Wanqing, asking Xu Nuo to snap a photo of them together.

  Xu Nuo watched, a bit miffed. Lin Wanqing was all business with him but extra warm with Xu Ke.

  If he didn’t have so little to offer, he’d almost suspect she had ulterior motives.

  “Sister Lin, do you have a boyfriend?” Xu Ke whispered in her ear.

  Lin Wanqing blushed. “You’re so young and already thinking about dating?”

  “No way, I don’t wanna date! But have you, Sister Lin?”

  “Nope,” Lin Wanqing said, loosening up since she was talking to a kid.

  “Awesome!” Xu Ke shouted excitedly.

  Lin Wanqing gave her a strange look. “Why’re you so thrilled?”

  “Uh, I’m happy for you, Sister Lin.”

  “Happy?”

  Xu Ke’s little brain went into overdrive. “Because I think no one in the entertainment industry deserves you.”

  Lin Wanqing chuckled. “You sure know how to talk.”

  “Oh, right,” Xu Ke said, lowering her voice as her eyes darted. “My brother doesn’t have a girlfriend either.”

  Lin Wanqing’s lips twitched imperceptibly. She almost said, Your brother’s a total pyer, but switched it to, “He’s probably hiding it from you guys.”

  “What! Really?” Xu Ke mulled it over. “Maybe… Last time he went on a blind date, he even asked me to sabotage it.”

  Lin Wanqing stayed quiet. She knew about the blind date, of course—it still ticked her off thinking about it.

  “Sigh,” Xu Ke let out a dramatic breath.

  “What’s wrong?” Lin Wanqing asked, curious.

  Xu Ke looked her up and down. “Sister Lin, you’re just too perfect. I don’t know which jerk will end up marrying you.”

  Lin Wanqing’s face turned beet red. “You little brat, what nonsense are you spouting!”

  The two giggled and pyfully tussled.

  Xu Nuo watched in amazement. These two women clicked so well—meeting for the first time and already acting like sisters.

  “What’re you two chatting about?”

  Before Lin Wanqing could answer, Xu Ke jumped in. “Sister Lin said she wants you to write her another song.”

  Xu Nuo nearly choked. This sister was a lost cause—after one meal, she was already siding with the outsider.

  Lin Wanqing’s eyes sparkled as she smiled at him, saying nothing.

  “Fine, what kind of song do you want?” Xu Nuo took a sip of water, wiped his mouth, and spoke confidently.

  He was flush with cash now—his words carried weight.

  Lin Wanqing gnced at him, surprised, then thought for a moment. “Can I save it for ter?”

  “Sure, no problem. Just let me know when you want it.”

  Lin Wanqing nodded and went back to whispering with Xu Ke.

  With nothing to do, Xu Nuo pulled out his phone to scroll through news—a daily habit that often sparked inspiration.

  Yang Haonan sent him a video, saying the first episode was edited and asking for his thoughts.

  Xu Nuo tapped it open casually. The Dragon King’s crooked smirk boomed through the phone: “The 120 brothers who died in the Northern Frontier—they’d all y down their lives for the Dragon King!”

  Xu Nuo’s toes curled in secondhand embarrassment as he scrambled to mute it.

  The private room fell silent. Lin Wanqing gave him a loaded look, her expression unreadable.

  Xu Ke scratched her head, then perked up. “Bro, is that the Dragon King Son-in-Law thing from this afternoon?”

  At the name, Lin Wanqing bit her lip hard to keep from ughing, struggling to hold it in.

  “What do kids know?” Xu Nuo said, unfazed, pulling out earbuds and putting them on.

  “Bro, I wanna see too!” Xu Ke lunged at him.

  “Ahem, stop it. We’ll watch it back home,” Xu Nuo said, mortified and itching to escape.

  In the end, Lin Wanqing drove them back.

  Before leaving, she hesitated, gave him a complicated look, and drove off.

  (End of Chapter)