When Tong Yan opened the lunchbox, revealing a black and yellow mass inside, Jiang Tingyan slowly raised his eyes to look at her.

"What is this?"

Tong Yan even handed the chopsticks to Jiang Tingyan: "Tomato and egg stir-fry."

Jiang Tingyan suddenly felt a headache coming on.

He took the chopsticks from Tong Yan and placed them on the table: "Never mind, is there anything you want to eat? I'll take you out to eat."

Tong Yan looked at the food she had made and then at Jiang Tingyan, whose face clearly said "I don't want to eat."

The situation is already very clear: what she made is not edible at all.

Tong Yan didn't act coy at all, and said frankly, "Then let's go eat barbecue. I just returned to China and haven't had barbecue in a long time."

Jiang Tingyan stood up: "You choose the restaurant, I'll drive."

"good!"

-

Qiao Manman and Shen Que arrived at the entrance of a barbecue restaurant.

Seeing the long queue outside, Qiao Manman exclaimed in surprise, "Why is there so much stuff at this barbecue restaurant?"

Shen Que: "It's a newly opened shop. I heard that it has a particularly rich variety of ingredients, and the barbecue flavor is absolutely amazing."

Qiao Manman glanced at the time; it was already 10:30.

How long will we have to wait in line?

Qiao Manman was about to suggest eating at another restaurant when Shen Que had already unbuckled his seatbelt and was about to get out of the car.

As a result, Qiao Manman felt embarrassed to make another suggestion.

They could only follow Shen Que off the bus to get a number and queue up.

Fortunately, there were only three tables left waiting ahead of us.

After finding a place to sit down, Shen Que poured a cup of hot tea for Qiao Manman: "It's cold outside, you can warm your hands with this."

Qiao Manman thanked him, and Shen Que ran to get a menu and a pen and handed them to Qiao Manman.

"If you order in advance, they can prepare your food earlier, so you don't have to wait a long time after you go in."

As soon as Qiao Manman took the menu, Shen Que took the cup from her hand and put the pen in her hand.

"I'll hold the cup for you. You can choose what you want to eat first. Don't worry about my preferences; I'll eat everything."

Shen Que's thoughtfulness made Qiao Manman look up at him.

Seeing Qiao Manman look up at him, Shen Que asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

Qiao Manman shook her head, looked at the menu in her hand, and said, "Have I ever said you're very considerate?"

"Yes, but not many," Shen answered truthfully. "Because I don't have many close friends to begin with."

Qiao Manman didn't want to pry too much, so she just hummed in agreement and continued choosing.

After making her selections, she handed the menu to Shen Que and took back her cup.

Shen Que glanced at him and asked, "Why are you eating so little?"

Qiao Manman took a sip of water and looked at the young couple laughing and playing by the roadside: "I don't have much of an appetite."

Shen Que selected some signature barbecue items, and when he saw that Qiao Manman had chosen extra spicy, Shen Que couldn't help but swallow.

However, I didn't say much. After I selected the dishes, I circled them and handed them to the waiter, reminding him not to put spice in the barbecue.

After finishing his instructions and turning around, Shen Que suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye.

He stopped and looked at the approaching figure.

Upon seeing Jiang Tingyan, Shen Que greeted her with delight, "Teacher Jiang!"

Hearing someone call his name, Jiang Tingyan looked in the direction of the voice and his eyes narrowed slightly when he saw the boy.

The boy who repeatedly invited Qiao Manman out.

Jiang Tingyan glanced towards the waiting area, and sure enough, Qiao Manman was there.

A cold glint appeared in Jiang Tingyan's eyes.

I even came all the way here today to apologize to him, but it turns out I was out having a late-night snack with another man?

She had absolutely no idea how to write the word "danger"!

Shen Que happily ran up to Jiang Tingyan to greet him, but Jiang Tingyan walked straight towards Qiao Manman instead.

Shen Que's heart skipped a beat when he saw it.

broken!

He forgot that Teacher Jiang is still part of Manman's family!

It's so late and they're still out. As the older brother, I'm sure I'll have to give them a good scolding!

Shen Que followed closely behind with a worried expression, leaving Tong Yan, who looked bewildered, behind, staring at Jiang Tingyan's inexplicable behavior.

When Jiang Tingyan stopped in front of a pretty girl, Tong Yan curiously walked over there.

When Qiao Manman saw a figure standing in front of her, she thought that Shen Que had brought something again.

When she turned off her phone and looked up, she was immediately confronted with Jiang Tingyan's dark and handsome face.

Qiao Manman was stunned.

What's this guy doing here?!

Jiang Tingyan didn't linger in front of Qiao Manman for long. After making eye contact, he walked straight ahead and chose a nearby spot to sit down.

Qiao Manman followed his figure and saw that he was sitting in the seat next to Shen Que, so she couldn't help but widen her eyes.

"you……"

"Manman, your...your brother is here. Looks like he's here for barbecue too."

Shen Que's gaze swept over the two of them. Seeing that Qiao Manman hadn't been scolded, he finally sat down in his seat with a little relief.

Just as Qiao Manman was about to respond, a sweet voice entered her ears.

"Ah Yan, why are you walking so fast?"

Qiao Manman looked up at the sound and saw the girl she had seen that night walk past her and head towards Jiang Tingyan.

She sat down next to Jiang Tingyan, and then glanced at Qiao Manman.

After their eyes met, she smiled at Qiao Manman in a friendly manner and nodded.

Qiao Manman responded politely, then turned around and sat there with a blank expression.

She couldn't understand what kind of coincidence this was.

Shen Que raised his hand and waved it twice in front of Qiao Manman: "Manman? Why are you spacing out?"

His words reached Jiang Tingyan's ears.

Jiang Tingyan narrowed his eyes slightly.

Full?

He called her that so affectionately!

Qiao Manman snapped out of her reverie: "It's nothing, I was just thinking about some things."

Shen Que suddenly realized: "You mean Zhu Liangqi's matter, right?"

Qiao Manman nodded in agreement: "Mm."

"If you're really worried about Zhu Liangqi, I can find someone to keep an eye on him for you."

Shen Que reached out and picked up the cup from Qiao Manman's hand to test its temperature.

Seeing that the water was no longer hot enough, he got up to help Qiao Manman get more water.

With Shen Que gone, the line of sight between Qiao Manman and Jiang Tingyan was no longer obstructed, and the sounds of their conversations became much clearer.

"Ayan, is that girl your stepsister? She's so pretty and cute."

Jiang Tingyan said in a calm voice, "You're not much different either."

Tong Yan was amused by Jiang Tingyan: "When we were little, you always said I looked like a little boy, but now you say I'm pretty?"

Jiang Tingyan explained expressionlessly, "The past and the present cannot be compared."

Upon hearing this, the smile on Tong Yan's face froze somewhat.

However, due to the large number of people, there were some things she couldn't ask in public, so she simply changed the subject.

Why didn't you greet your stepsister? Are you not very familiar with her?

Qiao Manman: "..."

Don't get too familiar with them, or they'll become overly familiar.

Even though she thought so, Qiao Manman was very curious about how Jiang Ting would respond at the banquet.

Unexpectedly, Shen Que returned with hot water.

"This cup is a little hot, so please handle it carefully."

Just as Qiao Manman took it, Tong Yan suddenly spoke up: "Is this your stepsister's boyfriend? How thoughtful."

Qiao Manman almost dropped the cup in her hand.

A smile that could not be hidden appeared on Shen Que's face.

Like a bull, he turned to Tong Yan and said, "Do I look like Manman's boyfriend?"

When Tong Yan saw him speaking to her, she quickly and politely replied, "It looks very similar."

Shen Que's eyes clearly showed excitement, but he also scratched his head sheepishly.

"I don't know if I'll ever have the chance to be Manman's boyfriend."

Jiang Tingyan, sitting in the middle, had a face that was clearly as black as coal.

He shot Shen Que a cold, icy gaze: "Just pouring a glass of water is enough to make someone a boyfriend?"

Qiao Manman turned her head to look at Jiang Tingyan.

Unfortunately, Shen Que's head was blocking her view, so she couldn't see the expression on Jiang Tingyan's face.

The only thing that could be noticed was that Jiang Tingyan's tone was very harsh.

Shen Que could also clearly sense Jiang Tingyan's hostility.

He responded somewhat blankly, "This...this is just the most basic. If you want to meet the standard, you have to give me plenty of opportunities."

"Full?"

Jiang Tingyan scoffed coldly: "With all those shouts, anyone who didn't know better would think you two were very close."

Shen Que blinked: "We're...we're pretty familiar with each other, I guess..."

"Having met two or three times and shopped together, does that mean we're familiar?"

Jiang Tingyan sneered, "Do you know what she likes to eat? Do you know what she likes to do? What are her hobbies?"

Shen Que was speechless for a moment before he finally spoke to explain.

"I don't know, but I can find out, Teacher Jiang..."

After Shen Que finished speaking, he took a deep breath and said, "Um, Teacher Jiang, my relationship with Manman is very simple right now. You don't need to have such a big opinion about me."

Jiang Tingyan was about to speak again when Tong Yan suddenly tugged at his clothes.

"Ayan, what's wrong with you? These things aren't your business..."

Jiang Tingyan frowned slightly, and the words Qiao Manman had said that morning suddenly came to mind.

A hint of self-mockery involuntarily appeared at the corner of his lips.

Why does he care so much?

Nobody respects him at all, yet he always manages to make trouble for himself!

Shen Que awkwardly touched his nose, just as their number was called.

Shen Que quickly stood up and raised his hand: "Yes, I'll be right there."

He looked at Qiao Manman, who had also stood up, and asked, "Manman, do you want to eat with your brother and the others?"

Qiao Manman didn't have the same thoughts that Jiang Tingyan was having.

She turned her head and asked confidently, "Want to come along?"

Jiang Tingyan was about to refuse, but Tong Yan spoke first: "Is it alright? Won't it affect you two?"

"It won't have any positive impact."

Qiao Manman glanced at Jiang Tingyan's cold expression, wondering which friend had upset this gentleman again today.

She looked away and said, "But if you're not willing, you don't have to force yourself to agree."

"We're all family, there's no such thing as sitting at two separate tables."

Tong Yan spoke very frankly and pleasantly, and she tugged at Jiang Tingyan's sleeve.

"Ayan, shall we go together?"

Jiang Tingyan stood up as Tong Yan suggested, then looked up and met Qiao Manman's eyes.

Seeing that Qiao Manman's face was devoid of any emotion, Jiang Tingyan suddenly clenched his hand, which was in his pocket.

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