Take her as my wife

This barbecue restaurant is indeed very popular, and with the joint event held by the two schools today, the restaurant was packed to capacity.

So Jiang Ni and her group were politely stopped at the door by the waiter: "Excuse me, sir and madam, there are no seats available right now. You will need to wait in line."

There are countless restaurants around this business district, so Fang Zhe certainly wouldn't waste Jiang Ni's time waiting at the entrance.

Just as he was about to refuse, a young man strode towards them: "Sister, what a coincidence."

Standing at 1.92 meters tall, Tan Wen loomed over Fang Zhe like a small mountain, looking down at him with a cold and disdainful glint in his deep black eyes beneath his hat brim.

As a shrewd and worldly person, Fang Zhe was quite adept at reading people and immediately sensed Tan Wen's hostility towards him. Initially, Fang Zhe was a little confused, but when he saw Tan Wen instantly shed his hostility when he turned to face Jiang Ni, he understood immediately.

This handsome guy sees him as a love rival; no wonder he's hiding a knife in his eyes.

What Jiang Ni saw before her was a small wild leopard with its claws retracted. She nodded in response, "What a coincidence."

Tan Wen extended an invitation directly: "If you and your friend don't mind, you can share a table. We've reserved quite a few seats today."

Zhao Qian, keeping a close eye on everything, quickly whispered to Zhou Kaiyuan, "Let them know in the social group that there are no seats left for those who haven't arrived yet, and we can reschedule for another time."

Jiang Ni didn't want to have dinner alone with Fang Zhe in the first place, but she didn't show it outwardly: "You're having a classmate reunion, right? Will I be disturbing you?"

Fang Zhe opened his mouth, but was a step too slow for Tan Wen. Tan Wen directly called out, "Zhao Qian, make room for two people—we won't disturb you. It's lunchtime, and you might have to wait in line wherever you go."

Jiang Ni turned to Fang Zhe and asked, "Director Fang, what do you think?"

Fang Zhe was naturally unwilling, but he suspected that if he said "no," the handsome guy in front of him would beat him up on the spot. He smiled awkwardly and said, "I'm fine with anything, I'm fine with anything."

When they sat down, Jiang Ni naturally sat with Tan Wen, while Fang Zhe sat opposite them, next to a bespectacled, refined-looking boy. This was Feng Yin, the youngest member of Tan Wen's dorm.

This table is for six people, and there is a girl sitting in the single seat on each side.

The two girls were initially excited about getting a good spot next to the handsome guy, but their excitement subsided after seeing Jiang Ni and Tan Wen sitting together.

Tan Wen paid no attention to others. He completely changed his aloofness when he first arrived, carefully rinsing the bowls and chopsticks with tea before placing them in front of Jiang Ni. He even lowered his head and asked her, "Sister, would you like an apron?"

Jiang Ni was wearing a white dress, and she nodded, "I want it."

The waiters were busy bustling around, so Tan Wen got up to go to the front desk to get her an apron. When she came back, the dishes they had ordered were being served one after another.

This was actually the first time Jiang Ni had ever eaten barbecue that required her to grill it herself.

Neither she nor Liu Jiaren like trouble and neither of them can cook, so when they eat out, they usually prioritize convenience.

She sat upright, as elegant as if she were in a high-end Western restaurant, but in reality she was completely clueless about how to grill that pile of raw meat and vegetables.

There were two barbecue tongs on the table. Feng Yin took one first, and Fang Zhe and Tan Wen simultaneously reached for the remaining one. The two exchanged a glance. Fang Zhe, being over thirty, didn't have the competitive spirit. Of course, the main reason was that Tan Wen was prickly and looked unapproachable, which made him somewhat intimidated.

Fang Zhe withdrew his hand first.

Tan Wen picked up the clip; his hands were large, and he manipulated the clip with exceptional ease.

Jiang Ni doesn't eat fatty meat, but she likes beef and chicken wings. Tan Wen, who has lived under the same roof as her for a year, knows everything about her. He grilled only her favorite foods, leaving the pork belly and the like untouched. Jiang Ni noticed this detail, tugged at his sleeve under the table, and whispered in his ear, "You can grill some other things too."

The baking tray is quite large, with two more on the table, more than enough to bake a variety of ingredients.

Tan Wen lowered his eyes to look at her fair fingers tugging at the hem of his clothes. His throat bobbed with an extremely dull feeling, and his earlobes, which had been warmed by her breath, began to heat up uncontrollably.

He felt goosebumps all over his body trembling uncontrollably because of her closeness.

It's so hot.

"...Okay." He obediently agreed, his movements becoming much stiffer.

The barbecue restaurant was crowded and noisy, and Jiang Ni didn't hear his slightly hoarse reply.

The beef didn't need to be grilled for too long, so Tan Wen naturally placed the first slice on Jiang Ni's plate. Jiang Ni said "thank you," and just as she picked up her chopsticks, Tan Wen gently placed his hand on her wrist: "I'll cut it into smaller pieces for you, so it'll be easier to eat."

Jiang Ni nodded, and only began to eat slowly after Tan Wen had cut the thick-cut beef into evenly sized cubes.

Zhao Qian and Zhou Kaiyuan at the other table stared in disbelief, exchanging bewildered glances.

Zhou Kaiyuan stroked his chin and said wistfully, "So even a cool guy like Brother Wen can be a simp..."

Zhao Qian stuffed a mouthful of pork belly into his mouth and hummed, "Cool~ dog~".

Jiang Ni didn't notice anything amiss with Tan Wen's meticulous care, because the way Tan Wen interacted with her back in Ning County that year was similar to how it was now.

She had little experience in life, not to mention that the Tan family's economic conditions were ordinary, and they didn't have any high-end appliances at home, only old and outdated ones, many of which she didn't know how to use.

At that time, He Xiaoling had to mind the shop during the day. He Xiaoling ran a hardware store, which Tan Mei helped manage, while Tan Jianming worked as a carpenter on construction sites. The whole family left early and returned late. Only Tan Wen had nothing to do during the summer vacation and spent the most time with Jiang Ni.

Jiang Ni never imagined that the seemingly unapproachable little leopard was actually very skilled in life skills. Not only was it good at housework, but it could also cook, and even make hand-pulled noodles and dumplings.

In return for Tan Wen's care, Jiang Ni offered to tutor him.

Over time, the siblings' relationship became increasingly harmonious—that's what Jiang Ni thought.

At that time, Tan Wen had just turned eighteen, while Jiang Ni was already twenty-four, making her six years older than him. In her eyes, Tan Wen was naturally a younger brother who was cold on the outside but warm on the inside.

Although Fang Zhe had no further thoughts about Jiang Ni, he couldn't help but feel annoyed by Tan Wen's sudden appearance. So he put down his chopsticks and wanted to provoke Tan Wen with his words.

"Jiang Ni, your younger brother is so thoughtful, and you two siblings have such a good relationship," he smiled, feigning doubt, "but your brother doesn't look much like you."

Feng Yin, who had been silently grilling meat, looked up at Tan Wen, slowly put down the tongs, and was ready to mediate the fight.

His provocation made Tan Wen pause in his work. Then, as if nothing had happened, he picked up the chicken wing that was finally cooked and put it on his plate. He then put on disposable gloves and began to skillfully debone and peel the meat. After completely separating the chicken bone from the meat, he placed a perfect boneless chicken wing on Jiang Ni's plate.

"He's not my biological brother," Jiang Ni answered Fang Zhe's question casually, then turned to praise Tan Wen, "You're really amazing. I still haven't learned that trick."

She was clearly gifted in learning, but she was completely clueless when it came to cooking. She even tried to learn how to make a simple dish of scrambled eggs with tomatoes with Aunt Zhou, but she cut her hand while chopping tomatoes, which scared Aunt Zhou so much that she quickly asked Aunt Zhou to leave the kitchen.

The word "clumsy" is only used to describe her in situations like this.

Tan Wen was delighted by her praise, and in a few words he peeled another one for her and put it on her plate, saying in a cool, deep voice, "I don't take on apprentices."

Jiang Ni smiled slightly and accepted his joke: "I didn't say I wanted to learn."

From Tan Wen's perspective, he could clearly see her upturned eye corners and long, curled eyelashes, which fluttered gently. Every tremor was a devastating blow to Tan Wen.

It made his heart ache and soften.

Fang Zhe felt like he'd punched cotton, and he didn't want to do anything so childish and undignified anymore. He ate quietly for the rest of the meal, though he couldn't taste anything.

When it was time to pay, Zhao Qian came to Tan Wen to get his card.

Fang Zhe took out his wallet: "I'll pay for me and Jiang Ni's."

Jiang Ni glanced at Tan Wen. She recognized the card he pulled from his wallet; you couldn't get this kind of credit card without certain qualifications. Tan Wen had only been in university for a short time and hadn't even entered the workforce yet. How did he manage to get such a card?

She couldn't help but overthink, after all, Tan had a criminal record, which Jiang Ni hadn't forgotten.

Tan Wen handed the card to Zhao Qian, glancing at Fang Zhe's wallet: "Consider this meal a treat for my sister, don't be shy."

The implication is—you don't need to invite me back next time, so don't come looking for me to have dinner with you again.

Zhao Qian went to pay the bill. Jiang Ni had been in the smoky restaurant for a while and was eager to get some fresh air. Seeing that she was about to leave, Fang Zhe said, "How about I take you home? It's getting late."

Tan Wen followed closely behind Jiang Ni, waiting to hear her response to Fang Zhe.

Jiang Ni naturally declined: "No need, we're not going that way. I drove here, I'll take a taxi to the teahouse to pick up my car later, so don't bother."

Not wanting to make a fool of himself, Fang Zhe nodded and left first.

Jiang Ni looked at Tan Wen. Since no one was around, she lowered her voice and said in a serious tone, "You are a student at the Public Security University now. You can't act like you used to."

Tan Wen's cold, hard lips curled into a slight smile: "What was I like before?"

Jiang Ni said tactfully, "Fighting and brawling."

Tan Wen put his hands in his pockets, bent down and got closer to her: "Sister, you want to ask me about that card, right? Don't worry, my money is clean, and I don't get into fights anymore."

This distance actually exceeded normal social distancing. Jiang Ni met his slightly smiling eyes, seemingly oblivious, showing no discomfort at having her private space invaded. She simply subconsciously raised her hand and patted his baseball cap: "That's good. Are you guys still going to play? You're here for a social event, right? Lots of girls are looking at you."

Tan lowered his head even further so she could pat her own head, saying, "I'm just here to pay. They're going to sing karaoke, but I'm not going. I'll go with you to get the car."

Jiang Ni clapped twice and then stopped, shaking her head to refuse him: "No, thank you for the barbecue tonight, you go and have fun with them."

Tan Wen pursed his lips and sighed, "Okay, then be careful. Send me a message when you get home."

Jiang Ni called a ride-hailing service on her phone. The car was nearby, so it arrived quickly. Tan Wen went to open the car door for her.

"By the way," Jiang Ni paused as she got into the car, seemingly just asking casually, "how did you hurt your left hand?"

Tan Wen pulled his left hand out of his pocket, his palm covered with a waterproof bandage. He answered calmly, "I accidentally cut myself yesterday."

Jiang Ni couldn't tell if his wound was new or old, but she nodded and said, "Be careful to keep it dry and avoid infection—goodbye."

Tan closed the car door for her and obediently said goodbye, "Goodbye, sister."

The car drove away.

Tan Wen's eyes were deep and her eyelids drooped—she was as clever as ever.

He absolutely adored her intelligence, composure, and keen insight.