My girlfriend isn't as cute as me.

"Hello, Auntie, my name is Lin Jiu."

Lin Jiu flashed her signature business smile, gentle and polite without being obsequious, a very tender smile.

There's an art to this smile. After observing many excellent salespeople, Lin Jiu discovered that they all often had their own signature smiles. Sometimes, a perfectly timed smile can dispel the gloom of the day, leaving one feeling refreshed and relaxed.

To practice that smile, Lin Jiu practiced it in front of the mirror hundreds and thousands of times until it became muscle memory.

Because Lin Jiu is usually a serious person, he doesn't even have a single classmate he can talk to, so don't expect him to chat or laugh with anyone. The pressure of daily life is suffocating him. Back in his old home in the urban village, when Lin Jiu saw that man and his group of gambling buddies, he couldn't smile at all. Not crying was his last act of defiance.

For example, during the time Lin Jiu lived at Wang Yuting's house, he showed more genuine smiles than in the previous eight years combined.

"Wow."

Ning Yueyao turned to look at Lin Jiu's smile; this wasn't the first time she had seen Lin Jiu smile.

The last time Lin Jiu showed such a sunny and cheerful smile was when he refused her request for extracurricular tutoring.

Ning Yueyao's gaze instantly turned resentful as she stared at Lin Jiu with a melancholy look.

This guy's smile is never a good sign.

He kept smiling.

Ning's mother stepped aside to let you in, welcoming you with, "Please come in, I'll prepare slippers for you."

"Thank you auntie."

Lin Jiu thanked him with a smile.

He took off his shoes and stood at the door, waiting for the other person to bring him slippers before putting them on and going inside.

Ning's mother glanced at Lin Jiu. Compared to Yao Yao's chubby friend Huang Minmin, Lin Jiu was obviously much more polite and distant.

Not only that, Ning's mother also noticed that Lin Jiu didn't look around or stare at her after entering the house. Unlike Huang Minmin, who curiously surveyed her surroundings and kept glancing at her intentionally or unintentionally, Lin Jiu walked forward with a composed smile. His every move was graceful and natural. This sense of distance made people feel very comfortable; when Huang Minmin came to visit before, it felt like a real estate agent bringing someone to view a house.

Ning's mother finally breathed a sigh of relief.

My biggest fear is that my daughter will make bad friends.

"Uncle Ningyuan."

Lin Jiu greeted Ning Yuan, who was sitting in the living room making dumplings. Ning Yuan looked up, and a glint flashed beneath his old glasses. It was a scrutinizing gaze, carrying an invisible sense of oppression that made it almost impossible to breathe.

Lin Jiu wore a gentle smile, and even his eyes remained unchanged.

The two just stared at each other.

"Dad, Lin Jiu, what are you doing?"

Ning Yueyao followed from behind, and seeing the two staring at each other, she tilted her head curiously.

"It's nothing, I just think the young man is quite handsome, and he looks a bit like me when I was young."

Ning Yuan smiled kindly, his demeanor exuding a refined and scholarly air, and his gaze toward Lin Jiu was full of admiration.

Ning Yueyao then realized that her father had already figured out Lin Jiu was a boy… Well, it made sense, since Lin Jiu hadn't changed into women's clothing and hadn't even tried to hide his Adam's apple. The other students in the class had only noticed his striking appearance because they had subconsciously overlooked other aspects of his appearance.

Two rabbits run side by side; how can one tell which is male and which is female?

Lin Jiu was relieved that she hadn't worn women's clothing.

For him, that eye contact just now actually held a lot of hidden thoughts.

Ning Yuan has probably investigated him, but fortunately Lin Jiu is not afraid of being investigated.

If you do nothing wrong in ordinary times, you won't be afraid of ghosts knocking on your door in the middle of the night.

Ok……

Is it shameful to be kept by an older woman?

No, Lin Jiu signed a legitimate contract with legal effect, establishing an employer-employee relationship. Of course, office romances are a different matter, since this company only has one boss and one employee.

"Stop embellishing your appearance; you weren't this good-looking when you were young."

Ning's mother, expressionless, undermined her husband without giving him any face.

Ning Yueyao glanced at her own father, then turned to look at Lin Jiu's appearance. She made a mental assessment and said seriously, "Dad, keep your and Mom's old photos in the cabinet. Next time you lie, remember to put the photos away so no one can see them. Ugh, so embarrassing."

"Why are you siding with outsiders!"

Ning Yuan's eyes widened in disbelief; he had never imagined that he would be so ruthlessly betrayed by his wife and daughter.

"Uncle Ning has a great temperament that makes people feel safe. That's how a man should be."

Lin Jiu smoothed things over, saying that this was his true feeling.

No matter how outstanding Lin Jiu's memory is, he can't imitate this kind of temperament.

This is a spirit honed through countless trials, a spirit that cannot be concealed even after many years of retirement from the military.

Lin Jiu had a vague feeling when he first met Ning Yuan that soldiers were different; they were full of pride and arrogance.

“Look at you, Xiaolin is much better at talking than you. You should learn from him.”

Ning Yuan laughed heartily and asked, "Xiao Lin, have you ever tried making dumplings? Would you like to try? It's a lot of fun."

"I haven't tried it, but I'm very interested in making dumplings."

Lin Jiu told the truth that he had never tried making dumplings before… In his memory, eating dumplings was something from a very long time ago. His mother was best at making dumplings and cooking noodles, a skill passed down from his maternal grandmother's generation. However, she had already divorced Lin Shanzong before passing it on to Lin Jiu. After that, Lin Jiu never saw her again, and she never took the initiative to look for him. They never met again.

“Okay, interest is the best teacher. If you don’t want to, I don’t want to teach you either.” Ning Yuan could tell that Lin Jiu wasn’t just being polite. His gaze towards Lin Jiu had become much more intimate, unlike the slightly scrutinizing look he had at the beginning.

"Thank you, Uncle."

Lin Jiu asked, "Is it okay to put my backpack here?"

"Of course, the restroom is inside, remember to wash your hands thoroughly."

"Ah."

Lin Jiu put down her backpack and walked towards the restroom.

Ning Yueyao was a little unhappy. She pointed at Lin Jiu's back and shouted to her father, "Dad, he's a guest. How can you ask a guest to help you cook? I was hoping he would teach me math!"

"Yaoyao, have you forgotten that your diary is still on the table?"

"...You read through my diary?"

Ning Yueyao's expression changed drastically, her face turning red and then white.

"How could I possibly read your diary without your permission? I didn't touch it; the diary is still on your desk."

Looking at his daughter, Ning Yuan realized that she had grown into a beautiful young woman without him noticing. Back when her mother was this age, many men were pursuing her, and he himself was a well-known handsome young man in the surrounding area; suitors practically wore down his doorstep. In terms of education, even the class monitor wasn't as cultured as him.

"...It's good that you didn't touch it."

Ning Yueyao slowly exhaled.

Who keeps a diary if they're a decent person? Can you write your true feelings in a diary? Do you? I don't.

However, Ning Yueyao is rather naive; she genuinely wrote down what was on her mind without thinking too much about it.

In her understanding, a diary is something written for oneself to read; can something written for others be called a diary?

"Aren't you going to put the notebook away?" Ning Yuan said with a smile.

"Dad...don't bully my classmate too much."

Ning Yueyao ultimately betrayed Lin Jiu. She walked towards the room, poked her head out, and gave him instructions.

"Look at what you're saying! Do you think I'm that kind of person? Bullying the weak? Is that even acceptable?"

"You are."

Ning Yueyao stuck out her tongue and turned back to her room to check if her diary had been read. She had forgotten to lock it in the closet because she went to bed too late last night; no wonder she had felt something was off about the room and kept worrying about it.

"A daughter is like a tree that cannot be kept at home once she grows up."

Ning Yuan shook his head helplessly.

Lin Jiu came out of the bathroom, washed his hands clean, and there was no residue under his fingernails.

"Come, come, Xiaolin, sit here. I'll teach you how to make dumplings."

Ning Yuan made way for her, glanced at Lin Jiu's hands, and nodded in satisfaction: "I'll demonstrate first, watch carefully."

"Ah."

Lin Jiu's face was serious and earnest.

"Place about 12 grams of meat filling on one-third of the dumpling wrapper, fold it in half, pinch the edges to create a decorative pattern, it's that simple."

Ning Yuan skillfully wrapped a dumpling, her movements so fast it was almost as if she blinked.

This is all from training in the army. Back then, I had to get up an hour earlier than the other teams every morning to cook.

I have no other skill than practice makes perfect.

"Do you need me to demonstrate it for you in slow motion?" Ning Yuan asked with a squinty smile.

It wasn't that Ning Yuan was being malicious or trying to cheat; he just wanted to show off in front of the younger generation.

After all, Ning Yuan is a middle-aged man, and he's not stupid. How could he not see that his daughter has feelings for Lin Jiu? A girl wouldn't bring someone she doesn't like home, nor would she let the other person into her room and want them to tutor her.

Ning Yuan felt helpless about this; to be honest, he did not approve of it.

Even though his daughter was seventeen and no longer a child, he still disagreed.

The college entrance exam is in two months, how can I have time to think about these things?

What happens after the college entrance exam?

Even after the college entrance exam, Yaoyao is still a minor!

Wait another year!

What happens after you turn eighteen?

This is university, so studies should be the priority.

This is probably the traditional mindset of Chinese parents.

"No need, I've written it down."

Lin Jiu picked up a steamed dumpling wrapper and placed it in her palm. With her other hand, she used a spoon to scoop up the meat filling, exactly twelve grams.

Ning Yuan watched as Lin Jiu folded and pinched the dumpling wrappers together with lightning speed, creating a decorative edge. Her small, delicate hands moved with surprising speed.