My girlfriend isn't as cute as me.

"I'm so hungry! How much longer do I have to wait?"

"Okay, okay." Lin Jiu finally snapped out of her daze, turned her head to hide her flushed face, and waved her hand. "Go sit down in the lobby first. I've made some snacks to go with the drinks. You can have some barley sparkling juice tonight... one can at most!"

"Great!"

Wang Yuting happily returned to the dining table, filled with anticipation for the happy times to come.

As for why Lin Jiu knew that Wang Yuting liked to drink... how could he not know? The refrigerator was full of canned beer, and when he was cleaning the house in the afternoon, he also found a lot of empty cans in the trash can.

An alcoholic older sister.

That's cute, but drinking alcohol is really bad for your health.

"and many more."

Lin Jiu's hand trembled slightly.

Hopefully, Wang Yuting has a good alcohol tolerance...

Otherwise, it will damage your kidneys.

—Lin Jiu's kidney.

Chapter Twenty: Praise Me, Right Now!

"cheers!!"

Wang Yuting raised her barley sparkling juice and toasted Lin Jiu in front of her.

Although Lin Jiu was an adult, he didn't dare to drink. A man and a woman alone in a room, drinking together… what if something really happened? He hadn't bought Okamoto 003, and he knew his own strength. If things really got out of hand, he'd likely lose control, and by then his child would be old enough to run errands.

Lin Jiu is a responsible person.

He won't let lust cloud his judgment to the point of mistaking it for love.

Liking someone is liking them, and lusting after someone's body is lusting after someone's body; it's important to distinguish between these two things.

If Lin Jiu really falls for Wang Yuting, then he has to consider her feelings. He can't have a child before they even get their marriage certificate, can he? What will others think of her? The child needs a household registration to attend school properly after birth... There are many problems. Some things can be solved with money, but others cannot.

Family is a crucial factor in shaping a child's future development.

Lin Jiu had suffered from this before, and he didn't want to become the person he hated most in the future.

This is Lin Jiu's principle.

"so bitter."

Lin Jiu sipped his Huiyuan juice, the sour and bitter taste of orange peel filling his nostrils, causing him to instinctively stick out his tongue. As the bitterness subsided, a sweetness slowly spread, much like life itself—even the longest night eventually gives way to dawn.

It tastes good, but I haven't had a beverage in a long time, so it's a bit unusual.

When working at a convenience store, sometimes employees receive complimentary drinks that aren't for sale. Lin Jiu is very frugal and would never spend money on anything, so she readily accepts these as employee perks. However, these complimentary drinks are usually energy drinks, which shouldn't be consumed in large quantities and are generally not very tasty. They are quite effective at keeping you alert, though, and are essential for those working the night shift.

"So delicious! This is so delicious!"

Wang Yuting tried the garlic butter roasted potatoes and found them so delicious that she smiled.

As the roasted potatoes came out of the oven, Lin Jiu added two pieces of butter and a large spoonful of canned corn. For a late-night snack, this was a high-calorie meal. As the saying goes, the higher the calories, the tastier it is. Lin Jiu was quite confident in the flavor; if it felt too rich, she could eat some cucumber salad to cleanse her palate—the two complemented each other perfectly.

I really want to eat rice!

Wang Yuting said in a coquettish voice, "How delicious would these two appetizers be if they were served with hot rice? I should have just bought a few packs of instant rice at the supermarket, the kind that you can just microwave and eat."

"No."

Lin Jiu cruelly rejected Wang Yuting's request.

"mean."

Wang Yuting muttered softly, puffing out her cheeks in dissatisfaction.

Lin Jiu glanced at her, then silently turned and walked to the kitchen.

Wang Yuting blinked, then her eyes lit up instantly. Could it be that Lin Jiu really cooked?

Looking forward to it!

Instead of rice, Lin Jiu took out a baking tray.

On the baking tray are...

Roasted eggplant.

Wang Yuting subconsciously crawled back a few steps, hid behind the sofa, and peeked out to stare at Lin Jiu.

"Why did you do this to me!" Wang Yuting looked betrayed.

“Being a picky eater isn’t good. I’m doing this for your own good.” Lin Jiu shook his head helplessly and fanned the air with his hand, letting the aroma of the grilled eggplant waft over. The eggplant, seasoned with minced garlic, chili, and chopped green onions, smelled wonderful. Lin Jiu had also specially brushed on some homemade barbecue sauce to make the flavor even richer.

Wang Yuting remained unmoved and even vehemently rebuked her, saying, "Are you a devil? Anyone who forces people to eat eggplant is a devil!"

"Let's discuss something."

Lin Jiu placed the baking tray on a folded damp cloth on the table to prevent it from getting too hot and leaving marks on the table.

“When I was little, my mother would praise me every time I overcame my aversion to certain foods. The same was true when I was learning various musical instruments and dances. If I didn’t want to learn anymore, she would praise me to the skies, which made me very happy. Because of this habit, I overcame my picky eating habit when I was young and was also willing to learn new things.”

Lin Jiu suggested, "So, if you can eat the eggplant, then I'll praise you—you're fast!"

Lin Jiu had barely finished speaking when Wang Yuting returned to her seat, picked up some eggplant meat with her chopsticks, and ate it.

"It's so hot, so hot! Ouch, ouch!"

She was in such a hurry that she forgot to blow on the food first and accidentally burned her mouth.

Lin Jiu quickly handed her some barley sparkling juice, and the chilled beer relieved the stinging sensation in her mouth.

Wang Yuting pursed her lips, her eyes slightly moist, and gave Lin Jiu a wistful look.

"Praise me."

"Right now."

"quick!"

Under the older sister's coercion, Lin Jiu was unknowingly forced to lie on the sofa. The girl gave him no chance to dodge, blocking his way with her arms, as if she were pinning him against a wall. The smell of wine was strong, and the fragrance of cherry blossoms filled the air. The heavy fruit unintentionally pressed against Lin Jiu's chest. Rather than feeling heavy, it was more like a force that made him want to bear it.

Throw away the tile!

BurytheLight!!

Lin Jiu smiled and reached out his hands to hug Wang Yuting's waist.

This was the first time he and she had ever hugged.

"Great job, amazing, so good boy/girl."

Lin Jiu gently patted her back, her tone incredibly tender, just like a mother's.

"Waaah..."

Overwhelmed by unimaginable shame and happiness, Wang Yuting felt her waist go weak and collapsed onto Lin Jiu. She managed to get up with great difficulty, using the sofa as a support.

"I want one more, I want one more..."

"Okay, okay, eat slowly, it's all yours."

Starting today, Wang Yuting has successfully overcome her aversion to eating eggplant.

— Rather, from now on, her favorite food will be eggplant.

This late-night snack wasn't extravagant, but for Wang Yuting, it was the most enjoyable meal she'd ever had.

Arriving in this unfamiliar city alone, without any classmates or friends I knew before, and with my parents not by my side.

Busy with work every day and with irregular eating habits, I sometimes feel like I'm no different from a walking corpse if I continue like this.

Although she already felt she had too few hobbies, it was becoming increasingly serious; she had no energy for anything besides work. Wang Yuting had also wondered if she would just continue working day after day, unknowingly passing the years. Finding a boyfriend might change things, at least it would be better than this meaningless existence.

I go home and sleep, then go to work; life and work are a monotonous routine. On my days off, I think I must do a thorough cleaning, but in the end, I just take the clothes to wash. I don't go shopping, I don't go to the movies, nothing.

Although love, marriage, children and all that stuff seem complicated... the most important thing is that I haven't met the right person yet, the person I truly want to spend my life with.

Such days continued until Wang Yuting met Lin Jiu.

A ray of light appeared in the gray world.

From then on, I was no longer alone.

Chapter Twenty-One: It Was So Good to Meet You

Wang Yuting initially doubted herself as well.

It was just an ordinary day, no different from any other.

She usually wakes up in the entryway of her home, goes to the bathroom in a daze, throws her clothes into the pile of laundry baskets, brushes her teeth and washes her face with her cat-shaped face brush, takes a hot bath, and then goes to work with renewed energy.

Later, during a chance visit to another shopping mall for market research, she was so tired that she randomly bought a bottle of water at a nearby convenience store and encountered an angelic child.

cute.

Her smile is so cute.

She looks so cute when she's working hard.

Because of her height, only half of her body was visible when she stood at the cashier, which was super cute.

How can he be so cute!

Did this person grow up eating cuteness?!

Because the convenience store clerks all wear name tags, Wang Yuting spotted the other person's name at a glance.

Lin Jiu.

The character 玖 has two meanings.

One is the traditional capitalized number "nine," which is commonly encountered in work and is often used for tickets, accounts, etc.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten—for those working in finance, this is nothing short of a ten-character mantra; a single mistake can cause drastic changes.

Simply put, if you fill in the wrong information and something goes wrong, you have to pay for it yourself. For a newbie, losing a few hundred yuan is a minor issue; the real problem is filling in an extra or missing number.

Another meaning of 玖 is a light black stone that resembles jade.