Tang Chen glanced at him.
“What are you doing hiding there?”
Like some little mouse!
Zhang Taining gave an awkward laugh and quickly denied it.
“I’m not hiding… just passing by, that’s all.”
“Oh.”
Tang Chen didn’t think much of it, just nodded and headed back to his room.
ε=(ο｀*))) sigh.
Seriously, a mother’s got no warning sense at all!
Saturday… only two days left! How is he supposed to get rid of this pimple in time?
It was infuriating!
He heaved a long sigh and walked past Zhang Taining.
Zhang Taining had been waiting for Tang Chen to speak to him.
And… nothing. He just watched Tang Chen walk by without saying a word!
Hadn’t Tang Chen asked everyone about him?
Was that real or fake?
Today—is it April Fools’ already?
He stood there for a moment, then couldn’t hold it in.
Damn it!
That guy’s going on a blind date!
Why is he bottling up like this?!
Zhang Taining’s expression shifted.
He turned, determined to go after Tang Chen.
Halfway there, San Yue called out to him.
“Zhang Taining? Where are you going?”
Huh?
San Yue?
Zhang Taining paused, instinctively replying,
“Nothing… just going.”
Nothing? You look like you’re about to storm a battlefield!
San Yue’s face said, I don’t buy it.
He hesitated, then grabbed Zhang Taining.
“You…”
He faltered.
Zhang Taining looked at him curiously.
“What?”
Why the serious expression?
San Yue thought for a moment, then softened his tone.
“You… are you going to see your family? Maybe you should talk with Xie Ge first?”
Zhang Taining froze.
Then his eyes flickered.
San Yue cleared his throat.
“That day, Xie Ge called me—I happened to be nearby.”
Ah… so he had actually witnessed Zhang Taining’s family showing up at the base that day.
Zhang Taining’s expression changed briefly, then returned to calm.
“It’s nothing. I’ve handled my family. Not a big deal.”
“I see.”
San Yue nodded.
Then, looking at Zhang Taining suspiciously, he asked, “So… what are you doing?”
Zhang Taining blinked.
Right! Almost forgot—he was supposed to go see Tang Chen!
Mentioning this, he rolled his eyes.
“Are you guys teaming up on me? Did Tang Chen really ask you what’s up with me? I saw him training with you all so comfortably, and when we met just now, he didn’t even acknowledge me!”
He hadn’t even gotten a chance to ask about the blind date!
“Ah?”
San Yue was stunned—but Tang Chen did ask them, right?
He didn’t fully understand, but the training thing?
“The training… he said last time we lost the finals because our coordination wasn’t good, so he planned to train with me more. I don’t think it was his fault, but he seemed to care quite a bit.”
Tang Chen… cared about losing that match?
Then why didn’t he tell him?
Zhang Taining’s mind went blank.
“I’ll go find him! I need to ask him what he really thinks!”
With that, he stormed off.
San Yue stood there for a while, then quietly pulled out his phone.
Better ask my sister—she’d have experience with this kind of thing.
Meanwhile, Zhang Taining rushed to Tang Chen’s door, then slammed on the brakes.
Should he just barge in?
Or knock first?
He hadn’t really knocked before… would that be too deliberate?
Just go in…?
He was debating when the door suddenly opened.
Zhang Taining looked up and nearly jumped out of his skin.
“What the heck are you doing?”
You’re the one acting crazy!
Tang Chen rolled his eyes massively.
“I’m putting on a face mask. You wouldn’t understand, Mr. Straight Guy. Anyway, why are you standing outside my door? Guarding it? Move aside, move aside. I’ve got a delivery coming—I need to grab it.”
“Delivery? You’re going out like that?”
Zhang Taining couldn’t believe his eyes.
Good lord.
How could the delivery guy not die from shock seeing him like that?
He glanced at Tang Chen with utter disdain.
“Forget it, wait here. I’ll get it for you.”
“Oh.”
Well, fine—someone else running the errand works for me!
Tang Chen happily stepped outside.
“I’ll grab a Coke for you! Consider it a tribute to you, elder!”
???
Tribute?
Zhang Taining nearly wanted to storm back and wring his head off—dogs can’t spit out ivory!
At the base gate, the delivery guy stared at the villa like he was seeing a new world.
Seeing Zhang Taining approach, his expression twisted strangely.
He glanced at his phone, then cautiously asked,
“Is this your order? Could you give me the last digits of your phone?”
Zhang Taining answered immediately.
He knew Tang Chen’s number by heart!
Sure enough, it was him.
The delivery guy handed over the bag, opening the payment code.
“That’ll be 2.2 yuan, please.”
2.2 yuan???
Tang Chen bought what exactly?
Zhang Taining paid with his phone, then headed back inside.
Back in the room, he was about to toss the bag.
“What did you order for a delivery? Only 2.2 yuan?”
Tang Chen leapt over.
“Don’t throw it! This is my lifesaving treasure!”
Lifesaving treasure… for only 2.2 yuan?
Zhang Taining’s jaw dropped.
He took the cola from Tang Chen, curiosity written all over his face, and popped the tab.
Tang Chen carefully pulled out—two sterile eggs from inside.
“Pft—!”
Zhang Taining spat out the sip of cola he’d just taken.
That’s it?
Just… two eggs?
“Damn! You’re filthy!”
Tang Chen looked utterly disgusted.
“Filthy? Me? This isn’t even my fault!”
Zhang Taining was speechless, staring at the two eggs with a mix of frustration and disbelief.
“You bought two eggs… to eat? Are they tasty? Can I have one?”
Eat them? Lifesaving treasure? Was Tang Chen saying eating them would make your skin glow like his—or shine white?
“Ew, ew, ew! You only think about eating! Are you a pig? These aren’t for eating—they’re for a face mask. This pimple…”
Tang Chen pulled out a mirror and sighed deeply.
“Whether it goes away by Saturday depends entirely on these two eggs.”
He’d just read a DIY pimple-removing recipe in a socialite group.
Would it actually work? He had no idea.
Saturday?
Zhang Taining froze. Then it hit him—Saturday was when Tang Chen’s blind date was scheduled!
He… cared that much about this blind date?
He opened his mouth to ask Tang Chen about it but hesitated mid-word.
If he asked, it would be like admitting he’d been eavesdropping. That was out of the question.
But if he didn’t ask… how would he find out?
After a moment of inner turmoil, he decided to feign casualness and test the waters.
“By Saturday? What’s up—do you have a date?”
Would Tang Chen actually answer? Probably not…
But Tang Chen did.
“Yeah, I have a blind date on Saturday.”
He pulled out his phone and began prepping the face mask according to the recipe he’d saved.
“Sigh, blame my mom. She couldn’t even give me a heads-up.”
And…
He shot Zhang Taining two discreet white-eyed glares.
All because of Zhang Taining!
If he hadn’t eaten all the chips, he wouldn’t have broken out like this!
Zhang Taining stiffened at Tang Chen mentioning the blind date so casually.
“You… you’re really going?”
He thought for a moment, feeling awkward.
“I’m not saying your mom arranging a blind date is bad, but… you’re still so young. Do you really have to go? You’re not exactly hopeless at finding someone!”
“I am, though.”
Tang Chen answered without looking away from the mirror, applying the mask over the pimple, muttering his frustrations.
“The circle isn’t that big, and people like me, who want to settle down properly, are even rarer. Most people just play around. Not to mention, it’s rare to find someone whose family knows and is fine with being out already.”
“Really?”
Zhang Taining blinked. He’d thought everyone in this circle was open about everything, but…
“Of course!”
Tang Chen sounded perfectly reasonable.
He sighed, supporting his chin with his hand, and muttered vaguely,
“My mom couldn’t help it. I’m her only precious son, and the people she met in business weren’t exactly rigid either.”
Then he gave a sly little smile.
“She actually thought I didn’t know! She secretly bought a bunch of books abroad on this stuff, and about education too. I knew, of course, but I didn’t tell her. Letting her think she’s a super-mom is enough.”
Zhang Taining recalled Tang Chen’s mother as he’d seen her before—efficient, sharp, commanding—and glanced back at Tang Chen.
Yeah… a woman like that could totally pull something like this.
But…
He frowned.
“So… you mean there are people who like men but haven’t told their family? And they stay single forever? Doesn’t that seem… odd?”
Tang Chen looked at him like he was a wide-eyed novice.
He hesitated, then decided not to tarnish Zhang Taining’s innocence.
“You’re not in this circle, so don’t ask too much. The point is, those who are open with their families are rare, and generally responsible. I don’t know the details, but seeing someone once is fine.”
Besides, he thought happily, there’s a high chance of a lucky coincidence.
If there’s a match, having an extra friend around is no bad thing. Maybe she even knows some good remedies from abroad.
Tang Chen felt pleased at the thought.
Zhang Taining’s mind raced, but he stopped mid-thought.
He felt a little dazed.
What was he just thinking?
Since Tang Chen said this, meeting her should be a good thing, right?
And if Tang Chen liked her, someone responsible is definitely a good match.
He should be happy for him…
But the more he thought, the more something felt off.
He took a sip of cola to steady himself, eyes landing on Tang Chen in his loose, cute pajamas, looking especially adorable.
Suddenly, Zhang Taining’s eyes widened.
Oh! He got it!
Tang Chen was still so young. That’s why he was worried about him getting a raw deal!
Now it all made sense.
Zhang Taining quickly composed himself, fixing his gaze seriously on Tang Chen.
“Then… how about I go with you? After all, you haven’t met them yet. Who knows what they’re like? One extra person is one extra layer of protection!”