Tang Chen choked.
He quietly glanced at the empty seat where Shang Wang had gone.
Then he decided to tell the truth.
“He just went out… said he was stepping out for a smoke.”
Tang Aunty was startled.
“Smoking? I thought that boy didn’t smoke?”
She quickly flipped through her notebook.
That’s right—she had even double-checked before, and everyone confirmed Shang Wang didn’t smoke.
Then she wondered—could it be that Tang Chen hadn’t lied to her after all?
No, that couldn’t be.
She quickly dismissed the thought.
Didn’t she know her own son’s personality? If he really didn’t want to, he would have coquettishly called her.
Since he hadn’t said he wouldn’t go, he must have gone.
As for Shang Wang…
Tang Aunty wasn’t particularly fond of boys who smoked.
She had always pampered Tang Chen, so she knew his preferences well. Smoking might seem cool to others, but Tang Chen definitely didn’t like it.
That was why she had repeatedly confirmed everything on her end.
Her thoughts shifted quickly, all in an instant.
She was just about to ask Tang Chen if he liked the dishes when another voice came from the line.
“Hey, try this—I think it’s really good!”
Tang Chen looked up instinctively.
Zhang Taining excitedly offered him a freshly served dish.
“This one! I think it’s duck jaw? Can you eat it?”
Tang Chen slowly typed a question mark.
“Duck jaw? How could I not eat that?”
Zhang Taining shrugged.
“Just be careful—it’s a little tough.”
“I’m not you, such a weakling.”
Tang Chen rambled on for a bit, then remembered—he was still on the phone with his mom!
He forced a laugh and leaned toward the phone.
“So… are you still there?”
She was. At least she remembered she existed.
Tang Aunty comforted herself for a second, then asked,
“Is there someone next to you?”
Tang Chen went, “Oh, right, Zhang Taining.”
He took a bite of the duck jaw.
Wow! It really was delicious! And fried! He hadn’t eaten fried food in so long—sniff sniff.
Zhang Taining?
Tang Aunty grew even more puzzled.
“You’re on a blind date, right? Why is Zhang Taining with you?”
Duck jaw aside, that’s true—she had specifically arranged for special dishes in case Tang Chen wouldn’t sit still.
But what was Zhang Taining doing here?
Oh! His mom didn’t know that Zhang Taining had stubbornly forced his way into this!
Damn it, Zhang Taining! You little devil!
Tang Chen got so flustered that the duck jaw went down the wrong way.
“Cough! Cough! Cough!”
The explosive coughing startled both Tang Aunty on the phone and Zhang Taining.
Tang Aunty worriedly asked, “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
Zhang Taining quickly came over, patting Tang Chen on the back while muttering,
“What are you panicking for? I told you to be careful! I’m not even taking it from you, why are you freaking out?”
The nerve of that dog!
It’s not like it was his fault!
Tang Chen choked, rolling his eyes so dramatically that Zhang Taining got scared.
“You didn’t cough it into your lungs, did you? Should I call 911?”
Seeing those rolling eyes!
Zhang Taining reached for his phone, but Tang Chen stomped on his foot.
“Call… call 911 my foot! Get me some water! Cough, cough—you’re an idiot, aren’t you?”
If he’d known, he wouldn’t have brought that little devil along!
Tang Chen grumbled in his heart.
“Oh!”
Zhang Taining immediately went all sweet, fetching a cup of water for him.
Tang Chen gulped down two big sips, finally stopping the coughing, wiped his tears, and picked up the phone to reassure his mom.
“I’m fine. Don’t listen to Zhang Taining spouting nonsense about calling 911.”
Hearing his voice, Tang Aunty finally relaxed.
She exhaled, thinking: alright, fine, let it be. With Tang Chen’s temperament, it’s actually better to find someone a little later. At least she wouldn’t have to worry about him being reckless. Otherwise, even if he had a partner, she’d still be fretting.
“Eat slowly, don’t feel pressured. If you like it, talk; if not, just eat. I had it specially made for you. Zhang Taining might not even like it.”
Tang Aunty couldn’t help but fuss.
“Him?”
Tang Chen took a sip of water, snorted.
“He’s enjoying it more than I am! Heartless! Still eating away!”
“Hey, hey, hey, I’m not eating! I’m just picking the soft bones out for you. I promise, everything on this plate is for you—I won’t take a bite!”
Zhang Taining raised a bone in his hand, signaling his innocence.
“? Not quite necessary, though?”
Tang Chen was shocked. Duck jaw comes with bones???
Zhang Taining—unbelievable!
Tang Aunty: “…?”
Was it just her imagination?
She felt… something.
After thinking for a moment, she decided not to say anything. She just told Tang Chen to order more if needed and had already settled the bill, then hung up.
Zhang Taining, hearing Tang Aunty’s words, pushed a small plate toward Tang Chen and remarked,
“Your mom really seems to care about you, huh?”
Before, he had thought Tang Chen’s mom was the type to rush her child into marriage as a duty.
Now he realized that wasn’t quite it.
“Really? Aren’t all moms like that?”
Tang Chen grabbed a piece of soft bone from a small plate, munching, a little puzzled.
“Isn’t it normal for moms to fuss a bit?”
Zhang Taining paused mid-bite, then deliberately acted nonchalant.
“Yeah, that’s true. Pretty much the same for everyone.”
The two of them ate for half an hour before Tang Chen finally sensed something was off.
He glanced outside, then kicked Zhang Taining—who was still nibbling at the dish—right on the leg.
“Tell me, how does someone just disappear in the middle of smoking?”
Zhang Taining scratched his head. “Should I go check?”
Speaking, he grabbed the last piece of duck jaw and headed out.
“You little—!”
Tang Chen watched helplessly as the last duck jaw vanished, mouth opening and closing, words caught between stopping and yelling.
Fine, go ahead! But why touch it?!
Three minutes later, Zhang Taining returned, still chewing on the bone.
He looked puzzled. “They said… he left half an hour ago.”
“Ah?” Tang Chen was equally dumbfounded.
“Wasn’t he going out for a smoke?”
He stared at Zhang Taining.
Zhang Taining stared back.
“How would I know? Maybe he realized he didn’t have cigarettes, went out to buy some, and just decided to go home?”
The two of them blinked at each other for a while.
Finally, Zhang Taining reached over and ruffled Tang Chen’s hair.
“Anyway, he’s gone. Guess this blind date’s a bust? Why don’t we head back? We haven’t trained today yet! Feels like one day off and our skills get rusty.”
Even if he didn’t know why, he wasn’t too keen on Tang Chen being with that other guy.
Well… this works too.
At least the food was good.
“Zhang Taining!”
Tang Chen shouted, rushing over to grab the little troublemaker.
“I’m going to train with you right now! You just handled the duck jaw with your hands! All oily!”
His precious hair—ahhh!
The two of them wrestled and laughed in the private room, while Shang Wang at the door peeked in and sighed silently.
Forget it.
There was no way he could break up this pair of childhood friends.
Watching them roughhouse inside, he felt a mix of envy and regret.
He had finally mustered the courage to step outside, hoping to maybe ask for the kid’s number.
Now, that courage was completely gone.
He thought for a moment, then quietly closed the door.
This time, they really were gone.
Back at the base, Zhang Taining really did come looking for Tang Chen.
His excuse: “We didn’t finish during the day, so let’s train together tonight.”
Tang Chen rolled his eyes, too lazy to move his spot.
“Fine, I’ll play a couple rounds. It’s late; I’m going to sleep afterward.”
While saying this, he pulled out a vitamin and swallowed one, then went to put on a face mask.
Zhang Taining watched him fuss around, looking frustrated.
“You don’t usually do all this. Why today? Didn’t you say you weren’t interested in that guy?”
“Was I not interested? He wasn’t interested in me, okay? He left!”
Tang Chen wiped some mask essence from his chin with a tissue, flicking a glob onto Zhang Taining’s forehead.
He sighed as he spoke.
“It’s not right! I’m this naturally gorgeous, self-disciplined Xiao Ling, shouldn’t I be a one-glance, one-love type?”
“One-glance love… where?”
Zhang Taining had just said it when he realized something.
He clicked his tongue, suddenly excited.
“I got it this time! You mean that ‘one’ up there, right?”
Tang Chen raised an eyebrow.
“Not bad, you actually understand.”
Zhang Taining puffed out his chest proudly.
“Of course! I’m your peer—my comprehension skills are top-notch.”
He gave himself a thumbs-up.
“Then why don’t you show this understanding when learning Zhuo Ge’s sniping?”
Some people are just shameless like that.
Tang Chen clicked his tongue.
“…That’s different, this is different.”
Zhang Taining rubbed his nose, then quickly changed the subject.
“Ready to play? You all set?”
“Almost, almost. I’ll set a timer; don’t want the mask to dry too long.”
Tang Chen set a small timer and flopped onto the bed.
“First, two rounds only.”
“Fine, fine. You decide, Ning. If needed, I’ll wake you up tomorrow to continue.”
Zhang Taining waved and immediately joined the game.
After two rounds, Tang Chen was so sleepy he could barely keep his eyes open.
He washed off the mask he had forgotten during the game, then collapsed onto the bed, drifting into a soft snooze.
Zhang Taining watched in amazement as he fell asleep in literally a second.
Unbelievable! Instant sleep?
Truly a prodigy. Any insomniac seeing this would be jealous out of their mind.
He even wanted to post on social media, grabbing his phone to take a photo.
After taking a picture of Tang Chen’s sleeping face, he had his caption ready… but hesitated before sending.
Why?
Zhang Taining looked at the photo, muttering to himself.
Honestly… Tang Chen looked pretty… cute asleep.
He considered it for a moment, then laughed.
That guy really had something. Tang Chen was right—if someone this cute couldn’t catch his eye, he’d be single forever.
One mustn’t be too picky!
Zhang Taining thought to himself, “If it were me, I’d definitely—”
Then his mind froze mid-thought.