Bai Tiantian’s inquiry thoroughly stumped Lin Xi. “I don’t actually know what Brother Chen likes to eat. I only know he likes plenty of vinegar when he eats dumplings. Other than that, he just eats whatever I cook.”

“Huh? Then why is he so incredibly picky whenever I make him fried eggs and toasted bread?” Bai Tiantian grumbled, feeling the sheer injustice of it all.

“You and Brother Chen are moving so fast,” Lin Xi murmured, a mysterious gleam in her eyes. “You guys haven’t… already done that, have you?”

“I wish we had,” Bai Tiantian replied, without a single shred of embarrassment. “But he refuses to take the initiative, and I can’t exactly force myself on him, can I?”

“Brother Chen still has an active marriage alliance hanging over his head,” Lin Xi pointed out, genuinely anxious on her friend’s behalf. “You can’t just be with him without any official status or clarity. It’s not right.”

While Lin Xi fully supported Bai Tiantian pursuing her own happiness, she absolutely did not want her friend to become a woman hidden away in the shadows.

“Don’t you worry,” Bai Tiantian said, confidently slapping her chest. “I am going to marry into the Song family completely out in the open, fair and square.”

“That’s good then.” Lin Xi could tell that Bai Tiantian came from an elite background herself; everything she wore and used was remarkably exquisite. Perhaps her family’s status would be enough to push the Song family to cancel the arranged marriage. Besides, Auntie Xu was such a kind, reasonable person—she definitely wouldn’t be the type of mother-in-law to tear star-crossed lovers apart.

Lin Xi checked the time and realized that after all the day’s chaos, it was already close to six in the evening. It was time to start fixing dinner.

Unsure whether Song Xu and Song Chen would return to eat, she hesitated for a long moment before finally sending Song Xu a message to ask.

Song Xu replied within seconds, stating he wasn’t entirely sure what time they would make it back. He told her that if she was cooking, she could just set some leftovers aside for them, and that she and Bai Tiantian should eat first.

Lin Xi simply text back a brief “Okay.” She didn’t press for any details. In times like these, some things were perhaps better left unknown.

“Tiantian, what do you feel like eating? I’ll whip it up for dinner,” Lin Xi asked, setting her phone down.

Bai Tiantian didn’t stand on ceremony. She immediately pulled out her phone and searched for “delicious home-cooked meals,” scrolling through a mouth-watering array of food photos.

She began tapping frantically on the screen to place her orders. “I want to eat this braised pork belly with hard-boiled eggs, and these spicy chicken wings, and the salt-and-pepper crispy shrimp… Um, let’s get something light to balance it out. How about this sour and spicy lemon chicken feet?”

“Xi’xi, can we make extra chicken feet? We can munch on them tonight while we binge-watch dramas. It’ll be amazing!”

Lin Xi reviewed the recipes for each dish on her phone, quickly formulating a plan in her head. “Sure thing. We might not have chicken feet in the fridge though. I’ll order a grocery delivery.”

“Let me order it! You go ahead and prep the other ingredients,” Bai Tiantian insisted, happily taking over the task.

Bai Tiantian typed away on her phone, stopping halfway through. She wanted to ask Lin Xi exactly how much to buy, but turning around, she saw how intensely focused Lin Xi was on prepping. She did some quick mental math and typed out: Ten pounds of chicken feet.

Lin Xi patiently gathered the ingredients from the kitchen, washing and carefully slicing everything into uniform pieces.

Bai Tiantian walked over, rolling up her sleeves with enthusiasm. “Xi’xi, let me help you.”

“Alright.” Lin Xi didn’t need her to do any heavy lifting, so she simply had Bai Tiantian read the recipes aloud and group the specific seasonings and ingredients into separate piles for each dish.

“Xi’xi, two lemons seem a bit too little, don’t they? Is there any more?” Bai Tiantian asked, noticing that the aromatics Lin Xi had laid out for the lemon chicken feet looked a bit sparse.

“Huh? Exactly how many chicken feet did you order?” Lin Xi asked, thoroughly amused. She had intentionally over-prepared the seasonings, assuming they had enough for a massive five-pound batch.

Bai Tiantian flashed both of her hands, holding up ten fingers. “Ten pounds! Is that enough?”

Lin Xi pressed a hand to her forehead. “That’s enough for us to set up a street stall and start a business.”

Not wanting to dampen her friend’s high spirits, Lin Xi decided to go ahead and process all ten pounds, turning back to the cutting board to prep a mountain of extra spices.

—

Half an hour later, just as the braised pork belly was tossed into the sizzling pot, the doorbell suddenly rang.

Hearing the sharp sound, Lin Xi’s entire body flinched involuntarily. Bai Tiantian instantly remembered something and checked her screen, spotting an unread notification. “It’s the delivery rider with the chicken feet. I’ll grab it.”

Lin Xi let out a long, shaky breath. She was truly developing a trauma-induced stress response to that doorbell.

A moment later, Bai Tiantian walked back in, straining under the weight of a massive plastic bag. “Wow, ten pounds is actually a ton! Xi’xi, I think I’ll definitely have to pack some leftovers to take home with me.”

Lin Xi laughed, helping her carry the heavy bag over to the kitchen sink. “Of course you can. As long as you like eating them, I can make them for you whenever you want.”

“Xi’xi, you are seriously the best,” Bai Tiantian gushed, throwing her arms around Lin Xi and swaying playfully. “If only I were a man. I’d tell Song Chen and Song Xu to get lost, and I’d keep you all to myself.”

“Then let’s just dump them. It’s not like the two of us can’t live happily ever after together,” Lin Xi teased.

Maybe we could even add one more person to our household, Lin Xi thought silently to herself. I wonder why Jiang Ran hasn’t sent any updates lately. Counting the days, it should be about time for her to come out and get some fresh air.

“Xi’xi, what are you daydreaming about?” Bai Tiantian waved a hand directly in front of Lin Xi’s face.

“Just thinking about someone,” Lin Xi said, snapping out of her thoughts. “I’ll introduce you two when the opportunity comes up.”

“Is it a man or a woman?” Bai Tiantian asked, her curiosity piqued. “If it’s a man, don’t bother. I’m terrified Chenchen will get jealous.”

“A woman, obviously. She was my high school classmate. I know for a fact you’ll love her,” Lin Xi explained.

To be blessed with two incredible friends like Jiang Ran and Bai Tiantian in this lifetime made Lin Xi feel that everything she had suffered was completely worth it.

—

By ten in the evening, there was still no sign of Song Xu or Song Chen.

Bai Tiantian was curled up comfortably on the sofa in Lin Xi’s bedroom, holding a small bowl of chicken feet while using a tablet to binge-watch her show.

Lin Xi sat at her desk trying to memorize English vocabulary words. Her mind was too restless, however, and after flipping through a few pages fruitlessly, she gave up. As she forcefully shut the thick dictionary, a photograph slipped out from between the pages.

She picked it up, gazing at it in poignant silence. This was the only family photo she possessed—taken shortly after her grandmother had first adopted her.

Ever since her older brother vanished, she and her grandmother had never taken another photograph together.

“Oh? Xi’xi, is this you when you were little?” Bai Tiantian asked, appearing silently behind Lin Xi with her bowl of chicken feet in hand.

Lin Xi nodded softly. “I was already six years old here. Do I look incredibly small?”

“You really do! If you hadn’t told me, I would have guessed you were only three or four,” Bai Tiantian noted, her gaze shifting to the young boy standing in the frame. “Who is this little handsome guy?”

“That’s my brother,” Lin Xi murmured, gently tracing the boy’s face in the photo. “He’s been missing for twelve years now. But grandmother and I have always firmly believed that he is still alive somewhere. I will definitely find him.”

“I see…” Bai Tiantian felt a wave of deep heartache for Lin Xi. “You will definitely find him. He has such a handsome, noble facial structure—he’s bound to be someone blessed with immense good fortune.”

Bai Tiantian stared intently at the young boy in the photo for a long time, a strange sensation washing over her. His eyes and brow looked oddly familiar.

Lin Xi slipped the photograph carefully back into the pages of her book. “I wonder if they’re even coming back tonight.”

“Who cares about them,” Bai Tiantian said, devouring the last chicken foot in her bowl. She stripped off her disposable plastic gloves and patted her full stomach contentedly. “Wow, I am completely stuffed today.”

“Xi’xi, do you have any spare pajamas I could borrow for the night?”

“I do.” Lin Xi led Bai Tiantian over to her walk-in closet. It was stocked with an abundance of clothes, most of which were brand new and completely unworn. “All of these pajamas are brand new. I haven’t touched them, so feel free to pick whatever you like.”

Bai Tiantian’s eyes scanned the racks before locking onto the most alluring piece—a provocative black lace nightgown. “This is the one.”

She grabbed a matching pair of lace underwear, then turned to Lin Xi with a casual grin. “Xi’xi, which room belongs to Song Chen? I’m going to use his bathroom to take a shower.”

Lin Xi: “…”