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After purchasing a batch of ingredients, the four of them returned to the apartment.

The apartment wasn’t very spacious—it would have been just right for two people, but with four, it was starting to feel a bit cramped. This was especially noticeable when Ye Shuang was preparing the ingredients, as he realized Bai Yuyou and Chen Qin were standing on either side of him, crowding the already small kitchen.

"Miss Chen, why are you standing here watching? Do you even know how to cook?" Ye Shuang asked as he deftly chopped the ingredients with a cleaver.

Chen Qin muttered, "I can learn, can’t I?"

"Then help me trim these sweet potato leaves," Ye Shuang said, handing her a basket of greens and motioning for her to sit on the sofa while she worked.

Chen Qin took the basket and sat down on the sofa, but when faced with the leafy greens, she hesitated. She glanced at Tang Keke, who was playing with a kitten by the staircase, then at Bai Yuyou, who was skillfully assisting Ye Shuang with chopping seasonings. Feeling too embarrassed to ask for help, she decided to figure it out herself.

Trimming leaves.

She vaguely remembered how the housekeeper at home did it—just pluck them off, right?

Oh, she thought she got it.

With that in mind, Chen Qin proceeded to strip off all the leaves, tossing the stems into the trash. By the time she finished, only a quarter of the original greens remained in the basket.

"Ye Shuang, I’m done," Chen Qin said cheerfully, carrying the basket back to him.

Ye Shuang stared at the basket full of leaves and fell silent.

"Have you never eaten sweet potato leaves before?" he asked.

"Of course I have."

"In your memory, do sweet potato leaves only consist of the leaves?" Ye Shuang pressed.

It was only then that Chen Qin slowly realized her mistake. She let out a soft "Ah," her face flushing with embarrassment. "I messed up."

Damn it. She had wanted to impress Ye Shuang, but instead, she’d made such a basic mistake.

She wasn’t even as capable as that other girl.

The thought made her heart sink.

But just then, a pale, delicate hand reached toward her, holding out a clove of garlic.

Chen Qin looked up and met Bai Yuyou’s calm gaze.

"Don’t… don’t worry," Bai Yuyou said softly. "At first… I didn’t know either… Take it slow…"

Chen Qin instinctively took the garlic from Bai Yuyou, then glanced uncertainly at Ye Shuang. He was wearing an apron and smiled reassuringly. "Just ask if you don’t know. Everyone starts somewhere."

Why be so hard on yourself?

Their words were like a gentle breeze, dispelling the gloom in Chen Qin’s heart. She looked down at the garlic in her hand and said, "Then… give me something else to do!"

"You should just sit on the sofa. We don’t actually need that many hands in the kitchen," Ye Shuang said.

Chen Qin, after all, had grown up with a silver spoon in her mouth. It was perfectly normal for someone like her to just sit and wait for the meal to be ready.

"No!" she insisted.

"Fine, then help me peel garlic," Ye Shuang said before calling out, "Keke, teach your Chen-jie how to peel garlic."

Hearing his voice, Tang Keke, who had been cuddling a kitten, turned around. The little cat was kneading happily in her arms. "Oh, coming!"

"I don’t need to be taught how to peel garlic!" Chen Qin protested, feeling like Ye Shuang was treating her like an idiot.

Ye Shuang just chuckled.

At dinner, as soon as they sat down, Ye Shuang noticed his phone ringing—it was a call from Chen’s Mother.

"Hello, Aunt Chen."

"Shuang, have you eaten yet?" Chen’s Mother asked.

"Yeah, we’re eating now. Chen Qin is here too," Ye Shuang said, glancing at Chen Qin.

Hearing that Chen Qin was with him, Chen’s Mother asked, "Then do you know about Aunt Xian’s matter? Did Qin tell you?"

"She did. Did something happen?" Ye Shuang asked, unable to imagine why Aunt Xian would want to see him over the weekend.

"It’s hard to explain over the phone," Chen’s Mother said. "How is Xiao Bai doing now?"

The sudden question about Bai Yuyou caught Ye Shuang off guard, but he replied, "She’s doing well."

"Could you send me a photo of Xiao Bai?"

"A photo of Yuyou?"

"Yes, preferably a clear one."

Ye Shuang glanced at Bai Yuyou beside him. The girl, hearing her name, looked at him with innocent curiosity.

"Hmm." Ye Shuang stood up and walked to the balcony.

Gazing at the nightscape beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, he said, "Aunt Chen, just tell me directly if there’s something you want to say."

"Is Xiao Bai with you?"

"I’m alone on the balcony."

There was a pause on the other end before Chen’s Mother sighed. "Actually… I think Xiao Bai resembles Aunt Xian."

"Aunt Xian once had a daughter…"

"But she went missing later…"

Ye Shuang froze, then narrowed his eyes.

He reached into his pocket, took out a sour plum candy, and popped it into his mouth. "Aunt Chen, actually, we recently found out that Yuyou isn’t biologically related to her parents."

"You’re serious?!" Chen’s Mother sounded excited.

"Yeah, it’s true."

"Heaven has eyes," Chen’s Mother murmured. "I’ll tell Aunt Xian about this."

But Ye Shuang said, "Don’t rush. This doesn’t necessarily mean Yuyou is Aunt Xian’s daughter. After all, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment."

"I know."

"But if—just if—Yuyou really is Aunt Xian’s daughter," Ye Shuang took a deep breath, "what would Aunt Xian do?"

"Do?"

"Yeah. Take her back to Hong Kong?"

"Of course. Aunt Xian only has this one daughter—she’d definitely bring her home to recognize her roots," Chen’s Mother said without hesitation.

For some reason, the candy in Ye Shuang’s mouth suddenly tasted much more sour, almost bitter. He held the phone silently for a moment until Chen’s Mother called out, "Hello?"

Only then did he force a smile and say,

"What if Yuyou prefers to stay here on the mainland?"

"Well…" Chen’s Mother seemed to understand his concern but still spoke earnestly,

"Shuang, letting her return to her birth parents is the best choice. Besides, Hong Kong isn’t far from Haizhu… There’ll be plenty of chances to meet in the future."

"That child needs a family, doesn’t she?"

Ye Shuang fell silent again.

Of course he knew that.

He bit down hard on the candy, the crunching sound sharp in his ears. Memories of Bai Yuyou’s words under the streetlamp flashed through his mind, and his expression turned serious.

"Aunt Chen, I think this decision should respect Yuyou’s wishes."

"She’s her own person. We can’t casually dictate her future."

At the dining table, Bai Yuyou took small bites of rice, her gaze lingering on Ye Shuang's figure in the distance.

His presence loomed tall and steadfast, like a towering mountain—seemingly capable of shielding her from any storm.