What you fed seems to taste a little better.

Next came the seafood tom yum soup, its bright red broth and rich aroma of spicy-sour sweetness instantly whetting Jiang Yunlu's appetite.

Lin Mo picked up a ladle and served Jiang Yunlu a small bowl of soup first. "Have some tom yum to get your appetite going."

Jiang Yunlu accepted it, took a sip, and raised her eyebrows slightly. "Mmm, not bad. The soup is really fresh—spicy and sour, perfect for whetting the appetite. I feel like I could eat a whole cow later!"

"That won’t do. You still have a match this afternoon—you can’t eat too much," Lin Mo advised.

"I know, that’s why I’m counting on you to finish everything here!"

Soon after, the golden, mouthwatering curry crab arrived, its plump meat smothered in thick, fragrant curry sauce.

Dish after dish quickly made its way to the table.

Jiang Yunlu’s eyes curved with delight as she picked up a piece of char-grilled pork neck—crispy on the outside, tender inside—and with an eager, almost proud enthusiasm, reached across the table to bring it straight to Lin Mo’s lips.

"Here, try it," she said, watching him expectantly.

Lin Mo paused for a moment, his gaze shifting slowly from the enticingly charred pork to Jiang Yunlu’s sparkling eyes.

A faint flicker of amusement crossed his expression before he leaned forward without hesitation, opening his mouth to accept the bite.

The pork neck was perfectly cooked, the smoky aroma blending with the rich, juicy fat in his mouth.

Yet even as he chewed, his eyes never left Jiang Yunlu.

At first, she wore a smug little look that seemed to say, "Hurry up and try it, I know it’s amazing."

But when she noticed Lin Mo’s lips touching her chopsticks, realization dawned on her.

And when she looked up to see him watching her with that teasing, knowing smile, her mind exploded with a deafening boom.

Wait… what did I just do?

Wait… what did he just do?!

Lin Mo had eaten from her chopsticks.

Jiang Yunlu’s face burned as the heat rushed to her cheeks, then down her neck, and even up to her ears.

She could practically feel her face turning as red as the boiled crab on the table.

The last time she’d felt like this was in the dimly lit movie theater—but at least back then, she’d thought Lin Mo couldn’t see her blushing.

Now, though…

"Ahem."

Lin Mo leisurely swallowed the food, a mischievous smirk playing on his lips as he studied her reaction.

"It really is delicious. Especially when you feed it to me—somehow, it tastes even better."

Jiang Yunlu’s face turned an even deeper shade of red, practically dripping with embarrassment. She grabbed her chopsticks and hastily stuffed a few stalks of morning glory into her mouth, chewing messily in an attempt to hide her flustered state.

"Eat… eat up before the food gets cold."

Only after swallowing did she realize—the chopsticks in her hand had just touched Lin Mo’s…

Good grief. The blushing symphony continued.

Lin Mo wisely averted his gaze, afraid the poor girl might actually combust on the spot.

Just as the awkwardness peaked, Jiang Yunlu’s phone rang.

She pulled it out and checked the caller ID—Dad.

Glancing at Lin Mo, she murmured, "It’s my dad," before answering.

"Hey, Dad."

"Sweetheart, where are you?" His voice was gentle.

Suppressing her nerves, Jiang Yunlu replied softly, "I’m having lunch with a classmate near the sports center. I made it through the preliminaries this morning, and I’ve got another match this afternoon."

"Oh, I see. I was planning to pick you up for lunch."

"I’ll be heading back to the school bus to rest after this. I’ll call you after the match, okay?"

"I wanted to watch your game, though."

Jiang Yunlu tensed slightly and quickly adopted a coaxing tone. "No way, Dad, you know the preliminaries are closed-door."

"Alright, fine. I’ll pick you up after the match, then."

"Sure, I’ll call you when I’m done."

Hanging up, she exhaled carefully in relief.

Lin Mo, meanwhile, calmly munched on a Thai spring roll.

"Why so nervous? Your dad keeps a close eye on you?"

Now that the initial embarrassment had faded, Jiang Yunlu shook her head. "He’s a total girl-dad, you know? Every time a guy gets near me, he acts like it’s a national emergency."

Lin Mo chuckled. "Makes sense. If I had a daughter, I’d probably be paranoid about some punk rolling up on a motorcycle asking if his bike would get stolen if he left it downstairs."

"My dad’s not that bad. He just doesn’t want me getting tricked."

As she spoke, she stole a glance at Lin Mo’s expression.

"Better finish up and head back. If your dad gets too worried and shows up here, things could get messy."

At that, Jiang Yunlu actually looked a little uneasy, but she kept eating normally.

"I still remember when I was in elementary school, I used to play with the boy next door. He once said he’d marry me when we grew up.

The moment my dad heard that, he packed us up and moved."

Lin Mo nearly choked.

Jiang Yunlu’s dad was even more of a girl-dad than he’d thought.

He recalled some incidents at school—like the time a jock tried to corner Jiang Yunlu.

Her family’s driver had stepped in and broken the guy’s arm.

Then her dad had pulled strings to pressure the student’s parents.

After that, nobody dared mess with Jiang Yunlu again.

Not until she graduated and left Guangba.

Lin Mo only knew her dad was loaded—no clue about his name or business.

He could look it up, but he couldn’t be bothered.

Jiang Yunlu sampled every dish lightly before declaring herself full.

She’d only eaten about seventy percent—any more would affect her performance in the afternoon match.

The rest was left to Lin Mo.

At one point, she excused herself to the restroom.

"Check, please."

Once he finished, Lin Mo signaled the waiter.

The server approached, eyeing the empty plates in amazement. "You really ate all of that? Impressive."

"Could’ve eaten more, honestly, but I’ll call it here. Just the bill."

"The young lady already settled it earlier."

The waiter glanced at Lin Mo, envy flashing in his eyes. Lucky bastard—gorgeous girl treating you to a meal? You don’t deserve this.

Lin Mo caught the vibe but just smiled. "If it’s paid, then let’s go. Still got a match this afternoon."

"Take care."

The waiter could only watch, green with envy, as Lin Mo and Jiang Yunlu left.

Then, Lin Mo’s senses prickled—something felt off.

He pulled out his phone and dialed Wang Yiping’s number.

"Hey, Coach, where are you guys eating? We’ll come meet you."

Jiang Yunlu gave him a puzzled look.

"Why suddenly go find the coach?"

"Safety first."