Tears

The moment these words were spoken, everyone at the table paused their eating, their gazes simultaneously turning toward Luo Shuling.

Of course, Lin Mengyun was the exception—her eyes were solely fixed on Gu Luo at that moment.

The little one paid no attention to the reactions around her. Like a hungry baby bird, she nestled obediently in Gu Luo's arms, eagerly waiting for him to feed her.

Meanwhile, Gu Luo was completely stunned.

He didn’t understand why his little sunshine had suddenly brought this up.

Besides, he didn’t think his life had been hard at all.

Cooking for his sister? That was pure happiness.

"Gu Luo started cooking when he was five or six?" Li Juan was shocked. Her own granddaughter, Wen Qianrou, had rarely stepped into the kitchen even now, let alone as a child.

In an instant, her thoughts drifted back to what Luo Shuling had said earlier at Donghu Park.

Gu Luo’s father was an orphan.

Combined with the fact that Gu Luo had begun cooking at such a young age, Li Juan’s mind involuntarily conjured up images, and her heart ached even more for him.

Luo Shuling nodded solemnly before continuing slowly, "Because my brother’s mother left when he was very young. His father had to work day and night to raise two children alone, so he rarely had time to stay at home."

"My brother took care of his sister... day after day, for over a decade..."

"His father never had time for parent-teacher meetings... my brother had to handle everything by second grade..."

"My brother..."

"In the end, for his sister’s sake, he even gave up Guangya..."

"..."

His so-called "hardworking father"?

More like a carefree, indulgent man who lived for pleasure.

That irresponsible, playboy of a father had somehow been glorified into this diligent, sacrificing figure.

And honestly, bringing all this up out of nowhere was just plain awkward.

Gu Luo felt his scalp tingle, desperately trying to signal Luo Shuling with his eyes.

But it was useless.

She acted as if she couldn’t see him, continuing her impassioned speech, recounting his past in a slightly dramatized manner—almost as if she were trying to paint him as some tragic hero.

The atmosphere at the table grew heavier by the second.

Li Juan sighed repeatedly, her heart full of pity.

Such a good boy, enduring so much hardship from such a young age, yet still so mature and responsible—it was truly heartbreaking.

Even Wen Qianrou, who already knew much of the backstory, now looked at Gu Luo with admiration.

A surge of indescribable pride welled up inside her.

This was her ultimate idol!

However—

Just then, Wen Qianrou’s peripheral vision caught something unusual about Tang Qi beside her.

A single tear was slowly trailing down Tang Qi’s cheek.

Crying?

She was actually crying?

Sure, the story was touching, but not that touching.

This wasn’t just liking someone anymore.

Had she really fallen for him?

"...Qi-jie," Wen Qianrou whispered cautiously, "Qi-jie, what’s wrong?"

Her voice was hushed, but since they were all seated at the same table, the faint sound immediately drew the attention of the others—

Including Lin Mengyun this time.

"Ah... I’m fine," Tang Qi snapped back to reality, forcing down the ache in her chest as she tried to steady her voice.

"Xiao Qi... here, wipe your tears. You artists are always so sentimental," Li Juan remarked sympathetically, handing her a tissue.

Her heart ached even more.

To empathize so deeply—everyone here was truly a good soul.

"Huh? Me... crying?"

Tang Qi reached up, touching her cheek, only then realizing it was wet.

At that moment, senses she hadn’t even realized were numb suddenly sharpened again.

"Sorry... I just think Gu Luo’s had it so hard..."

She forced a weak smile, attempting to explain:

"It reminded me of a movie I acted in before..."

But before she could finish, the tears surged like a broken dam, unstoppable.

"Excuse me... I need to use the restroom."

As Tang Qi stood up—

She felt an icy gaze pierce through her.

............

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