Joining Forces to Scheme, Chen Qimeng's Dilemma

After Lin Yu delivered the lunch to the shop,

the three of them found comfortable spots and began eating their boxed meals.

For ordinary working people, lunch was just about filling their stomachs—no need to chase after quality.

An ordinary boxed meal.

Yet He Jing ate it with relish, openly praising it:

"Lin Yu, you really know how to pick food! Where did you get such a delicious meal? It's amazing!"

Lin Yu didn’t doubt it for a second.

Even if he brought her two plain steamed buns, she’d probably praise him for choosing something so filling.

Flattery like this was best taken with a grain of salt—never taken seriously.

"I just bought it randomly… I wasn’t sure if you had any dietary restrictions, Jing-jie."

"So, I just got what I usually eat."

He Jing raised her chopsticks and gave a thumbs-up:

"Perfect! Seems like we have similar tastes."

She dared to say this right in front of her best friend, Chen Qimeng.

Which meant she already had Chen Qimeng’s personality figured out—knew she wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed.

The kind of person who saw everyone as good.

Too naive to pick up on subtext.

And then there was Auntie Qimeng…

Currently buried in her meal, eating with single-minded focus.

Even if the house were on fire, she’d still be stuffing her face.

Talk about carefree.

But then things escalated…

He Jing boldly leaned closer to Lin Yu, eyeing the half-eaten lion’s head meatball in his box.

In a sweet, playful whisper:

"Hey, handsome… hehe, that meatball looks so good. Can I have a bite?"

Then,

she pressed a finger to her lips, signaling him not to let Chen Qimeng hear.

Now that was bold.

Asking for a half-eaten meatball covered in his saliva?

Clearly, He Jing was pulling out all the stops to get her hands on fresh meat.

If this were his past self—a naive young guy—he’d have been completely played.

Purely in terms of skill, ignoring the information gap,

He Jing’s flirting game was at least on par with Lin Yu’s.

"But… I’ve already… taken a bite…"

Lin Yu hesitated, deliberately avoiding her gaze.

Two masters at work.

Let the games begin!

Let’s see who’s the real tea connoisseur here.

"Thanks!"

Without another word, He Jing snatched the meatball with her chopsticks.

Now that was the right way to brew tea.

None of that "I don’t mind" or "It’s fine" nonsense—

that just killed the mood.

If he didn’t refuse, she’d take it.

Today, it’s food from his box. Tomorrow? Who knows.

Chen Qimeng finished eating as quickly as ever.

But today, her tone with Lin Yu was slightly different…

"Lin Yu, I’ve prepared the flowers Ying’er needs."

"I’ll pack them in a carry bag for you later, so it’s easier to take."

"You’re… almost done, right?"

She glanced at Lin Yu, then quickly looked away.

Something was off.

Auntie Qimeng wasn’t the type to rush him, no matter how busy or urgent things were.

She clearly didn’t want him around for whatever was coming next.

And it definitely had something to do with Yi Haizhou’s impending visit.

The more she pushed,

the more he couldn’t leave!

"Sure, thanks, Auntie Qimeng. I’ll finish up soon."

Lin Yu said one thing,

but did another.

While others savored wine, he savored rice—eating as slowly as possible.

Even the usually chatty He Jing had finished long ago,

but Lin Yu was still nibbling away, watching a video to pass the time.

Meanwhile,

Chen Qimeng was visibly anxious.

She kept circling back, glancing at him, then pacing again.

Since they were all "family,"

Lin Yu decided to spare her the trouble—

and went straight for the kill.

"Auntie Qimeng, you’re making me dizzy with all that walking."

"What’s the rush? Why do you want me gone so badly?"

Chen Qimeng: "Huh? I… I just…"

The sudden interrogation

left her speechless.

Was she really that obvious?

Thankfully,

there was a "helpful" friend nearby—He Jing!

"See, Qimeng? I told you Lin Yu’s sharp. He’d notice something’s up."

"You wear your heart on your sleeve—anyone can tell!"

"You should’ve listened to me and just told him earlier."

"He’s twenty now, not a kid. He’s a man!"

A whole speech,

yet zero actual information.

Just subtle hints that Auntie Qimeng still saw Lin Yu as a child,

while He Jing saw him as a man.

Fine.

Might as well play along and respond as a man to a woman who had her eyes on him.

"Jing-jie, can you tell me what’s really going on?"

Lin Yu asked earnestly.

He Jing had been waiting for this moment—

a chance to sink her claws into the heart of an innocent college boy.

Now was her time to shine!

"It’s nothing major, really. Your aunt just didn’t want you to worry."

"The rent for the second half of the year is due, and Qimeng’s a bit short right now."

"The landlord’s usually easygoing, but lately, he’s been pressuring her nonstop."

"Says he’s collected from every shop on this street except ours."

"If we can’t come up with the 30,000 yuan in the next couple of days, he’ll lease the place to someone else."

"So…"

He Jing rambled on,

but Lin Yu had already pieced things together.

The real issue lay in what came after "so."

He Jing continued:

"So…"

"We thought of Boss Yi and called to ask if he could help."

"He’s a straightforward guy—figured since we’d need to sign a contract and pay a deposit soon anyway."

"He’s coming over later with the money and the paperwork. Your aunt just didn’t want you seeing her in a tight spot. I’m sure you understand."

"Too bad I got scammed out of my savings recently."

"Otherwise, we wouldn’t need to involve outsiders!"

How touching.

Truly.

They thought of Boss Yi?

If this wasn’t a trap set by He Jing, Lin Yu would eat every last takeout box.

If he hadn’t shown up today, the money would’ve changed hands, and the contract would’ve been signed.

These two were in such a hurry,

afraid of complications, desperate to lock things down.

Makes sense…

The "flower supplier" He Jing mentioned probably didn’t exist.

Without a contract, if Auntie Qimeng insisted on meeting the supplier or inspecting the goods, the whole scheme would collapse.

Lin Yu wouldn’t be surprised

if the suddenly pushy landlord was also part of their little scheme.

But whatever.

Now that he knew the score, the backstory didn’t matter.

"Lin Yu, I wasn’t trying to hide it from you, it’s just… this isn’t exactly…"

Chen Qimeng lowered her head, cheeks burning, at a loss for words.

Almost as if their roles had reversed—

she was the "child" caught misbehaving.

Lin Yu walked straight to her, placed his hands on her shoulders, and said gently:

"It’s not exactly something to be proud of, is it…"

"No need to be nervous or worried. Aren't I the only man in this household?"

"Aunt Qimeng, could you give me the landlord's phone number?"