Chapter Fourteen: Could It Be That I’ve Turned?

At the dining table in the living room, Luo Chen stared in astonishment at the spread of delicious dishes. Was it really necessary to make so much food? Scallion tofu, crispy pork ribs, five-spice chicken wings, stir-fried eggs with tomatoes, steamed crucian carp... For just three people, there were five dishes and a soup. Could they possibly finish it all?

"Yan He, isn't this a bit too much?" Luo Chen grabbed Yan He's arm as she placed the last dish on the table, his voice trembling slightly.

"Not at all. It's always been like this. Luo Chen, why are you asking such strange questions today?" Yan He looked at him with puzzlement, as if wondering if he'd lost his mind.

"We can't possibly eat all this, can we? What about the leftovers?" Luo Chen figured that if he managed to eat a quarter of it, that would already be a good appetite for him. The other two girls together couldn't eat much more.

"Leftovers? How could there be leftovers? Even if we weren't here, Tianyi could finish it all by herself," Yan He gestured toward Luo Tianyi, who was already eating heartily, clearly unconcerned.

Luo Chen glanced at the rapidly disappearing food on the table, all finding its way into his sister's stomach. He truly didn't understand how she could hold it all. At the same time, he realized why he'd ended up having to take on part-time jobs. It wasn't something just anyone could afford. Still, no matter how tight things got, Luo Chen would never compromise when it came to food.

Thinking about his maxed-out bank card, he knew that if no money came in soon, he'd have to depend entirely on others for his meals. Well, he already pretty much was.

The money for these groceries had come from Yan He. He'd have to find a way to repay the favor.

He had to admit, Yan He really was a talented cook. No wonder Luo Tianyi was so attached to her cooking. His sister owed her well-being to her, it seemed.

"By the way, Yan He, is everything okay with your dad?" Luo Chen glanced at Yan He, who seemed to eat with them so often. Didn't her family mind?

She was practically becoming Luo Tianyi's personal chef.

Luo Chen considered: if his own daughter hadn't come home for meals in months and instead spent all that time at a male classmate's house cooking for him, how would he feel? Honestly, he was lucky to be alive; if he were in that father's place, he would have chopped the boy to pieces by now.

"It's fine. Uncle Yan already knows," Luo Tianyi mumbled through a mouthful of food.

Well, of course. That was what best friends were for—she could trust her friend's father completely.

If Luo Tianyi ever missed even a single meal at home, not to mention a month or more, Luo Chen would hunt down the culprit and teach them a lesson, no mercy.

After the feast, Luo Chen looked at the messy plates. Amazingly, all the food had been eaten, not a scrap remained, and most of it had vanished into Luo Tianyi's stomach.

He glanced at his sister, whose belly remained as flat as ever, showing no sign of fullness, her face still longing for more. He couldn't help but wonder where she put it all. She wasn't getting any taller, nor was her chest growing—what was the point of eating so much?

Truly, the world of food lovers was a mystery to most.

"All right, Yan He, leave it to me," Luo Chen cut in as Yan He reached for the plates. She had cooked the meal and bought the ingredients; he couldn't possibly make her do the dishes as well. He wasn't that shameless.

As for Luo Tianyi?

As long as he was around, his sister just needed to show up and eat.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Luo Chen." Luo Tianyi pulled Yan He, who was about to protest, into her room.

Bang—click.

The sound of the door closing and locking echoed in the apartment, and a few seconds later, Luo Chen found himself alone in the spacious living room.

"So she does know how to lock the door," he muttered. He still worried about his sister's lack of caution; what if he accidentally walked in while she was changing or showering? After all, he was only an impostor here, and his self-control wasn't limitless.

Leaving Luo Chen to his dishwashing, inside the bedroom, Luo Tianyi and Yan He lay comfortably together on the bed, watching a laptop set up at the headboard.

"Yan He, please teach me how to make videos," Luo Tianyi pleaded sweetly, pinning Yan He down playfully.

As for whether Yan He could teach her?

To Tianyi, her angelic Yan He could do anything.

"Don’t be silly, Tianyi. I know a bit about video-making, but why the sudden interest?" Yan He pried away Tianyi’s mischievous hands, sat up, and rubbed her cheeks vigorously.

"Please, Yan He," Luo Tianyi dragged out her words, her gentle, coquettish voice making it impossible for Yan He to refuse.

"At least tell me why you want to learn." Though Yan He couldn’t resist Tianyi’s pleading, she had to ask. She genuinely treated Tianyi like her own little sister.

"Here, look at this." Luo Tianyi logged into a website and played a video—Luo Chen’s upload from the previous day: How to Make Children Love Studying?

The familiar, stern-faced professor and his absurd lecture had both girls laughing uncontrollably. Even Luo Tianyi, who had already watched it several times, was still in stitches.

"Our children suffer so much... Every day, it’s nothing but studying, studying. Twelve years of hard work, only to end up back where they started. Spread the love, bring your friends home, have fun every day..."

After two and a half minutes, as the video ended, Yan He was laughing so hard she could barely breathe.

"Tianyi, where did you find this video? Isn’t that Professor Yuan Ning from the University of Science and Technology?" Once she’d calmed down a bit, Yan He resisted the urge to watch it again and asked.

"My brother made it. But who is this Professor Yuan Ning?" Luo Tianyi looked at the professor, who was being mercilessly roasted in the video, a bit worried. Would this cause trouble?

"Yuan Ning? A somewhat well-known professor, but not a great person. When did Luo Chen get so talented?" Yan He recalled hearing rumors about Yuan Ning’s character—he was, by all accounts, a scoundrel. Served him right to be mocked.

"Oh, so he’s a bad guy. We don’t care about him. But, Yan He, do you think Luo Chen has been influenced by you? He keeps talking about bromances in the video—are you sure he’s okay?"

"I don’t think so," Yan He scratched her forehead, a bit uncertain. Had she gone too far? Luo Chen shouldn’t be that easily swayed.