Lao Chen and Xiao Hu hit it off immediately.

Their efficiency was truly astonishing.

Before long, Xiao Hu and Lin Xi returned to Ming Yue’s rented apartment.

What neither of them expected was that Ming Yue was in an excellent mood today. Despite rarely venturing into the kitchen, she had prepared a whole tableful of delicious dishes and was sitting on the sofa with her laptop, waiting for them.

Xiao Hu’s eyes widened in disbelief. As far as he could remember, she had never set foot in the kitchen all these years—yet the food she’d cooked was every bit as good as what he and Jiang Feng usually enjoyed: varied, colorful, fragrant, and mouthwatering.

That evening, as the breeze carried the unique, savory aroma right up to their noses, Xiao Hu couldn’t help but give Ming Yue, who was sitting on the sofa with her laptop, a big thumbs-up. “Sister-in-law, you’ve really impressed me!”

Ming Yue smiled brightly. “Thank you.”

Lin Xi stared at the dishes in astonishment. “Yueyue, when did you learn to cook? I still remember how you used to… ”

Lin Xi burst out laughing, recalling some old memories.

Ming Yue let out an awkward chuckle. “People do change, you know. Back then, Da Ge wouldn’t let me do anything—I felt like he was practically holding me in the palm of his hand…”

The mention of Da Ge brought back an unmistakable sadness to her face.

It was a pain she could never erase from her heart; every time she thought about it, it felt like someone was rubbing salt into the wound. Still, to spare Lin Xi’s feelings, she tried hard to hide it. When she could no longer pretend, she lowered her gaze to the laptop resting on her lap.

After all, in her view, it was better for one person to be sad than for two.

Lin Xi certainly noticed her subtle attempt at hiding her emotions and felt even more deeply for this girl whom she had practically watched grow up.

Seeing how upset she was, Lin Xi almost rushed over to put her arm around Ming Yue’s shoulders and excitedly exclaimed, “Yueyue, don’t be sad! Your brother isn’t dead—he’s still alive! Sure, he’s physically disabled, but you can tell he’s still the mighty Young Master Ming! So…”

Of course, that was just Lin Xi’s spontaneous impulse.

In the end, she didn’t go through with it because Ming Kai wouldn’t allow it, so she couldn’t say a thing.

For now, the only thing she could do was keep quiet, pretend not to notice Ming Yue’s attempts to conceal her feelings or the pain in her heart, act as if she hadn’t seen anything at all, and walk over to the table of food with a smile to ease the awkwardness. “Yes, people do change,” she said. “Looks like I should start learning to cook too. Just wait until I whip up something special and wow everyone!”

With that, Lin Xi gently pinched Xiao Hu, who was right by her side.

Xiao Hu and she were already perfectly in sync.

Even without a single glance, Xiao Hu understood exactly what Lin Xi meant and quickly chimed in with a laugh, “That’s great! Sister, you’ve got to keep it up! I’m really looking forward to it. When the day comes, please make a few more dishes so I can have my fill!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Xiao Hu seemed to realize he’d gone too far. Even if it was just joking around, he needed to be a bit more serious, and hurriedly shook his head while muttering to himself, “No, no! Sister, you’re so delicate—you shouldn’t push yourself too hard, or you’ll get exhausted. Better make just a couple of dishes and let me taste one or two, okay?”

“Hey! You’re being picky now? What, are you going to turn the whole kitchen into a dye vat just because I gave you a little color?” Lin Xi teased Xiao Hu playfully, and the two of them immediately started bantering.

Gradually, Ming Yue forgot about the earlier conversation and the emotional hurdle she’d been struggling to overcome. Smiling, she said to the two of them, “Alright, stop fooling around. It’s getting late, and the food’s getting cold. Hurry up and wash your hands—let’s eat!”

End of Chapter 198: Counterattack 125