"Qing Ya, Lin Feng's improved recipe is fantastic! Our little shop is saved. You really need to thank him properly!" Zhang Cuihua's face was beaming with joy. She had been worried about the shop's customer traffic, but with Lin Feng's enhanced recipe, even she, a half-life skewer expert, found it delicious. The diners would undoubtedly agree. Zhang Cuihua could already envision the shop thriving, and the thought excited her even more.
Seeing her mother so happy, Su Qing Ya felt a deep sense of contentment. She quietly gazed at Lin Feng, feeling a profound sense of security and peace whenever he was around. She felt she owed Lin Feng too much, perhaps a lifetime wouldn't be enough to repay him.
"Auntie, you don't need to thank me. I have a stake in this skewer shop too, so I'm helping myself," Lin Feng said, not wanting Su Qing Ya to carry too much burden. Even though he didn't care about a small skewer shop, he wanted to say something to make her feel better.
"Brother Feng, my dad called, and he needs me at home. I'll be going now. You and Sister Qing Ya can chat slowly," Sun Xiqing said after taking a phone call, and then he left.
"Lin Feng, here's an egg for you!" Su Qing Ya produced a red-skinned egg from somewhere and handed it to Lin Feng.
"Classmate Qing Ya, why are you giving me an egg? I'm not hungry!" Lin Feng was perplexed.
Upon seeing the egg, Zhang Cuihua smiled meaningfully. "Lin Feng, Qing Ya is giving it to you, so eat it. This isn't just any egg; it's an egg that symbolizes good luck!"
"Auntie, what do you mean? How can an egg have such a meaning?" Lin Feng grew more confused.
Su Qing Ya tugged at Zhang Cuihua's sleeve, wanting to stop her mother from speaking further. However, Zhang Cuihua ignored her daughter's plea and explained, "Today is my Qing Ya's birthday. This morning, I boiled a red-skinned egg for her to bring her good fortune. But my Qing Ya is so silly; she didn't eat it herself and secretly saved it for you."
"Lin Feng, don't let my Qing Ya's kind gesture go to waste. Eat it quickly!"
At these words, Lin Feng's heart skipped a beat. He took the egg from Su Qing Ya, and his eyes suddenly felt a little moist. For other girls, birthdays were grand occasions. Su Qing Ya, however, remained silent, without even a cake, just an egg. And not only that, this silly girl saved it for him instead of eating it herself!
"Lin Feng, Auntie knows you're an orphan and didn't have parents to care for you since you were little. If you don't mind, consider this place your home. On your birthday in the future, Auntie will also cook you a red-skinned egg!" Zhang Cuihua said with a smile.
Lin Feng's heart felt even more tender. To honor Su Qing Ya's kindness, he peeled the egg and ate it. "It's delicious. Thank you, Auntie. Thank you, Qing Ya," Lin Feng said with a smile. He gently pinched Su Qing Ya's cheek and added, "Qing Ya, it's your birthday today, and you gave me your egg. What gift do you want?"
"I... I don't want any gifts. You improving Mom's recipe is the best gift," Su Qing Ya stammered.
"That won't do at all. Come with me, I'll take you somewhere!" Lin Feng took Su Qing Ya's hand and they left the skewer shop.
Zhang Cuihua watched the two children holding hands affectionately and smiled with relief. At her age, she didn't ask for much. As long as Su Qing Ya was happy, she was content. Lin Feng, in her eyes, was the most promising person, the one who could bring her daughter happiness.
Leaving the skewer shop, Lin Feng took Su Qing Ya to a nearby five-star hotel. At the front desk, Lin Feng booked a room with a large bed. Seeing that Lin Feng was taking her to book a room, Su Qing Ya immediately thought of the WeChat emojis Lin Feng had sent her before. Her heart skipped a beat, and her pretty face flushed crimson.
"Let's go, the room is ready. Follow me," Lin Feng said, leading Su Qing Ya towards the hotel elevator, her hand feeling warm in his.
This scene was witnessed by Zheng Youlong and his companions, who had been secretly following them from outside the hotel.
"Young Master Long, I told you Lin Feng and Su Qing Ya holding hands in broad daylight wasn't for anything good! I'm not clueless!" Geng Da Pao was the first to spot Lin Feng and Su Qing Ya, and he felt a slight sense of smugness.
"Hmm, you've done a great job this time!" Zheng Youlong chuckled and turned to ask, "Xiao Ming, what do you think we should do in this situation?"
"Young Master Long, I think we need to inform Liu Mengyao and Luo Keke immediately. This is a golden opportunity to catch them in the act!" Jia Xiao Ming adjusted his glasses and said with a smug smile. "Once we catch these two lovebirds in bed, that Lin fellow and Miss Liu Mengyao will be completely finished."
"Exactly, that's what I think too. Da Pao and I will keep watch here, and you go inform Yao Yao and the others to catch them," Zheng Youlong arranged systematically. This time, he was determined to ruin Lin Feng and Liu Mengyao completely.
Inside the hotel, Lin Feng, unaware of anything, used the room card to open the hotel room door. The room was spacious, much better than those budget hotels, equipped with a bathtub and a dressing room, features not found in budget hotels. Su Qing Ya, however, wasn't in the mood to admire the hotel's amenities. She felt like a bride about to enter her bridal chamber, her face flushed red, her lips almost bitten through from excessive nervousness.
"Qing Ya, wait for me here. I'm going out to buy something. If you feel hot, you can take a bath first!" Lin Feng looked at the flushed Su Qing Ya, thinking the room was too stuffy. Su Qing Ya responded with a faint hum. After Lin Feng left, she sat on the edge of the bed, lost in thought. Although she had been prepared to give herself to Lin Feng at any time, now that the moment had truly arrived, she found herself still very nervous and unaccustomed to it. Besides, why did Lin Feng need to go out to buy that thing? Wasn't there a whole set of them on the hotel table? Su Qing Ya then noticed the row of "safety measures" on the table. Looking at the explicit images of men and women on the box, her face turned even redder.
At the hotel entrance, Zheng Youlong and Geng Da Pao were anxiously waiting. Seeing Lin Feng suddenly walk out of the hotel, they quickly hid.
"Young Master Long, it's over! Why did that Lin fellow leave? It couldn't be over that quickly, could it? I think his physique is quite good!" Geng Da Pao said, bewildered.
"What are you talking about? It can't be over in just a few seconds! Let's go in and see first!" Zheng Youlong was also a little worried about failing to catch them in the act. Seeing Lin Feng walking away, he went to the front desk to inquire about Lin Feng's room number. Then, he led Geng Da Pao to find it.
At this moment, Liu Mengyao and Luo Keke were also on their way to the hotel. Liu Mengyao had initially been reluctant to come, but Luo Keke insisted.
"Keke, I don't think Lin Feng would do something like this in broad daylight. What if they haven't done anything, and it becomes very awkward?" Liu Mengyao felt that what she was doing was wrong. She had come to terms with it; she and Lin Feng had only an employer-employee relationship. Even if he had something going on with Su Qing Ya, it had nothing to do with her.
"Sister Yao Yao, why are you still speaking up for that philanderer, Xiao Lin Zi? We're not catching him in the act; we're investigating Xiao Lin Zi's character!" Luo Keke found a righteous reason. "If Xiao Lin Zi really got involved with Su Qing Ya, it would mean this guy's sexual desire is too strong. If he does this during the day, what if he loses his beastly nature and assaults you, Sister Yao Yao, later?" In reality, Luo Keke simply couldn't stand Lin Feng looking for trouble while he had what he needed. Even if Sister Yao Yao didn't like him, wasn't there herself? This guy had taken her underwear, and now he was being ambiguous with Su Qing Ya. Wasn't this like cuckolding her?
"Keke, what nonsense are you spouting? Can't you use more elegant language? What do you mean by 'assault'?" Liu Mengyao chided. Her best friend's words were becoming more and more unrestrained.