Chương 59: Entrustment

At dinner time, steaming hot dishes filled the table, and a warm glow enveloped the rising steam, filling the air with the rich aroma of home.

Su Wanyi gently and naturally ladled a bowl of soup for Lin Chen with a ceramic spoon. She smiled at the four people sitting around the table and asked, "What would you like to eat tomorrow? I can make more delicious food when I get back on Saturday."

"Dumplings!" Xiaoye immediately raised her little hand, her eyes sparkling.

"Mommy's dumplings are the best!"

Su Wanyi gently patted her daughter's head, but a hint of apology and embarrassment appeared on her face: "Oh dear, we're out of dumpling wrappers and minced meat at home, and Mom has to work overtime tomorrow, so I probably won't have time to go buy any."

Lin Che naturally replied, "Then I'll go with Yuqing. We can buy some snacks for Xiaoye."

"Uh... I've made plans to go shopping with my classmates." Su Yuqing paused in her chopsticks, a hint of hesitation on her face.

"I'll probably be hanging out with them this afternoon too, so I probably won't be able to help out tomorrow."

"It's alright, I'll drive Xiao Che along tomorrow," Lin Chen said with a smile, seemingly happy to take on the task.

"We can also buy some other ingredients."

"Okay." Lin Che agreed, then turned to Xiaoye with a doting smile.

"Little Xiaoye, would you like to come with us?"

"Yes! I want to choose my own snacks!" Xiaoye replied excitedly.

Lin Che smiled and reached out to gently pat the little girl's fluffy, soft head: "Then it's settled."

After dinner, Lin Che returned to his room. Instead of immediately starting his magic training, he took out his textbooks and planned to consolidate the knowledge he had learned during the day.

Although this content doesn't pose a challenge for him, a "high school student" with an adult soul, it's always good to review it.

Just as he opened the book and his thoughts were immersed in those familiar formulas and concepts, there were two soft knocks on the door.

Immediately afterwards, the doorknob was turned, and the door was slowly pushed open.

Su Yuqing poked her head in, her face bearing a familiar, mischievous smile as if she had discovered something interesting. Her bright eyes darted around, seemingly scrutinizing him to see if he had secretly done anything "bad."

"Ah Che? I'm coming in." She said, already slipping inside, and emphasized in her voice, "This time I knocked!"

Lin Che reluctantly put down his pen, leaned back in his chair, and looked at her as if she had caught him red-handed, his temples twitching slightly.

He knew that she would probably use what happened a few nights ago to tease him for a long time, and he couldn't refute it, so he could only silently endure this sweet "injustice".

"Come in." He sighed, trying to change the subject.

"It's so late, what's the matter?"

"Oh dear," Su Yuqing immediately feigned displeasure, frowning and putting her hands on her hips, "Can't I come to see you if there's nothing wrong? We're siblings now, siblings don't need reasons!"

She spoke confidently, taking a step closer to him as if to "search" his desk or bed.

Lin Che saw through her trick immediately, and put on a stern face, pretending to kick her out: "Is that so? Then I also want some peace and quiet. You should go back to your own room." He pointed to the door.

"No, no, no!" Seeing that he "really" wanted to send her away, Su Yuqing stopped her playful attitude and became serious again.

"Alright, alright, stop fooling around. I have something important to ask you."

She walked to Lin Che's desk, pulled up a chair next to it, and leaned forward slightly: "It's about Xiao Li."

Upon hearing this name, Lin Che's expression turned serious.

"Have you met with Xiaoli these past few days?" Su Yuqing asked directly, her eyes filled with curiosity.

These past few days she's been busy integrating into her new class and making new friends. Although she messages and calls Luo Bingli every day to make sure she's not being neglected, she hasn't been seeing her as frequently as before.

"I text and call her every day, and she always says she's doing well," Su Yuqing said, her tone filled with relief at her friend's improved condition.

She paused, seemingly choosing her words carefully, "But... she's never mentioned you in her messages."

She knew that Lin Che had been trying to get closer to Luo Bingli recently, and given her aloof personality, it was normal that there was no progress.

But this made her want to check on Lin Che's situation herself—to know if her friend had responded to this "brother," and to know if her efforts had been effective.

"So I wanted to ask you," Su Yuqing looked at Lin Che, her eyes filled with inquiry and a hint of expectation, "how's your relationship with Xiao Li going? Has there been any... special progress?"

Lin Che looked at her and told her the truth about what had happened in the past few days: how he "bumped into" her in various corners, how she refused the things he offered her time and time again, and how she saw him still trying again and again.

This afternoon, she finally took the initiative to come over and question him, and he struck a chord with her with the words, "I'm just seeing if you've... given it a try and made more friends."

"And then she... ran away." Lin Che said, unable to help but reveal a slightly helpless smile.

Su Yuqing listened quietly, her expression changing with his narration, from initial curiosity to surprise, and finally to the shock in her eyes when she heard that key sentence.

She remained silent for a moment, as if processing the information in Lin Che's words.

Then, she looked at Lin Che with a mischievous smile in her eyes and suddenly said, "Hearing you say that... Che, your behavior sounds a bit like that of a pervert who's been following Xiao Li with malicious intent, doesn't it?"

Lin Che paused for a moment, then without hesitation reached out and gave Su Yuqing a punitive chop to the neck.

"Ouch!" Su Yuqing exaggeratedly covered her forehead, letting out a painful cry, but didn't seem to care much. She just stared at him with wide eyes, her smile widening.

"Don't talk nonsense!" Lin Che's tone was tinged with helplessness and amusement.

"Didn't you tell me to try being friends with her? I was just trying it in a way that I thought was appropriate. How is that scheming?"

"She has a very awkward personality and is afraid of getting close. Approaching her in this way might actually make her less resistant."

Su Yuqing listened to his analysis with a strange look in her eyes. She tilted her head and spoke again, her tone clearly joking: "You've only just met her and you're already going through all this trouble. You haven't fallen for Xiao Li, have you?"

"Uh..." Lin Che hesitated slightly. He thought for a moment, but was too embarrassed to reveal the "truth" that he treated Luo Bingli like a daughter—it sounded too strange.

"You—!" He suddenly reached out and delivered another chop to Su Yuqing's hand.

"Aww!!" Su Yuqing screamed even louder this time. She covered her head and shrank back, but she still couldn't suppress the smile on her lips. Her eyes were curved, as if to say, "I guessed right."

"This is just concern between friends!" Lin Che emphasized helplessly, his tone carrying a hint of exasperation and amusement at her annoyance.

"Alright, alright," Su Yuqing gently pulled Lin Che's hand down, her tone softening, "I know, I saw your efforts, Che."

She bit her lower lip, a hint of guilt in her voice: "I have indeed been focusing all my energy on new friends lately, and it seems like... I've been neglecting Xiaoli a bit."

She looked at Lin Che, her eyes carrying a weighty sense of entrustment: "Then... the responsibility of keeping her from being lonely will be temporarily entrusted to you, Che, okay?"

Lin Che looked at the sincere guilt and trust in her eyes and his heart softened. He knew that this responsibility was not light, but since he had already taken this step, there was no reason to back down.

"I understand," he replied, his voice steady and firm.

"I'll be watching her."

Hearing his agreement, Su Yuqing breathed a sigh of relief, and a bright smile returned to her face.

"Great!" She stood up excitedly, walked to Lin Che's side, reached out and hooked her arm around his neck, leaned forward slightly, and rested her weight on him.

"Ah Che, you've worked so hard and helped me so much, you deserve a reward!"

Lin Che's heart skipped a beat; his intuition told him that this reward was not something "normal."

"The reward is..." she drawled, leaning close to his ear and whispering in a voice only he could hear, "You're allowed to hold me while we sleep tonight!"

Lin Che's face froze instantly, and the veins on his forehead throbbed. He looked at the sly glint in her eyes and knew that she was deliberately teasing him again.

"... No." He refused expressionlessly, using his body slightly to try to push away the girl clinging to him.

"Why not?" Su Yuqing clung to her even tighter like a koala, muttering in protest, "Didn't we sleep well last time? And you promised to sleep together every now and then~"

"Protest denied." Lin Che's voice was calm but tinged with helplessness. He held Su Yuqing's shoulders and, amidst her exaggerated protests and struggles, used just the right amount of force to push her out of his room.

"Go back to your room!" He closed the door, shutting out her amused protest.

The room finally returned to silence. Lin Che leaned against the door, let out a long sigh, and showed a complex smile that was a mixture of helplessness and doting on his face.

This girl is really... getting more and more clingy.