Actually, Jiang Yan was doing quite well at home.
She had food and drink, could play and sleep. Nan Yan, concerned about her eating snacks all day, specifically gave the key to his Little Assistant, asking them to deliver takeout every day.
The Little Assistant obediently placed the takeout on the carpet in the living room and left. Jiang Yan, hearing the noise, would jump off the sofa to see what delicious food Nan Yan had ordered for her today.
Would it be noodles with tender beef in a fragrant broth or a sizzling spicy potato and beef rice bowl?
It must be said that Nan Yan, as a meal ticket, took quite comprehensive care of Jiang Yan. When Jiang Yan enjoyed the food, she would send him a couple of messages, praising how delicious today's meal was, and casually asking how he was doing.
The young idol, just off the stage with a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead, would get his phone from the assistant. Seeing the messages, his face would instantly brighten. The little grass seemed to have grown a conscience.
The monotonous daily training and rehearsals left him dizzy and exhausted. Nan Yan was already desperate to go home. But he couldn't; he still had to work to earn money to support his Baby.
Nan Yan's daily happiness was all on his phone now. As soon as he got his hands on it, he would check if his Baby had sent him any messages. If not, he would switch to the living room surveillance camera, hoping to catch a glimpse of his Baby. He was just like a pet owner away from home but deeply attached to their cat.
Nan Yan's failure at maintaining a poker face was obvious to all. One moment he'd be chuckling at his phone, the next he'd be lost in thought... After a few days, almost everyone noticed his unusual behavior.
The Eldest Brother was worried, thinking something had happened at home and the youngest had been traumatized. The Second Brother once again suspected that the youngest might be in a relationship. Both brothers independently decided to find time to have a talk with their little brother.
In the evening, after training, Nan Yan had just retrieved his phone when the Second Brother put an arm around his shoulder and led him outside.
"Are you dating someone?" the Second Brother asked, forcing himself to act like a sympathetic older brother to gain his younger brother's trust.
"No, I'm still single," Nan Yan replied. He was wearing a loose white T-shirt, exposing his neck and arms to the air. He was confused about being dragged out to be mosquito food.
"You're always staring at your phone, isn't it obvious? We've all noticed..." the Second Brother persuaded.
"I told you last time, it's just a kid," Nan Yan explained.
But the slight uneasiness on his face didn't escape the Second Brother's notice. He became even more convinced of his idea: "What are you afraid of? I'm not going to stop you. I just want to hear the truth from you!"
Nan Yan couldn't escape and finally told a half-truth, half-lie that he was raising a child. By 'child,' he meant a doll, but the Second Brother clearly misunderstood.
The Second Brother's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. So not only was he in a relationship, but he had a child too!
As Nan Yan freed himself from his second brother's grip and turned around, the Eldest Brother came looking for him. Because of the tree shade, he only saw Nan Yan alone and immediately said, "Little brother, if you're under pressure, just talk to me. Don't keep it all to yourself. I've guessed what's happening at home..."
"You've guessed about raising a child? That's quite accurate!" Nan Yan walked past the Eldest Brother towards the building, not missing his shocked expression. He knew the Second Brother could explain for him; he didn't want to stand outside being bitten by mosquitoes.
Nan Yan happily returned to the dorm and went to video call his little grass.
Outside, the Eldest Brother and Second Brother, braving the mosquito harassment, resolutely discussed how they should take better care of their youngest brother, after all, he was a father now.
Nan Yan was unaware of his two brothers' wild imaginations. He was just extremely happy about going home.
...
Standing at the doorstep with his suitcase, Nan Yan suddenly felt a sense of homesickness.
But when he pushed open the door, Jiang Yan, hugging a big cherry, was running towards him at sprint speed.
Nan Yan was incredibly touched and decided to enshrine that cherry, turning it into a specimen. What was this if not the key to ending their cold war and improving their relationship?
Some of Nan Yan's aloof personality returned.
During dinner, he asked his Baby if she was scared being home alone. Oh, 'Baby' was the new nickname he gave to his little grass. This name clearly emphasized his role as her caretaker!
Of course, he only called her that in his mind; Jiang Yan didn't know.
Jiang Yan was gnawing on the duck neck he had brought back, not even looking up as she retorted, "I'm not a coward like you."
The 'coward' remark stemmed from when Nan Yan, after watching the surveillance footage of Jiang Yan's appearance, complained to her that he would never dare to buy flowers again. Since then, Jiang Yan had remembered this.
The big and small pair started to argue, debating who was braver. In the end, the two childish individuals decided to watch a horror movie together that night; whoever got scared first would be the coward!
Jiang Yan was afraid of ghosts, but she thought Nan Yan probably wasn't very brave either.
That night, in the darkened bedroom, Nan Yan lay on the bed, pulling up a horror movie on his tablet. Jiang Yan perched on his wrist, their heads side by side, both staring at the screen.
Horror movies always have that eerie, dim greenish tint, accompanied by creepy, jarring background music. The long-haired, white-clothed Sadako with her face hidden, and the thick blood oozing from who-knows-where...
Jiang Yan hadn't expected Nan Yan to be genuinely unafraid. She had been scared from the start, but because she was in front and Nan Yan couldn't see her face, she thought of cheating by closing her eyes.
But with the atmospheric music, her vivid imagination became even more terrifying, scaring Jiang Yan into tremblingly opening her eyes again.
She sneakily looked back, seeing Nan Yan engrossed in the movie, and decided to try to slip away.
