Bai Hua smiled with satisfaction: "Then let's go downstairs and see."
Xu Yan obediently followed her mother downstairs, but she still had a feeling that something wasn't quite right.
She couldn't help but feel like she had been tricked somehow.
Downstairs, Ye Jin had finally managed to convince Xu Yi and Xu Mo to put a little faith in him after much difficulty.
Just as he was about to take one more look at Xu Yan and leave, Xu Yan came downstairs with Bai Hua.
As soon as he saw Xu Yan, Ye Jin's gaze softened.
Xu Yan was also about to smile sheepishly, but Bai Hua gave her a subtle tug, forcing her to hold back her smile.
Not seeing his silly Yan Yan smile, Ye Jin felt a slight pang of frustration. At this point, he was still unaware of the gravity of the situation, thinking only that Xu Yan was in a bad mood after being scolded by Bai Hua.
Xu Mo seized the opportunity to step forward: "Alright, alright, you've said your piece. You should go back now. We're all reasonable people here, and we won't stand in your way if you and Yan really end up together."
Ye Jin knew them fairly well and that they were good people, so he took his leave for the time being.
Watching Ye Jin leave, Bai Hua felt a pang of guilt in her heart. She said thoughtfully, "That young man isn't too bad, is he?"
Xu Yi was also quite frustrated: "He's not bad, but Yan is still so young."
Xu Yan muttered softly, "How am I still young? I'm twenty years old!"
Xu Mo pulled his sister into an embrace and had her sit down: "It's not that we're not letting you date. We're just trying to look out for you."
Xu Yan huffed arrogantly, but had already decided to observe Ye Jin's reactions over the next few days before making her move to pursue him!
However, she had promised to work at his tavern, so the next day Xu Yan still showed up on time.
Ye Jin had also gotten up early, and was fussing with something in the kitchen when Xu Yan arrived.
Xu Yan walked into the tavern with her little bag, greeting Ye Jin with a deliberately distant tone: "Boss, is there anything you need me to do?"
Ye Jin emerged from the kitchen wearing an apron: "Yan Yan, why are you here so early? Are you tired? Do you want to sleep a little longer?"
Xu Yan almost said yes, but bit her lip: "No need."
Ye Jin sensed her strange demeanor and frowned slightly: "Then go play with the parrots over there for now. There's nothing that needs to be done at the moment."
Xu Yan nodded seriously: "Okay!"
Alone in the kitchen, Ye Jin leaned against the wall and pondered for a moment before quickly finishing the breakfast dishes. He then brought two plates of pastries over to Xu Yan: "Yan Yan, would you like some pastries? I made them myself."
Xu Yan was still wondering why she was being so cold and distant, yet Ye Jin didn't seem to react at all. She looked up blankly, shaking her head belatedly: "Thank you, I won't eat."
Ye Jin sat across from her and stared at her suddenly: "Yan Yan, what's wrong with you?"
Xu Yan averted her gaze silently: "What's wrong? Nothing's wrong."
Ye Jin asked cautiously, "Did I do something to upset you?"
Xu Yan felt herself growing more and more confused. Ye Jin hadn't done anything wrong, so why was she treating him like this?
She suddenly felt aggrieved: "I'm not upset."
Ye Jin probed carefully, "Then... did someone say something to you?" He looked at Xu Yan earnestly and said, "Yan Yan, we've only known each other for a few days, and you might find what I'm about to say terrifying. But I really, really like you... I love you."
He stated resolutely: "Yan Yan, I know you might not understand these things yet, but could you please wait? Wait until you know me well enough, and then decide whether or not you want to stay away from me."
Xu Yan was puzzled from the first words he spoke, and she hesitated for a long time before stammering: "Why... why do you seem to know me so well?"
Ye Jin sighed: "Because I've liked you for a long time."
Xu Yan blinked her eyes in bewilderment, and for some reason, the image of a gentle white wolf appeared before her eyes.
She shook her head and rubbed her eyes, but the white wolf had disappeared, leaving only Ye Jin standing in front of her.
Ye Jin looked at Xu Yan with confusion: "Yan Yan, what's wrong with you?"
Xu Yan stood up, her brow tightly furrowed. She suddenly had a headache: "Who... who are you?"
Ye Jin's heart skipped a beat, and he tried to support Xu Yan: "Yan Yan, it's me, what's wrong with you?"
Just as Xu Yan was about to say something, she suddenly blacked out and fainted into Ye Jin's arms.
Ye Jin panicked, holding Xu Yan tightly and nearly rushing her to the hospital. But before he could leave the tavern, a sleepy voice rang out from inside: "Why are you men always dawdling? Can't you be more decisive?"
Ye Jin turned with Xu Yan in his arms, only to see a girl in a red shirt sitting in the middle of the tavern's great hall.
Liu Lingxiao tapped the table lazily: "Come over here."
Ye Jin carried Xu Yan over and sat next to her: "Sister, why are you here?"
Liu Lingxiao looked a little weary: "I've been quite busy lately, so I came here to lay low for a bit."
Ye Jin nodded silently: "So, what did you do to Yan?"
Liu Lingxiao touched her nose sheepishly, trying to laugh it off: "Oh... nothing much, I'm just going to go upstairs and take a nap."
Ye Jin's expression turned cold: "You'd better wake Yan up right now, or I'll throw out all your anime DVDs."
Liu Lingxiao froze mid-step, clicking her tongue: "So ungrateful. I just made the kid dream a little, to help her remember the things between you two."
Ye Jin grew agitated: "What business is it of yours? Why would you make her remember those things?"
Liu Lingxiao's expression was indifferent: "You don't know if she'll dwell on those things. She's doing well now, letting go of all that can only benefit her, not harm her."
Ye Jin fell silent for a long while: "But she should take it slowly, without any mental preparation."
Liu Lingxiao sounded annoyed: "Then just go in and keep her company. What's the big deal?"
Ye Jin: "...If I could go in, I would have already, instead of arguing with you here."
Liu Lingxiao paused for a moment, then stood up and stretched lazily: "Got it, you take her to your room, and after five minutes you'll be able to enter her dream."
She narrowed her eyes and said word by word: "Don't disturb my nap, and, if you dare toss my CDs, you're done for."
Ye Jin waved his hand dismissively: "Okay, okay."
