Yi Leng did not rush to protect his daughter because he had already seen that the person was Xian Mo’s younger sister, his sister-in-law, Xiang Bing.

Xiang Bing was ten years younger than Xian Mo. Back when he was dating Xian Mo, she was still in middle school. His sister-in-law had never liked him, so Yi Leng quietly turned around and walked away.

“Nuannuan, didn’t you notice the commotion?” Xiang Bing noticed what was happening. Her niece’s hearing aid didn’t have good sensitivity; maybe if it was an expensive imported model worth 80,000, it could solve the problem.

But that wasn’t possible. When her sister passed away in the car accident, no compensation was received. The case was still tangled in court. Xian Mo had worked hard to complete her PhD and stayed at the university, but her salary wasn’t high, and they lived modestly. The only valuable thing in the family was the house she and her husband bought with a loan years ago. It had appreciated several times in value, and it would eventually be left to Nuannuan. How could they sell it? The mortgage was still being paid by her sister-in-law every month.

Xiang Bing’s life wasn’t easy either. She was approaching thirty, struggling in all aspects—failed relationships, failed career. She couldn’t stay in the big city and couldn’t return to her hometown. Last month, she quit her job and still hadn’t found a new one. This time, she was reluctantly sent back to her hometown, Jiangwei, by her parents for a blind date.

It was destined to be an unpleasant Christmas Eve.

Xiang Bing held Nuannuan’s hand as they returned home. Though they were mother and daughter, they looked like sisters from behind. Xiang Bing was 1.65 meters tall and weighed 98 pounds, while Nuannuan had inherited her father’s height. At just 14, she was already 1.68 meters tall and weighed around 80 pounds—so they really did resemble sisters.

When they got home, Xiang Bing immediately felt the oppressive atmosphere. The furnishings hadn’t changed in over a decade: the old sofa, landscape paintings on the walls, and the factory-issued calendar. The wooden floors were worn and faded. This house was one her parents had gotten when they married. It was a two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment, 78 square meters. The north-facing bedroom was where she and her sister grew up. It had a double-decker bed. Back then, it was where the two sisters slept, but now that her sister was gone, Xiang Bing and Nuannuan shared the room.

Nuannuan’s maternal grandparents both worked at the shipyard. Her grandfather, Xiang Dongming, graduated from university but due to his personality, never achieved much. He was only a technician when he retired, having lived a humble life.

Now, Xiang Dongming was sitting on the sofa reading a newspaper. When he saw his daughter and granddaughter come back, he put down his reading glasses and began to lecture.

It was all the same old rhetoric, starting with her sister’s unfortunate marriage. If only Xian Mo hadn’t insisted on staying in Jiangjiang and hadn’t married that unfortunate man, but had followed her parents’ advice to return to the shipyard and marry her childhood friend Ma Xiaowei, now she would have been the dignified wife of the deputy chief engineer. She wouldn’t have spent eight years as a widow or died in a car accident, leaving her black-haired husband to mourn her.

Based on these painful lessons, Xiang Dongming resolutely insisted that his younger daughter should return to Jiangwei to find stability—take the civil service exam, or work at the shipyard for a state-owned enterprise, marry someone she knew well, and live a stable, happy life.

These were exactly the things Xiang Bing was desperately trying to avoid. She couldn’t stand the stifling atmosphere of a large, decaying state-owned enterprise, the rigid and corrupt bureaucracy, and the complicated relationships. The city felt lifeless, with no Starbucks, no Muji, and nothing or no one worth her staying for.

Her mother, Ding Yujie, came out of the kitchen holding a plate of fruit. She had been the top student at the shipyard’s vocational school and was quite popular, with suitors lined up from Workshop One to Workshop Five. But she had made a terrible choice by rejecting the model worker Qin Dechang and instead marrying the university student Xiang Dongming. Now, Qin Dechang was the chairman and secretary of the shipyard group, a real big shot, while she regretted her decision, with no one to turn to for comfort.

From her mother’s experience, she also wanted her daughter to marry someone with a strong future from the factory.

The two elders had helped their daughter set up a blind date with someone whose family and prospects seemed decent. They invited her back for the holiday to meet him.

Today was Christmas Eve, and the shipyard area was bustling. After Xiang Bing changed clothes to prepare for the date, she noticed her niece’s hopeful look and quietly asked if she wanted to go out.

Nuannuan eagerly nodded. She had no friends in Jiangwei and wanted to contact her classmates from Jiangjiang, but her grandfather had taken her phone away. There was no computer at home, so she could only go to an internet café to chat with her classmates.

Xiang Bing, using a bit of charm, tricked her grandmother into letting Nuannuan join her for the blind date.

“Keep an eye on your aunt and make sure she doesn’t leave early,” her grandmother reminded as they left.

It was Christmas Eve, and the streets were crowded. Xiang Bing decided to take Nuannuan out for a meal first before heading to the blind date.

The blind date was part of a dinner at a high-end local restaurant, Blue Island Western Restaurant. Xiang Bing had been on many blind dates and knew well that the food at such gatherings was never satisfying. It was better to eat beforehand, so she wouldn’t embarrass herself by looking hungry.

However, Xiang Bing was short on cash. After walking around, she spotted a small, clean restaurant and decided to eat there.

It was Yi Leng’s restaurant, Yumei Restaurant. Business was booming today. There were already three tables of customers by the time they arrived. It was the weekend and Christmas Eve, so all the local restaurants were packed. Even small places like this one were benefiting from the holiday rush.

Kang Peng and Xiao Hong had already left, leaving only Wu Yumei and Huang Pihu to run the place. They worked efficiently, one attending to customers and the other handling the kitchen.

Yi Leng had to bring out the dishes himself. Just then, Xiang Bing and Nuannuan walked in, and Yi Leng’s heart, weathered by years of hardship, raced like a teenager in love. He could swear that he had never been this nervous, not even when defusing a nuclear bomb.

His daughter had arrived—was this the moment they would finally recognize each other? But a second later, he realized he was overthinking it. They were just here to eat. Xiang Bing sat down and ordered: “Tomato scrambled eggs, sweet and sour shredded potatoes, stir-fried pork with chili, two bowls of rice.”

This was clearly just a meal. Yi Leng didn’t want to miss the chance to get close to his daughter, so he asked Wu Yumei to watch the stove and noted down the order. He then asked if she wanted soup—something warm for the cold weather.

“What soups do you have?” Xiang Bing asked.

“Seaweed and pork rib soup, clam tofu soup, abalone and sea cucumber soup…” Yi Leng listed off the soups, glancing at Nuannuan. The 14-year-old girl was looking down, lost in thought, not even noticing the unfamiliar chef.

“Tomato egg soup,” Xiang Bing ordered, picking something that wasn’t on the menu. She was trying to be frugal, not wanting to spend too much money.

“Didn’t you already order tomato scrambled eggs?” Yi Leng smiled awkwardly.

“I like it,” Xiang Bing snapped. She could feel his eyes lingering on her, and it made her uncomfortable.

“Alright, tomato egg soup it is.” Yi Leng nodded and went to the kitchen.

Wu Yumei rolled her eyes, muttering to herself that every time Old Huang saw a pretty girl, he’d go out of his way to attend to her. Men were all the same.

Huang Pihu quickly prepared the dishes for Table 4. They were simple, taking only five minutes to cook. Besides the tomato egg soup, he also sent over two bowls of abalone sea cucumber soup.

“Old Huang’s acting strange!” Wu Yumei thought to herself.

“On the house! No charge,” Yi Leng said, pulling a red apple from nowhere. He was about to place it in front of his daughter when his sister-in-law snatched it away and took a bite.

---

"Thank you," Xiang Bing said.

"This is your sister, right? She’s in middle school now, isn't she?" Yi Leng tried to strike up a conversation. "Kid, do you know how to say 'Merry Christmas' in English?"

The noise from the customers in the restaurant was deafening, with clinking glasses and laughter, so Yi Nuannuan, whose hearing was weak, couldn’t even hear what he was saying.

Wu Yumei couldn't hold back anymore and walked over to urge Lao Huang to get back to cooking.

While Xiang Bing and Yi Nuannuan were eating, Feng Xiaoxiao and a few other boys headed across the street to the third floor internet café. The boys, still in their second year of middle school, hadn’t yet reached the age where they’d think about relationships. Going to the internet café and forming teams to play League of Legends was their favorite pastime.

A Toyota Land Cruiser passed by the entrance. It was Yin Bingsong, returning home with his wife and child after a meal at his parents' house. Yin Weiran spotted Feng Xiaoxiao’s figure and hurriedly asked his dad to stop the car.

Yin Bingsong, who doted on his daughter, pulled over without a second word. Yin Weiran jumped out of the car and said, "I’m going to hang out with my classmate. I’ll head home later."

"Be careful, and call if anything happens," Yin Bingsong called after her.

"You spoil her too much," his wife muttered, though she didn’t stop her.

Yin Bingsong started the car and, through the rearview mirror, saw his daughter enter a metal gate leading to a staircase that went up to the second-floor game room and the third-floor internet café. He said, "The café is run by one of my old buddies. Nothing’s going to happen."

---

After finishing their meal and settling the bill, Wu Yumei didn’t give any discounts. Lao Huang had secretly sent two bowls of abalone and sea cucumber soup without charging for them, but even so, Xiang Bing felt the meal was too cheap. "Everything back home may not be great, but the cost of living is so low here. Living on the wages from Jiangsu is pretty comfortable."

Leaving the restaurant and distancing themselves from the rowdy drinkers and gamblers, the world seemed quieter. Yi Nuannuan said, "Aunt, the dishes here taste special."

"What makes them special?" Xiang Bing asked her.

Yi Nuannuan tilted her head and thought for a moment before saying, "It has a taste of Dad."

If Yi Leng had heard that, he would have likely burst into tears right then and there.

"What do you mean by that? Do you remember how your dad’s cooking tasted?" Xiang Bing asked, puzzled.

"It’s more of a feeling, not really the flavor of the dishes," Yi Nuannuan said as she gathered her words. "Dad used to travel a lot for work, but whenever he was home, he’d always cook. I was too young back then to remember the taste. Oh, wait, I have a photo. I’ll show you."

She pulled out a photo from her bag, showing the three of them together—warm and intimate, with the family dining table and a spread of dishes, proving that her brother-in-law was indeed a talented cook.

Xiang Bing handed the photo back to Nuannuan and checked her phone. "It’s time for me to go. What about you?"

Yi Nuannuan said, "I’ll pass. I’m going online. We’ll meet up later."

The two women split up: Nuannuan went to the internet café across the street, and Xiang Bing went to a nearby Blue Island Western Restaurant.

Coincidentally, Yi Leng, carrying a pot of hot soup, stepped out and saw his daughter heading up the stairs across the street.

---

At the window-side table in the western restaurant, the boy had already arrived and was quite punctual. He was dressed appropriately, but his manners were somewhat... lacking. The restaurant even provided ashtrays, and the young man, holding a cigarette, had a pack of hard Chinese cigarettes on the table, along with a leather-covered BMW car key. His down jacket hung on the back of his chair, revealing a white shirt with a fleece lining and an LV belt with a large logo.

The boy’s name was Jian Xiaotian, the same age as Xiang Bing. They had added each other on WeChat and exchanged a few messages, but today was their first time meeting in person. Jian Xiaotian called the waiter over and ordered two Angus steak sets, a beer for himself, and a drink for Xiang Bing. He even thoughtfully asked her how she wanted her steak cooked.

"Well done," Xiang Bing replied. She usually preferred medium-rare, but she didn’t trust the quality or cooking skills at the local western restaurants, so well-done felt safer.

Jian Xiaotian ordered his steak medium-rare and, while waiting, lit another cigarette and started chatting, or more accurately, introducing himself.

"I work at the shipyard. After graduating from college, I joined the publicity department. My salary, including bonuses and benefits, is around 3,500 a month. I have a house and a car—a BMW X1."

"My older brother is Jian Dayong, he’s in engineering, and he’s close to the factory director. They’re all like family..."

"My second aunt works at the city’s education bureau, managing elementary and middle schools..."

"I have a great big brother who owns a shipping fleet..."

"I have a younger brother who got a project last year..."

Xiang Bing stifled a yawn. Jian Xiaotian wasn’t a bad guy, but he had no real achievements to speak of. All he could boast about were the people around him. Xiang Bing had no interest in this type of man, but out of politeness, she didn’t want to shut him down directly. She needed to find a way for him to push her away instead.

"Um..." Xiang Bing hesitated slightly, then asked, "Big brother, could I have a cigarette?"

Jian Xiaotian froze in shock, but before he could answer, Xiang Bing grabbed a cigarette from his pack, put it in her mouth, and casually lit it with his lighter. She took a long drag, looking completely relaxed, as if savoring every moment. She almost looked ready to say, "This is perfect."

---

Back at Yumei Restaurant, customers kept coming and going. Although each table’s bill wasn’t high, the steady flow of customers meant that the sums added up. If it were like this every day, business would be good.

Suddenly, a van pulled up to the door, blocking half the entrance. Five or six people got out. The leader was slick-haired, wearing a black leather jacket and carrying a small bag. He walked in with an air of confidence, followed closely by Kang Peng.

They were here to stir up trouble.

Wu Yumei wasn’t scared. This wasn’t 10 years ago, when street thugs would break in to smash and grab. The restaurant had cameras, and the police would arrive within 10 minutes, so she wasn’t worried.

But the group had clearly adapted to the times. None of them were carrying weapons. They weren’t here to fight.

"Wu Jie, I’m Kang Peng’s brother. I heard you’ve been a little unreasonable," the slick-haired man said, sitting down and bringing a few people with folded arms behind him, all glaring at her.

Wu Yumei glanced at Kang Peng. "Xiao Peng, impressive, huh? Can’t even ask for your own money, so you had to bring in someone from the streets? What’s your brother’s name?"

The slick-haired man replied, "My name is Rou Mingrui..."

Wu Yumei patted his shoulder. "Rou, since you're here, I can't ignore you. I won’t owe Xiao Peng a single cent. But let’s be clear. Running a restaurant as a woman isn’t easy. I trusted Xiao Peng and Honghong as if they were my siblings. I never questioned their shopping bills. Honghong handles the payments, and the accounts are a mess. I thought they were family, so I turned a blind eye if they earned a bit more. But what did they do? They started being lazy—coming late, leaving early, and cooking as slow as a snail. If they’re like this, I might have to shut down!"

She slapped her thighs as she spoke. Rou Mingrui scratched his head in confusion. He wasn’t afraid of tough talk, but dealing with a woman who slapped her thighs was a different story.

Just then, Yi Leng stepped out of the kitchen with a steaming pot of soup. Kang Peng pointed at him. "That’s him! The one with the last name Huang!"

Rou Mingrui, not one to argue with a woman, was about to speak when Yi Leng flashed a sharp look, placed the soup in front of Rou Mingrui with force, and spilled it all over his pants.

"Today, if you don’t clean this up, I’ll kill you!" Rou Mingrui shouted, fuming.

But Yi Leng didn’t even look at him. He darted back to the kitchen, grabbed a wet towel, and rushed outside. Rou Mingrui lost his balance and fell, and his lackeys couldn’t catch up with Yi Leng’s swift movements. They could only watch helplessly as he rushed out.

Across the street, on the third floor, flames erupted from the window of the internet café. It was on fire.

This was a true life-or-death situation, but Nuannuan was up there. Without a

 moment's hesitation, Yi Leng, without even looking back, ran into the burning building.

[----------------°-------------]

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