"She didn’t have dinner?"
Mrs. Lin shook her head, "She did, very little, and then went upstairs to sleep."
"I’ll go check on her."
After a moment of silence, Bo Qin started to walk upstairs, but Mrs. Lin stopped him, "Mr. Qin, Jian Dan is a grown girl now. It’s not really appropriate for you to enter her room. Explain it to her tomorrow. She’s sensible and won’t blame you."
Bo Qin was startled, not having considered this aspect. He nodded, "Mrs. Lin is right, you should go and rest."
"Do you want me to make some late-night snack for you?"
Bo Qin shook his head, "No need, you go rest."
Mrs. Lin nodded and did not speak further.
As Bo Qin passed Jian Dan’s room, he paused for a moment, suppressing the urge to open the door, and continued forward into his room, sighing softly. He thought that in the future, unless he was completely certain, he should not inform Mrs. Lin beforehand. If he could come, then he would notify her, otherwise, what good would it do to get the young girl’s hopes up?
In fact, Jian Dan had not really fallen asleep. Without waiting for Bo Qin’s return, she did not feel like sleeping. She could sense that he had stood in front of her room for a while but did not come in. It wasn’t exactly disappointment, but a touch of sadness. The sense of distance made her sober up time and time again. Her feelings were so laughable.
Bo Qin’s concern for her was merely that of an elder for a younger member of the family, yet she seemed to want more, the feelings Bo Qin would reserve for a future wife.
Furthermore, Hai En’s words tortured her. She knew she had no place to ask Bo Qin about his personal feelings, but her imagination made her very upset. She wanted to ask but didn’t know how to start.
It was only after Bo Qin had walked away from her door that she slowly fell asleep.
The next morning, she awoke particularly early, troubled by her thoughts. After washing up, she came downstairs, where Mrs. Lin had already prepared steamed buns for her. Seeing her descend, Mrs. Lin greeted her with a smile and handed her the warmed milk.
"Have some breakfast first, Mr. Qin went out for a morning run."
"Uncle Qin got up already? This early?"
While surprised, she couldn’t help but admire his willpower; it was truly astonishing.
Mrs. Lin laughed, "Yes, he got up very early. You go ahead and eat. He should be back soon. His one-hour aerobic exercise has been a consistent routine since his youth."
Jian Dan gave an acknowledging sound and buried herself in eating breakfast.
Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. She had just started breakfast when Bo Qin returned, his forehead covered in fine sweat, wearing sportswear, and with his unstyled hair, he looked a good fifteen years younger. If someone said he was a college student, nobody would doubt it.
Jian Dan looked up to see such a rugged yet charming Bo Qin and was momentarily stunned. Bo Qin chuckled, walked over to her, and rubbed her forehead, "What are you looking at? Handsome, huh?"
Her absent-minded response made Bo Qin laugh, "You should eat your breakfast. I’ll go take a shower and come down. Eat slowly, wait for me, we’ll have it together."
Jian Dan’s mood immediately lifted, her smile beaming, eyes curving up in delight. Bo Qin chuckled and made his way upstairs.
The young girl’s moods came and went quickly, and Mrs. Lin shook her head, amused yet worried. The young girl looked so pitiful; it was distressing.
After Bo Qin had showered and come downstairs, Jian Dan was still slowly enjoying her breakfast. He pulled up a chair beside her and took a steamed bun, "I didn’t keep my promise last night, making you dine alone. Are you upset? Although you’d have the right to be. If Uncle Qin can’t make it next time, I won’t tell Mrs. Lin in advance, to spare you the disappointment."
Jian Dan made a sound of acknowledgment, "I’m not upset, just a bit regretful. Uncle Qin, have you been very busy lately?"
"Quite busy," Bo Qin replied while biting into the large half of the bun, "Why, is something the matter?"
Jian Dan shook her head, "It’s not really a big deal. Uncle Qin, I’m going over to my classmate’s place tomorrow, in the old alleys. I was thinking of asking Mrs. Lin to make some delicious food to bring over."
"A male classmate or a female classmate?" Instead of agreeing immediately, Bo Qin asked.
Jian Dan briefly described Lai Wei’s identity, then shifted the topic, "Uncle Qin, Hai En told me you’re going to marry his sister."