Chapter 63

"Dinner will be ready soon, remember to wash your hands! The bathroom is around the corner there."

"Alright."

Tang Song put the book back on the shelf, walked to the bathroom, and turned on the light.

It was about four or five square meters in size and kept very clean.

There were quite a few storage racks on the wall, neatly lined with various toiletries, skincare products, bath towels...

It was clear that Gao Mengting was a very meticulous and clean girl.

After washing his hands thoroughly, he returned to the living room.

Gao Mengting happened to be walking over with the steaming hot buns.

"The range hood is quite old; the whole house smells when I stir-fry. Don't mind it."

"It smells great, I don't mind at all."

Gao Mengting smiled, set the plate down gently, and pulled open the balcony curtains with a "whoosh," opening two of the windows.

A cool evening breeze blew in, and the air instantly became fresh.

On the simple solid wood dining table, there were three dishes.

Stir-fried tomato and egg, bok choy with shiitake mushrooms, and smashed cucumber.

Under the warm light, it looked cozy.

"Come on, Tang Zong, try my cooking and see if it's good."

"Thank you for your hard work, it looks very appetizing."

Taking the chopsticks Gao Mengting handed him, Tang Song tasted them one by one.

The eggs coated in tomato juice were perfectly salty and sweet, smooth and delicious.

The rich aroma of the shiitake mushrooms blended with the fresh taste of the bok choy, creating a rich texture.

The cucumber was crisp, tender, and juicy, refreshing, sour, and spicy.

Although they were all ordinary home-cooked dishes, they tasted exceptionally comforting.

Tang Song gave a thumbs up and praised sincerely, "Super delicious!"

Gao Mengting said a bit shyly, "I don't know how to cook many dishes; these three are my best, and they're very simple to make. Try the buns; my mom's pastry skills are excellent."

"Hoo~ so hot! So hot!" Tang Song grinned as he took a bite, his eyes instantly lighting up, "Too delicious! This level of spiciness is just right. Mengting, I want to overstay my welcome at your place now."

"We're partners; you're trying to make me your nanny." Gao Mengting's face turned slightly red, and she subconsciously looked away, "There are 8 more buns in the fridge; take them all with you later."

"Taking them all isn't good; just give me 4."

Just then, the sound of a guitar suddenly drifted in from outside the balcony window, accompanied by a magnetic singing voice.

"BGM: You are the daily necessities

Morning rice porridge

You understand the changing of the seasons

Understand being companions for a long time

Eyes full of colorful splendor..."

Gao Mengting's eyes curved, and she pointed to the wall behind her, "It's the neighbor next door singing. Because the balcony is close, I often get to enjoy free live performances."

"He sings well, and he plays the guitar very well too."

Tang Song also loved listening to music; in the past, to show off in front of his "white moonlight," he had even followed the trend and practiced the guitar for a while.

Unfortunately, he had mediocre talent and could never really play well.

"He's a resident singer at a bar and also an internet celebrity; he's quite impressive."

Accompanied by the pleasant singing, the two ate and chatted.

They talked from cooking to "To Kill a Mockingbird," and then began to talk about the clothing industry.

During this time, Gao Mengting's phone would light up from time to time with new messages.

Most of the time, she just glanced at them casually and barely replied.

After dinner, they tidied up the kitchen.

Gao Mengting went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and then cut up a fruit platter and placed it in front of Tang Song.

The two sat on the fabric sofa in the living room, chatting idly.

"Ding ding ding—" A WeChat call ringtone sounded.

Gao Mengting hesitated for a moment but answered it.

"Hello, Ruoruo."

"I'm doing great, no worries, I'm already much better, thanks for asking."

"How have you been lately?"

"Congratulations, congratulations, that's great. It seems I'll have to call you Supervisor Li from now on."

"Alright, alright, if I go to Shanghai, I'll definitely come find you to hang out, just don't mind me mooching off you."

"I have a friend here, let's talk later, bye-bye."

Hanging up the phone, Gao Mengting let out a long breath and rubbed her temples.

Tang Song asked with concern, "Are you okay?"

Gao Mengting leaned on the armrest of the sofa, looking at the ceiling, and said, "Maugham once said that many people's concern is just to find out exactly how miserable you are. That sentence describes my current situation."

"Those female classmates, who haven't contacted me much since graduation, have all started chatting with me now, constantly prying into my current situation."

Speaking of this, she shook her head self-deprecatingly, "Maybe I was too high-profile before and showed off too much, making them uncomfortable."

"That just means you're too excellent, which is also the reason I chose you as my partner." Tang Song shifted his position, leaned closer to her, and looked at her beautiful face with sincerity.

Gao Mengting's lips curled up, and she chuckled, "Thank you for your recognition, Tang Zong; I won't let you down."

"Knock knock knock—" A knock on the door suddenly sounded.

Gao Mengting quickly stood up and raised her voice, "Who is it?"

"Miss Gao, it's me, returning a book." A somewhat familiar voice sounded from outside the door.

"Just a moment."

Gao Mengting peered through the peephole for a moment and slowly opened the door.

Standing outside the door was a handsome young man, in his early twenties, with medium-long hair and dressed all in black.

He looked very individualistic.

"Thank you for the book. I finished the first volume of 'Gone with the Wind,' and I have many thoughts." The young man handed over a blue and black book and said softly, "Besides returning the book, I also wanted to borrow the second volume, is that okay?"

"Alright, just a moment." Gao Mengting took the book and walked toward the bookshelf.

The young man's gaze followed her figure forward, and then he saw Tang Song sitting on the sofa.

As their eyes met, his eyebrows couldn't help but furrow.

"Tap tap tap—" Gao Mengting retrieved the book and walked quickly to the door, "Here you go, the song you sang just now was really good."

"Thank you." The young man took the book, pointed inside the room, and asked curiously, "Do you have a friend over today?"

A bright smile appeared on Gao Mengting's face, "Yes, a good friend."

Seeing the smile on her face, the young man nodded and said, "Then I'll head back first. Thank you for the book, Miss Gao; if there's any song you want to hear, you can tell me."

"Alright, bye-bye."

"Bye-bye."

Closing the door, Gao Mengting explained casually, "He's the neighbor who was singing on the balcony just now, Liu Wening; he hasn't moved in for long."

"A very handsome young man." Tang Song had a hunch that this Liu Wening definitely liked his partner friend.

Because he had originally wanted to use the excuse of borrowing books to come over more often.

But this was also normal.

Gao Mengting was outstanding in terms of looks, figure, and temperament.

A girl like this certainly wouldn't lack suitors in her life.

Gao Mengting pursed her full lips and said, "Actually, you're quite handsome too."

Tang Song was stunned and said seriously, "I just like dealing with people who have as good taste as you."

Gao Mengting covered her mouth and laughed, sat on the armrest of the sofa near the balcony, her straight long legs swinging gently, and chatted with him about literature topics in the cool evening breeze.

Tang Song didn't know much about this, so he mainly listened and watched.