Chapter 62

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

"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 and kept very clean.

There were many 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 getting on in years, so the whole house smells like cooking 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, pulled back the balcony curtains with a "whoosh," and opened two windows.

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

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

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

Under the warm light, it looked cozy.

"Come on, Mr. Tang, 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 flavor profile.

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

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

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

Gao Mengting said somewhat shyly: "I don’t know how to cook many dishes; these three are my specialties, and they are very simple to make. Try the buns; my mom’s pastry-making skills are excellent."

"Hoo~ so hot! So hot!" Tang Song grinned as he took a bite, his eyes instantly lighting up. "So fragrant! The spice level is just right too. Mengting, I want to stay at your place and not leave now."

"We are partners; you’re trying to make me your nanny." Gao Mengting’s face flushed slightly, and she subconsciously looked away. "There are 8 more buns in the fridge; I’ll have you take them all 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 white rice porridge,

You understand the changing of the seasons,

Understand how to be companions for the long haul,

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 guitar for a while.

Unfortunately, his talent was mediocre, and he 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 started talking about the clothing industry.

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

Most of the time, she just glanced at them casually and almost never replied.

After dinner, they cleaned up the kitchen.

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

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

"Ding, ding, ding—" A WeChat call rang.

Gao Mengting hesitated for a moment but answered it.

"Hello, Ruoruo."

"I’m doing fine, no worries, I’m much better now, thanks for asking."

"How have you been lately?"

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

"Alright, alright. If I go to the Magic City, I’ll definitely come find you to hang out, as long as you don’t mind me mooching off your food and drink."

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

After hanging up, Gao Mengting let out a long breath and rubbed her temples.

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

Gao Mengting leaned against the armrest of the sofa, looking at the ceiling: "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 stood out too much, making them feel uncomfortable."

"That just means you were 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, and she chuckled: "Thank you for the recognition, Mr. Tang. 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?"

"Ms. Gao, it’s me, returning the book." A somewhat familiar voice sounded from outside the door.

"One moment."

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

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

He looked very individualistic.

"Thanks for the book. I finished the first volume of *Gone with the Wind*; I have many thoughts on it." The young man handed over a blue and black book and said softly: "Besides returning the book, I wanted to borrow the second volume, is that okay?"

"Sure, one 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.

Their eyes met, and he couldn't help but frown.

"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."

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

A brilliant 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. Thanks for the book, Ms. Gao. If there are any songs you want to hear, you can tell me."

"Alright, 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 long."

"A very handsome young man." Tang Song had an intuition that this Liu Wening definitely liked his partner and 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.

Such a girl certainly wouldn't lack pursuers 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 such good taste as you."

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

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