Cherry Miller opened the door: "Dinner will be ready soon."
"Then let's go for a walk after dinner!" Jay Kee said playfully. "There's nothing fun to do around here. After dinner, it's just sleep—how boring! Sis Cherry, come walk with me!"
Cherry Miller saw Yina Yin peeking out from the door opposite, mouthing, "Say yes."
Cherry Miller sighed, pressing her forehead. "Alright."
Jay Kee was thrilled to have Cherry Miller agree! He turned around happily to get ready.
After Jay Kee left, Cherry Miller said to Yina Yin, "You're just here for the drama! If things get out of hand and something bad happens, what will we do then?"
Yina Yin looked up at the sky. "I've never seen anything you couldn't handle! If something really does get out of your control, you must've been possessed!"
Cherry Miller laughed. "You trust me that much?"
"Absolutely!" Yina Yin grinned. "Even though Jay Kee can't put any pressure on my brother, he should know—if he doesn't hurry up, someone else might snatch you away!"
At the mention of Ethan Yin, Cherry Miller felt a wave of longing sweep through her heart.
Has he been doing well these days, out there?
Has he still been thinking of me, just like always?
I know I shouldn't want this love, shouldn't dare to want it, but selfishly, I still hope he'll remember me.
Cherry Miller couldn't help but mock herself.
I've turned into the kind of person I used to hate.
I've become more and more selfish, haven't I?
Last time I used Tang De to reject Ethan Yin, but this time, I can't use Jay Kee as an excuse.
Those two aren't even in the same league.
Sigh, forget it. I'll stop thinking about this for now.
I'll just take things one step at a time.
Maybe, I'll be able to get rid of my scummy dad sooner rather than later.
Without that trouble, maybe I could pick things up again with Ethan Yin.
I just hope everything will be in time!
At dinner, Jay Kee deliberately sat next to Cherry Miller, acting all attentive and caring.
"Sis Cherry, I asked the kitchen to make this dish just for you. Try it!" Jay Kee picked up some food for Cherry with the serving chopsticks. "When I was helping out earlier, I saw the kitchen had just brought in a basket of freshly picked bitter melon, and there were fresh shrimp in the fridge, so I asked them to make bitter melon with shrimp. See if you like it! It's good for cooling you down, healthy, and great for your skin! Girls should always look beautiful! Sis Cherry, you're already gorgeous, but you can be even prettier!"
Jay Kee's mouth was like it was coated in honey—he just kept pouring out compliments for free.
Ming Xin was so embarrassed he couldn't even lift his head and just ate quietly.
Yina Yin looked at Jay Kee with a half-smile and teased, "Why are you only serving Sis Cherry? Aren't you going to serve the rest of us?"
Jay Kee shot back, "We're all guys, what do you need serving for? Out of the four of us, Sis Cherry's the only girl—of course I should take care of her first!"
Cherry Miller said helplessly, "Alright, I can serve myself. Thanks for your thoughtfulness."
After dinner, Jay Kee shoved his plate at Ming Xin and whispered, "Bro, can you wash the dishes for me? I’ve got a date!"
With that, Jay Kee happily trotted after Cherry Miller, saying, "Sis Cherry, it's not good for your health to sit right after eating. Let's go for a walk? I saw the view outside is gorgeous! The sun hasn’t set yet, so it’s perfect for sightseeing. Want to go check it out?"
"Sure." Cherry nodded and followed Jay Kee outside.
Honestly, the scenery really was beautiful at this hour.
The Welfare Institute was located in the suburbs.
The terrain here was mostly flat, but there were a few hills.
So when you looked into the distance, it was especially poetic.
Jay Kee diligently wiped off a stone and said to Cherry, "Sis Cherry, sit here! I cleaned it for you."
"Thanks." Cherry sat down gracefully.
Jay Kee sat obediently beside her, looking up and saying, "Sis Cherry, you're always so polite to me."
The sunset cast a golden glow across Jay Kee’s face, making him look even more dazzling and radiant than usual.
Jay Kee was already the sunny type, and with the light like this, his looks went from a five to a solid seven.
You had to hand it to him—he could make even this bare-bones setting work in his favor, somehow boosting his charm.
If Cherry Miller were just an ordinary girl, she probably wouldn’t be able to resist.
"Is it bad to be polite?" Cherry shot back.
"Not good at all," Jay Kee replied, sounding pitiful. "You can be polite to others, but not to me. Sis Cherry, actually, I have something I want to tell you today."
Cherry thought, Here it comes, Jay Kee is finally getting to the point.
How should I turn him down later without being too harsh?
Far away, two sneaky figures hid behind a big tree.
Yina Yin whispered to Ming Xin, "Do you think Jay Kee will confess tonight?"
Ming Xin answered uncertainly, "Probably! He’s been planning this for ages."
"Shh, keep it down." Yina Yin pressed down on Ming Xin’s head and craned her neck to listen in.
At that moment, Jay Kee finally said to Cherry, "Sis Cherry, I’m not good at hiding my feelings. Maybe you’ve already noticed, but I’ve always liked you—quietly, all this time."
Cherry pretended to be surprised. "Really? Is that so? But there’s someone else in my life now."
Jay Kee blurted out, "Is it that pretty boy Yin? Sis Cherry, what do you even see in him? He’s got nothing but a face! You’re the heiress of a big family, you’ve had tons of suitors—why settle for someone so ordinary? Sure, I come from humble beginnings, but my feelings are real. Even if you have someone else, can’t you have one more? I won’t be jealous, I won’t make things hard for you. I’m well-behaved, I’m sensible!"
Cherry almost burst out laughing, but kept a serious face. "But I’m all about looks! Only handsome guys get picked by me."
"But I’m good-looking too!" Jay Kee grew more anxious. "See, I’m young, lively, full of energy! Sure, I’m not the same type as Yin, but Sis Cherry, why can’t you have both? I swear, I won’t get jealous! As long as you want to see me, I’ll show up. And if you ever get tired of me, I’ll leave without a fuss!"
Cherry was genuinely impressed.
Turns out, there really are people in this world who are so blunt about offering themselves up.
Even Yina Yin, eavesdropping in the distance, couldn’t help but comment, "That’s the most refreshingly honest confession I’ve ever heard! Wow, it’s enough to make a grown man cry. Ming Xin, you—"
Just as Yina Yin was about to turn around, she saw Ming Xin slip and nearly fall to the side—clearly startled by Jay Kee’s bold confession.
"Careful!" Yina Yin grabbed Ming Xin around the waist and pulled him back. Maybe she used too much force, because he ended up right in her arms.
Yina Yin just held Ming Xin like that.
Both of them froze.
It was their first time being this close.
Ming Xin’s face turned bright red, as red as the setting sun.
Yina Yin quickly let go of Ming Xin.
"Thanks... for that," Ming Xin mumbled, too shy to lift his head.
"It’s... it’s nothing," Yina Yin replied, a little awkward herself.
She didn’t feel like gossiping anymore, so she stepped back and said, "Don’t worry about it. I’m heading back."
"Okay," Ming Xin nodded, cheeks still flushed, and watched Yina Yin’s slightly flustered figure walk away, biting his lip.
In that moment, when she held him, Ming Xin felt his heart race.
What was happening to him?
Was he really falling for the Yin family’s eldest daughter?
No, he couldn’t.
Who was he, anyway?
How could he ever be good enough for the Yin family’s eldest daughter?
He couldn’t even be her side guy, not really.
That thought was like a bucket of cold water, snapping Ming Xin back to reality.
Ming Xin slapped himself.
What am I even thinking?
Miss Yin took him in out of kindness—how could he ever repay her with ingratitude?
He wasn’t Jay Kee—how could he even think such things?
Ming Xin lost all interest in watching Jay Kee and Cherry Miller, and quietly slipped away.
Over there, Cherry and Jay Kee had no idea what was happening nearby.
Jay Kee was still working hard to sell himself, while Cherry stubbornly stuck to her 'only likes handsome guys' story.
In the end, Jay Kee sighed and said, "Sis Cherry, I know I’m not good enough for you right now. But you can’t control who you fall for. You don’t have to accept me, but please don’t push me away, okay? I’ll work hard to improve myself—I want you to see the best version of me. Before you accept me, I promise I won’t do anything I shouldn’t, alright?"
Jay Kee looked up at Cherry and added, "I know I can't compare to the Yin brothers, but I have my own strengths—things they don’t have. Give me a chance, okay?"
Cherry rubbed her temples and said, "Since you’ve put it that way, it’d be rude to turn you down again. Fine, unless you show me a side that makes me want to say yes, don’t waste too much time on me, okay?"
"Okay." Jay Kee smiled.
Cherry let out a sigh of relief.
She figured she could just stick to her 'not my type' excuse and wouldn’t have to worry about finding other ways to reject him.
By now, the sun was slowly setting, taking its last rays with it.
"With this atmosphere, how about I sing you a song?" Jay Kee didn’t wait for Cherry’s answer and started singing softly.