Yina Yin smiled and said, "We're just passing the time anyway. Let's have dinner together tonight."
"Don't overdo it," Cherry Miller said, shaking her head in disapproval.
"Alright, alright, I've got it!" Yina Yin hugged Cherry Miller's shoulders, acting cute. "Can I just have fun tonight?"
"Just this once," Cherry Miller relented, figuring there wasn't much to do tomorrow anyway.
"Got it, bossy lady!" Yina Yin laughed, gave Cherry Miller a quick hug, and happily went to her room to play games.
Only then did Mason Ming tuck his nervous little toes away and sit quietly.
"Alright, no need to see you out," Cherry Miller said with a smile and a nod.
"To make money," Mason Ming answered honestly. "My dad passed away, my mom's health is poor, and we don't have much money at home. If I want to save my mom, this is the only way. I've always been good at singing—my dad said I got my voice from my mom. I entered some youth singing competitions as a kid and even won a few awards. If I hadn't found out my mom was sick, I wouldn't have chosen this path. After all, my mom is really against it."
Mason Ming lowered his voice, "I haven't told her about Qin Zong's intentions toward me—I'm afraid she'll worry and get upset. The doctor said my mom needs to rest and avoid stress. Please, Miss Yin, keep this secret for me."
Bluey arrived just in time, pulled out a hair dryer, and started drying Yina Yin's hair for her.
"Alright, time to eat!" Cherry Miller called from the dining room. "Wash your hands and come eat!"
Yina Yin got up first and led Mason Ming over to the table.
Cherry Miller nearly burst out laughing at Bluey's antics!
Bluey was still busy in the kitchen, making fresh juice for the three of them.
Now that they had Bluey at home, they hardly needed anyone else to help clean.
"Okay." Mason Ming, unusually well-behaved, pulled out chairs for Yina Yin and Cherry Miller before sitting down quietly and eating his hot pot.
Mi Xiaoying quickly found all the ingredients for the hot pot, washed and arranged them on plates. As she was busy, the doorbell rang.
Mason Ming instinctively glanced outside, his eyes full of worry.
It was Mason Ming's first time meeting such a smart robot. He was so startled, it took him a moment to recover. "Hello, my name is Mason Ming."
Cherry Miller couldn't help but laugh. "You could've asked the property manager. They keep records of all the license plates—only registered cars can get in. So if the car's here, it belongs to a resident."
"Thank you." Ming Xin's ears turned red as he opened the shoe cabinet and really found a brand-new pair of blue slippers in his size.
"I'm her only family in the world," Mason Ming said, his ears turning red from the compliment. "I just want to rely on myself and give her a good life."
After dinner, Mason Ming didn't wait for Cherry Miller to clean up—he rushed to gather the dishes and hurried into the kitchen to wash them.
Ming Xin stared in shock at the little blue robot, who was like an indefatigable employee, running around serving tea and water. He was completely stunned.
Cherry Miller glanced toward the kitchen and quietly asked, "Should we help him out a bit more?"
Ming Xin's face flushed again. "I know. Thank you for taking me in. The property manager said there have been people lurking outside the neighborhood these past few days—I know it's Qin Zong's men. If it weren't for your status, I wouldn't have any peace at all."
"It's rare to see such an innocent and pure boy these days," Yina Yin said to Cherry Miller. "He's a rare species—gotta protect him!"
Cherry Miller laughed. "Yes, yes. I'm taking the day off to visit my mom today."
Mi Xiaoying came out with a plate of fruit. Hearing Ming Xin's answer, she said, "You can't hide out forever. The market will forget you."
"Probably not," Cherry Miller shook her head. "It takes hours to get there and back. I've already told Bluey to prepare your dinner on time."
Without exposure for a long time, even fans start to forget you.
Fans are just fickle like that—always chasing whoever's popular or good-looking.
The thing celebrities fear most is losing exposure.
"Thank you. Do you need any help?" Ming Xin asked, a little uneasy.
"No need," Mi Xiaoying refused. "Everything's ready. We'll eat soon."
Only then did Ming Xin tuck his nervous little toes away and sit quietly.
Yina Yin looked at Ming Xin, who was so innocent and adorable, and couldn't help but ask, "If you dislike the rules of showbiz so much, why did you join?"
"To make money," Ming Xin answered honestly. "My dad passed away, my mom's health is poor, and we don't have much money at home. If I want to save my mom, this is the only way. I've always been good at singing—my dad said I got my voice from my mom. I entered some youth singing competitions as a kid and even won a few awards. If I hadn't found out my mom was sick, I wouldn't have chosen this path. After all, my mom is really against it."
Ming Xin lowered his voice, "I haven't told her about Qin Zong's intentions toward me—I'm afraid she'll worry and get upset. The doctor said my mom needs to rest and avoid stress. Please, Miss Yin, keep this secret for me."
Yina Yin smiled. "Of course."
"Alright, time to eat!" Mi Xiaoying called from the dining room. "Wash your hands and come eat!"
Yina Yin got up first and led Ming Xin over to the table.
There were already three small pots on the table, with sliced meat and vegetables filling the whole table.
Lan Bao was still busy in the kitchen, making fresh juice for the three of them.
"Let's eat and talk," Yina Yin nodded to Ming Xin.
"Okay." Ming Xin, unusually well-behaved, pulled out chairs for Yina Yin and Mi Xiaoying before sitting down quietly and eating his hot pot.
Suddenly, thunder rumbled outside and a torrential rain began to pour.
Ming Xin instinctively glanced outside, his eyes full of worry.
"What are you thinking about?" Yina Yin felt more and more like she'd rescued a helpless little bunny, and couldn't help but check on him a few times.
"With rain this heavy, I wonder if it's raining where my mom is," Ming Xin blurted out. Then quickly added, "It probably isn't. It's pretty far away, after all."
"You're pretty filial," Yina Yin commented.
"I'm her only family in the world," Ming Xin said, his ears turning red from the compliment. "I just want to rely on myself and give her a good life."
After dinner, Ming Xin didn't wait for Mi Xiaoying to clean up—he rushed to gather the dishes and hurried into the kitchen to wash them.
"Seems like this neighbor isn't bad," Yina Yin said to Mi Xiaoying.
Mi Xiaoying glanced toward the kitchen and quietly asked, "Should we help him out a bit more?"
"No rush," Yina Yin replied with a meaningful smile. "Let's wait and see."
As the eldest daughter of the Yin family, Yina Yin had seen all kinds of people since she was young.
All sorts of suitors had tried every trick to get close to her. Whatever persona she wanted, they could play along.
Who knows if Ming Xin is just putting on an act?
"True," Mi Xiaoying agreed, understanding the point. "Looks like this rain will last a while. Let's get some early rest tonight."
"I'm going to play some games," Yina Yin stretched lazily, grinning mischievously. "It's rare that my brother and Gu Miao aren't around—no one's here to stop me."
"Don't overdo it," Mi Xiaoying said, shaking her head in disapproval.
"Alright, alright, I've got it!" Yina Yin hugged Mi Xiaoying's shoulders, acting cute. "Can I just have fun tonight?"
"Just this once," Mi Xiaoying relented, figuring there wasn't much to do tomorrow anyway.
"Got it, bossy lady!" Yina Yin laughed, gave Mi Xiaoying a quick hug, and happily went to her room to play games.
Not long after Yina Yin went in, Ming Xin finished washing the dishes and came out of the kitchen, nervously saying, "I'll head back now. Thanks for dinner."
"Alright, no need to see you out," Mi Xiaoying said with a smile and a nod.
Ming Xin glanced at the room where the sounds of gaming came from, then turned and left.
The next morning, Yina Yin and Mi Xiaoying went out. As soon as they reached the parking lot, they saw someone awkwardly holding an umbrella, standing in front of their parking spot.
"Who is that?" Yina Yin couldn't help but ask.
"No idea," Mi Xiaoying said, also puzzled.
They had two parking spots—why stand in front of someone else's?
As the two walked over, they saw Ming Xin awkwardly holding a big umbrella, shielding a car.
"Ming Xin?" Mi Xiaoying called out. "What are you doing?"
"Oh, you guys are here?" Ming Xin replied with a shy smile. "Do you know whose car this is? It rained heavily last night, and the garage upstairs leaked. The owner must've forgotten to close the convertible top, so I held an umbrella to keep it dry!"
Only then did Yina Yin realize she'd forgotten to close the convertible top when she parked yesterday.
If it weren't for Ming Xin, the car probably wouldn't start today.
Yina Yin suddenly found Ming Xin quite amusing, so she asked, "Why didn't you go upstairs and get someone?"
"I didn't know whose car it was," Ming Xin replied, confused.
Mi Xiaoying couldn't help but laugh. "You could've asked the property manager. They keep records of all the license plates—only registered cars can get in. So if the car's here, it belongs to a resident."
"Oh, really? I didn't know," Ming Xin said, his face turning red. "I've never lived in such a nice place before—I didn't realize the property manager would know."
"Still, thank you," Yina Yin said. As she approached the car, the engine started automatically, startling Ming Xin.
"Ah! Is this your car?" Ming Xin jumped, as if he'd been burned. "I really didn't know."
"It's fine," Yina Yin nodded. "Did you sleep well last night?"
"Pretty well," Ming Xin answered, a little nervous. "Now that you're here, I'll go tell the property manager to fix the leak right away."
With that, Ming Xin turned and ran off.
"It's rare to see such an innocent and pure boy these days," Yina Yin said to Mi Xiaoying. "He's a rare species—gotta protect him!"
Mi Xiaoying laughed. "Yes, yes. I'm taking the day off to visit my mom today."
"Will you be back tonight?" Yina Yin asked.
"Probably not," Mi Xiaoying shook her head. "It takes hours to get there and back. I've already told Lan Bao to prepare your dinner on time."