Oh no! My yandere school beauty is so clingy!

Shen Yu and Lin Anran stood quietly to the side, holding hands, without saying a word.

I just quietly watched Zhang Shuyu hold the baby, watched her silently shed tears, and watched her carefully and gently touch the baby's soft cheeks with her fingertips.

After a short while, Zhang Shuyu seemed to regain some of her senses from the huge emotional shock. She raised her head, her face still wet with tears, her eyes still somewhat dazed, and stared straight at Shen Yu.

Shen Yu had been watching her intently. Seeing this, he lowered his voice and spoke:

"This isn't the place to talk, baby... you must be hungry. Let's find a place to sit down and talk slowly, okay?"

His voice was calm and gentle, without any coercion, but rather in a tone of negotiation.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shuyu subconsciously looked down at her daughter in her arms.

The little one seemed to have cried himself to sleep, and was pouting, making soft whimpering sounds.

She raised her head, her gaze meeting Shen Yu's eyes once more.

He hesitated for more than ten seconds, as if weighing the options and struggling with the decision.

Finally, as if she had made up her mind, she nodded very slightly.

"Um."

"Light rain!"

The waiter, who had been standing nervously to the side, watching everything unfold, panicked when she nodded in agreement. He disregarded everything else, stepped forward, leaned close to her, and whispered urgently:

"Why did you go with him like that? Who knows if what he said is true or false! How could you believe him so easily? What if they're bad people? What if there's danger? You can't go!"

His voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet night, and the worry and urgency in his tone were genuine.

Zhang Shuyu tightened her grip on the child, pursed her lips, and remained silent. She simply shifted her gaze from Shen Yu's face and looked down again at the baby in her arms.

Shen Yu's gaze shifted to the anxious-looking male waiter, his face expressionless, his tone calm:

"If you're worried, you can go with her, but... don't stop her."

The male waiter glanced at Zhang Shuyu, who had her head down, gritted his teeth, and nodded, saying, "Okay! I'll go with you!"

So the four of them, plus a baby, left the somewhat deserted street and found a restaurant nearby that was still lit up.

The restaurant isn't big, but thankfully it has private rooms, so it's relatively quiet.

Once inside the private room, Shen Yu asked the waiter to prepare the milk powder with warm water and then ordered some dishes.

When the baby bottle was handed over, Shen Yu took it naturally, tested the temperature, and then handed it to Zhang Shuyu, who had been watching eagerly.

Zhang Shuyu carefully took the bottle and gently touched her daughter's lips.

The little one immediately and instinctively took it in its mouth and began to suckle it in large gulps.

Seeing her daughter swallowing so eagerly, Zhang Shuyu's eyes reddened again, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curve slightly upwards.

She desperately wanted to breastfeed, but her body was so thin she was almost unrecognizable, and she wasn't getting enough nutrition, so she couldn't produce any extra milk.

This thought caused a sharp pain in her heart, and she could only focus even more intently on watching her daughter drink milk, as if trying to etch this moment into her very being...

Shen Yu ordered a few home-style dishes. By the time all the dishes were served, the baby had finished drinking his milk, let out a small burp in his mother's arms, and soon fell asleep with his eyes closed and his breathing even.

Zhang Shuyu held the sleeping little one for a while longer before reluctantly placing him on the chair beside her, carefully tucking him in with her own coat.

Shen Yu placed a clean pair of chopsticks in front of Zhang Shuyu, glanced at the steaming food on the table, then at her noticeably haggard and thin face, and said:

"Let's eat first, there's no rush to talk."

Zhang Shuyu's gaze fell on the dishes that looked and smelled delicious, while her stomach rumbled uncontrollably; she hadn't had a decent meal in a long time.

Although the restaurant where I work provides staff meals, they rarely contain meat; it's mostly stewed cabbage and the like, which my body can't handle.

While other employees order takeout or eat snacks, she has to eat the staff meals every single day...

She sat there, her fingers curled up, too afraid to touch her chopsticks, her body stiff.

Seeing her like that, Shen Yu didn't say anything, but simply picked up the chopsticks and put them in her hand.

"Eat quickly, we can talk after you finish."

Zhang Shuyu held the chopsticks that had been shoved into her hand, her fingertips trembling slightly.

She raised her eyes, glanced quickly at Shen Yu, then at Lin Anran sitting quietly beside her, and finally her gaze fell on her sleeping daughter's face.

Finally, she picked up her chopsticks, slowly picked up a piece of green vegetable in front of her, put it in her mouth, and chewed it slowly.

Shen Yu didn't urge her anymore, nor did she immediately start those heavy topics.

He served rice to himself and Lin Anran as well, and the two ate quietly. Occasionally, Shen Yu would pick up a piece of Lin Anran's favorite dish and put it in her bowl. Lin Anran would whisper, "You eat too," or gently wipe the oil stains that Shen Yu accidentally got on his lips with a tissue.

Their movements were natural and practiced, and their hushed conversations were limited to the food itself.

It was as if Zhang Shuyu across from them and the male waiter who had been sitting warily didn't exist.

Or perhaps, this interaction was a deliberate attempt to ease the tense atmosphere in the private room and give Zhang Shuyu some time to breathe and adjust.

The private room was quiet, with only the soft sounds of chewing and chopsticks touching the dishes.

Zhang Shuyu ate very slowly, chewing each bite for a long time, but her movements gradually became less stiff.

She barely touched any meat or vegetables, just ate the relatively inexpensive vegetarian dishes slowly with rice.

Perhaps she was still wary, thinking that if someone asked her for money after the meal, she could afford to pay them...

Shen Yu and Lin Anran occasionally exchanged a few words in low voices, but most of the time they ate in silence, their eyes occasionally meeting to exchange a look that only they understood.

The male waiter sitting next to Zhang Shuyu was very nervous from the moment he sat down. He barely touched his chopsticks, and his eyes kept darting between Shen Yu, Lin Anran, and Zhang Shuyu.

The mealtime passed slowly in this subtle yet tense atmosphere.

When Zhang Shuyu finished eating the rice in her bowl, she put down her chopsticks, even though there was still a lot of food left on the table.

She didn't eat much, but her complexion seemed a little better than before.

Shen Yu and Lin Anran put down their chopsticks almost simultaneously.

Shen Yu picked up a tissue and wiped his mouth. Then, he leaned forward slightly, crossed his arms, rested his elbows on the table, and looked calmly at Zhang Shuyu.

"Are you full?"

"Would you like anything else to eat?"

Zhang Shuyu felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze, and quickly shook her head and waved her hands slightly, her voice soft:

"I'm full... Thank you..."

"So, can we have a proper talk now?"

Zhang Shuyu's hand, resting on her knees, subtly curled up at the fingertips.

She raised her eyes, glanced at Shen Yu, then quickly lowered her head, staring at the empty rice bowl in front of her, and hummed in agreement.

Shen Yu took a deep breath and looked down at Zhang Shuyu's drooping hair.

He had mentally rehearsed his words several times beforehand, thinking about how to explain and how to start, but when it came time to actually speak, he found that all those carefully considered words seemed pale and superfluous.

He simply said it outright:

"My name is Shen Yu."

"You... originally, should also have the surname Shen... by blood, I should be your older brother."

He saw Zhang Shuyu's shoulders twitch, but her head drooped even lower, obscuring her expression...

Shen Yu looked away and continued:

"However, it's normal if you don't acknowledge it; it's not important."

He paused, as if organizing his thoughts, before looking at her again:

"Because I...understand very well what it feels like to be alone...what it feels like to have no family. And I've also experienced...being kicked out of the house, even having ties severed...and then living alone."

Shen Yu's voice was calm, without any sentimentality, as if he were stating a simple fact.

"From a young age... my mother, who is also your biological mother by blood, told me... to help each other, and that people who are in the same boat should stick together for warmth..."

As Shen Yu spoke, he grasped Lin Anran's hand and glanced at her.

Because back then, he had brought Lin Anran home to take care of her, based on his mother's past teachings about meddling in other people's business...

Lin Anran understood Shen Yu's meaning and squeezed his hand...

Shen Yu turned his head and continued looking at Zhang Shuyu, saying:

"That's why I wanted to find you..."