The night before the college entrance exam results were released, I redeemed my Peking University ad

Hungry?

Ye Lan's heart suddenly calmed down.

She had longed for a younger brother since she was a child, but unfortunately, due to her parents' special status, the policy at the time did not allow it, and this wish was suppressed for almost twenty years.

Just now, when Ji Bai looked up and called out, "Sister, I'm hungry," it touched the softest spot in her heart. In a daze, she felt as if she had seen the little brother she had been longing for for many years, the one who would whine to her for food.

He is no longer the prodigy who challenged mathematicians from around the world at the Great Hall of the People, no longer the musical genius who blew up half the music scene with six hit songs in one night, nor the abstract teenager who talked about "women," "ice-breaking," and "social experiments" all the time.

He was just a hungry younger brother.

"Then you wait here, I'll go make it for you!"

Ye Lan walked straight to the kitchen, and then the sound of the refrigerator door opening came from inside.

Ji Bai's refrigerator is an old Haier model; its cooling performance depends on luck, and its noise level depends on his mood.

The moment Ye Lan opened the refrigerator door, a blast of cold air, carrying with it the complex smells that had accumulated inside for years, hit her.

There were scallions that had been sitting for three days, half a cabbage wrapped in plastic wrap but already a little wilted, a few potatoes that had sprouted, and a bag of pickled vegetables that had been opened but not finished...

Is this what the child usually eats?

Ye Lan felt as if something sharp had pierced her heart, causing her nose to sting and almost making her lose her composure.

He lives here, without parents or family, and his refrigerator contains only cabbage and potatoes.

So pitiful!

Ye Lan bit her lower lip, took a deep breath, and then took out the only two eggs, a slightly wrinkled green pepper, and two potatoes from the refrigerator.

……

Ten minutes later.

Ji Bai couldn't hold on any longer.

Even if he could hold on, the kitchen couldn't.

"Um... never mind, I'll just order takeout!"

Ye Lan stood in front of the stove, her apron splattered with oil, holding a spatula in one hand and a rubber glove on the other, which she had apparently pulled out from some drawer.

She lowered her head, staring at the lump of black charcoal in the pot, and remained silent for a long while.

"Your pot... isn't very good."

Ji Bai glanced at the thick, bulletproof layer of charred residue at the bottom of the pot and nodded seriously: "Yes, it's the pot's fault."

"I've been having a bad relationship with this pot for a long time, and I've always wanted to replace it, but I couldn't bear to part with it. Thank you for helping me make this decision today."

Pot: I'll take the blame for this!

Ye Lan's lips twitched.

"Alright then! You can order takeout yourself."

The woman took off her apron and draped it over the back of the chair, tidied her hair, and took a deep breath.

I had a sudden urge to cook myself.

Then her body reacted faster than her brain, and by the time she realized what was happening, she was already in the kitchen.

Then she realized that she had no idea how to cook!

She grew up in a compound with a cook at home, and later became a star with an assistant arranging every meal.

The only time she went into the kitchen was to film a food shoot. She was only responsible for smiling at the camera; a stand-in cooked the dishes.

I didn't even know that eggs should be beaten before cooking. I just cracked a whole egg into the oil, shell and yolk going in together, and then frantically tried to scoop out the shell.

Ji Bai noticed that Ye Lan was a little embarrassed, and considerately changed the subject: "It's okay, it's okay. I usually do it like this, I'm used to it."

He was speaking from the heart. Although the food in the pot had indeed surpassed the scope of human cooking, the fact that Ye Lan was willing to cook for him had already moved him in a way that was hard to explain.

This is the first time in three years that someone has cooked for him.

Even if a dog wouldn't dare eat what he made, it was still food, food that someone specially made for him!

"Here, have this card."

Ye Lan suddenly pulled a black bank card out of her bag and handed it to Ji Bai.

"From now on, buy whatever you want to eat. Don't just eat cabbage and potatoes all the time, especially when you're growing."

Ji Bai didn't answer.

He leaned back on the sofa, glanced at the card, then at Ye Lan, and smiled: "I can't accept this."

Ye Lan's heart softened a little when she saw that he didn't answer.

A young man who refuses to accept charity has integrity.

She thought for a moment and then put it another way: "Then consider it a deposit from my sister for those three songs. The market price for the cover rights to those three hit songs is at least several hundred thousand."

"oh,"

Ji Bai drawled out his words, still refusing to answer: "But you've already paid in full."

As he spoke, his gaze drifted to the flesh-colored silk fabric on the coffee table, as thin as a cicada's wing.

Ye Lan's ears turned even redder.

She bit her lower lip, pushed the bank card forward a few more inches, and softened her tone, revealing a clumsy, awkward, yet earnestly trying tenderness in her attempts to show concern.

"Well... consider this a gift from your older sister. It's customary to give a little something when meeting your younger brother for the first time."

Ji Bai was stunned for a moment.

He glanced down at the bank card, paused for two seconds, and then smiled.

"Is that so...?"

The boy slowly sat up straight on the sofa. He didn't take the card, but looked into Ye Lan's eyes, his tone unusually serious.

"Those three songs were also my brother's gift to me."

Ye Lan paused, her hand holding the bank card still.

She looked at Ji Bai, and Ji Bai looked at her.

The boy's eyes were clear and firm.

Ye Lan smiled.

That smile didn't look like that of a diva; it looked like that of an older sister who had been amused by her younger brother.

"Okay, then I won't stand on ceremony with you."

She put the bank card back in her bag and didn't insist any further.

A young man who refuses charity and uses his talent to earn dignity—this integrity is more valuable than anything else.

She picked up her handbag and walked back to the door, her stiletto heels clicking on the old floor.

As she reached the door, she turned around, glanced at Ji Bai, and said in a gentle voice, "Sister is leaving. There's no rush for those three songs. Focus on writing them, don't stay up late, and don't overwork yourself."

"Don't eat any of the stuff in the fridge. I'll have someone send you some food when I get back."

"besides……"

As Ye Lan walked to the door, her gaze involuntarily drifted to the stockings on the coffee table.

"Rewarding yourself is fine, but you must know how to do it in moderation!"

boom!

The door closed.

The clattering of high heels faded rapidly into the distance in the stairwell, faster and faster, farther and farther away.

Ji Bai touched his chin.

"That reminds me..."

……

downstairs.

Ye Lan opened the car door, sat in the back seat, and casually placed her bag on the seat next to her.

She leaned back in the leather seat, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.

My cheeks were still a little hot.

She regretted saying that as soon as she said it.

Is that the kind of thing you say to someone you've only known for less than two hours?

But she felt uneasy if she didn't tell him, just in case.

Ye Lan rubbed her temples, wondering what was wrong with her today.

He actually got himself manipulated by a little rascal!

"How did it go? Did you get it?" Xu Jing turned around impatiently.

In her view, the difficulty of this negotiation was no less than fighting with international record companies for copyrights.

Ji Bai is no ordinary person. He's a math genius and a music master. He's challenged international math giants, crushed half the music industry, and single-handedly fought off online trolls while carrying his guitar. Would you really grant authorization to such a formidable character?

She was even mentally prepared for Ye Lan to come back with a dark face and say "they couldn't reach an agreement."

Ye Lan nodded, the blush on her face hadn't completely faded, but the corners of her mouth had already turned up.

"Very good!"

Xu Jing waved her hand, almost hitting the roof of the car.

"It must have cost a lot of money, right? But it's okay, as long as the song is good, it's worth it! I'll coordinate with the finance department to allocate funds from the album budget."

Ye Lan hesitated for a moment, but still told the truth.

"No... I didn't spend any money."