Elder Yu Yan seemed completely oblivious to it all, still beaming with a gentle smile as she said,
“Xiao Lu probably has other matters to handle, so we won’t wait for her. Let’s dig in.”
Seeing that no one had touched their chopsticks yet, Elder Yu Yan turned to Yan Zhen.
“Little Yan Zhen, what would you like to eat? Let me get some for you.”
Yan Zhen waved his hand.
“No need, Great-Aunt. I can serve myself.”
“What’s with the politeness between us?” Elder Yu Yan naturally hooked her arm through his, then picked up a piece of supreme-grade blue spear fish belly with her chopsticks. She dipped it in sauce and held it right up to his mouth. “Here, ahh~?”
Mentor Yu Xuan across the table, Grand Mentor Shui Bailan, and Dean Yu Qing on Yan Zhen’s other side all looked over immediately.
Yan Zhen felt a bit embarrassed.
“Great-Aunt, this… isn’t this a little inappropriate?”
Elder Yu Yan smiled playfully.
“This promotion went so smoothly thanks to that experience in the Thunder Pool Secret Realm. You turned misfortune into fortune, leaving a thread of wind thunder power in your body that shattered the six-star barrier at the critical moment. So this is just a little thank-you—come on, open up~”
Yan Zhen glanced at Mentor Yu Xuan and saw her pouting, looking as if she’d been bullied. He felt a bit resistant, but Elder Yu Yan held the fish steady, as if she’d keep it there forever if he didn’t eat.
In the end, Yan Zhen obediently took the bite.
The fourth-tier blue spear fish was one of the rarest delicacies on the market. It burst with rich oiliness at first bite. With just a chew, the juices overflowed—fresh, sweet, and savory—leaving a lingering fragrance even after he swallowed.
“How is it, Little Yan Zhen? Delicious?”
“It’s pretty good.”
“Then have another piece?”
“Uh, no, Great-Aunt. You eat some yourself. I’ll get it if I want any.”
“That’s what you say, but you haven’t even touched your chopsticks. I thought you were too nervous.”
—You’re holding my dominant hand!
Fortunately, his divine soul was strong enough that he could use his left hand for chopsticks just fine.
But just as Yan Zhen reached to grab them with his left hand, that arm was grabbed too.
—It was Dean Little Aunt!
She held him with her right arm, leaving him to eat with his left.
Yan Zhen didn’t understand the maneuver.
“Little Aunt, why are you grabbing me?”
Dean Yu Qing shot him a sidelong glance and said coolly,
“To stop you from squirming around and taking advantage of me, obviously.”
Yan Zhen: ???
“I wouldn’t do that, Little Aunt. I swear.”
“Men’s promises are as reliable as ghosts.”
“Then… I’ll tuck my hand in my pocket.”
“Your elbow will poke me.” Dean Yu Qing shot down each excuse. Suddenly, she picked up a golden fried shrimp with her chopsticks and held it to his mouth, looking down imperiously. “Hurry up and taste it for me. I’ll only eat it if it’s good.”
She stared at him afterward, a faint blush coloring her pretty face.
Her composure was far inferior to that of her two older sisters.
Hearing her bossy tone, Yan Zhen felt a spark of irritation.
“Little Aunt, taste it yourself. I’m not your little white rat.”
“What’s a little white rat mean?”
“It means poison tester.”
“Sounds perfect. Little white rat, test the poison obediently—eat!”
“…”
Yan Zhen shot Dean Little Aunt an exasperated look. He sniffed the golden fried shrimp, caught its tantalizing aroma, and took a bite, chomping off half. He crunched away noisily.
The shrimp’s batter was made with crushed salted egg yolk mixed into the dough, making it sweeter than ordinary fried shrimp. The meat was top-quality—firm and crisp—so delicious that before he’d even swallowed, he already craved another bite.
“Not bad,” Yan Zhen said. “Pretty tasty.”
He opened his mouth for the remaining half, but Dean Yu Qing whisked it away with her chopsticks. With a humph, she said,
“If you eat the whole thing, what am I supposed to eat?”
Then she popped the bitten half into her own mouth and ate it with a blissful expression.
Yan Zhen blinked, momentarily stunned.
—That’s the one I bit!
There were plenty more on the plate if she wanted one.
Yan Zhen had the vague sense he’d been tricked, but he had no proof. He glanced at Mentor Yu Xuan across the table and saw her expression even more aggrieved, as if she wanted to speak but couldn’t.
Grand Mentor Shui Bailan stared at her close friend in surprise, wondering if she’d been possessed. Otherwise, with Yu Qing’s tsundere personality, how could she pull off such a smooth move?
Shui Bailan felt outdone by her silly bestie, a faint restlessness stirring in her heart.
Elder Yu Yan, on the other hand, was delighted. Little Qing had finally come around. True, the target being Little Yan Zhen wasn’t ideal, but the growth was a good sign.
“Fried shrimp is tasty, but it gets your mouth all messy. Wipe first.”
Elder Yu Yan set down her chopsticks and dabbed at Yan Zhen’s lips with a handkerchief, cleaning away the batter crumbs and oil stains.
At last night’s banquet, that job had been Mentor Yu Xuan’s. After one night, it was gone.
Mentor Yu Xuan bit her lip lightly, her heart sour and bitter. She was almost at her limit.
“All clean now. Keep eating.” Elder Yu Yan smiled. “Does Little Yan Zhen want more fried shrimp?”
Yan Zhen was thoroughly embarrassed, feeling like Elder Great-Aunt was treating him like a baby. He couldn’t resist, though—Dean Little Aunt joined in, grabbing his other arm and sandwiching him between them, rendering him immobile.
“Forget it. Fried food should be in moderation. I’ll… have something light instead.”
“Something light, huh…”
The sisters gripped their chopsticks, their gazes scanning the table.
At that moment, a hand appeared before Yan Zhen, chopsticks pinching a piece of broccoli.
He looked up, and sure enough, it was Mentor Aunt.
Grand Mentor Shui Bailan said softly,
“This is nice and light.”
—Even Aunt’s feeding me now!?
Yan Zhen’s face flushed. In a flash of inspiration, he extended his spiritual power like tentacles to lift his bowl, aiming to catch the broccoli in it.
But a surge of ice Mystic force rushed over, freezing his bowl solid before shattering it to pieces on the table.
Uh, no more bowl.
“…”
—Was that really necessary?
Yan Zhen’s mouth twitched. Looking at Mentor Aunt’s gentle and graceful demeanor, he had no choice but to open up.
Shui Bailan smiled in satisfaction. She even slipped her chopsticks into his mouth, coating them with his saliva before withdrawing and sucking on them casually.
Elder Yu Yan’s eyes flashed. Dean Yu Qing shifted restlessly. Mentor Yu Xuan’s eyes widened in disbelief!
This… this was supposed to be her thing, her exclusive privilege!
“Great-Aunt, Little Aunt, Aunt—what are you all doing?!”
“What’s wrong, Xuan’er?” Elder Yu Yan feigned innocence. “We’re just taking good care of Little Yan Zhen, of course. It’s his first Listening Rain Festival; we can’t neglect him, right, Little Qing?”
“Who’s taking care of him?” Dean Yu Qing scoffed, even as half her body pressed against Yan Zhen’s side, her arm tightly around his left. “At best, he’s a poison-testing little white rat. He’d be perfect for a performance later too.”
Shui Bailan chided playfully,
“Yu Qing, don’t talk nonsense. Yan Zhen’s still a guest right now—how could we make him perform?”
Mentor Yu Xuan listened as the elders bantered back and forth, casually monopolizing her Yan Zhen as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Finally, she couldn’t hold back any longer.
