Even though Ye Xiao was quite clever, when confronted by Tang Rong's question, he couldn't utter a single word, and it seemed as though Tang Rong was also puzzled—her smile was shrouded in worry, clearly thinking she'd said something wrong!

Just at that moment, Ling Shuya looked back with a smile at Tang Rong, whose face was full of sorrow, and said, "Little Tang Rong, do you know why your big brother said you misspoke?"

Tang Rong immediately lifted her head, eyes shifting straight to Ling Shuya. Obviously, she was eager to find the answer from Ling Shuya!

Ye Xiao, Zhou Yuyan, Su Yun, and Shen Qiuyu were all seriously looking at Ling Shuya as well. That girl Ling Shuya had no filter, who knew what she might blurt out?

At this point, Ling Shuya looked triumphantly at Ye Xiao with a crafty gleam in her eyes and said, "Although we are all friends with your big brother, you can only call us 'sister' and not 'sister-in-law.' A 'sister-in-law' is a woman who has married your big brother, and only then does she become your 'sister-in-law.'"

"So that's how it is! It looks like I was wrong," Tang Rong curiously looked at Ling Shuya, then turned her gaze to the others.

However, upon hearing Tang Rong's words, everyone went silent again, including Ling Shuya who ceased to speak!

Seeing that no one was speaking, Tang Rong suddenly had an epiphany and said sweetly with a smile, "Oh my, look how silly I am. Who gets married is definitely up to my big brother, so don't feel bad if you aren't chosen!"

"Who feels bad!" Ling Shuya also started to feel a bit distraught by then. She finally understood why Zhou Yuyan had been at a loss for words earlier. Was this little girl genuinely naive or just too outspoken?

Tang Rong immediately followed up, "Alright then, with one of us out of the running, that leaves the three of you in the competition!"

By now, Ye Xiao, sitting in the driver's seat, was trying to restrain his laughter upon hearing Tang Rong's words, leaning back in his seat, his face nearly convulsing with laughter, but he dared not let it out. This made him feel incredibly uncomfortable!

"Hmph, just laugh it up, won't laugh you to death!" Ling Shuya said to Ye Xiao indignantly!

Ye Xiao suddenly discovered that having Little Tang Rong around was actually not bad at all. At least at this moment, he felt very much in the spotlight; Little Tang Rong had practically elevated him to that of an ancient Emperor, about to choose a bride from a bevy of beauties!

Su Yun and Shen Qiuyu, being older, had a greater mental resilience than Ling Shuya and Zhou Yuyan. They knew that to avoid an awkward situation, it was best to quickly change the topic, else the outspoken Little Tang Rong might say something more jaw-dropping!

"Ye Xiao, stop laughing. What should we do now?" Su Yun looked toward Ye Xiao in the driver's seat.

Without hesitation, Ye Xiao replied, "Choose..."

What he intended to say was "choose concubines."

But after uttering the word "choose," he instantly felt something was off, as he could sense gaze after gaze shooting at him like rays of laser, seemingly warning that if he dared finish the phrase "choose concubines," things could really get out of hand!

"Choose... choose..."

"Choose what? You wouldn't actually want to choose someone to marry, would you?" Zhou Yuyan said to Ye Xiao, her eyes sharply fixed on him, raising an eyebrow.

Ye Xiao quickly chuckled and said, "How could that be? I was talking about choosing a place to eat. Am I that kind of person?"

"You are not!" Ling Shuya said emphatically.

"Hehe, the wisdom of the masses is indeed clear-sighted!" Ye Xiao replied with a smile.

Ling Shuya continued, "And who else would be!"

Obviously, what Ling Shuya meant was, "If you're not, then who would be!"

At this point, Tang Rong looked over at Ling Shuya and Zhou Yuyan and said, "Sister Ling, Sister Zhou, can you please not pick on big brother? I'm begging you!"

To avoid the two beauties projecting their emotions onto him again, Ye Xiao quickly turned his head to Tang Rong and said, "Rongrong, the sisters aren't picking on me. They have sharp tongues but soft hearts; they're all very good to your brother!"

Hearing Ye Xiao's words, Tang Rong once again seemed to understand, "Oh, so that's how it is, Rongrong gets it now. The sisters are actually like my mom; she also sometimes acts a bit petulant with my dad, but it's all an expression of her love for him!" Tang Rong said earnestly.

"Ye Xiao, let's just find a place to eat now, I'm begging you!" Ling Shuya at last gave up arguing. Her face showed no sign of anger anymore, only pleading.

Hearing Ling Shuya's words, nearly everyone laughed!

Afterward, Su Yun and Shen Qiuyu got in the car. In other words, there were four people sitting in the backseat. However, their figures were all devilishly good, even Little Tang Rong's figure was exceptional. As a result, even though there were four of them in the backseat, it didn't feel crowded at all; on the contrary, they even seemed quite at ease!

"Rongrong, what would you like to eat?" Ye Xiao asked gently, eyes glancing towards Tang Rong reflected in the rearview mirror.

Tang Rong immediately replied, "I can eat anything. Mom said if I'm not with her, I shouldn't be picky or else I'll come off as unlikable!"

Hearing Tang Rong's words made everyone in the car fall silent. Tang Rong's mother had already died, so how could she possibly dine with Tang Rong again?

When we were children, there was a nursery rhyme that was very touching and heartfelt:

'Children with mothers are like treasures, those without are like blades of grass.'

Tang Rong was only twelve this year. At her age, girls are supposed to stick to their parents and act like spoiled children every day. Yet, now Tang Rong's parents were no longer around.

So, after Tang Rong spoke, nearly everyone felt a sourness in their hearts.

Ye Xiao had intended to say a few comforting words, but Ling Shuya, who was sitting in the passenger seat, immediately turned her head towards Tang Rong and said with a tenderness she had never shown before, "Rongrong, from this moment on, you can eat whatever you want, play with whatever you want. Tell me whenever you need anything. Unless you want the stars and moon in the sky, I will fulfill your wishes!"

Ling Shuya was somewhat excited at that moment.

Probably, aside from Ye Xiao and Zhou Yuyan, no one else in the car knew why Ling Shuya suddenly displayed such an expression.

Zhou Yuyan was Ling Shuya's best friend, and they shared everything. Plus, Ye Xiao had once had drinks with Ling Shuya and had learned on the day they became intimately close that Ling Shuya had never seen her mother since she was a child.

A girl who had never met her mother surely had significant voids in her childhood and adolescence. Like Ye Xiao, Ling Shuya longed to meet her mother, and now, Tang Rong's words had struck a chord with her.

Clearly, Ling Shuya saw her own pitiable reflection in Tang Rong.

"Sister Ling, thank you. You... why are your eyes red?" Tang Rong was very grateful to Ling Shuya, but she also noticed that Ling Shuya's eyes were red as if she was about to cry, which left Tang Rong confused.

Ling Shuya immediately turned her head away, calmly saying, "I'm fine. Now, what do you want to eat? Just say it."

At this point, Su Yun and Shen Qiuyu were very puzzled. They simply couldn't understand why Ling Shuya was reacting so strongly. What could be bottling up inside Ling Shuya's heart?

Despite wanting to show concern, Su Yun and Shen Qiuyu hesitated to speak. After all, who knew if a careless remark might touch upon Ling Shuya's sore spot?

After pondering for a while, Tang Rong said slowly, "Actually, today I was supposed to leave Minghai City with dad. It's just that, I had no idea!"

Tang Rong said this with a peculiar tone in her voice.

However, at that time, nobody spoke, yet everyone felt heavy-hearted.

"I want to go eat at Night Spicy Shrimp Restaurant!" Tang Rong said. "Because mom used to take me there once a week. Ever since mom was gone, I haven't eaten there again. I thought once I left Minghai, I would never have the chance to eat there again."

At such a young age, to have experienced such hardships, what a tough-luck girl.

Ye Xiao immediately said, "Okay, let's go to Night Spicy Shrimp Restaurant. Hmm... oh right, Rongrong, where exactly is Night Spicy Shrimp Restaurant located?"

"Middle section of Jianyuan Road, I used to live on Jianyuan Road!" said Tang Rong.

"Got it, Jianyuan Road!" Ye Xiao quickly sped off towards Jianyuan Road in the car!

Although Ye Xiao was unfamiliar with the streets of Minghai City, Ling Shuya and Zhou Yuyan had lived there for a long time, so they acted as live navigators!

About half an hour later, the car entered Jianyuan Road. Clearly, Night Spicy Shrimp Restaurant was a renowned spot in that area, as evidenced by the many electric bikes and cars parked outside, obviously belonging to customers there to enjoy the spicy shrimp.

After parking the car, Ye Xiao and the four beauties, along with one Little Mei, got out!

The moment the four beauties along with the little one stepped out of the car, it instantly attracted countless scorching stares. Although it was the end of summer, the women were still mostly dressed in short skirts and shorts, with many donning cool tops.

Su Yun was a teacher and the others students, and compared to the people walking on the street, they were dressed rather conservatively. Nevertheless, they still caught the envious, desirous stares from eyes that watched them as hungrily as wolves.

As the only male accompanying the beauties, Ye Xiao also attracted considerable attention. Seeing how many people cast looks of envy, jealousy and resentment towards him, Ye Xiao remained unfazed, instead strutting proudly, flauntingly, as he entered the Night Spicy Shrimp Restaurant with the beauties.

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