Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Chapter 40 An Encounter with Huiming at the Crossroads

After knocking on the door, a slightly hurried footstep came from inside, and then the door was pulled open.

Behind the door stood a young girl dressed in simple home clothes and wearing a floral apron. She looked to be in her early twenties. Her hair was loosely tied up, with a few strands falling beside her cheeks. Her face had a blush from being busy, and her eyes were clear with a hint of shyness.

"Sister Wei, you're here! Please come in!" The girl's voice was clear and crisp. She stepped aside to make way for Chen Anran, and her gaze paused slightly when it met Chen Anran's before quickly looking away, appearing somewhat nervous.

"Xiaoman, this is my junior brother, Chen Anran," Wei Qingyi introduced. "Anran, this is my roommate, Lin Xiaoman."

"Hello, Miss Lin, sorry to bother you." Chen Anran greeted her with a smile, his attitude gentle. He noticed that Lin Xiaoman seemed a little shy, and her eyes rarely met his.

"Hello, Brother Chen! No bother, no bother! Please come in!" Lin Xiaoman quickly waved her hand, forcing a smile on her face, her hand unconsciously fidgeting with the hem of her apron.

The room was still the same small living room, but it had clearly been carefully cleaned and was tidy and cozy. Several home-style dishes were already laid out on the small dining table, steaming hot and fragrant. Although they were just ordinary dishes like scrambled eggs with tomatoes, shredded pork with green peppers, and braised eggplant, they looked appealing and showed that they had been prepared with care.

"Please have a seat, there's a soup coming up, it'll be ready soon!" Lin Xiaoman said, practically fleeing back to the kitchen.

Chen Anran and Wei Qingyi sat down on the old sofa in the living room. Chen Anran glanced around, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over a shelf in the corner of the living room, which held some small ornaments and a few books. His eyes lingered for a moment on a blue-covered, untitled, and somewhat old-looking thread-bound book, but he didn't think much of it.

"Xiao Manren is very hardworking, but a bit introverted," Wei Qingyi said to Chen Anran in a low voice. "When I was in a bad mental state before, she often brought me food and covered my night shifts a few times."

Chen Anran nodded, her impression of the girl named Lin Xiaoman improving even more. It was her good fortune to have such a kind roommate while struggling in a foreign land.

A moment later, Lin Xiaoman came out of the kitchen carrying a bowl of seaweed and egg drop soup and carefully placed it in the center of the table.

"The dishes are all ready, Sister Wei, Brother Chen, please try them. I don't know if they'll suit your tastes." She took off her apron and sat down somewhat awkwardly at the opposite table.

"It smells delicious, thank you for your hard work." Wei Qingyi picked up her chopsticks, put a piece of food on Chen Anran's plate, and also called to Lin Xiaoman, "Don't be shy, eat up."

"Yes, Miss Lin, please don't be shy. Just treat us like family," Chen Anran chimed in, taking a bite of the shredded pork with green peppers in front of her and nodding in approval. "It tastes very good."

Seeing that the two were easygoing, Lin Xiaoman seemed to relax a bit and started eating as well.

At the dinner table, the atmosphere gradually became more harmonious.

Wei Qingyi and Lin Xiaoman chatted about everyday matters, with Chen Anran mostly listening quietly, occasionally interjecting a few words. He noticed that Lin Xiaoman spoke logically and her concern for Wei Qingyi seemed genuine, but her eyes would always inadvertently glance at him, carrying an indescribable curiosity and… a hint of inexplicable awe?

Chen Anran assumed it was just her personality, or perhaps she was curious because she was "Sister Wei's junior brother," and didn't delve into it further.

"Oh, right, Xiaoman," Wei Qingyi said, remembering something, "I'm moving out soon, and I probably won't be living here anymore. Thank you for taking care of me all this time."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiaoman paused slightly, her hand holding the chopsticks faltering. A complex emotion flashed in her eyes—a mixture of disappointment and relief. She looked up at Wei Qingyi, then quickly glanced at Chen Anran, and whispered, "Sister Wei, take care... It's good that you moved away; the environment here really isn't very good. We'll... we'll keep in touch again sometime."

Her tone was somewhat strange, as if there was an underlying meaning to her words.

Chen Anran's heart stirred slightly, but seeing that Wei Qingyi didn't seem to notice anything, he didn't ask any further questions.

After the meal, Lin Xiaoman insisted that Wei Qingyi and Chen Anran not help with the dishes and "kicked" them out of the kitchen.

Chen Anran and Wei Qingyi sat in the living room for a while longer before getting up to say goodbye.

Lin Xiaoman saw them to the door, looked at Chen Anran, her lips trembled as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she only whispered, "Sister Wei, Master Chen, please... take care."

Leaving the old building and walking on the street as the lights came on, Chen Anran recalled Lin Xiaoman's somewhat strange expression and her meaningful "take care," and felt that something was amiss.

"Second Senior Sister, what does your roommate do for a living?" Chen Anran asked casually.

Wei Qingyi thought for a moment and replied, "It seems she doesn't have a stable job. Sometimes she takes on handicrafts at home, and sometimes she goes out to do odd jobs. It's quite tough for her. What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, I just think she's a really nice person." Chen Anran suppressed a slight doubt in her heart and shook her head with a smile.

Perhaps I'm just overthinking it. What problems could possibly exist with a girl who seems so innocent and kind, and who gets nervous around strangers?

Chen Anran suddenly looked at Wei Qingyi with some confusion, "Senior sister, why do I feel like you weren't very keen on me meeting her if your roommate hadn't invited you so enthusiastically today?"

Wei Qingyi's expression clearly flustered, and a faint blush rose to her cheeks. "Really?"

"Yes, otherwise why would you have been here for a month and not taken me to meet your 'very nice' roommate? And the first time I went to your shared apartment, you tried your best to avoid her and prevent me from meeting her."

Wei Qingyi panicked and quickened her pace. "Ken...it must be your imagination!"

"Really?" Chen Anran asked, puzzled, wondering what his senior sister was hiding this time.

The two hadn't gone far when, just as they turned out of the alley where the old building was located, they unexpectedly bumped into a group of people.

The leader was none other than the handsome monk Huiming, dressed in a bright yellow robe. Behind him followed four robust martial monks with prominent temples and piercing eyes. The group moved with steady steps and exuded a refined aura, making them particularly eye-catching in the residential area at dusk.

Huiming was clearly surprised to encounter Chen Anran and Wei Qingyi here, his face filled with astonishment, and he instinctively stopped in his tracks. The martial monks behind him also stopped immediately, their gazes all falling on Chen Anran and Wei Qingyi.

"Amitabha." Huiming was the first to react, quickly regaining his usual gentle expression. He stepped forward, raised one hand in a gesture of respect, and said, "Benefactor Chen, Benefactor Wei, I did not expect to meet you two here."