Chapter 33

After eating dinner, Xiaobai had another bowel movement. When she came out, she told Zhang Tan about the decision she made in the bathroom while singing. She planned to leave the fish-belly glass bottle and half a jar of peanuts with him as a gift, to thank him for the meal.

Immediately, the little girl lavishly praised Zhang Tan, saying that the noodles he made were really delicious, and she had never eaten anything so good, especially the crispy and fish-shaped snacks.

She categorized the large shrimp as part of the fish-shaped snacks, and it was clear that she liked eating meat.

She sighed like a little adult, saying she never expected Zhang Tan to have such skills, and asked if this was his forte.

Zhang Tan said with a hint of pride, "I have many strengths, this is just one of them. Tell me, wasn't this a real feast of fish-shaped snacks?"

Xiaobai nodded first, then said confidently, "Mine isn't bad either. Cooking is also my forte. Didn't you eat a lot that day?"

Eat a lot of what! Zhang Tan thought, that day he didn't eat enough at all. The pasta was thrown away, and he was hungry again at midnight, eating two bread rolls before he could fall asleep. He almost impulsively went downstairs at night to let the soccer ball out of air, so that Xiaobai wouldn't have anything to play with the next day, to vent his anger.

"I'm going to play with the little girl. Uncle, see you later."

"Okay, see you later."

"Do you want Xiaobai to wash the dishes?"

"I can do it myself."

"Oh, I'm so happy."

"..."

After seeing the little girl out, Zhang Tan reminded her with concern, "Xiaobai~"

"What?"

"If you haven't eaten dinner or are hungry, you can come to me, okay?"

"Is that okay?"

"We're close, aren't we?"

"Who are we to each other? What do you mean?"

"I mean, we don't need to be so formal."

"Oh, I understand. Thank you, Uncle. You're a good person. When Xiaobai grows up and earns money, she will take care of you."

"..."

What ambition! But it's just a meal, no need to make such a big sacrifice.

That night, Xiaobai fully demonstrated her state after eating and drinking to her heart's content. She refused to sleep, bouncing around with boundless energy, staying up until 1 a.m. before her aunt-in-law took her away. It seemed that only her aunt-in-law could handle her.

In the following period, Zhang Tan was busy preparing the script for the second season of "The Lantern Bearer." This wasn't his work alone; Song Wen also participated. They discussed continuously, and after more than a week, they finally completed the script for the second season. After submitting it to Director Li and getting his approval, the scriptwriting work was finally over.

To show her gratitude, Song Wen invited him to dinner.

"Thank you for helping me write the script. It was originally my job, but you did so much work," Song Wen said gratefully.

Originally, Zhang Tan only needed to adapt the script based on her manga, as he did for the first season. But for the second season, he and Song Wen wrote the plot together, making him a co-author.

"It's all for work, and my name is on the script."

Although Zhang Tan's name wouldn't be on the manga, it would be listed as the screenwriter for the animation.

"Regardless, I have to thank you especially. You taught me a lot during this period. You're so amazing."

While they were eating and chatting, Song Wen suggested they take a walk by the sea. The restaurant where they ate was by the sea, and around 7 p.m., the sea was lit up with colorful lights. The sound of the ship's whistle drifted to their ears with the cool sea breeze.

The atmosphere was a bit romantic. Song Wen sometimes got close to him, sometimes moved away, and her arm brushed against his several times.

After walking for a while, Zhang Tan's phone rang, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, okay, I'll be home in half an hour."

After hanging up, he said to Song Wen, who was already prepared, "Sorry, something came up at home. I'll take you back first."

Song Wen had heard Zhang Tan say he would be home in half an hour. If he took her back, it definitely wouldn't be enough time, especially since she had her own car. She could only say with regret that she would go back herself.

On the way home, Zhang Tan received another call from an unknown number, the same one that had called earlier. He ignored it, and after a while, the caller hung up. Then, a ding sounded, and a message came in. Zhang Tan ignored it and only opened it when he got home.

"Zhang Tan, are you sick? What nonsense did you say on the phone just now? Why haven't you answered my calls or replied to my messages lately? You haven't contacted me since you returned to Pujiang."

This was from the girl named Tang Yu. Zhang Tan ignored her and deleted the message.

Just then, Song Wen's message came in, saying she had arrived home.

Zhang Tan replied briefly, put down his phone, and realized that this girl had feelings for him. Over the past period, he had increasingly felt this. He had deliberately taken the call to find an excuse to leave, otherwise, he was worried the situation might get out of control. Her arm had brushed against his several times.

He wasn't the old Zhang Tan, who could neither take the initiative, nor refuse, nor take responsibility. He definitely couldn't be a playboy. So if he didn't have the same feelings, he shouldn't give any indication and should nip it in the bud. This was the responsible thing to do for both of them.

Fortunately, the script for "The Lantern Bearer" was now complete, and his future interactions with Song Wen would decrease.

During this period, his account on the Xilixi video website had gained over 100,000 followers, and he had made seven videos, attracting a lot of attention with his professional commentary.

He picked a movie and settled into the sofa to watch it as a way to relax. After finishing, he pondered how to comment on it, then sat at his desk and started writing the video script. He wrote for an hour, and by 11 p.m., he went downstairs to check. Xiaobai was lying on her small bed, asleep, with a small water gun tucked into her waist.

This little one, because of overeating the last time, didn't sleep at night. According to what she said the next day, she was scolded by her aunt-in-law, Ma Lanhua, and was more well-behaved for the next few days, going to bed when she should.

Leaving the children's dormitory, he came to the first floor. Although Xiaobai was already asleep, there were still people around. A slightly overweight woman was reading a picture book to her daughter and telling a story.

The little girl just got up from her small stool, pulling her mother to play on the slide. Her mother, carrying a black backpack, was by her side, quietly yawning several times, looking very tired. She had worked late and then came to take care of the children, already exhausted.

Zhang Tan remembered the little girl's name, Shen Liuliu, who was 3.5 years old, one of the youngest and most lively and mischievous girls in the school.

She often followed Xiaobai, just like Meng Chengcheng, being one of Xiaobai's little tails.

A colorful ball rolled down the slide and stopped at Zhang Tan's feet. He was about to sneak away, but now he had to pick it up. Shen Liuliu also noticed him and called out in her sweet voice.

"Hey! Mr. Zhang~"