Chapter 64: The "Self-evident" CP is born
In the evening, Shao Muyan came to pick up Yu Yan from get off work.
Now, everyone at school, including colleagues and lab team members, knows that Shao Muyan and Yu Yan are roommates.
Yu Yan gets injured every now and then, and everyone's sympathy and concern for her outweighs their gossip about her and Shao Muyan.
They even thought it was good to have Shao Muyan by Yu Yan's side, at least he could protect her and prevent her from coming back covered in injuries.
This is also because Shao Muyan and Yu Yan are both down-to-earth researchers with upright conduct, which prevents people from having any opportunity to gossip.
Their research achievements are indeed more noteworthy than their private lives.
After the previous paper incident caused a great uproar, the relevant departments and journals cleared Yu Yan's name, and the value of her paper rose again.
Yu Yan knew that there would still be many voices questioning her, but the way to shut these people up was not to keep arguing, but to produce more substantial research results.
—
Shao Min invited them to dinner at a very famous Chinese restaurant in Shangzhou.
It's a small restaurant opened by a retired master chef of Huaiyang cuisine and his wife. The restaurant is small and only serves ten tables a day. They don't take orders from a menu.
I eat whatever I make; everything tastes delicious.
Customers who have tried the food can't help but post praises on social media, which spreads the word and makes it popular.
When Yu Yan and Shao Muyan arrived, they didn't enter through the front door, but through the back door.
Shao Min and Shao Yun had arrived long ago and were picking vegetables in the garden. Shao Yun was carrying a small bamboo basket that was already full of vegetables and fruits.
"You're here?" Shao Min greeted them, her familiar manner as if she were at home.
On the way here, Yu Yan heard Shao Muyan say that the chef of this Huaiyang cuisine restaurant used to work in the kitchen of the Shao family. Later, when he got old, he returned to Shangzhou to retire, so Shao Min funded the opening of this restaurant for the elderly couple.
The Lin couple were among the first to choose not to have children. They worked for the Shao family for most of their lives and were not short of money.
Shao Min and Shao Muyan grew up eating the master chef's cooking, which is the taste of home for them. They would often invite friends over for a meal, and the master chef also took on the responsibility of taking care of them in their old age.
After exchanging greetings, Shao Muyan led Yu Yan inside and introduced them. The chef was preparing the dishes, as they were only hosting their table that night.
"Brother Yan, take Miss Yu for a walk in the courtyard. Don't stay in the kitchen; it's too smoky here."
Madam Lin had a kind and gentle face, and was always smiling.
Shao Muyan responded, and Yu Yan chuckled, "Auntie, you don't need to be so polite, just call me Yu Yan."
She spoke in the local dialect of Shangzhou, with a sweet, coquettish tone at the end. Madam Lin immediately replied in the local dialect, "Which 'yan' are you? Is it the same character as Brother Yan?"
“No.” Yu Yan traced her name on her palm with her finger. “Yu as in metaphor, Yan as in research.”
Mrs. Lin adjusted her reading glasses and nodded. "Oh, it's the 'Yan' in 'research.' It's a nice name, and the two of your names together form an idiom."
"Hmm?" Yu Yan was slightly taken aback.
Master Lin immediately replied, "It goes without saying!"
“That’s right!” Mrs. Lin clapped her hands with a smile. “They’re a perfect match.”
"..."
The old man actually knows this?
Yu Yan and Shao Muyan exchanged a glance, smiled, and left the kitchen; it was indeed a bit hot.
—
Yu Yan led Shao Yun to the trellis to pick cucumbers. They picked a few and washed them with well water.
"Try one." Yu Yan handed one to Shao Yun. "It looks very crispy."
Shao Yun washed his hands, took the packet, took a bite, and his eyes suddenly lit up. He nodded to Yu Yan.
Very crispy!
Shao Min, who is nearly 1.8 meters tall, was about the same height as Shao Muyan when she stood there.
Watching Yu Yan and Shao Yun interact, she couldn't help but sigh, "I always said Yunyun was born to be a member of the Shao family. Look how well he gets along with Yu Yan."
Shao Muyan looked at her and asked, "Is there any necessary connection between the two?"
Shao Min clicked her tongue, glaring at them with dissatisfaction, unable to stand their single-minded way of thinking as science students.
“Yu Yan’s magnetic field is compatible with our family’s, and your magnetic field is compatible with the Yu family’s. Sometimes, magnetic field is a kind of affinity, as if it is a destiny preordained in a past life.”
Shao Min said, "When I saw Yunyun at the orphanage back then, it was like seeing you as a child. All I wanted to do was take you home! Just like when I saw Yu Yan as a child, I felt like she was my own sister."
She looked at Yu Yan with undisguised admiration and affection in her eyes, "If I had a younger sister like that, I would spoil her rotten!"
Shao Muyan smiled slightly, offering no objection whatsoever.
"If I can't be the younger sister, being the younger brother's wife is fine too."
Shao Min nudged him with her elbow, "How are you? Any ideas? When will this ancient iron tree finally bloom? When will this old bachelor finally find a partner?"
Shao Muyan looked at her with a serious expression.
"Don't say these things during dinner, so as not to put pressure on Yu Yan."
Shao Min met his gaze, her expression gradually turning serious. "Shao Muyan, I'm warning you, if you just want to play around, don't get any ideas about Yu Yan, or I won't let you off the hook!"
"..." Shao Muyan smiled helplessly, "What are you talking about? Do you think I'm the kind of person who plays with feelings so easily?"
"You'd better not be."
Shao Min sneered, "Otherwise, even if you were my brother, I'd still beat you up!"
Shao Muyan looked at her speechlessly.
Shao Min's expression changed quickly. Suddenly remembering something, she moved closer to him. Just as Shao Muyan was about to step back, she grabbed him.
"I'm asking you, have you found that person?"
Mentioning "that person," Shao Muyan's expression shifted to another level.
His face remained calm, but the restlessness in his eyes revealed his lingering resentment about that night, like a thorn stuck in his heart that he couldn't bear to leave.
"No," Shao Muyan said calmly, "We'll find it eventually."
—
Food tastes better when eaten with people who share the same values.
Shao Min is right. Yu Yan has indeed been naturally close to the Shao family since childhood. In fact, the Shao family is also a serious and unapproachable family in the eyes of outsiders.
But Yu Yan was someone they had watched grow up, and the two families were close. Shao Min, Shao Muyan, and the other two older brothers had all bought candy for Yu Yan when she was little.
To them, she was no different from their own younger sister.
Shao Min is a typical social butterfly, whose emotional intelligence far surpasses that of Yu Yan. She maintains a good pace, speaks appropriately, and keeps the atmosphere lively throughout the meal.
The food was delicious.
Yu Yan used to think that Huaiyang cuisine was too bland, but today her opinion has changed a lot, and it exudes a sense of "freshness".
No wonder it's the work of a master craftsman!
As soon as Yu Yan finished her fish soup, Shao Muyan ladled her another bowl. "Do you like this?"
"Mmm." Yu Yan took the soup bowl, thanked them, and ate with her mouth glistening with oil.
Shao Min turned her head and saw that Shao Yun was also there.
She couldn't help but chuckle; the two of them looked so alike when they were enjoying something delicious, their eyes practically sparkling with excitement.
Shao Min took a closer look and, whether it was the light or not, she even thought that Yu Yan and Shao Yun looked very similar, with the same big, round eyes full of spirit.
Will people become like each other if they live together for a long time?
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