Fearing her mother might overthink things, Ding Kemeng quickly explained, "Mom, this is a nickname Nai Nai gave me. She often calls me that at school, so my classmates who are close to me have started calling me that too. It's nothing."
"Is that so..." Ding's mother thought of Ye Nai and smiled helplessly: "That child does like to give other people nicknames."
Never mind, she won't ask any more questions.
"You two can watch TV in the living room for a while. Mengmeng, you entertain your classmates. Mom will go cook for you!" I also bought fish today, so I need to process it quickly, otherwise it won't be fresh.
After saying that, Ding's mother hurriedly went to the kitchen.
Lu Ziyin was left standing dumbfounded in the living room, staring blankly at Ding Kemeng.
"Sit down." After waiting for a while, Ding Kemeng spoke first, and then sat down on the sofa herself.
Lu Ziyin was overjoyed and subconsciously wanted to sit next to Ding Kemeng.
Ding Kemeng was startled and quickly pushed the person away: "Lu Ziyin!"
Lu Ziyin stumbled from the push, gave an awkward laugh, and sat down opposite Ding Kemeng. "I'm sorry, little darling, I was in a moment of excitement and forgot."
Lu Ziyin was used to sticking to Ding Kemeng all the time, so whenever Ding Kemeng sat down, Lu Ziyin would subconsciously want to sit next to her.
Ding Kemeng ignored Lu Ziyin, picked up a mangosteen from the table and started peeling it. "Isn't today Tang Qiushui's birthday? Why are you at my house?"
“Mengbao, it’s your birthday tomorrow, right?” Lu Ziyin didn’t answer Ding Kemeng’s question, but asked her instead.
Ding Kemeng paused in peeling the mangosteen, then looked up and asked, "How did you know about my birthday? Did Nai Nai tell you?" Besides Ye Nai, no one else should know about her birthday.
"Yes, she texted me." If Ye Nai hadn't told him, he would have definitely missed Mengbao's birthday.
"Baby, why won't you tell me it's your birthday tomorrow?" Although Lu Ziyin didn't say it, she was still bothered that Ding Kemeng didn't tell him her birthday.
Ding Kemeng peeled the mangosteen, put the flesh into Lu Ziyin's mouth, and said, "It's just a birthday, not a special day, no need to say anything. Besides, I don't celebrate birthdays."
Lu Ziyin's dejected mood instantly improved because of a peeled mangosteen, but he still couldn't understand why Ding Kemeng didn't celebrate her birthday.
"Sweetie, this is your birthday, it's not a small matter, why don't you want to celebrate?"
Ding Kemeng: "..."
"This is something I can't explain to you in a short time, but I didn't mean to keep my birthday from you. So, Ziyin, don't be upset, okay?" Ding Kemeng smiled gently at Lu Ziyin.
Her face flushed instantly, and Lu Ziyin suddenly felt a little hot.
Lu Ziyin abruptly turned her face away and coughed twice: "I... I was just worried about you, I... I'm not wronged."
At this moment, no matter how serious and cold Lu Ziyin appears in front of outsiders, he is still just an ordinary boy in front of the girl he likes.
"It's good that you're not upset." Ding Kemeng rarely saw Lu Ziyin blush, so she smiled sweetly at him and didn't say anything.
The atmosphere between the two became incredibly ambiguous. Lu Ziyin was practically going crazy wanting to sit next to Ding Kemeng, but they were at Ding Kemeng's house, and Ding's mother was in the kitchen; he didn't dare...
Fortunately, after a short while, Ding's mother started calling for help. She had prepared several dishes and needed someone to help her bring them to the table.
Upon hearing this, Lu Ziyin immediately volunteered to help, hoping to impress Ding's mother.
Ding Kemeng didn't expose his little scheme and let him be.
Although Lu Ziyin was a pampered young master, he was quite efficient when it came to work. In no time, Lu Ziyin had brought the food to the table, wiped the table and chairs clean, and set out the bowls and chopsticks.
When Ding's mother saw her daughter making the guests do these things, she looked at her with some displeasure: "Mengmeng, how can you be so impolite? Your tablemates are guests, how can you make guests do chores!"
Seeing Ding Kemeng being scolded, Lu Ziyin quickly explained, "Auntie, it's okay, I'm not tired. It was just something I did on the spur of the moment. It was just a little work, and I finished it in a few minutes!"
"How can that be? No matter what, you're a guest. There's no reason to make a guest do the work!" Ding's mother retorted, glancing at Ding Kemeng as she added, "Mengmeng, hurry up, don't slack off!"
Ding Kemeng smiled helplessly, stood up, and came over to help.
Lu Ziyin tried to stop her, but Ding Kemeng just smiled at him. Lu Ziyin had no choice but to put down what he was holding.
Soon, Mrs. Ding finished preparing everything. She checked the time and wondered why Mr. Ding hadn't returned yet. But to her surprise, the door suddenly opened, and Mr. Ding came in carrying a cake.
"Mengmeng, my darling, look what Daddy has prepared for you!" Although his wife said there was no need for a big birthday celebration, it was still his precious daughter's birthday, so Mr. Ding insisted on preparing a cake to celebrate!
When Ding Kemeng saw the cake in her father's hand, her expression changed. Unpleasant memories suddenly flooded her mind, and Ding Kemeng's face turned pale instantly.
Lu Ziyin had been watching Ding Kemeng closely, and when she saw her expression change, she immediately became anxious: "Mengbao, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
"N-nothing." Ding Kemeng shook her head and forced a smile.
Ding's mother also saw the cake in Ding's father's hand, and her expression was not good. "Didn't you say you didn't want to buy these things? Why did you buy them again?" Mengmeng was already very resistant to birthday celebrations, and her husband was making things even more difficult for her!
Ding's mother was furious!
Mr. Ding glanced at his daughter and saw her strange expression. He immediately realized that he had bought the wrong cake!
"Sweetie, Daddy didn't mean it. Daddy just wanted to give you a nice birthday..." He thought that after so many years, his daughter wouldn't be so resistant to this, but now, he still managed to do more harm than good.
Mr. Ding was also filled with remorse.
Ding Kemeng knew her parents meant well, so even though she felt nauseous at the sight of the cake, she forced a smile and said, "Dad, it's okay. It's getting late, let's eat first."
After saying that, Ding Kemeng sat down at the dining table.
Fearing embarrassment, Ding's mother quickly invited Lu Ziyin to sit down.
It wasn't until they sat down at the dining table that Mr. Ding seemed to notice Lu Ziyin and asked in surprise, "Ziyin, what brings you here?"
Lu Ziyin obediently put down her chopsticks, looked up, and answered the question seriously: "I heard it was Mengbao's birthday, so I came here to give her a gift. I met Auntie on the way, and she invited me to dinner."
"Oh, I see. It's good to eat. Eat more, eat more. Your aunt is a very good cook!" Ding's father laughed when he heard Lu Ziyin's explanation.
The strange atmosphere at the dinner table gradually disappeared as Ding's father and Lu Ziyin exchanged questions and answers.
Even after lunch, Lu Ziyin still wanted to help wash the dishes, but Ding's mother wouldn't let him. She quickly sent him to the living room to watch TV with Ding Kemeng.
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