33. I Am Not a Player

After finishing her dinner and taking care of business in the bathroom, Xiaobai emerged with a decision she had made while singing to herself. She told Zhang Tan that she intended to leave the glass jar that had held her fish and the half-can of peanuts with him as a gift, to thank him for the meal.

She immediately heaped praise upon Zhang Tan, declaring that the noodles he made were truly delicious—the best she had ever eaten, especially with the "gaga" (meat) and "yubaibai" (fish). She had categorized the shrimp as fish, clearly showing her preference for meat.

Like a little adult, she sighed with emotion, remarking that she hadn't expected Zhang Tan to have such skills, and asked if this was his specialty.

Zhang Tan said with a touch of pride, "I have many specialties; this is just one of them. Tell me, this was a proper 'yubaibai' feast, wasn't it?"

Xiaobai nodded first, then said confidently that her own cooking wasn't bad either, and that it was her specialty too—didn't he eat his fill that day?

Eat his fill, my foot! Zhang Tan thought to himself. He hadn't been full at all that day; he had ended up dumping the pasta she made and was so hungry in the middle of the night that he had to gnaw on two slices of bread just to fall asleep. He had even been impulsively tempted to sneak downstairs that night to deflate her soccer ball so she wouldn't have anything to play with the next day, just to vent his frustration.

"I'm going to go find the other kids to play. Bye-bye, Uncle."

"Alright, bye-bye then."

"Does Xiaobai need to wash the bowls?"

"I'll handle it myself."

"Oh, how happy!"

"..."

Sending her out the door, Zhang Tan couldn't help but nag, "Xiaobai~"

"What?"

"In the future, if you haven't had dinner or you're feeling hungry, you can always come find me, you know?"

"That wouldn't be good, would it?"

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

"Who are we to each other? What are you thinking?"

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

"Oh, I get it. Thank you, Uncle, you're a good person. When Xiaobai grows up and makes money, I'll take care of you."

"..."

What ambition! Still, it was just a meal; there was no need for such a heavy commitment.

That night, Xiaobai fully demonstrated the state of having eaten her fill: she refused to sleep, jumping and bouncing around with boundless energy. She held out until 1:00 AM before being dragged away by her aunt. It seemed the only person who could handle her was her aunt, Ma Lanhua.

For the next while, Zhang Tan was busy preparing the script for the second season of "The Lampbearer." It wasn't a solo job; Song Wen was also involved. They discussed it constantly, and after more than a week, they finally finished the script. Once Director Li reviewed and approved it, the writing process was finally over.

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

"Thank you for helping me with the script. It was supposed to be my work, and I've troubled you so much," Song Wen said gratefully.

Originally, Zhang Tan only needed to adapt the script based on her comics, which was how the first season went, but for the second season, he had co-written the plot with her, effectively making him half the author.

"It's all for the work. My name is on the script credits."

Although his name wouldn't appear in the comics, he was listed as a screenwriter for the animation.

"Regardless, I really want to thank you. You taught me so much during this time; you're truly amazing."

They chatted as they ate. Afterward, Song Wen suggested a walk by the beach. The restaurant was right on the shore, and it was past 7:00 PM; the beach was illuminated by colorful lights, and the sound of ship whistles drifted on the cool sea breeze.

The atmosphere was somewhat romantic. Song Wen kept moving closer to him, then further away, her arm brushing against his several times.

After walking a short distance, Zhang Tan’s phone rang, and he felt a quiet sense of relief.

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

Hanging up, he said to Song Wen, who was already braced for it, "I'm sorry, there's something I need to take care of at home. Let me take you back."

Song Wen had just heard him say he would be home in half an hour; if he took her home, thirty minutes wouldn't be enough, and since she had driven herself, she could only say with deep regret that she would head back alone.

On the drive home, Zhang Tan received another call from the same unknown number. He ignored it, and after it rang for a while, it stopped. A "ding" followed—a text message. He didn't check it until he got home.

"Zhang Tan, are you sick? What was that nonsense on the phone earlier? And why haven't you been answering my calls or replying to my messages lately? You didn't even reach out when you came back to Pujiang."

It was the girl named Tang Yu from before. Zhang Tan ignored it and deleted the message after reading it.

Just then, a text from Song Wen arrived, saying she had reached home.

Zhang Tan replied briefly and set the phone down. The girl was interested in him; after spending time with her, he could feel it clearly. He had deliberately used the phone call as an excuse to leave earlier because he was worried he wouldn't be able to control the situation, especially since she had brushed against his arm so many times.

He wasn't the original Zhang Tan; he couldn't play the "don't initiate, don't refuse, don't take responsibility" game and certainly wasn't a "player." If he didn't share the same feelings, it was best not to give any indication, nipping the budding interest in the bud. That was the responsible way for both parties.

Fortunately, the script for "The Lampbearer" was finished, so his interactions with Song Wen would decrease.

During this time, his account on the Xilili video site had gained over 100,000 followers, and he had posted seven videos, attracting a lot of attention with his professional commentary.

He picked a movie and curled up on the sofa to watch it as a way to relax. After finishing, he pondered how to break it down, then sat at his desk and began writing the video script. After an hour, at 11:00 PM, he went downstairs to check. Xiaobai was lying on her small bed, fast asleep, with a little water gun tucked into her waistband.

Because she had overeaten that night and refused to sleep, she had been scolded by her aunt Ma Lanhua the next day, and for the following few days, she had been quite well-behaved, sleeping when she was supposed to.

Leaving the children's dormitory area, he went to the first floor. Even though Xiaobai was asleep, there were still people around. A slightly plump woman was reading a picture book to her daughter, telling her a story.

The child stood up from her small stool and pulled her mother toward the slide. Her mother, carrying a black backpack, followed along, stifling several yawns. She looked exhausted; working overtime late into the night and still having to take care of her child had left her drained.

Zhang Tan remembered the child's name: Shen Liuliu. At three and a half, she was one of the youngest girls in the daycare, lively and mischievous—one of the biggest troublemakers.

At the same time, he often saw her trailing behind Xiaobai; like Meng Chengcheng, she was one of Xiaobai’s little "tails."

A colorful ball rolled down the slide and came to a stop at Zhang Tan’s feet. He was just about to sneak away, but now he had to pick it up. Shen Liuliu spotted him and let out a joyful, milky-voiced shout.

"Ha! It's Boss Zhang~~"