For a while, only the quiet bubbling of the hotpot broth filled the room.
Steam curled gently upward, carrying warmth into the modest apartment.
"Why did you run away from home?" Ding Feng was trying to understand her.
The question came out before he could overthink it.
"Abusive parents," she said it like it was a simple fact...As if she were commenting on the weather.
Ding Feng blinked. The bluntness of it caught him off guard.
She continued, her tone calm. "I thought Best Idol Champ would be my way out. My one shot, but I didn't make it. So I had no option other than to run away from that hell hole."
Ding Feng frowned slightly. "But—"
"Shh." Shen Jia interrupted him immediately, though not harshly. "No more questions. Eat your food. It's getting cold."
Ding Feng exhaled quietly.
Fair enough.
He didn't want to push further.
Instead, he finally focused on the meal before him and took his first proper bite.
The reaction was immediate.
His brows lifted. "…This is…"
