An awkward silence filled the dining table.
Benny sat quietly on one side while Selena sat opposite him with her back unnaturally straight, looking exactly like a child who had been caught doing sothing wrong by her own mother.
The contrast was honestly hilarious.
Especially because this was Selena.
The mature, reliable older sister who always lectured him about discipline and responsibility.
Yet after getting caught streaming online while shouting about "duck dinners," she instantly turned into a little child.
After she made eye contact with him, perhaps she rembered that he was still in the house and hadn’t returned ho, she panicked for a while there.
He saw her instantly turned around, tell the people on the screen that she forgot her brother was paying a visit, and also made extra sure to ntion ’brother’ before turning the screen off.
Soon after, she walked towards the door, open up, looked him in the eye while saying, "We need to talk."
And then.... the mont they actually sat down together she completely stopped talking.
Benny nearly laughed watching her struggle internally.
Still, the prolonged silence also made him feel slightly uncomfortable, so he eventually decided to speak first.
"Sister," he said casually, "let’s talk while eating first. I already cooked dinner."
Selena blinked in slight confusion.
But before she could respond, Benny had already stood up and walked into the kitchen.
Soon, he returned carrying dishes one after another.
Tomato egg soup, stir-fried vegetables and braised potatoes.
It was nothing luxurious, just ordinary ho-cooked food but warm enough to fill an empty stomach.
A few minutes later, the table was fully set.
The dishes were simple and plain, but at the very least, nobody would go hungry after eating.
Only then did Benny finally sit down again.
"So," he asked while picking up his chopsticks, "how long have you been streaming?"
Selena stiffened slightly.
She lowered her head and quietly took a bite of rice before answering after several seconds.
"...Six months."
Benny nodded thoughtfully.
Then he asked another question.
"Is it fun?"
Selena looked up in surprise.
Clearly, she hadn’t expected that to be his first reaction at all.
Selena stared at him for a few seconds before slowly lowering her guard.
"...A little," she admitted quietly.
After saying that, she suddenly seed embarrassed and quickly added,
"I only do it occasionally after work."
"Mhm."
"And I don’t neglect my responsibilities."
"Mhm."
"And I don’t act like that at school."
At that point, Benny almost failed to hold back his laughter.
The way she hurriedly explained herself really made her look like a child caught doing sothing wrong.
"I know," he replied while calmly eating. "You looked pretty professional while screaming about duck dinner."
Selena instantly choked on her rice.
"Cough—!"
Her face imdiately turned red.
"I-I wasn’t screaming!"
"Sure, sure and you were so cute while saying thanks for the subs."
"I was not!"
Benny laughed softly as the tense atmosphere between them instantly relaxed a little.
Selena glared at him in embarrassnt before lowering her head and silently drinking soup.
Only after several monts did she quietly speak again.
"...Actually, it’s pretty fun."
Her voice this ti sounded much softer.
"When I stream, I forget about all my problems and focus only on what’s in front.
I know this sounds selfish but I don’t rember the family debt either. For a few hours, I can just play gas and chat with people normally."
She paused briefly before poking at the rice in her bowl.
"And... the extra inco isn’t bad."
That last sentence was spoken much more quietly.
Benny, however, understood imdiately.
Of course it was about money too.
How could it not be?
Tuition debt, family expenses and his college fees.
Selena had probably grabbed onto every possible opportunity to earn more inco.
Even if it ant staying awake late into the night streaming gas after already exhausting herself the entire day.
Benny silently looked at her tired face.
Dark circles still lingered beneath her eyes despite the nap earlier, she looked exhausted.
Yet when she talked about streaming just now, her eyes had clearly brightened a little.
"...Then that’s pretty good," Benny said calmly.
Selena blinked.
"You’re... not against it?"
"Why would I be?"
"You’re a teacher," Benny continued casually while eating. "Not so monk forbidden from having hobbies."
Selena stared at him blankly for a mont.
Then, after a few seconds, she suddenly laughed softly.
"...You’re right."
For so reason, hearing Benny casually accept that side of her made an inexplicable warmth spread through her chest.
After relaxing a little, Selena finally began eating properly.
And the more she ate, the more surprised she beca.
The food was simple yet the taste was unexpectedly good.
The tomato egg soup was rich and comforting, the vegetables were seasoned just right and even the braised potatoes were soft, savory, and perfectly soaked with flavor.
Selena looked up in genuine surprise.
"...This is actually really good."
Benny imdiately looked pleased with himself.
"Well," he said proudly while lifting his chin slightly, "I learned from the best."
Selena chuckled softly at his confident expression.
"Oh?" she asked teasingly. "And who would that be?"
Benny opened his mouth instinctively.
You.
The answer almost slipped out imdiately.
Because in his previous life, most of the dishes he knew how to cook had indeed been taught by Selena over the years.
All because she simply got fed up watching him survive on instant noodles and forced him to learn properly.
But that was the Selena from the future, not the current Selena sitting in front of him.
So he abruptly changed his answer midway.
"Tube," he replied calmly. "Cooking tutorials."
Selena blinked, then she laughed.
"Oh? Here I was thinking you’d secretly gotten yourself a girlfriend already."
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