The four-person table was against the wall. Ashley Bennett sat on the outer side opposite, eating happily, while Brian Carter sat inside grilling meat, and Eric Bennett hesitated for a moment before sitting down next to him.

Brian Carter, rather unwillingly, was just about to take his food to help him grill when he reached out and gently poked Ashley Bennett on the head. “If you want a drink, go get it yourself.”

Ashley Bennett stood up and headed toward the drinks counter. Eric Bennett quickly got up and sat on the opposite side.

Brian Carter glanced at him and continued grilling pork belly and beef.

“You’re eating such greasy food even with a fever?” Eric Bennett asked.

“Hm?” Brian Carter paused, looking at the rice cake he was grilling. “You know?”

“My hands were burning when I dragged you in. How could I not know?” Eric Bennett said.

“Dragged?” Brian Carter couldn’t help but imagine himself being dragged into the shop by Eric Bennett like a sack of potatoes, hair and all.

“What, should I have carried you instead?” Eric Bennett added two slices of bacon to the grill. The two of them each grilled their own share, looking quite harmonious.

Brian Carter didn’t know how to continue the conversation, so he ate a piece of pork belly.

Ashley Bennett, who had gone to get drinks, came back hugging several bottles, placing the beers on the table one by one—four bottles, all opened—and there was even a glass of orange juice.

“You’re pretty impressive,” Brian Carter looked at her in shock, “didn’t spill any?”

Ashley Bennett shook her head, sat back down, and pushed a bottle of beer and the glass of orange juice in front of him.

“I don’t…” He was about to tell Ashley Bennett to drink the orange juice herself, but as soon as he started, he saw Ashley Bennett already pouring beer into her own glass. “You…”

Ashley Bennett picked up her glass, took a big gulp, let out a satisfied sigh, and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

Brian Carter glanced at Eric Bennett, only to find that he didn’t care at all, not even looking at Ashley Bennett, just rolling a piece of pork belly into a lettuce leaf.

“She drinks?” Brian Carter couldn’t help but ask.

“Yeah, when eating barbecue,” Eric Bennett handed him the finished lettuce wrap, “doesn’t drink otherwise.”

Brian Carter looked at the wrap.

Eric Bennett didn’t say anything, just held it out.

“…Thanks.” He had no choice but to take it and take a bite.

“Don’t you get tired of eating just pork belly?” Eric Bennett asked.

“It’s fine, I actually like it.” Brian Carter said.

Eric Bennett made two more wraps for Ashley Bennett, then asked, “You’re not from around here, are you? I can tell from your accent.”

“No.” Brian Carter replied. At the mention of this, he suddenly felt a bit annoyed. The discomfort that had been suppressed by the pork belly and beef was trying to resurface.

“What’s Li Baoguo to you?” Eric Bennett continued.

Brian Carter was stunned for a moment. How did Eric Bennett know about Li Baoguo? But the question was quickly drowned out by his irritation, and he tossed two pieces of meat onto the grill. “What’s it to you?”

Eric Bennett looked up at him, smiled without saying anything, picked up a bottle of beer, gently tapped it against the bottle in front of him, took a sip, and continued grilling.

It was the first time Brian Carter had eaten face-to-face at a table with someone who was basically a stranger. He hadn’t wanted to talk in the first place, and now he had even less to say.

Across from him, Eric Bennett didn’t seem interested in talking anymore either. The little sister really did seem mute, eating and drinking happily.

In the silence, Brian Carter, with his throbbing head, ate four plates of meat. He felt she’d had enough too, and Eric Bennett went out several times to get more.

She only put down her chopsticks after Brian Carter finished eating, leaning back in her chair and rubbing her stomach.

“Full?” Eric Bennett asked.

She nodded.

“You eat more than your brother.” Brian Carter couldn’t help but comment.

“How did you get here?” Eric Bennett also put down his chopsticks. “I’ll take you back later, it’s on my way.”

“Motorcycle?” Brian Carter asked.

“Yeah.” Eric Bennett nodded.

“Drunk driving and overloading?” Brian Carter asked.

Eric Bennett didn’t respond, just stared at him for a long time with an expression that was hard to read—maybe mocking, maybe something else—then finally patted Ashley Bennett on the shoulder. “Let’s go.”

After Eric Bennett left with Ashley Bennett, Brian Carter got up and made himself another half plate of meat and a small basket of lettuce leaves.

The lettuce pork belly wrap that Eric Bennett had made for him earlier was actually pretty tasty—refreshing and not greasy.

After finishing this half plate, he figured he should probably walk back to help digest.

But it was too cold outside. He huddled behind the leather curtain at the mall entrance, took out his phone, and tried to call a car, but after five minutes, no one accepted the order.

Instead, Henry Cooper called again: “There are two stops for this ticket, and the times are different. Which one should I buy?”

“East Station,” Brian Carter said, “I only know East Station.”

“Okay,” Henry Cooper said, “I’ll come pick you up at four tomorrow afternoon. Send me your address later, and I’ll look for a hotel nearby.”

“Probably none,” Brian Carter recalled the general feel of that area—it didn’t seem like a place with hotels. “Just book anywhere, the whole place isn’t that big anyway.”

After hanging up, someone finally accepted his ride request. When Brian Carter got into the car, he just felt completely out of sorts.