Love at First Novel by Gu Lingfei

Evan asked, "Tatum, can I call you now? Is it convenient?"

"Of course," Tatum replied cheerfully. "I live alone in a nice, spacious dormitory. It's comfortable, my salary comes on time every month, I eat well, and I'm perfecting my cooking skills."

Evan sighed. "Cooking. That's all you ever talk about. You've been there for months, didn't even come back for the New Year, and all you seem to care about is cooking." Tatum chuckled. "Well, I came here to cook, didn't I?"

Evan was momentarily speechless.

Tatum wasn't wrong. The moment he heard Elora was notoriously picky about food, he couldn't resist the challenge. Long before Grandma could prod him, he had already packed his bags and headed to Annenburg in Province X. Every so often, Evan would overhear his siblings mentioning Tatum. They always said the same thing: he was busy perfecting recipes, buried in his culinary experiments, and seemingly frozen in time.

Meanwhile, the acting head of the Labbe family in Havenmill had already set his sights on the Ormond sisters. Yet, Tatum didn't seem worried. Instead, he poured his energy into preparing meals for his fiancée every single day. When Tatum called, Evan picked up immediately.

began. "What's bothering you? Spill

eventually shared

wonder Grandma tricked you. But hey, I get it. You're

face flushed with embarrassment, though Tatum

that's the case, stick to it. Don't second-guess yourself. We're adults-we need to own our decisions and see them

long pause, he asked, "Tatum, are you doing okay over there? The Ormond family isn't giving you a hard time, right?" "No, not at all," Tatum assured him. "Everyone in the Ormond family has been great to me. They enjoy my cooking, even when I just stir-fry some vegetables they still rave about how good it is. The two

for a bit, I'm completely wiped out, but they're still bouncing off the walls. Watching them run around so carefree, it reminds me of our own

and babysitting, I guess you've made zero progress in winning over your

water, taking it slow. To win her over,

his head but couldn't help

Elora and her sisters teased him relentlessly, but he knew it wasn't personal. A woman