Irene said, “Really? He usually doesn’t work at the Lynn residence. He only comes over to stay the night for a few days.” Trying to smooth things over, Benny replied casually, “Well, Jonathan asked me to grab something for him. I’ll just go check his room.”

“Hold on a second.” Cheryl’s eyes sparkled with mischief as she quickly grabbed Benny’s arm. “Benny, why don’t you chat with Irene for a bit? My room’s a total mess right now.”

“I’m not going to your room anyway,” Benny said, feeling the soft touch of her hand. For a moment, his thoughts wandered. He thought, What am I even thinking? She’s Jonathan’s cousin. So he quickly snapped out of it.

Cheryl pouted her small lips, her eyes curving. “If you happen to catch a glimpse of my messy room, you’ll definitely laugh. I’ve got my dignity to maintain, you know?”

“Just wait for me, okay, Benny? I’ll tidy up real quick. You can head upstairs in a bit,” Cheryl said. With that, Cheryl dashed upstairs.

Irene grabbed Benny’s arm and urged him to sit down. “Come on. Let’s have a little chat first,” she said, just as Cheryl had suggested.

Benny groaned inwardly. Getting grilled by elders was bad enough, but chatting with Irene was a whole new level of torture. He already knew exactly what she wanted to talk about.

As Jonathan’s mother, Irene mainly wanted Benny to give Jonathan more advice, pushing him to get over Teresa. There were so many amazing women in Nareigh, but he was stuck on Teresa. It was driving Irene crazy.

She said, “You’ve been friends with Jonathan for so many years, and you know him better than anyone. Can you try talking some sense into him for me?”

“I just don’t get it. What’s so special about Teresa? They’ve been divorced for ages, and he’s still so hung up on her. I still don’t understand how they even met, let alone why he’s so obsessed with her.”

Benny, who had been the one to introduce the two, gave a small, awkward cough. “Alright, Irene. I’ll try to talk to him,” he said smoothly. He was good at saying what people wanted to hear.

“And what about you, Benny? No girlfriend yet?” Irene asked, changing the subject.

“Not yet. If you know someone suitable, Irene, feel free to introduce me,” Benny replied.

“Alright, tell me what kind of girl you like, and I’ll see if I can find someone for you,” Irene said enthusiastically.

Benny described the type of girl he liked: someone kind and easygoing, maybe around his age, with similar values—just the usual clichés.

Later, when Irene disappeared into the restroom, he exhaled deeply and seized the opportunity to slip upstairs. Cheryl was just about to head downstairs when she accidentally bumped into Benny, who quickly steadied her.

In Benny’s eyes, Cheryl had a sweet face, but she was a bit on the heavier side—not quite his type. He had a habit of sizing up women by their faces first and then their waists. Even though Cheryl was wearing loose-fitting clothes, Benny’s sharp, experienced eyes could still roughly gauge her waistline. Her face was a solid 9.5, but her waistline didn’t quite match up.

“Hey, Cheryl, where’s Jonathan’s room?” Benny asked, cutting straight to the point.

“This one.” Cheryl said enthusiastically, pushing open a door. “This is Jonathan’s room. Feel free to take a look.” Benny pretended to search for documents, but his eyes scanned the room. It was spotless—so clean that not even a strand of hair could be found on the bed. He frowned slightly, a flicker of disappointment flashing across his face.

“Well, Jonathan’s room is always this clean. He’s a total neat freak,” Cheryl said casually, leaning against the doorframe.

“Yeah, I can see that,” Benny replied, feigning interest as he glanced around. He walked over to the desk, casually resting his hand on it.

He added, “Seems like there aren’t any documents here. I’ll give Jonathan a call later to check. For now, I need to use the bathroom.”

Cheryl nodded and said, “Sure, go ahead.”

Once Benny was gone, Cheryl dashed into Jonathan’s bathroom. Noticing the toothbrush was missing, she let out a sigh of relief. “Good thing I acted fast,” she thought.

As Cheryl came downstairs, ready to leave, Irene stopped her and asked, “What brings you here today? I thought you might be feeling lonely at home.” Irene gave her a skeptical look. “By the way, has Donald started dating? Our mom mentioned he’s been dressing up more and coming home late lately.”

“I wouldn’t know. He doesn’t tell me anything,” Cheryl replied, dodging the question.