"Then... how should I say it?"

Meng Yan straightened up and looked at the naive, almost foolish girl in front of him, unsure whether to frown or laugh.

"They'll definitely want to know what you did with me tonight," he said casually.

Huo Jiayuan blushed and shrank back.

So, should we say he's very capable?

She was inexperienced and didn't understand these things, but in the romance novels she used to secretly read, the male protagonists were usually described as "very capable"...

"Oh, I understand." Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

“You probably don’t understand yet.” Meng Yan looked down at her, speaking solemnly and deliberately, “You have to tell Li Mei that I’m short and quick, I can’t last more than three minutes. I may look strong, but I’m just a show-off!”

"ah?"

Huo Jiayuan's eyes widened, and she couldn't help but gasp in surprise. She stared blankly at him, seeing a faint, roguish smile creep across his handsome, rugged face.

Short and quick, less than three minutes...

Even though she was inexperienced in such matters, she knew what he was talking about.

Her face turned bright red instantly; not only her face, but also the tips of her ears and the base of her neck were as red as boiled shrimp.

"What's wrong?" Meng Yan paused, "Just a few words, and it's hard to say?"

“No, you…” Huo Jiayuan muttered softly, “What you’re saying is too…”

She wanted to say something more explicit, but changed her words to "rude."

"Heh." Meng Yan laughed. "I'm just a rough guy, why would you expect me to speak politely?"

"Alright, alright," Huo Jiayuan said helplessly, "but this..."

"What's wrong now?"

"Won't this hurt your pride?"

Meng Yan was taken aback, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Compared to his self-respect, he didn't want to be entangled with a woman like Li Mei.

Besides, thanks to her, he's already famous, so why would he need a few more words?

"I don't care." Meng Yan turned around and squatted down by the wall to pick up her luggage bag from the ground.

Those are all the things he used for matches.

He took out his boxing gloves, shorts, and towel one by one and put them in the basket next to the washing machine.

“That’s all I do in my life,” he shrugged. “Compete, make money, sign waivers.”

"I don't care what others think, and I have no plans to find a woman. So this little thing won't hurt my self-esteem."

Huo Jiayuan lowered her eyelids and said nothing.

"Then..." she asked again after a while, "what if others look down on you?"

"Didn't I say I don't care?"

"But you just said you'd protect me as long as I'm by your side! What if other people look down on you because of this? How will you protect me then?"

"What do you mean?" Meng Yan raised an eyebrow and smiled teasingly. "You want to test whether I'm capable or not? And then tell them your true feelings?"

"..." Huo Jiayuan was dumbfounded, and the blush that had just faded returned.

Meng Yan laughed heartily, and after laughing for a while, he walked to her side and suddenly had an urge to raise his hand and pat her head.

Just like some people who see cute kittens and puppies, they also want to rub and pinch them.

However, he managed to suppress the impulse.

"Don't worry," he said in a rough but gentle voice, "Even if I'm useless at everything, I have a strong fist. They only dare to talk about me, they don't dare to mess with me!"

Huo Jiayuan's tense nerves gradually relaxed.

She looked up and met his calm and deep eyes, which held a firm strength that could calm her heart.

"Tomorrow, you can embellish it a bit more."

"What?"

Meng Yan smirked, "You said I'm not only good-looking but useless, but also a pervert, and that I'd beat you up after we were done!"

"!!" Huo Jiayuan's pupils widened in shock again, then she gave a forced smile. "You really will go to any lengths to keep women away. But do you think they'll believe I'm not injured?"

Meng Yan looked him up and down, "Just say the injury is in a place where you can't show your face."

"ah?"

Meng Yan covered her head, unable to bear seeing her gaping, bewildered expression.

Ever since she got home, she's had this expression no matter what I say.

"What...what part of me is unacceptable to people?"

"Think about it yourself!"

"I can't figure it out..."

The man snapped impatiently, "Just say I bit your breast!"

"you!"

Huo Jiayuan was both embarrassed and angry. Her face turned red, and she put her arms in front of her chest and kicked him!

Meng Yan immediately dodged away and casually went to fiddle with the washing machine.

In the instant he turned around, he smiled unconsciously.

*

The next day, Li Mei and Mingliang indeed came looking for Meng Yan while she was away from home.

Huo Jiayuan repeated what Meng Yan had said.

Because she had never done anything like this before, she felt extremely uncomfortable when she said those words and almost cried. However, it was precisely because of this discomfort and shame that Huo Jiayuan's acting skills looked natural and skillful, and she was very convincing.

Li Mei, a seasoned womanizer, was skeptical of her words, but couldn't find any flaws in them. So she offered a few words of comfort and then pulled Mingliang away.

Huo Jiayuan breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that no one would bother her for the time being.

She and Meng Yan lived peacefully together for a few days.

Meng Yan has been taking care of her food and drink for the past few days. Meng Yan has never taken care of anyone before, and he used to just eat whatever was convenient. Even though there was someone else around, his lifestyle didn't change.

Huo Jiayuan was the one who couldn't adapt.

She didn't know how to continue sharing a room with this rough man; they couldn't even eat together. She had always been a meticulous eater, emphasizing a balanced diet, with coffee or tea after meals, plus a small sugar-free dessert.

But the things Meng Yan bought included a whole roast chicken, large chunks of beef, and a flatbread bigger than her face…

Huo Jiayuan found it difficult to swallow, and at each meal she would only eat a few bites haphazardly before retreating to the side.

That day, Meng Yan went to the boxing ring. When he returned in the evening, he found that there was no food on the table and a young lady lying on the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling.

His face darkened, and he said in a deep voice, "You haven't eaten?"

Huo Jiayuan sat up, her big eyes filled with innocence: "You weren't back, so I didn't know what to eat..."

Meng Yan took a deep breath.

He won this fight with great difficulty; his opponent was a desperate criminal who had served ten years in prison before coming to the underground boxing ring. Prison hadn't smoothed out his rough edges; instead, it had turned him into a beast.

It took Meng Yan some effort to kick him off the stage, and he was also injured in the process. His back muscles felt like they were torn, and his ribs ached terribly whenever he breathed.

The physical pain made him irritable, and his temper flared up. He glared sternly at Huo Jiayuan: "If I hadn't come back, couldn't you have made yourself something to eat? There's everything in the fridge. You'd rather lie here and do nothing!!"

"I……"

Before Huo Jiayuan could explain, Meng Yan suddenly turned around and went to the balcony.

"Didn't I tell you to take the clothes in before I left?!" A man roared from the balcony, then moved to the kitchen. "And this bowl... from yesterday, didn't you know to wash it?"

"How old are you? Are you still waiting for someone to serve you, young lady?!"