Pei Nian looked at him and met the man's warm gaze.

She didn't speak, but her hand unconsciously stirred the noodles in the bowl with her chopsticks, her heart as chaotic as those few strands of noodles.

Taking the opportunity, Huo Jingnan tried to take her hand, but she dodged away. While he was still in a daze, she put a piece of beef into his bowl and then ate a bite of a fried egg herself.

“Pei… Pei Nian, this…”

"It's quite delicious," she said softly.

Huo Jingnan said anxiously, "I wasn't talking about this egg!"

You mean noodles?

“Pei Nian, you…”

Huo Jingnan has never blushed because of any woman in his entire life.

He sighed deeply, while she beside him remained as steady as a mountain, her face calm and undisturbed.

Just then, the boss walked in, his loud voice breaking the awkward silence.

"Are you two enjoying your meal? Would you like another serving of beef?"

Huo Jingnan looked at the uncle, propped his elbows on the table, and covered his face with a helpless expression.

"I say, this isn't like you eating today!" The uncle chuckled and patted him hard on the shoulder. "You used to order three portions of meat and a bowl of noodles! What, are you pretending to eat little in front of this pretty girl?"

Huo Jingnan kept giving the uncle meaningful glances, signaling him to stop talking.

However, the older man was more like a megaphone: "It's okay, it's okay! It's a blessing for young people to be able to eat! Hehe, girl, if you find someone who can eat so much, you can just wait to enjoy life!"

"Cough cough cough..."

Huo Jingnan almost spat out the mouthful of soup noodles he was eating.

"Uncle," he said with a wry smile, "I'm not lucky at all. Don't bother adding beef for me today, this is heartbreaking beef noodle soup..."

"Heartbroken?" The uncle was taken aback, then turned to look at Pei Nian, who was calmly eating noodles next to him, and roughly understood.

"Ha, it's alright, young man!" the uncle laughed heartily. "There's an old saying that goes, 'What you keep in mind will eventually come to pass!'"

“Hey, uncle, you can’t say ‘Niannian’!” Huo Jingnan laughed. “Not just anyone can call Niannian that name.”

The middle-aged man frowned, not understanding what he meant.

Pei Nian finished eating, took out a tissue to wipe her mouth, and got up to leave.

Huo Jingnan immediately tensed up.

Pei Nian walked to the door, paused, and suddenly turned back, softly tossing out, "From now on, you can."

Huo Jingnan felt as if a thunderbolt had struck his head, leaving his already chaotic mind blank.

He stood there stunned for a good ten seconds before turning around and meeting the uncle's kind smile.

"Go after her, you idiot!" The uncle was overjoyed. "Is that girl interested in you? Hey, looks like all my hard work paid off! You know, I made over a dozen of these heart-shaped fried eggs, and then this young man told me you could find these molds online! Hehe..."

Huo Jingnan thanked him repeatedly and ran out, but after only a few steps, the uncle's loud voice boomed behind him again:

"Hey kid, you haven't paid for those two bowls of noodles yet..."

"I've been cooperating with you for so long, are you going to let me off the hook without paying?!"

*

Pei Nian returned to the Lu family home quite late. She had planned to wash up and go to bed early, but she was startled by a dark figure in the living room as soon as she entered the door!

She instinctively turned around and turned on the light, only to find that the person sitting in the living room was Lu Ran.

Pei Nian paused, nodded to her, and was about to return to her room when Lu Ran's slightly trembling voice suddenly came from behind her:

"Why?"

Pei Nian frowned and turned to look at her.

Lu Ran stood very straight, but her fists were clenched tightly at her sides. She bit her lip, and her distant gaze carried a hint of resentment.

Pei Nian's heart skipped a beat, and she said softly, "I don't understand what you're talking about."

"Heh, don't understand?"

“Miss Lu Ran,” she said politely, “it’s very late now, you should get some rest.”

"Stop right there!" Lu Ran blocked her way, her eyes fixed on her fiercely. "You haven't answered my question yet! Why... why did everything change the moment you appeared?"

"Miss Lu Ran..."

"Why are you always staring at my mother!" Lu Ran trembled, tears streaming down her face. "From the first day she came to the Lu family, you said she was loitering around the study, that she had ulterior motives..."

“I didn’t say anything wrong.” Pei Nian said coldly, “She did steal Sister Mianmian’s design drawings later!”

"That's not my mother! That person...that person is..."

“Miss Lu Ran,” Pei Nian said, enunciating each word clearly, “I only want to protect the safety of everyone in the Lu family, including you. If anyone tries to harm anyone in the Lu family, I won’t let them get away with it, no matter who they are!”

"Stop talking—" Lu Ran covered her ears, her bloodshot eyes glaring, almost hysterical, "What right do you have? This isn't your home!"

“Here…” Pei Nian bit her lip, but ultimately didn’t say it.

She knew this wasn't her home, but she was willing to treat it as her home and protect it. She already had no mother, and she didn't want to lose her father or her sister as well.

Seeing that she didn't speak, Lu Ran became even more certain that she was guilty.

"Pei Nian, who exactly are you?" Lu Ran pressed closer. "What is your purpose?"

Pei Nian took a deep breath, suppressing her emotions deep inside.

She wasn't one to back down, but this time, she didn't want to argue with Lu Ran.

“Miss Lu Ran,” she said softly, “if you don’t like me, I can leave…”

"Stop pretending!" Lu Ran sneered. "What tricks are you playing? You clearly know that your uncle and aunt won't let you leave! And my sister, what will she think if she finds out you're leaving? The whole family will blame me!"

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!