At 10 p.m., Xu Qingyun was preparing to take a shower and go to bed, but she did not expect Ji Hanchen to come over at this time.

"Mr. Ji, is there something urgent that you've come so late?"

Ji Hanchen's lips curled slightly, and his clear, gentle voice rose slowly, "Come and get the jade pendant."

Xu Qingyun was taken aback. "Just for this?"

Ji Hanchen suddenly raised his hand to support himself on the door frame, clutching his stomach as he explained, "I just finished up and remembered that I hadn't delivered your jade pendant to Mr. Songzhu yet, so I came over on the way."

"Okay, please wait a moment." Xu Qingyun hesitated for a moment, then turned around to get it.

Regardless of whether Ji Hanchen's words were true or false, Xu Qingyun didn't want to get entangled with him.

Xu Qingyun handed the box containing the jade pendant to Ji Hanchen, but Ji Hanchen did not take it. Instead, he clutched his stomach, and his tall and upright body bent slightly.

Xu Qingyun frowned. "Mr. Ji, are you feeling unwell?"

Ji Hanchen waved his hand, "I've only had one cup of coffee since this morning, and my stomach hurts a bit."

"Mr. Ji, there's a Western restaurant outside the residential area. They serve food very quickly."

Ji Hanchen was shocked. His stomach was aching, yet the little girl still wanted him to leave.

How could this girl be so heartless?

Ji Hanchen let out a suppressed groan, "Yunyun, I can't walk anymore. I'm afraid I'll have to eat something here."

Xu Qingyun gripped the doorknob tightly, somewhat nervously, "But all I have at home are noodles and eggs."

The Ninth Master of the Ji family has been living a life of luxury since childhood, so he probably wouldn't want to eat noodles.

To everyone's surprise, Ji Hanchen's Adam's apple bobbed, and a pleasant chuckle escaped from deep within his throat. "That's quite a coincidence. I've loved noodles since I was a child. Thank you for cooking for me."

Xu Qingyun: "..."

Why did she feel like she'd been tricked? Ji Hanchen's voice was much weaker just now.

Since Ji Hanchen came to collect the jade pendant late at night, Xu Qingyun had no choice but to step aside and let him into the room.

"I'm sorry, I only have women's slippers at home, so I'm afraid Mr. Ji will have to make do."

"It's alright." Ji Hanchen didn't care at all. He took off his expensive handmade leather shoes and stepped onto Xu Qingyun's soft rabbit slippers.

“I don’t have athlete’s foot, I shower every day, and my socks are always new,” Ji Hanchen explained.

Xu Qingyun wanted to say that even if he didn't explain, she already knew.

Ji Hanchen's socks were snow-white and very clean, without even a single lint ball.

"Mr. Ji, please have a seat. I'll go cook some noodles."

Xu Qingyun nodded slightly and slowly entered the kitchen.

The kitchen in this house is open-plan, which made Ji Hanchen very satisfied, as it allowed him to see the little girl's every move.

Last time he came, Ji Hanchen didn't go inside; this time he's made progress.

Looking down at the slippers on his feet, he slightly raised his thin lips, and then sent a WeChat message to Jiang Xun.

Go get my slippers, leather shoes, two shirts, a suit, loungewear, socks, and... underwear.

Chiang Hsun, who was waiting in his car downstairs, widened his eyes in admiration.

Mr. Ji is awesome!

So you've moved in and are ready to stay?!

Wait a minute, Miss Xu doesn't seem like the kind of girl who's easy to win over. Mr. Ji, are you sure it's going to work?

Ji Hanchen was unaware that Jiang Xun was gossiping about him and Xu Qingyun; he simply got up and looked around the room.

The decor here is creamy, unlike other girls' pink and girly things.

A purple clay teapot sits on a purple clay tea tray on a white coffee table, with six small teacups neatly inverted on the tray.

Ji Hanchen smiled; it turned out the young lady liked tea.

He then looked at the balcony, where dozens of succulents of various sizes were placed on the warm yellow floor tiles, which the little girl seemed to like very much.

This is something she's similar to other girls in.

Ji Hanchen couldn't help but recall the first time he met Xu Qingyun. She was only sixteen years old, a time of blossoming youth, yet she possessed a composure and restraint that did not belong to teenage girls.

Looking back now, I think her maturity and composure are the marks left on her by the hardships of life.

She was kicked out of her home at the age of twelve. How difficult must it have been for her to survive as a lonely girl?

Thinking about all that, Ji Hanchen felt heartbroken and also hated himself for not finding her sooner.

If he had found her six years ago, he could have protected her much sooner.

Xu Qingyun, who was in the kitchen, could feel Ji Hanchen's burning gaze and felt uncomfortable all over.

Fortunately, she hadn't changed her clothes yet, otherwise she would have been wearing nothing underneath.

Recalling that time at the hotel, Xu Qingyun's fair cheeks couldn't help but feel a little hot.

She gritted her teeth and cooked the noodles, then served them in a soup bowl.

"Mr. Ji, we only had limited ingredients, so we made clear soup noodles. Please make do with this."

Ji Hanchen chuckled: "Thank you."

After washing his hands, Ji Hanchen sat down at the table and, taking advantage of Xu Qingyun's inattention, snapped a photo and posted it on his WeChat Moments.

—The hot noodle soup made by the little girl herself tastes pretty good.

The comment section immediately exploded.

Bai Ruiting: Old Ji, who never posts on WeChat Moments, actually posted! Did he go to his sister-in-law's? Didn't he say he couldn't catch up?!

Shen Luo: The scheme is quite sophisticated.

Lu Chuan: My brother Chen is a pure love god, he gets this happy just from eating noodles.

Ji Hanchen looked down at the comments from his friends, unable to suppress the smile on his lips.

"How's the taste?"

Xu Qingyun's voice came from not far away.

Ji Hanchen immediately put away his phone, suppressing the smugness on his handsome face. He picked up a mouthful of noodles, chewed them carefully, and then looked up at Xu Qingyun. "Yunyun is very good at cooking. The noodles are delicious."

"Thank you for the compliment, but actually I'm not very good at it."

"That must be a talent. The vegetables are crisp, the noodles are chewy, and the poached egg is my favorite soft-boiled egg. Everything is just right. I might eat too much tonight." Ji Hanchen praised generously.

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