Pei Nian glanced at him, then chewed and swallowed the remaining dumplings on the plate in large bites.
Huo Jingnan didn't come to his senses until he was washing the dishes.
The water was flowing, and he stood motionless by the pool, his hands soaking in the cold water, completely numb like a puppet.
Pei Nian walked over and turned off the tap, then muttered to him, "You think the water bill is too cheap?"
Huo Jingnan jolted awake, as if he had been brought back to life, but when he turned to look at her, she had already moved away step by step with her cane, leaving him with only a dashing back view.
Huo Jingnan couldn't help but feel saddened.
He had never opened his heart to anyone; Pei Nian was the first, but unexpectedly…
However, if you like someone, you should accept everything about her.
Huo Jingnan sighed softly, picked up the sponge to wash the dishes, and then, being a very virtuous woman, cleaned the entire kitchen and cut up some fresh fruit to bring to Pei Nian.
At that moment, Huo Junyu called him.
The moment he saw Huo Junyu's name on the screen, he unconsciously transferred his pent-up frustration onto him, and answered the call with a curt "Hello."
Huo Junyu paused, probably feeling that this attitude was extremely unusual.
"Are you busy?" Huo Jingnan shouted into the microphone, "Speak if you have something to say, otherwise I'm hanging up!"
"No, you..." Huo Junyu hesitated for a moment before swallowing back the "Are you crazy?" part.
"How are you two? Do you have enough money?" Huo Junyu paused, then added, "Mianmian... seems to miss Pei Nian quite a bit."
His intention was to express his concern for the two people.
Unexpectedly, this touched on Huo Jingnan's "deepest wounds".
It would have been better if he hadn't mentioned it, because once it was brought up, Huo Jingnan finally couldn't hold back and exploded: "What's there to worry about! With me taking care of you, aren't you at ease?!"
"...What's gotten into you today, kid?"
"Don't call me all the time unless it's absolutely necessary!"
Huo Jingnan said this and then turned off the phone.
Huo Junyu on the other end was completely bewildered, staring at the now-black screen for a long time, unable to come to his senses.
*
As night fell, the weather turned cooler and the temperature dropped. However, Pei Nian still sat in the courtyard wearing a thin shirt, gazing at the starry sky.
Such a clear and beautiful night sky is something you can't see in heavily polluted metropolitan areas.
A gust of wind blew by, and Pei Nian couldn't help but shiver, but a pair of warm hands draped a coat over her from behind.
She was startled and turned to meet those eyes as clear as the night sky.
"Here you go." Huo Jingnan handed her a strawberry, chuckling as he said, "I just tried one, it's quite sweet."
Pei Nian looked at him quietly, without answering.
"Although it's not in season, it's still quite delicious." Huo Jingnan smiled. "Would you like to try some?"
Pei Nian took the fruit, then put it back on the plate, expressionless. "If it's not in season, it proves it was grown against the laws of nature and must contain hormones or something similar. Don't buy it next time; it's expensive and has no nutritional value! It's practically a tax on your intelligence!"
"..."
Huo Jingnan was speechless, choked by her words.
After a long pause, he glared at her like a wronged wife, muttering under his breath, "If Jiang Mianmian had bought it for you, you definitely wouldn't have said that..."
"Hmm? This was sent by Sister Mianmian?"
"this……"
Pei Nian picked up a strawberry, removed the stem, and threw it directly into her mouth.
"It really is, super sweet!" She laughed, eating five or six in a row, her mouth full as she mumbled, "Mmm, my sister Mianmian really knows how to buy things, she knows I love strawberries the most!"
"Pei Nian!"
Huo Jingnan roared angrily.
Pei Nian looked up at him.
Huo Jingnan: "...I said, why is your name so nice to hear..."
Pei Nian continued eating strawberries as if nothing had happened, the fermenting sour plum taste in her heart was cured by the sweet strawberries.
“By the way, shouldn’t we go back to Yangcheng?” Pei Nian asked him.
Huo Jingnan was taken aback. Come to think of it, he had been recuperating in this village for almost a month.
Pei Nian was in good physical condition to begin with, and although she hadn't fully recovered, she no longer needed his constant care.
He also knew why she wanted to return to Yangcheng as soon as possible.
She was a person who didn't tolerate any nonsense. Since she suspected Cheng Suyue of doing something wrong, she was determined to investigate to the end.
Moreover, Cheng Suyue might be detrimental to the Lu family, and the Lu family and Jiang Mianmian are the little girl's Achilles' heel; whoever dares to touch them will die.
Huo Jingnan felt a pang of sadness, and suddenly remembered that question—"In your life, have you ever risked your life for anyone?"
These words couldn't be more fitting for Pei Nian!
He glanced at her sideways, his eyes filled with resentment, sorrow, discontent, and jealousy—all written in his clear, black and white pupils.
Pei Nian felt uneasy under his gaze. All she had said was that she was going back to Yangcheng. What was wrong with him?
"Hey, what are you doing?" She waved her hand in front of him.
"It's nothing." Huo Jingnan turned his face away. "In my opinion, now is not a good time to go back."
"Why?"
"Didn't you suspect Cheng Suyue of having problems? For the past month, Junyu and Mianmian have been secretly tracking and investigating her. If the person who harmed you was indeed sent by Cheng Suyue, they might think you're dead, and their actions in Yangcheng will become unrestrained."
“But once people become unrestrained, they are not far from destruction.”
Huo Jingnan said in a deep voice, "So it's better if you don't go back now. Don't alert them and let them continue their performance."
Pei Nian frowned, thought about it, and it seemed to make sense.
"And also," Huo Jingnan added, "you...your body hasn't fully recovered. Even if you go back, you won't be able to protect the person you love..."
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