Chapter 69: Can We Still Be Friends?
Yu Wan laughed even harder, "When you say that, I feel like you're still the Jin Yifei I know, always very honest with me."
She forcibly pulled him up and took him to the pavilion to get some fresh air.
Jin Yifei's mind flashed through memories of their time together, and he suddenly asked,
"Are you still angry with my aunt? On New Year's Eve, she said some rude things, and you..."
"No, you're overthinking it," Yu Wan replied with a smile.
Jin Yifei then asked, "So, after you came to Jiangnan, what did my grandmother or someone else say to you? Awan, don't listen to anything anyone else says. Just know that I am sincere towards you, and don't care about anyone else."
Yu Wan sighed: "You are really outstanding, but I really..."
Jin Yifei covered his ears with both hands, acting like a spoiled child, "I won't listen, I won't listen!"
"Hahaha!" Yu Wan burst into laughter, "Do you have to be so cute!"
Jin Yifei: "I won't listen, I won't listen... I just won't listen..."
Yu Wan said helplessly, "Anyway, you know what I mean, there's no possibility between us."
Jin Yifei was extremely disappointed and sighed deeply, "Then can we still be friends?"
“Sure, if you feel uncomfortable seeing me, we don’t have to be friends. I’ll disappear from your life, and if you go to Sui County in the future, I’ll avoid you,” Yu Wan said.
"Does it have to be so ruthless?" Jin Yifei was on the verge of tears, but then he laughed heartily, "That's just you, ruthless enough to both others and yourself."
The two sat quietly, watching the lake under the night sky, neither of them speaking.
This silence didn't last long. Jin Yifei sobered up, adjusted his mindset, and resumed his usual carefree demeanor.
"Awan, I'd like to cook you a meal tomorrow. Would you like to try it?"
"Great! I haven't really had much experience with your cooking. I wonder if you've figured out how to appreciate all the delicious food you've eaten?" Yu Wan said with a smile.
Before we knew it, the night had deepened.
Jin Yifei stood up and said, "It's getting late, let me take you home."
Yu Wan nodded.
As soon as the two stepped out of the pavilion, they saw a tall, thin figure walking towards them in the distance. Because he was passing through the shadow of a tree, they could not see his face clearly.
Jin Yifei recognized the person at a glance, and gave a wry smile.
"It seems someone has come to protect me in my place."
Before he finished speaking, the boy had already arrived in front of them.
He Jing kept a straight face and didn't say anything.
Yu Wan asked, "How did you know I was here? Did you come to see me for something?"
He Jing's face was gloomy. "It's nothing."
"Why are you looking for me if there's nothing wrong?" Yu Wan asked.
She didn't know when she developed this habit, but whenever someone contacted her, she felt that there was something to talk about.
He Jing stood silently to the side, offering neither explanation nor urging.
Yu Wan had no choice but to pretend he didn't exist and continue chatting with Jin Yifei about the topic they had just discussed.
"Then I'm going to have a feast tomorrow. Good luck!"
Jin Yifei laughed heartily, "Haha, now that you say that, I'm suddenly a little nervous. If I don't satisfy you, I might cry."
Yu Wan joked, "It must be quite beautiful to see a handsome man shedding tears."
Jin Yifei laughed heartily, "So you have this side to you too."
Yu Wan smiled and said, "Of course, everyone loves beauty, otherwise how could one cook delicious food?"
Jin Yifei sensed a chill emanating from the boy on the other side, so he simply smiled and said goodbye to Yu Wan.
"Then I'll make a fool of myself tomorrow."
"Don't worry, I can help you anytime," Yu Wan reassured her.
Jin Yifei gave He Jing a meaningful look, then turned and left, his figure somewhat forlorn, his drunkenness completely gone.
He Jing followed the girl back without saying a word, his mood not very good.
He had just arrived, so he didn't know what the two had talked about before, but he felt that they had a harmonious atmosphere and seemed to get along very well.
Did they reach some kind of agreement to be so relaxed with each other?
The mere thought of a certain possibility sent shivers down his spine. He clenched his fists so tightly he wanted to punch himself, barely managing to hold back the question.
Yu Wan had no idea what he was thinking, nor did she really care what he was thinking. Anyway, this person was always preoccupied, so she let him worry about it himself.
She looked at the pond under the night sky, wondering if the lotus roots there were growing well.
Would you like to eat lotus root?
He Jing didn't answer, but said, "His cooking might not suit your taste. I'm a better cook than him."
As she passed by the willow tree, Yu Wan casually picked a willow leaf.
"Don't reveal your identity. If the Jin family finds out that there's someone else besides me who's just as good at cooking, they might want to hire you for a hefty sum."
He Jing snorted, "They think they can interfere with my decision to stay or leave?"
"Yes, yes, you're amazing, no one can stop you. But I don't want things to get too ugly. We're here as guests, not to make enemies."
Besides, she didn't insist that Jin Yifei cook for her just for a meal; he offered to do it himself.
"I've decided, I'll have lotus root and meat patties for breakfast tomorrow! I have to make them secretly this time, at most let the people in our courtyard know, otherwise a lot of people will come asking for them, and I won't be able to leave the house all day. I still have to go to the Jin family's restaurant tomorrow, so I need to go to bed early tonight."
Under the cover of night, the boy's gaze followed the girl's vivid face, his energetic demeanor reminiscent of the time when they first met.
That memory was unforgettable, and every day he spent with her afterwards made him feel the vibrancy of life.
Having witnessed too much death, he was haunted by nightmares for a long time. In his dreams, he would always return to the battlefield, sword in hand, slashing at his enemies.
My father said that we learn martial arts to protect our country, but when will this war end and the people no longer have to live in fear?
He was confused and worried.
Until she met the girl in front of her, such a vibrant person, she would never bow down to suffering.
He increasingly understood what he wanted: to be with her every day, for the sake of daily necessities, for the sake of delicious food, for the sake of watching the girl clattering away on the abacus, for the sake of trivial things. As long as he could be by her side every day, that was all he wanted in this life.
But will this kind of life really last forever?
Seeing that he didn't respond, Yu Wan nudged his arm.
"What would you like to eat? Lotus root soup, or steamed lotus root with rice flour? We'll ask Afeng and Xue Xiujun what they want to eat later, and each of them can order one. We'll have a lotus root feast tomorrow morning."
He Jing would unconsciously curl up the corners of his lips when he saw her enthusiastic expression, but every time he realized that he might lose his composure and was afraid that he was not respectful or proper enough, he would immediately suppress the corners of his lips.
"Anything is fine, anything you make tastes good."
At that moment, He Jing heard a noise coming from the bushes not far away. His eyes sharpened, and he pulled Yu Wan behind him, watching the source of the sound warily.
Yu Wan heard it too, and obediently stood behind him, peeking out to look in that direction.
"It's probably a cat or dog, or maybe a mouse or rabbit. There's no reason why someone could sneak into a wealthy family like the Jin family without being discovered. I think I heard Ah Feng say that the Jin family has a lot of guards."
A figure rushed out, wielding a gleaming machete, and charged at the two.
He Jing kicked the man several feet away. The man spat out a mouthful of blood and was about to run away when He Jing rushed up and stomped him firmly under his foot.
At the same time, two masked men dressed in black took advantage of He Jing's distraction and held a handkerchief laced with sleeping pills to Yu Wan's face, trying to knock her unconscious.
Unexpectedly, Yu Wan covered her mouth and nose, and with a gentle wave of her small hand, a faint fragrance of osmanthus wafted through the air. The two men collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
He Jing returned to her side and asked with concern:
Are you alright?
Yu Wan was surrounded by sleeping pills, so she quickly took out two pills, stuffed one into his mouth without saying a word, and ate one herself. To ensure safety, she pulled him aside.
The boy was pulled away by her in a daze, stroking the lips that the girl's fingers had touched, and curving his lips into a smile.
Yu Wan complained, "I never thought that such a large family like the Jin family could have three thieves infiltrate their ranks without anyone noticing."
She was already the richest woman in Sui County, and she didn't even have a bodyguard at home.
Oh, no, that's not right.
With He Suzhi, one of him is worth at least twenty guards.
In short, there are no petty thieves sneaking into homes to steal things, let alone being attacked head-on.
These thieves are incredibly audacious!
The boy beside her stared blankly at her without saying a word.
"What's wrong? Are you stupid? Did you inhale some kind of drug?" Yu Wan waved in front of him and gently patted his face, trying to keep him awake.
He can't faint.
She was afraid she wouldn't be able to handle a few more if a few more came.
He Jing's body stiffened; the moment the cold little hand touched his skin, he froze completely.
For some reason, a memory suddenly surfaced in his mind: when he had just arrived at Yu Wan's house, he was seriously injured and unconscious. When he woke up, he found that someone had helped him change his clothes.
He stared at the girl, his face burning with embarrassment. He was relieved that it was nighttime and no one would see his awkwardness.
In particular, she must not see it.
Seeing that he didn't react, the girl cupped his face in her hands and touched his forehead.
"Why is it so hot? Are you sick? When did this happen?" Yu Wan asked worriedly.
It seems she hasn't paid attention to this man's health for a long time. Since his injury fully recovered, he has been perfectly healthy and has never been sick. He accompanies her every day to do all the big and small tasks in the restaurant without a single complaint. He is stronger than an iron ox.
He Jing hurriedly pushed her hand away, took a step back, and kept his distance from her.
"I...I'm fine."
He couldn't get too close, or he didn't know what he might do.
Yu Wan, thinking of the three unconscious men in black not far away, didn't pay too much attention to him. She just told him to tell her if he felt unwell and to take his medicine when he needed it, and not to delay.
"Um..." He Jing gave a vague reply, quickly changing the subject, "What do you plan to do with these people?"
Yu Wan thought for a moment, "Jin Yifei shouldn't have gone far. Go find him and let him decide."
He Jing refused to go, saying, "I'll take you home first, then I'll go find him."
“Okay.” Yu Wan didn’t want to stay here any longer.
Back in the courtyard, Xue Xiujun had just returned as well.
"Hey, ma'am, where have you been going? It's so late, are you admiring the moon?"
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