She was about to refuse when Shi Mianmian had already pulled Jing Jihan by the hand and walked towards the main entrance of the community. Shi Su turned around to look at their backs, pointed at them, then at herself: "I mean... Did the two of you... ask me?" ... Did she say she agreed?! She thought she was loud enough, but the two walked away so naturally and elegantly, without even the intention of turning back to look at her. Shi Su watched speechlessly as Shi Mianmian, holding the man’s hand, tried hard to keep up with his pace with her little legs, and then she saw the man slowing down, so she quickly walked over. She walked up: "If you haven’t eaten tonight, you can go back and eat, or just find a clean restaurant nearby." Jing Jihan glanced at her, his straight legs beneath the suit pants paused for a moment, his deep black eyes staring at her: "Can’t I go to your place?" Shi Su: "...It’s not that you can’t, it’s just... well... it’s not very convenient." Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on n0velfire.net She thought for a moment, squeezed out the last four words, then nodded as if confirming, "Really, not very convenient." Jing Jihan nonchalantly asked: "How is it inconvenient?" "Yeah, Mom!" Shi Mianmian, still holding the man’s hand tightly, looked up with a puzzled expression at Shi Su: "Ji Han Uncle used to live at our place, right? And he stayed for so long, so why is it suddenly inconvenient now?" Shi Su immediately glared fiercely at Shi Mianmian, but Shi Mianmian turned her eyes to look at Jing Jihan: "The teacher said going hungry is bad for the body. If Mom won’t cook noodles for Ji Han Uncle, I have cookies in my backpack. Uncle Ji Han, let’s go to my house, I’ll treat you to cookies!" Jing Jihan’s gaze naturally swept across Shi Su’s face, then he lowered his head to look at Shi Mianmian, seemingly very interested in her cookies, and smiled: "Alright." She closed her eyes and tried to squeeze out a smile. Shi Mianmian, you’re doing great! Finally, she held onto a sliver of hope in her heart, looking at Jing Jihan, hoping he would understand her rejection in her eyes. However, Jing Jihan seemed to either have poor vision today or had his intelligence dampened by Shi Mianmian’s coaxing. Despite her obvious refusal, he continued to let Shi Mianmian lead him inside, completely disregarding Shi Su’s expressive hints. "Ji Han Uncle, look, this is a little red flower the teacher gave me as a reward because I helped tidy up the toys for the kids a few days ago!" "And this is a little toy Brother Burger from P.E. class gave me because I learned all the gymnastics moves we just practiced!" "And this one... and this one... and this one are all my rewards, there are so many of them..." "Oh, and this is my new certificate, look quickly, I’m the little reading champion! The teacher said I recognize a bunch of new characters!" As soon as Shi Mianmian got home, she pulled Jing Jihan to sit by the dining table, clearly intending to actually feed him, but then she turned around to bring out all her little things, showing them off to him one by one. Shi Su rolled her eyes at the little girl who couldn’t read the room, though Shi Mianmian didn’t even notice. But since he was already there, she couldn’t very well kick him out. Shi Su turned to the kitchen, constantly reminding herself that she just didn’t want to offend Jing Jihan, or to disappoint Shi Mianmian. Yet her body honestly cooked a bowl of egg braised noodles that he had rarely praised for its taste before, even though it was incredibly simple to make, needing just eggs and some scallions with seasoning, but this plain version of the dish had once been a favorite of Ji Han... or rather, Jing Jihan. Although she and Shi Mianmian had already eaten out, at a children’s restaurant no less, and weren’t in the mood for more food, Shi Su just made one bowl of noodles, then habitually cut up some simple fruits from the fridge, placed them on a small colorful plate, and brought both the fruits and noodles out. Shi Mianmian was still busy bringing treasures out of her room’s toy chest to show Jing Jihan, and Shi Su placed the noodles on the dining table, pushing them in front of the man. Jing Jihan had just accepted a particularly cherished certificate from Shi Mianmian when he turned to glance at the bowl of noodles set before him. "Eat up." Shi Su placed the chopsticks beside his hand. Jing Jihan didn’t have any qualms, returning the item in his hands to Shi Mianmian before picking up the chopsticks. Shi Su pulled Shi Mianmian, about to crawl onto the chair next to Jing Jihan and continue chatting, back to herself: "Little reading champion, it’s already past eight, hurry up and brush your teeth?" "Oh." Mianmian let out a soft ’oh’, then turned her eyes to Jing Jihan, reluctantly waving at him: "Ji Han Uncle, I’ll be right back after brushing; don’t leave yet." No kidding, if he doesn’t leave, am I supposed to let him stay over here again? Shi Su dragged Shi Mianmian into her room’s small bathroom: "Quickly wash up! Don’t dawdle!" Then when she came out again, she found Jing Jihan actually enjoying the noodles she made, still sitting there as gracefully and dignified as ever; eating a simple bowl in her home looked down-to-earth, yet could not hide the air of authority he carried. Shi Su was dazed by the scene, as if not long ago, he was in clothes she bought, seating just . Yet now, the man wore a black suit, a white undershirt peeking out, his pants impeccably pressed, his look still tall and handsome. Shi Su couldn’t help but sigh to herself, wondering how she managed to overlook before how the man who slept in her home night after night exuded the high and commanding presence typical of someone in power — was her brain filled with mush? But he didn’t seem as cold and unapproachable as she recently heard others describe; although his perfectly attractive features emanated a daunting chill and aloofness, even as he walked through her door, those cold airs remained outside. So much so that Shi Su experienced a mixed feeling of unfamiliarity, excitement, and other indescribable emotions she couldn’t quite grasp. In the children’s room, the sound of Shi Mianmian rinsing her mouth continued, and Shi Su suddenly walked to the dining table, pacing and watching the calm man eating noodles thoughtfully. Then, as Jing Jihan put down his utensils, seemingly noticing an unusual vibe in the momentary stillness, he raised an eyebrow, casting a cold but questioning gaze upon her, just as Shi Su turned around and leaned on the table, staring intently at the man’s superior face for a good while. She narrowed her eyes, issuing a soul-searching question—