As dinner was about to be ready, Lin Chu went to get Yan Ningbai and later Yan Beicheng from his room. She was stunned upon opening the door.
Yan Beicheng had fallen asleep and was lying quietly on his bed. It looked like he was in a deep sleep.
He must have been fiddling with his phone before he slept, it was still in his left palm. His left hand laid lazily across the bed as his five long fingers were in a slightly curved, relaxed mode. His other hand was on the blanket right above his abdomen and his head was a little slanted to the side. He looked especially good while quietly deep in sleep.
Lin Chu"s heart gave a sudden beat and she walked towards the bedside. She could see the faint shadows of his long, curly eyelashes created from the red beams of sunset s.h.i.+ning into his room, looking like miniature fans on his face.
Lin Chu watched his face with fascination. Before she knew it, her hands were already beneath Yan Beicheng"s eyelashes, they were just a few millimeters away from touching them.
She suddenly felt embarra.s.sed and quickly pulled her hand away, but something suddenly grabbed them. Next thing she knew, she was looking into Yan Beicheng"s soulful, dark eyes. There was a hint of sleepiness in his eyes. He oozed s.e.xiness and looked really good.
"Touch them if you want to," Yan Beicheng"s voice was still a little hoa.r.s.e from just waking up. There was a casual s.e.xiness to him. It felt like someone had curved their finger to tickle Lin Chu where her heart was, making it itch.
Lin Chu clenched her teeth and pulled her hand away. She was annoyed with her fascination just now.
"Time to eat. We"ll take your temperature again after your meal," Lin Chu said as she placed her palm on his forehead to test his temperature. It did not feel as hot as it was previously.
Yan Beicheng for once did not act like a hooligan. He got up without any fuss and followed Lin Chu downstairs.
Lin Chu walked in front of him and felt the heat of his gaze behind her. She had the urge to scratch her back. Her walk downstairs became unnatural, and it almost seemed like she was marching down instead.
She went into the kitchen and brought out a bowl of congee for Yan Beicheng. She later took out three side dishes, all light and fresh appetizers that were not spicy.
Yan Beicheng looked at Yan Ningbai, who had his legs stretched out. He was about to start eating when he saw Lin Chu came out with a few more dishes and the room filled with its aroma.
When Yan Ningbai came over, he had also brought along his kiddie plate.
Lin Chu placed the omelet fried rice, grilled lamb chop, and all the other food items all onto his plate.
Yan Ningbai took in the aroma, he was almost salivating as he said, "Big niece-in-law, you are so virtuous! Even if my mum and dad come back, I...I"d still want to come here often! You can make yummy food for me!"
Yan Ningbai grabbed a piece of lamb chop and looked at Yan Beicheng"s plain congee. He boldly pushed the lamb chop under Yan Beicheng"s nose, "Big nephew, take a whiff. Does it smell good?"
Yan Beicheng, "…"
"No matter how good it smells, you can"t have any of it. Why did you even get sick? Poor thing. Such a fragrant lamb chop, made specially by big niece-in-law, yet you can"t have any," Yan Baining was suddenly afraid that Yan Beicheng would take a bite and quickly pulled his hand back and took a bite of the lamb chop.
The sauce dripped along his jaw and onto the plate. Yan Baining raised his meaty little hand and wiped it off with the back of his hand, slurping happily and loudly as he ate.
Lin Chu was about to take her portion of the dinner out from the kitchen. She was unaware of Yan Ningbai"s antics and suddenly saw Yan Beicheng walked into the kitchen. She was surprised to see Yan Beicheng reaching up into a cupboard for a bottle of chili powder. He gave Lin Chu one look before walking out without saying a word.
Lin Chu felt guilty about the look he gave her for some strange reason. It was as if she had done something to make him feel bad, but she had not done anything!
Suddenly, Yan Ningbai"s miserable cry could be heard coming from the dining room, "Big nephew is being unfilial! Big nephew, you are being really unfilial! My lamb chop! My omelet fried rice! Sob sob sob sob sob!"
Lin Chu rushed out to see Yan Ningbai"s plate being coated with a thick layer of chili powder. Everything was red and the food cannot be seen at all.
Her gaze s.h.i.+fted slightly and she saw Yan Beicheng holding an empty bottle. That bottle was supposed to be full of chili powder. It was not hard to guess that he had poured it all onto Yan Ningbai"s plate.
Lin Chu, "…"
Yan Beicheng did not even feel guilty about bullying a little kid. He placed the empty bottle on the table and said, "Didn"t you say they tasted good? Eat it then, why don"t you eat it?!"
"I haven"t even eaten all this food that Lin Chu made. I"m stuck with congee and yet you dare show off in front of me. I"ll make you die of spiciness!"
"Waaa…!" Yan Ningbai opened his mouth wider and cried louder. He ran straight into the arms of Lin Chu ad hugged her tightly around the waist with his short, fat little arms. His face was buried into Lin Chu"s tummy.
"Niece-in-law, I can"t…I can"t live like this! Big nephew… Big nephew won"t let me eat anything!"
Yan Beicheng said nothing as he went into the kitchen. He came back with a few more bottles of chili powder. He opened them and slanted them above the plate, "Let"s see you continue crying."
Yan Ningbai seriously felt that he can"t live like this at big nephew"s place, "You...You can just pour that! You"ve already poured a plate of chili noodles, I can"t eat them anymore anyway, I don"t care if you pour a few more bottles on chili powder on them."
Yan Beicheng, "…"
Lin Chu looked accusingly at Yan Beicheng, "Yan Beicheng, how could you do this?!"
Yan Beicheng, "…"
He could not consume any of the food but this little jerk of a boy was happily showing off to him. How could he take this lying down?
"What"s there to fight about with a child?! You"re really something, aren"t you, bullying a helpless child for nothing," Lin Chu felt bad for the crying Yan Ningbai and felt a little angry watching Yan Beicheng treating Yan Ningbai rudely.
Yan Beicheng"s expression turned darker at Lin Chu"s words. He looked at the bowl of tasteless, plain, white congee, and immediately felt a poor, miserable aura surrounding him.
"I"m a patient. What is he doing showing off in front of me? He"s my senior!" Yan Beicheng said in frustration.
Lin Chu, "…"
"Yan Beicheng, was it okay to directly refer to a 6-year-old as your senior?"
However, she could not be bothered with Yan Beicheng right now and lowered her head as she Yan Baining, "I"ll give you my share of the food. Be a good boy and stop crying, okay?"
Yan Ningbai sniffled. He was really happy to hear that but felt the need to be reserved about it and said, "But what about you?"
"I"m great at eating spicy food. I"ll just sc.r.a.pe away the chili powder spread on top," Lin Chu said.
She took a tissue from the tissue box on the table to wipe away the little boy"s tears and sat him down properly. Then, she went into the kitchen to take out her food and exchanged it with Yan Ningbai.
Lin Chu sc.r.a.ped the chili powder from the lamb chop and omelet fried rice into an empty plate with a knife. The salad and fried vegetables, however, were completely mixed with the chili powder and was impossible to eat.
Lin Chu looked at Yan Beicheng helplessly and the plate in front of her was suddenly whipped away by him. She watched as Yan Beicheng took everything into the kitchen and came back later with a bowl of congee. He placed it in front of Lin Chu.
Then he looked away from her and sulked.
Yan Beicheng did not say a word. He picked up his bowl and starting drinking his congee. While drinking, his gaze drifted to the side. He refused to look at Lin Chu.
"Are you angry?" Lin Chu asked quietly as she secretly pulled on his sleeve.
Yan Beicheng turned his head away and pulled his sleeve away from her and ignored her.
Lin Chu watched him acting like a child, getting angry over such a little matter, "Stop being angry. You"re sick right now. Wait till you get better and I"ll make you something nice."
"Ack!" Yan Beicheng choked on his congee as he got excited. He could not stop coughing and tried to cover his mouth. He coughed until his face was all red.
He was feeling terrible but did not forget to splutter the word, "You… Cough cough cough…You said it… Cough cough… Don"t forget it… Cough cough cough!"
"So, you"re speaking to me now?" Lin Chu tried to hold back her laugh.
Yan Beicheng coughed, and his perfect, long fingers pulled at his s.h.i.+rt collar. His eyes were looking above as he was reluctant to admit it to Lin Chu.
Lin Chu laughed, "Don"t worry, I won"t forget about it."
Kids ate especially slow. By the time Yan Ningbai had finished his food and Lin Chu cleared all the plates and washed them, it was already 8 something.
However, Yan Ningbai and Yan Baicheng were still ignoring each other. It did not feel right for Lin Chu to leave just like that. Leaving one adult and one kid here, she did not know how Yan Ningbai was going to get bullied by Yan Beicheng.
Yan Ningbai pouted silently as he watched television in the living room. Lin Chu noticed he was watching a drama about an imperial power struggle from America…
She was wondering if he understood the plot when Yan Ningbai"s phone suddenly rang.
It was like Yan Ningbai had found someone to back him. He called out in misery and said, "Dad! Big nephew is bullying me!"
"He put chili powder on all my food! Hmph, I know that he"s jealous of me eating the food made by my niece-in-law. He can"t eat it so he created trouble. Lucky for me, my niece-in-law is a nice person. She gave me her portion of the food! If it wasn"t for my niece-in-law, I"d be bullied to death by big nephew!"
"Yeah! Niece-in-law"s food tastes great! And she has a better personality than big nephew. Big nephew has such a fortunate life to be able to get niece-in-law. He"s too lucky! Yes, she"s right here next to me. Okay!"
Lin Chu regretted sitting next to him.
As expected, the phone appeared in front of her eyes. It was clutched by a little white, plump hand.
"Niece-in-law, my dad wants to talk to you," Yan Ningbai said.
Lin Chu took the phone apprehensively, "h.e.l.lo."
The voice that came through the phone sounded surprisingly young, "h.e.l.lo, I"m Ningbai"s father, Beicheng"s granduncle, Yan Huaian. You can call me granduncle, like Beicheng does."
Actually, Yan Beicheng would never call him granduncle, but if Yan Beicheng"s wife can refer to him as granduncle, it would be really nice.
"You"re mistaken. I"m not in a relations.h.i.+p with Yan Beicheng. We"re just normal friends," Lin Chu said abashedly, she felt that she and Yan Beicheng would at least be considered friends.
"It"s okay. He"s never brought home anyone before, not even a regular female friend," what he did not say was that "you will be his girlfriend sooner or later".
Lin Chu read between the lines and understood what he meant but did not say anything.
"Oh, right, there isn"t much public transport pa.s.sing by Ding City at this hour. There"s no trains or buses nearby, even taxis don"t come around here. Miss Lin, why don"t you stay a night at Beicheng"s home," said Yan Huaian.
Lin Chu laughed drily, "I think Ningbai wants to talk to you."
Then she pa.s.sed the phone back to Ningbai"s hand without saying much.
Yan Ningbai took the phone quizzically, "Dad, I"ve got nothing to say to you. It"s niece-in-law being shy! Haven"t you told me before? Women, they are always saying no but mean yes!"
Lin Chu, "…"
What did this man teach his child!
Yan Ningbai hung up and another call came in. Yan Ningbai was much more excited than just now, "It"s mum!"
Yan Beicheng, who had stolen back to his bedroom after dinner, was soaking in hot water in his bathtub. His whole body was red from the heat, almost scalding his skin off. He picked up Yan Huaian"s call, "I"ve helped you talk to her. Do treat my son better."
"If he doesn"t show off in front of me, I"ll treat him better. But since you"ve given me a big help, I"ll buy him a nice meal tomorrow," said Yan Beicheng.
Yan Huaian, "…"
What was going on? What was this stuffy feeling of providing service to Yan Beicheng to exchange a good meal for his son?
He would soon show Yan Beicheng who was the boss when he returned to take Yan Ningbai home.
Lin Chu did not listen in to the conversation between Yan Ningbai and his mother. She stood up to go upstairs so she could say goodbye to Yan Beicheng. Although it was difficult to get a taxi around here, there was still the taxi app available. It would be easy to get a ride although it might be pricier due to the location.
The moment she walked up the stairs, she saw Yan Beicheng walking out fully clothed, but his face was a little red, "Let"s go. I"ll see you home."
"It"s okay, I"ll get a taxi. You"re sick right now and it isn"t that convenient for you to drive," said Lin Chu.
He was red-faced and looked like his temperature had risen again. Lin Chu suddenly remembered that Zuo Qiu, who had proclaimed his undying love for his boss, had not shown up once the whole day. He did not even give a concerned call to his boss.
Yan Beicheng"s nice-looking eyebrows slightly frowned as he said, "It"s not easy to get a taxi here. The taxi companies are aware of the high-society residents living in Ding City, which is why they don"t come here often for business. As for tailored taxi service…"
Yan Beicheng gave her a look, "It"s already so late. A strange driver is no guarantee for security. I don"t feel safe for you unless I can drive you personally."
Yan Beicheng"s body wavered slightly after he finished his words. It was not obvious but enough for Lin Chu to see it.
Yan Beicheng held on to the stair railings and paused a moment. Yan Ningbai"s head reached out from behind Lin Chu. He had to admit that his big nephew really knew how to act!
Lin Chu quickly went over to help him. She could feel his body"s high temperature and felt that she could not leave just like that, "Let me help you back into the house and take your temperature first."
"It would be not safe for you to go home if you stayed too late here," Yan Beicheng looked at her without moving.
Lin Chu lowered her eyes, she could not be the one to suggest staying over, could she?
Yan Beicheng"s lips curved upwards slightly while Lin Chu was not looking, "Why don"t you stay the night? There"s a guest room that"s frequently being cleaned. You can stay there anytime."
Little Yan Ningbai"s eyes widened behind Lin Chu. No wonder big nephew has been getting Aunt Zhuang to clean up the guest room for the past few days. He was waiting for today!
That, was, so, devious!
Lin Chu felt that Yan Beicheng would not act like a hooligan in front of a child-like Yan Ningbai, so she nodded in consent.
She helped Yan Beicheng into the room and took his temperature. His temperature had gone up. Lin Chu did not second guess the result and gave Yan Beicheng his medicine.
Yan Ningbai took the initiative to take Lin Chu to the guest room. Yan Beicheng gave Yan Ningbai a warning look about talking too much and secretly sent a message to Yan Ningbai, "If you dare say anything much, there won"t be grilled chicken for you tomorrow!"
Yan Ningbai silently put his phone away and did not dare say another word. He took Lin Chu into the guestroom in all earnestness, and said in pretense, "Niece-in-law, I"m going to study. Please remember to let big nephew know that I"ve been a good boy and I"d like to have grilled chicken tomorrow."
Lin Chu, "…"
Yan Beicheng was in the bedroom. He did not look as weak as before. He held his fist in victory as he lowered his head and laughed while going "Oh yeah" for a while.
Lin Chu felt uneasy about agreeing so carelessly about staying over.
She now felt that it had been a rash decision on her part. At this point, she heard a knock on the door.
She nervously took a deep breath and opened the door. Yan Beicheng was standing outside with a set of pajamas, "There are no clothes in this house suitable for you. This is mine, they"re clean."