Yan was still banging away. After flattening the garlic, she neatly cut it into several pieces.
Looking at the garlic, Han Muzi couldn’t resist asking, “Are you eating garlic for lunch?”
“Is there a problem?”
“No, it’s not a problem, but… you don’t mind the smell?”
Yan snapped back to her senses at those words. “That’s right, my crush is right here. How could I possibly eat garlic? What if I have an opportunity to get close to him later, and I kill him with my garlic breath when I open my mouth?” She hastily reached out to grab the cut garlic and threw them into the trash can nearby. Then, she quickly washed the knife and the cutting board. “Thank goodness you reminded me.”
Han Muzi studied Yan’s face and realized that the expression on her face indicated that she wasn’t avoiding the subject. It seemed like Yan had forgotten about what Han Muzi had just said. Is it because she didn’t care, or is she just big-hearted? Mulling over it, she asked, “Erm… did you hear what I said to you just now?”
“What was it about?” Yan asked.
“Perhaps, Xiao Su was really jealous?”
Yan denied it, “Impossible!”
“How do you know that it’s impossible? Aren’t you suspecting it yourself? It’s just that there is no evidence to ascertain it.”
“That’s true; I’m a little skeptical about it. But after thinking about it seriously, it’s impossible. Xiao Su can’t possibly have feelings for me. We’ve known each other for so long; if he liked me, he would have liked me a long time ago. How could he possibly deny it when I asked him the other day? I actually regret it a bit. Acting so impulsively and asking that question was embarrassing.”
Han Muzi was rendered speechless. Forget it, I don’t know how else to tell her anymore. Let’s just not bother about it. Thus, she said nothing more and they quietly continued cooking.
When lunchtime rolled around, Ye Moxuan was still sleeping. So, she separated a portion for him and placed it aside so that he could eat it when he woke up. As soon as she had placed the food in the fridge, she heard Han Qing say, “I’m returning to China tomorrow.”
Clatter! The chopsticks in Yan’s hand fell noisily to the floor as she had loosened her grip when she heard this.
Time seemed to stand still for a moment. After a while, she awkwardly lowered her head; she was just about to pick up the chopsticks she dropped when someone else moved before she could. Bending down, Xiao Su picked up her chopsticks and placed them on the table. Then, he went to the kitchen to grab her a new pair.
Surprised, she accepted the chopsticks. “You…”
“You can’t even hold a pair of chopsticks well. You’re too dumb,” Xiao Su remarked in a low voice.
Yan immediately widened her eyes, but she didn’t start a quarrel with Xiao Su. Instead, she looked toward Han Qing and nervously asked, “Didn’t you say it’ll be in another few days when we were in the car before? Why did you change it to tomorrow? Can you get your flight tickets on such short notice?”
“Su Jiu will handle these matters.” At the mention of Su Jiu, she became silent. That’s right; so many days have passed. Su Jiu was probably preparing to go back to work. As long as she was involved, everything would be completed accordingly. Very quickly, Yan asked, “Can I go back with you? I’ll book my flight tickets right now.” With that, she did not continue eating; she put her chopsticks and bowl down, then ran into her room to retrieve her phone.
The rest of them were silent. Han Muzi sneakily snuck a glance at Xiao Su. He had on his usual expression as if there were no changes to his emotions. At first, she felt that it was strange. However, after giving it some thought, considering he was somebody who worked closely with Ye Moxuan, it didn’t seem that strange after all.
“Qing, why are you leaving in such a rush? I didn’t hear you mention before that you would leave so soon,” she asked while serving herself a bowl of soup.
Han Qing looked at his sister, and his voice became much gentler. “Something urgent came up at the company; I need to hurry back to deal with it. Originally, I intended to stay for a few more days to accompany you but it seems like that’s impossible now. You must take care of yourself well while you’re here alone. If anybody bullies you, don’t suffer on your own. I will forever be your strongest shield.” Pausing for a moment, his thin lips moved slightly as if he was thinking about something. After a moment, he slowly said, “Although the Yuchi Family is involved in a lot of businesses, the Han Family is not insignificant either. Do you understand what I mean?”
Han Muzi was stunned; she understood the meaning behind her brother’s words. He was afraid the Yuchi Family would cause trouble for her and even use the power of their family against her. Therefore, he was telling her that if she needed the backing of the Han Family, they wouldn’t back down from the fight. As long as she needed it, the Han Family would support her with everything they had.
To get an elder brother like this, she felt that she must have saved an entire galaxy in her past life. Her eyes reddened slightly. “Yes, Qing.”
“That’s enough; drink your soup.”
Lowering her head, she drank her soup. Meanwhile, Xiao Su watched quietly by the side. He didn’t expect Han Qing to be so gentle toward his sister, yet be so unemotional toward Yan. This is probably the reason why Yan was so sad and hurt, right? Unfortunately, he was an outsider—he had no right to say anything about them. After all, Han Qing had not toyed with Yan’s feelings; he had been extremely clear about his stance. If Yan continued to obsess over him, then she was just digging her own grave.
Xiao Su felt his heart ache for her. What if Yan was as stubborn as he was, and continued with her obsession forever?
“Ahh, why?! Why are there no more flight tickets for tomorrow?” As Xiao Su was contemplating it, Yan ran out of her room frantically with her phone in her hand. She ran about yelling, “Tomorrow’s flight tickets are all sold out! Are there so many people trying to go back to China? This can’t be real!” When she said all these, she came to stand next to Han Qing and looked at him pitifully. “Can’t you… stay here for a few more days before you leave? You haven’t had a proper interaction with your sister either.”
Han Qing frowned slightly. “I need to go back; something urgent came up at the company.”
Listening to the tone of his voice, Yan understood that she had no hope, and could only chew on her lower lip quietly as she walked with her head down back to her seat. Everyone could see that the energy around her body had vanished instantly. During this meal, everyone ate silently as they were deep in their thoughts. When it was over, Han Muzi quickly returned to her room.
When night came, the Yuchi Family sent Yu Bo over, out of the blue, with an invitation for them to join the Yuchi Family for dinner. Han Muzi agreed to it after some thought, considering Han Qing was about to return home tomorrow, and she also had something to discuss with Yuchi Jin. It was not a trivial matter and she had to make sure she could express it well later. Furthermore, she wondered how much Little Bean had done to increase her likeability.
As Han Qing was leaving the next day, Yan could not gather any enthusiasm for anything. Hearing the news that they were going to the Yuchi residence for a meal, she declined to go. At first, Han Qing didn’t want to go either, but thinking of his position as Muzi’s brother, he couldn’t afford to miss this meal as a member of her family. Therefore, in the end, only Xiao Su and Yan were left in the house.
Xiao Su had planned to tag along with them, but as they were leaving, Ye Moxuan gave him a meaningful look and said, “You should stay behind.”
