Chapter 261: Chapter 261

Shi Nian held the half-eaten carrot with teeth marks in mid-air, drifting into a daydream.

He turned his head to glance at her, then took another bite of the air-borne carrot.

This jolted Shi Nian back to her senses, and she stomped her foot in frustration: "Hey, why are you still eating it!"

He squinted at her: "You don’t like carrots."

"Oh," she glared at him, "because you noticed I only bought one."

He laughed cheerfully: "What were you just daydreaming about?"

Shi Nian lowered the carrot and cut off the bitten part with a knife, then shredded the carrot.

As she cut, she slowly said: "I was thinking about Sean. From the way he died, it shows that the murderer must have a medical background; otherwise, they couldn’t have pinpointed the fourth cervical vertebra so accurately or gauged the time gap between diaphragm paralysis and death. They even calmly stabbed Sean’s heart with a knife and fork during those few minutes, showing they were very confident."

He turned his head, silently gazing at her.

She met his gaze, her eyes catching his: "You’ve gone so far to change yourself for them, making yourself more like them, more approachable... Mr. Tang, you know, at this moment, you make me feel a great respect."

He laughed, tossed aside the fish and knife, came over avoiding his fishy hands, and pulled her into his arms with his arm. His chin rested on the top of her head as he softly said, "I really enjoy making you feel a great respect."

"Tch!" She quickly stepped back, evading his embrace, her face slightly flushed: "Hurry up and cook."

Xiang Yuan didn’t have a very smooth conversation with Mark and his son today, so he ended the talk early and drove home with an excuse.

The car had just driven onto the road leading to the house, and he could already see a police car parked at the door from afar.

He frowned, involuntarily loosening his foot off the gas pedal.

The car coasted at zero speed towards the front of the house, and he glanced back at the house’s window. Inside, it wasn’t just Shi Nian alone; that tall, slender silhouette was unmistakably Tang Yanqing. It wasn’t Shi Nian who was busy at the stove; instead, it was Tang Yanqing acting as the head chef, while Shi Nian assisted by his side, like a lively little swallow flitting around Tang Yanqing.

Occasionally, he would glance sideways at her, and once, ignoring the blazing flames on the stove, he suddenly leaned over and stole a kiss on her lips...

Xiang Yuan knew he shouldn’t stop at that moment, or he wouldn’t escape Tang Yanqing’s sharp eyes, but he just couldn’t control himself and stepped on the brake.

Staring at the scene framed by the window, it seemed as though Tang Yanqing was the man of the house and she his wife. Their tender affection was openly displayed on the "canvas," allowing anyone to effortlessly feel the deep emotions.

Xiang Yuan stared blankly at them.

He himself used to be the undeniable man in the picture, but now, how did he become the one looking at the painting?

While the kitchen was filled with love, Tang Yanqing was still conversing with Shi Nian but suddenly raised his eyes and looked outside. His gaze was like a frosty arrow, piercing straight through.

Xiang Yuan was startled, unable to dodge. He could only awkwardly raise his hand and wave, as if greeting.

Shi Nian noticed and turned her head to look out. Seeing it was Xiang Yuan, she was slightly embarrassed and quickly dried her hands, ran outside, and said, "A Yuan? Why are you back?" ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel fire.net

Xiang Yuan stood by the car, his grey-blue suit sharp and tailored, making him look graceful as jade. He tried to smile at her: "You haven’t been back here for a while, and I didn’t know if anything you needed was missing, so I came back to check. Hoping my help could be of use."

As he spoke, Tang Yanqing also slipped out of the room and stood openly by Shi Nian’s side.

Xiang Yuan awkwardly smiled: "Didn’t expect Yanqing to be here as well. Looks like you don’t need my help."

Facing such a situation, Shi Nian’s mind went blank, and all she could say was, "A Yuan, thank you."

In her confusion, Tang Yanqing suddenly reached out in front of Xiang Yuan and held her hand.

Shi Nian instinctively tried to shake him off but couldn’t. He intertwined his fingers with hers and then lazily raised his head to smile at Xiang Yuan: "Brother Xiang Yuan, I made Squirrel Fish. Why don’t you come in and try it too?"

Xiang Yuan was extremely embarrassed and could only smile: "Such a difficult dish, I didn’t know you could make it? Yanqing, when did you secretly learn so much?"

Tang Yanqing unapologetically smiled faintly: "I use you, Brother Xiang Yuan, as a reference. I choose the things you’re not good at, and practice and master them diligently."

Shi Nian couldn’t help but use her nail to poke him in the palm, and he exaggeratedly leaned half his body aside, feigned pain, and pleaded, "There’s an outsider here. Wait until Brother Xiang Yuan leaves, and you can pinch as you wish."

"Oh, you!" Shi Nian was almost dizzy with anger.

Xiang Yuan was filled with melancholy, but he could only turn it into a bitter smile: "Alright then, since you don’t need any help here and I have things to attend to at the law firm, I’ll be on my way."

Shi Nian could only nod, thanking him again.

Xiang Yuan got into the car, started it, and Tang Yanqing suddenly raised his chin high from the doorstep: "Brother Xiang Yuan, when exactly do you plan to move out?"

Xiang Yuan froze again, awkwardly looking out.

Shi Nian quickly stopped Tang Yanqing, "A Yuan, it’s okay. This house, I don’t live here anyway. You take your time to sort it out."

This is the house Xiang Yuan bought, filled with so many of Xiang Yuan’s law books, not to mention—so many of Xiang Yuan’s memories over the years. Although legally the house was bequeathed to her, how could she willingly accept it, and then ruthlessly kick Xiang Yuan out?

There were grievances in the past, but with the end of the marriage, those grievances have also ended. Now, she just wants to treat Xiang Yuan calmly, from the perspective of a normal friend.

Even ordinary friends should leave some time for sorting things out. Tang Yanqing, this guy, is really used to being an arrogant young master.

Only then did Xiang Yuan nod and smile: "Alright. My law books are a bit troublesome to sort, but I’ll try to be quick. I’ll call you once I’m done."

After watching Xiang Yuan leave, Shi Nian angrily shook off Tang Yanqing’s hand and gave him a harsh glare, "You, stop messing around!"

He sighed, then reached out to hug her waist, pressing himself close to her as they walked into the house, whining on her shoulder, "I’m... jealous."

Such a grown person, still acting like a koala bear? Besides, he’s 188cm, and she’s only 165cm, how can she bear his weight? Shi Nian pushed him hard: "Hey, you’re heavy, don’t press on me."

Upon hearing this, his eyes suddenly deepened. He turned his body and pressed her against the wall. His body was tightly against hers, and she could almost feel the rush of blood welling inside him.

He looked at her intensely: "You think I’m heavy now? Silly girl, you can bear my... How can I not press on you? I want to—press on you for a lifetime."

His body was going through intense changes, becoming more and more unruly...

Shi Nian was almost melting, hurriedly pointing to the kitchen: "The fish, the fish is cold, it won’t taste good!"

"But you taste good." He pressed against her, his gaze growing blurry.

Shi Nian let out a startled cry, stamped his toe with her foot, and, taking advantage of his cry of pain, quickly ran away.

With the danger out of the way, she couldn’t help but let out a string of silvery laughter. He could only sit on the ground in annoyance, spreading his legs, taking a deep breath, and giving her a somewhat embarrassed smile.

He finally managed to stand up, put his legs together, and was about to head to the kitchen when he saw Shi Nian walking out with a thermal lunch box and heading towards the front door.

He was bewildered: "Not eating the fish?"

Shi Nian glanced back at him: "Who said it was for you?"

He continued to follow and mumble, "I don’t eat, fine, but you’re not eating either?"

Shi Nian continued to tease him, "Who said it was made for me?"

He immediately went crazy: "Then you should’ve said it earlier, if I knew it wasn’t for you, why did I bother cooking?"

Shi Nian put on her shoes and looked back with a smile: "Can’t I get you to do a good deed for the day?"

Half an hour later, Shi Nian walked into Rosa’s hospital room with the thermal lunch box and placed it on the bedside table.

Rosa’s parents quickly stood up to greet her, and only then did Shi Nian see Mrs. Luo clearly. A mature and elegant lady, yet she looked a bit older than her peers like Shen Wan, Huo Danru, and even Guo Zhengmei, with all her hair turned white, slightly dry.

Shi Nian couldn’t help but feel sad. She understood this must be due to the exhaustion Mrs. Luo suffered after losing her daughter back then. Shi Nian bowed sincerely to Mrs. Luo: "Hello, Auntie, I’m Shi Nian, who spoke to you on the phone."

Mr. Luo was a thin man, not tall, but with sharp eyes. He looked like a typical person from a science and engineering background, likely in a technical position that most Chinese immigrants in M Country held.

After chatting for a while, it was indeed confirmed that Mr. Luo was an engineer before retiring, and Mrs. Luo was a teacher.

Perhaps because their parents were there, Rosa’s condition had obviously improved a lot. She even opened the thermal lunch box lid herself and exclaimed when she saw the expertly prepared squirrel fish inside: "Shi Nian, did you make this?"

Shi Nian stuck out her tongue: "I don’t have such skills. What I make would surely be lying flat on the plate."

Rosa blushed suddenly, "Then... could it be A Yuan?"

Inside, Shi Nian could only sigh, stepping forward to pat Rosa’s hand: "It was made by Mr. Tang. Mr. Tang said he’s been rude in the past, and this time he wanted to show some skills."

Tang Yanqing glared with wide eyes, and Shi Nian also stared back defiantly.

Tang Yanqing could only sit there awkwardly, not daring to make a sound.

After talking for a while, Shi Nian found an excuse to invite Mrs. Luo out of the hospital room. The two of them found a quiet corner in the corridor to sit down.

Shi Nian said sincerely: "By chance, Rosa’s accident this time is slightly related to the events of the past. I know you wouldn’t want to think back on those days, but... to catch that person, and to provide Rosa with a safer environment now, could you please recount the events of that year to me in detail, okay?"