Inside her room, Yu Qian sat at the desk, fully focused on completing her test paper. After a long time, she finally finished it.

Setting down her pen, she let out a deep breath, stretched her body lazily, and decided to go downstairs to play with the dogs to relieve some fatigue.

“Heihei, Baibai.” Yu Qian called out as she descended the stairs.

A black-and-white patterned figure quickly appeared in her sight, affectionately rubbing its head against her leg.

“Good Baibai……” Yu Qian reached out to pet the dog’s head and led it downstairs.

“Heihei, Heihei……” She called a few more times, but Heihei was nowhere to be seen.

“Strange, where did he go?” Yu Qian was puzzled. Normally, Heihei was even clingier than Baibai. The moment it saw someone, it would flop onto the ground with its belly up, waiting for attention. But today, no matter how she called, it didn’t come out.

After searching around, she finally found Heihei squatting in a corner near the garage, looking utterly dejected.

The moment she spotted it, she noticed traces of blood at the corner of its mouth. Startled, she thought it had been in a fight with another dog. She anxiously examined it for a long time but found no injuries. It took her a while to realize that Heihei had lost a tooth.

Looking at the dog sulking because of its missing tooth, Yu Qian picked it up and gently comforted it, “It’s okay, it’s just a tooth. More will fall out later anyway.”

Hmm, that didn’t seem quite right.

Seeing Heihei still whimpering, its tail weakly wagging, she quickly changed her approach, “Once your teeth grow back, you can eat even more! I’ll buy you chicken legs, duck necks, and big bones, okay?”

As Yu Qian continued painting a beautiful future for the dog, she unknowingly made herself hungry.

Realizing that she hadn’t had duck necks in a long time, she decisively put the dog down, took out her phone, and ordered takeout— spicy duck necks, duck intestines, lotus root slices, and potatoes, one of each.

After placing the order, she excitedly went outside to play with the two dogs.

Jiang Zheng had just finished his shower when he vaguely heard noises from downstairs. Walking to the window, he looked down and saw a person and two dogs playing and chasing each other.

His gaze landed on the fully bundled-up figure below and his lips curved into a smile. Without hesitation, he changed his clothes and headed out.

────ρя


“Dear customer, remember to leave a five-star review!” The delivery guy handed over the food while sneaking glances at the luxurious villa behind Yu Qian. This was the first time he had ever received an order from this place.

“Thanks.” Yu Qian took the fragrant duck necks from him, and just the smell alone made her mouth water.

She was just about to head inside, eager to enjoy her food while watching a drama, when a familiar teasing voice sounded from behind, “My luck is amazing. As soon as I step outside, there’s already a snack waiting for me.

Come on, let’s eat together.”

My luck is terrible! Yu Qian held the duck necks tightly while staring at the shameless Jiang Zheng with immense reluctance.

Jiang Zheng strode into the Bai family’s courtyard, casually pulling Yu Qian along as he made his way inside.

Though Yu Qian resisted with all her might, she knew from experience that there was no getting rid of this guy. Resigned, she followed him in with a sour expression.

Jiang Zheng skillfully unwrapped the duck necks, handed Yu Qian a glove, and then put on a disposable one himself. Without hesitation, he picked up a piece and placed it into his mouth.

“Hiss—!” The moment he bit down, the intense spiciness assaulted him, and his face turned bright red.

“Little Fish, how can you even eat something this spicy?” Jiang Zheng exhaled sharply, feeling as if his mouth was on fire.

Seeing his miserable expression, Yu Qian instantly felt delighted. Right in front of him, she picked up a duck neck and took a satisfying bite. Thankfully, she had ordered extra spicy. Now there was no one to fight her for it.

“Duck necks are delicious! Are you sure you don’t want another piece?” Yu Qian deliberately dangled a duck neck in front of Jiang Zheng’s face, her expression smug, like a triumphant child showing off.

Jiang Zheng awkwardly turned his head away. He had only wanted to tease her. How were these things delicious?

Watching Yu Qian take bite after bite, clearly enjoying herself, Jiang Zheng couldn’t help but glance at her stomach with concern. Wasn’t eating such spicy food bad for her?

“Little Fish, this stuff is too strong in flavor and really spicy. You should eat less, or you might end up with an upset stomach later.” He said, his tone full of concern but carrying a teasing undertone.

“You’re just jealous because you can’t handle it! Pfft, I love spicy food!” Yu Qian waggled her eyebrows at him smugly.

Jiang Zheng: “……”

Seeing that she had already eaten more than half but showed no signs of stopping, Jiang Zheng suddenly leaned in close, speaking in a mysterious tone, “Want to hear a little secret?”

“What?” Yu Qian was intrigued and unconsciously lowered her voice.

“Do you know why Ah Ming always calls Baibai but never calls Heihei?”

Yu Qian noticed Jiang Zheng’s expectant ‘ask me more’ expression and humored him. “No idea, why?”

“Because calling Heihei sounds like he’s giggling, and that doesn’t fit his cool image.”

Yu Qian: “……”

To be honest, she was a little shocked.

Bai Qiming would occasionally call Baibai’s name, but he had never once called Heihei. She had assumed he disliked the dog, but who would’ve thought the real reason was this? Did Bai Qiming care about his image that much?

While Yu Qian was still digesting this revelation, Jiang Zheng, showing no guilt over exposing his friend, enthusiastically continued spilling Bai Qiming’s embarrassing secrets.

“Do you know why Ah Ming immediately changes clothes whenever he sweats?”

“Because he’s a clean freak?”

“Pfft, no way. It’s because Niannian once said he smelled bad after sweating……”

As Jiang Zheng and Yu Qian got more absorbed in their conversation, they failed to notice the dark-faced figure standing behind them.

“Jiang! Da^[1]Big! Bao^[2]Treasure!” Bai Qiming ground out each syllable through gritted teeth, his fists clenched tightly.

Yu Qian stiffened at the sound of his voice. Turning around, she saw Bai Qiming’s livid expression and immediately tried to escape. “It wasn’t me! He insisted on telling me! I’m going to bed now. Goodnight, Brother Ming!”

With that, she bolted upstairs, forgetting to even take off her gloves, and slammed the door shut.

Jiang Zheng watched as Yu Qian shamelessly abandoned him. Then, turning to see Bai Qiming on the verge of exploding, he felt a little sheepish— so much so that he didn’t even protest being called ‘Jiang Da Bao’, his mother’s nickname for him.

“Uh…… I should head home now. Haha, see you tomorrow!” Jiang Zheng attempted to slip away, but Bai Qiming wasn’t about to let him off. He swiftly reached out, locking Jiang Zheng in a headlock, and the two of them started wrestling.

Upstairs, Yu Qian cracked open her room’s door. Hearing the sounds of scuffling and shouting below, she patted her chest in relief.

Good thing she ran fast, otherwise, she’d be getting beaten up too.

In the end, Jiang Zheng left the Bai family’s house with a bruised face. But glancing at the table still covered in leftover duck necks and lotus root slices, he sighed to himself.

This distraction method definitely worked…… He just needed to choose a better location next time!