Chapter 38: The Unattainable Is Always Stirring

Wen Nian had no idea about what had happened at the gate of the compound.

She had just enjoyed being fed by her boyfriend and shared a little intimate moment with him.

Her body and mind felt completely refreshed.

Her mood was extremely good.

Even if she knew about Wen Xue’s miserable situation, she wouldn’t bother to kick her when she was down.

About that last time with the drugging—if you asked her, Chen Qiuwei was the mastermind.

Wen Xue was just an accomplice.

She knew full well that Zheng Jiahe had violent tendencies, yet still helped the Wen family push Wen Nian into the fire.

Since arriving in this era, Wen Nian’s life had become very orderly.

There was no entertainment here at all.

She went to bed early and got up early every day.

Thinking of this, she took out her phone from her space again.

After fiddling with it for a long time, it still wouldn’t turn on.

She didn’t expect to get internet here, but at least she wanted to play some offline games to pass the time.

Oh well, she might as well take a nap.

In dreams, anything is possible.

She had a nice, beautiful nap.

Wen Nian began preparing dinner.

That morning, the canteen’s logistics team had delivered a basket of hairy crabs.

It was the Mid-Autumn Festival season, when the crabs were full of roe and fat.

Wen Nian lifted the basket and checked—each crab weighed at least half a pound.

They were plump and fresh, mostly female crabs.

Just thinking about the crab roe butter made her mouth water.

She steamed the crabs gently for a few minutes until they were just cooked.

Then she started carefully picking out the crab meat into a bowl to marinate for a while.

She took the crab roe separately to cook into crab roe butter.

When it was time, these hairy crabs would be steamed again as a whole.

She would add some ginger juice or so and enjoy cracking them herself.

Today she was in a good mood and had been craving this, so she patiently took apart each crab shell and carefully picked out the meat.

The crab roe was more troublesome.

After all, this wasn’t the modern era with handy crab-cracking tools.

Here, she had no proper tools at all, so it all depended on her skill and patience.

Picking crab meat is something only those who do it know.

It’s a delicate task, both time-consuming and tiring, and without tools, it’s slow going.

She spent the whole afternoon picking from noon until evening, aching with back pain and fingers throbbing.

But every time she thought of the delicious crab roe butter, she cheered up and kept peeling.

By the time it was nearly time to pick up Jiang Wenwen, she had cleaned out the entire basket of crabs.

The crab roe and meat filled just about two bowls.

She made a few extra toppings because the Lu family ate a lot—just the crab roe sauce wouldn’t be enough.

At dinner, the crab roe sauce received unanimous praise.

Lu Father ate with his head down, praising Wen Nian as he ate.

“Little Wen, you’ve worked hard, your skills really are excellent!”

Then he brought up the usual topic.

“How’s the search for a nanny going? It’s not right to always make Little Wen handle these things.”

Lin Siyun immediately looked troubled.

“I’ve been looking nonstop. I’ve seen several candidates but none are suitable. Their cooking isn’t good, nowhere near Little Wen’s level. We need someone who really knows the family, so it can’t be rushed.”

Lu Binghuai nodded and didn’t say more.

Wen Nian smirked—this excuse was the same every time.

She was tired of hearing it.

She already understood that Lin Siyun didn’t really want to find one at all.

If they truly wanted one, there’d be no shortage of people fighting to get into the Lu family.

Wen Nian slowly picked up her chopsticks and stiffly served some noodles.

She didn’t serve much because she had hurt all ten fingers peeling crabs that afternoon.

Especially her thumb and index finger—not only had they gotten tiny cuts, but they were now swollen.

Her skin was like fine jade—delicate and tender.

Her hands were no exception, and these red swollen spots were painfully obvious.

Lu Hanzheng frowned deeply as he looked at her, then picked up her bowl and quickly filled it up generously.

He scooped several more spoonfuls of the crab roe sauce on top, only stopping when it started to overflow.

Wen Nian’s lips curved into a gentle smile, her eyes bright and moist, as if scattered with tiny sparkling stars.

She looked at him with a sweet smile.

The man’s dark, ink-black eyes met hers briefly, then quickly looked away and calmly continued eating his noodles.

Seeing this, Lin Siyun hesitated for a moment as she held her chopsticks.

Wen Nian’s fingers were only slightly swollen—not even a real injury—but they fussed over her like she was fragile.

Glancing at Lu Binghuai, who was still quietly eating, Lin Siyun felt a bit sour inside.

Recently, the performing arts troupe was preparing for a big show, and she had been as busy as a spinning top every day.

Not only did she have to manage the whole event, but also help the girls rehearse dances, leaving her toes swollen like steamed buns every day.

Lu Binghuai didn’t even bother to show concern or ask how she was doing.

Lin Siyun felt frustrated and suddenly the crab roe noodles in her bowl tasted bland.

After dinner, Lu Hanzheng didn’t go upstairs but waited patiently for her to finish slowly, then took the initiative to clear the dishes.

Wen Nian felt very satisfied—her boyfriend knew how to care for her, so of course she was happy.

When she took a bath, she deliberately didn’t apply the spiritual lotion.

The healing power of that lotion was too strong—instantaneous even.

If she used it, her hand wounds would probably be perfectly healed before she even left the bathroom.

She wanted to keep the wounds so Lu Hanzheng could worry about her.

As expected, right after returning to the bedroom, there was a knock on the door.

The man came in holding a box of ointment and handed it to her.

“Put it on yourself.”

Wen Nian sat on the bed without moving, spreading out her fingers, clearly showing her reluctance.

The man looked at her with a stern, serious expression.

They were at a stalemate for a moment.

Finally, he sighed and opened the ointment.

Wen Nian rarely got hurt, and even if she did, a drop of spiritual lotion would heal her immediately.

Lu Hanzheng carefully held her fingers and gently applied the ointment.

They were all small scratches, barely visible unless closely examined.

It was just that her skin was so pale and delicate that they stood out.

He held her smooth fingertips and softly massaged them to help the ointment absorb quickly.

“Next time there are crabs, wait for me to handle it.”

She had gone through all this just for a bite to eat—it was worth it.

Wen Nian obediently nodded.

Then she deliberately leaned close to his ear, her voice sweet and clingy.

“I made it just for you. Do you like it?”

He had eaten three big bowls at the table, so it clearly suited his taste.

Not sure if she imagined it, but the man’s ear seemed to redden slightly.

He lowered his head, saying nothing, only gripping her fingers a little tighter.

His long, strong hand enveloped her white, delicate hand, stroking gently.

Wen Nian stared at the man’s handsome face, his sharply defined jawline, and the strong, muscular arms beneath his rolled-up sleeves.

Suddenly, she recalled last time being rolled up in the quilt, how effortlessly he had lifted her up—like she weighed nothing.

No wonder he was the fitness champion of the Thunder Regiment.

When would she finally get to eat some meat?!

This male lead was really hard to please.

Several times she could feel that he had feelings for her but was trying hard to restrain himself.

Determined not to cross the line.

Not just ordinary self-control.

The unattainable is always stirring.

The more he withdrew, the more restless Wen Nian felt.

The more she wanted to tease him.

She curled her index finger, hooking his hand, caressing it affectionately in his palm.

Lu Hanzheng’s palm stiffened for a moment and he quickly let go of her hand.

“Enough. Don’t get your hands wet for the next couple of days.”

His voice was low and hoarse.

He placed the ointment on the table and turned to leave.

“Ouch!”

Wen Nian supported her waist and cried out.

Lu Hanzheng immediately turned and strode back to her, nervously staring as he asked,

“What’s wrong?”