BDB Chapter 58

He said he was her man, her fiancé, and that everyone around knew he loved her… These words were not just empty talk.

Li Jueyan knew that although his girl was always acting a bit foolish, she was not stupid; otherwise, she wouldn’t have passed the IELTS with a good score in just a few months.

So he needed to make good on all the promises he had made.

The first thing he had to do was to be good to her.

That morning, when he had sent the estate’s maids and butler away, he did not feel that his decision was wrong.

Although he never cared about how outsiders saw him, his girl did care about these things! How could he have a good relationship with her with those glaring light bulbs around?

However, after introducing himself, he looked into her bright eyes.

Only to hear her say, “I’m hungry.”

Li Jueyan was stunned for a few seconds before he heard her ask again, “Are there any ingredients at home?”

The question stopped him from reaching for the phone on the table to call for breakfast delivery.

He smiled and said, “Yes, I’ll cook for you.”

On a subconscious level, Jiang Rao did not trust what the man said.

He was dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, looking nothing like someone who would be involved in the kitchen.

But half an hour later, when she came out of the bathroom and followed the aroma downstairs to the living room, she understood what it meant not to judge by appearances.

In the semi-open kitchen, the man’s white shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows.

He was flipping pancakes with one hand and stirring a pot on the side stove with a wooden spoon in the other.

Noticing her attention, the man turned around and met her gaze.

Just as her embarrassment from being caught in the act had not fully turned her cheeks red, he spoke, “Darling, come and taste the saltiness.”

Her cheeks turned even redder.

He continued, calling her again and reaching out a hand, “Darling?”

Seeing that she remained still, his expression darkened for a moment. But soon, the shadow of his mood lifted, and a smile slowly spread across his lips. “Good girl? Little cutie? Little…”

Before he could finish the playful nicknames, she interrupted, “Did you used to call me that before?”

“No.”

Jiang Rao sighed in relief. “I thought so… Then don’t call me that anymore. Just use the names you used before. It sounds too cheesy; I’m not used to it. Is that okay?”

She spoke with a hint of hesitation.

He seemed patient with her, but inexplicably, her sixth sense told her she should be afraid of him.

And even though his stern expression was only for a moment, she had noticed it.

He probably wasn’t a particularly easy-going person, she thought.

But everything seemed like unfounded guesses. He was not angry about her words; instead, after a few seconds of surprise, his eyes and eyebrows were filled with smiles. “Alright, sweetheart.”

“I used to call you sweetheart.”

From the first time we met, you were destined to be the little sweetheart baby in my heart.

His words were sincere, and there was no trace of jest in his smiling eyes.

Jiang Rao didn’t believe him, but she also didn’t dare to ask him to use another nickname.

Who knew what overly affectionate name he might come up with next?

She could only nod silently.

This was obviously a shy expression.

Li Jueyan had seen her stubbornness, tenacious resistance, and helpless pleading. Even those intense and bedroom scenes, he had glimpsed them in his nightmares.

He loved seeing her shy expression among the countless ways she could look.

Every time he saw it, his heart seemed to pound so hard it might burst from his chest.

Fortunately, the preparation work and the complex steps had been completed while she was washing up, leaving only the finishing touches.

Turning around, he extinguished the gas under the pot of rice porridge and prepared to serve it. Once the porridge was ready, the scallion pancakes in the electric griddle would be done as well.

But just as he scooped out the first bowl of porridge, a pair of hands reached out and took the bowl away.

“I’ll help you carry it.”

The moment those hands appeared in his line of sight, his gaze locked onto their owner.

He wasn’t sure how long he stared.

As the steaming hot vapor rose from the pot, a stray wisp seemed to drift into his heart.

The bowl of porridge was small, barely larger than his fist.

He hadn’t filled the porridge to the brim, so she could easily carry it.

With that in mind, his lips curved into a rare, non-overbearing smile. “Alright.”

He didn’t use the uncomfortable nickname again, and Jiang Rao sighed in relief, offering him a smile in return.

They finally sat down.

Jiang Rao was very hungry, but out of politeness, she waited until he had taken his seat before using a spoon to skim off the floating oil on the surface of the porridge. She then took a mouthful.

The porridge was thick and smooth, providing a comforting sensation as it entered her stomach. However, when she prepared to scoop another spoonful, she noticed that the man had not moved but was watching her intently.

His gaze was not intrusive. Jiang Rao hesitated for a moment, but did not stop eating. She said, “Li Jueyan, you should eat too.”

When he heard her call him by his full name, a slight retreat of warmth occurred in his heart.

But hearing her second sentence, he immediately grinned like a fool.

He wasn’t hungry at all.

Seeing her filled his heart completely, as if he had the entire world.

Yet, when she asked him to eat, he pretended to eat a couple of spoonfuls to make it look like he was joining her.

Then she said, “You must be a very impressive person, right? You make money but also understand how to live.”

He had heard countless flattery and this level of praise no longer surprised him.

He agreed that he made money, but that was because his family’s capital was substantial, providing him with resources to learn and grow in his early days.

As for understanding life? He didn’t understand a damn thing about life. Before her, his life was just a routine between the office and home.

Yet, he shamelessly asked back, “Why do you say that? How can you tell that I understand life?”

Jiang Rao pressed her lips together. “Can I ask what your annual income is?”

Li Jueyan had rarely been asked such a question.

In school, he had no job, and all his income came from his elders.

After entering society, it didn’t take long for Li Group to expand under his management.

His attire had always been meticulous, and since then, his comings and goings were accompanied either by a secretary or a board member. These external factors had revealed his income information—he was very wealthy.

Most people would find it presumptuous to be asked about their income, but since she asked, he raised an eyebrow and answered, “Eight, nine, or ten figures. When I first took over Li Group, it was in the eight figures. In recent years, it’s generally been in the ten figures.”

Jiang Rao was stunned, forgetting to put the spoon to her mouth.

After a moment, she asked hesitantly, “Ten figures? Is that ten billion?”

He smiled, “About that.”

He didn’t know if the woman he loved liked money or was materialistic, but whether she did or not, he had money and was willing to spend it on her.

If nightmares were their past lives, then in both lives, he had only loved her.

What was money? He was willing to give her everything he had.

Jiang Rao had initially intended to say that a wealthy person who could cook and was willing to spend time doing so demonstrated an understanding of life. After all, the time of a rich person was very valuable, and few would be willing to do such things themselves.

But spending time cooking with an income in the ten figures was more than just an understanding of life.

He… didn’t seem to be hungry.

Yet, he still made the meal for her…

It seemed he really cared about her.

Not knowing how to continue the conversation, she remained silent.

After breakfast, he accompanied her to explore the ancient castle.

After lunch, he walked with her in the garden outside.

After dinner, he relaxed with her on the sofa watching TV.

The day quickly passed.

She and he became familiar with each other very quickly.

They seemed to be a couple, and a very loving one at that.

He looked at her with eyes full of affection, barely willing to look away.

Her subconscious didn’t reject his affectionate gestures.

Whether he was holding her hand or giving her a hug, she didn’t feel uncomfortable or out of place.

Yet she still found it strange.

Even though she lived with him, her room showed no signs of them living together. The pristine white sheets and brownish-yellow floor tiles made the room look like a guest room.

A seed of suspicion was quietly planted.

Night fell silently.

When the clock struck ten in the ancient castle’s main hall, she yawned and suddenly said, “I want to go to bed.”

Her sparkling eyes were covered with a misty layer, and her fatigue was visibly apparent. Li Jueyan didn’t suspect anything.

He didn’t know whether those mysterious methods would harm his girl.

But going to bed early was always good.

Having held hands all day, it was natural for him to take on the task of escorting her upstairs to bed.

It wasn’t until they entered the bedroom hand in hand that he thought to himself that things were getting awkward.

Night symbolized ambiguity, and even the ordinary furnishings in the room seemed to carry a hidden meaning.

He wasn’t a gentleman and didn’t dare stay too long here to test his self-control.

However, the worst was yet to come.

The hand he had let go was grasped by her.

She spoke in a soft, gentle tone.

“What? Aren’t you going to sleep?”

——