Chapter 9

On the way, Xu Zhao mentioned that he had come out in a hurry and didn’t bring much luggage, so they needed to buy some daily necessities. The three of them headed to the department store.

Inside the store, Xu Zhao didn’t hesitate. He bought a lot of miscellaneous items, mostly food such as biscuits, candies, and canned fruit.

He opened a pack and handed a handful of milk candies to Jiang Leyun.

Jiang Suihan took the candies from him. “You don’t need to buy so much. Just a few will be enough.”

Seeing him buy so many candies, which didn’t seem to be for himself, she guessed he wasn’t a big candy eater.

Xu Zhao dismissed her concern. “It’s not much. If you want anything else, let me know and I’ll get it.”

His nonchalant spending was quite impressive.

Jiang Suihan felt heartache over the expenses. As someone burdened with debt, she felt she had no right to enjoy such luxuries. “It’s enough. You don’t need to buy more.”

Xu Zhao understood she was trying to save money and didn’t insist. He noticed Jiang Suihan’s faded hair tie and asked the sales clerk, “Please get me two hair ties.”

When Jiang Suihan saw the two red hair ties Xu Zhao was holding, she remembered her own hair tie had broken recently. She had tied it with a new knot to make do.

She hadn’t expected him to notice such a small detail.

The sales clerk, around Jiang Suihan’s age, couldn’t help but show envy. “Your boyfriend is really nice to you.”

He was not only good-looking but also generous, buying all sorts of things for her without hesitation. Unlike some men who seemed unwilling to spend any money on their partners, Xu Zhao’s openhandedness was impressive.

She wondered why she didn’t have such good luck to meet a man like that.

Looking at the delicate and lovely Jiang Suihan, even though she seemed a bit fragile, she was stunningly beautiful. Even as a woman, the sales clerk couldn’t help but admire her attractive face.

Beautiful women often have the best luck!

Jiang Suihan wanted to correct the clerk, saying Xu Zhao wasn’t her boyfriend. But then she realized that an “engaged” status might actually be closer than just a boyfriend. Unsure of how to respond, she just smiled shyly.

Xu Zhao lifted his eyelids and silently glanced at Jiang Suihan without saying a word.

Jiang Leyun was the happiest. After enjoying a hearty meal and having so many delicious things, he was in high spirits, bouncing along while holding his sister’s hand, clearly overjoyed.

When they returned home, Jiang Suihan felt a bit tired. Her head injury hadn’t fully healed, and she hadn’t slept well the previous night. After saying goodbye to Xu Zhao, she lay down on the bed and fell asleep.

Xu Zhao stretched his shoulders and looked around the room. He noticed the table with a missing leg and the almost-falling-apart stool. His memory was sharp.

He quickly went to Grandma Lin’s house to borrow a hammer and nails. Without needing any help, he worked on fixing the broken furniture and tidied up the few pieces of wood in the kitchen, neatly stacking them in the corner.

When Jiang Suihan woke up, she felt much better. Although she was fully awake, she was reluctant to open her eyes and lazily turned over in bed, lying there for a few minutes before slowly getting up.

As she stepped outside, she saw Xu Zhao, wearing only a short-sleeved shirt, working hard with a hammer.

He was backlit by the sun, casting a warm glow on his sculpted face. His well-defined arm muscles were clearly visible, and a bead of sweat slowly rolled down his straight nose.

Jiang Suihan swallowed involuntarily, her eyes fixed on him.

Xu Zhao had noticed her presence early on but continued working without looking up. However, he couldn’t ignore her intense gaze.

Reluctantly stopping his work, he looked up at Jiang Suihan. “You’ve got something on the corner of your mouth.”

“Huh?”

Jiang Suihan hurriedly raised her hand, realizing there was nothing on her hand, and then realized she’d been tricked. She glared at him. “How can you trick me?”

She had trusted him so much.

Xu Zhao’s lips curled into a smile. “So, you were indeed watching me just now?”

“No, you must have seen it wrong.” Jiang Suihan denied it immediately.

She felt like digging a hole and hiding. Her previous infatuated expression had surely been seen by him.

How embarrassing!

“I’ll go make dinner.”

Seeing her flee in embarrassment, Xu Zhao chuckled softly.

Entering the kitchen, Jiang Suihan was astonished by the cleanliness and orderliness of the kitchen. During her nap, Xu Zhao must have done a lot of work.

He was so diligent!

It made her feel a bit guilty.

Jiang Suihan took a cup of water from the cabinet and brought it over. “Drink some water.”

Xu Zhao stopped his work, took the cup, and drank it in one gulp.

As he tilted his head back to drink, his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. The strong lines of his profile, his perfect jawline, and long eyelashes, combined with the prominent Adam’s apple, created a strikingly attractive sight on his already aloof face.

Jiang Suihan couldn’t tear her eyes away, her heart racing uncontrollably, and she found herself unconsciously following the rhythm of his swallowing.

Who sent this killer?

He had struck right at her fluttering heart, and she felt an urge to leap forward and take a bite!

The man was completely unaware of how sexy he looked while drinking water. He wiped the corner of his mouth with his hand.

“What’s wrong?” Xu Zhao waved his hand in front of Jiang Suihan.

She was dazed, with a suspicious smile on her face, looking even more silly than before.

Jiang Suihan, feeling embarrassed, covered her mouth and cleared her throat. “Oh, it’s nothing. I just suddenly remembered something.”

Feeling a bit guilty, she snatched the cup from Xu Zhao’s hand. “You’re done, right? Do you need more?”

Xu Zhao looked at Jiang Suihan with suspicion and shook his head. “No more.”

Seeing her nervous expression, he felt she was not as casual as she claimed, but he decided not to press further.

It probably wasn’t a big deal.

Jiang Suihan breathed a sigh of relief as Xu Zhao didn’t pursue the matter.

Luckily, he didn’t ask further. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to honestly admit she thought his drinking was incredibly sexy and had watched him longer than she intended.

He might think she was very lewd!

With some time before dinner, Jiang Suihan had nothing to do, so she propped her elbows on her knees, rested her chin on her hands, and watched Xu Zhao fix the stool.

After a while, she suddenly spoke up. “I think you’re a ‘Tianluo boy^[1]The term “Tianluo boy” (天罗男) refers to a specific character type often seen in Chinese web novels and dramas. This character type is typically portrayed as a young man who is … Continue reading.’”

“Tianluo boy?”

Xu Zhao was puzzled by the term.

Was it a compliment?

Jiang Suihan smiled and explained, “It means you’re very hardworking, virtuous, kind, and capable.”

Xu Zhao’s mouth twitched slightly, feeling both amused and helpless. “Virtuous is usually used to describe women. I don’t need that. I’ve fixed the table and stool. My skills aren’t great, so just make do with them for now.”

Using ‘virtuous’ to describe a man was beyond his understanding.

“That’s still good. Your standards are too high. It’s impressive enough to fix these broken things. Not everyone can master this skill. I’m just the opposite. I’d only make things worse if I tried.”

Jiang Suihan genuinely admired him. While she could cook, she was useless with manual work.

Xu Zhao smiled modestly. “It’s nothing much.”

Jiang Suihan thought to herself that he was clearly pleased inside but pretended to be indifferent on the outside. He must be quite reserved.

Xu Zhao checked the time on his watch. It was already past five in the afternoon. Jiang Suihan told him she would start preparing dinner.

Jiang Leyun was engrossed in a book, even though he wasn’t attending school. He was diligent, enjoying reading and writing in his free time. He was careful with the book, turning the pages gently.

When he encountered an unfamiliar word, he furrowed his brow and glanced at Xu Zhao, hesitating to ask but feeling a bit intimidated.

Jiang Leyun thought he was being discreet, but Xu Zhao, ever alert, had already noticed the little movements of his future brother-in-law.

Xu Zhao lowered his voice, “What’s the matter?”

Jiang Leyun nodded and pointed to a complex character in the book. “I don’t know this character.”

Xu Zhao read it aloud and explained its meaning. The child followed along and repeated it.

“Thank you.” Jiang Leyun shyly smiled at Xu Zhao, thanking him politely.

Xu Zhao, who wasn’t used to interacting with children, found Jiang Lejun to be well-mannered and polite. He patted the child’s head and said, “You’re welcome.”

Jiang Suihan was a bit surprised to see Xu Zhao and Jiang Leyun getting along so well, but she quickly thought it made sense. Jiang Lejun wasn’t a troublemaker, and despite Xu Zhao’s seemingly stern demeanor, he was actually kind-hearted. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have come all the way to Mingjiang City to help the Jiang family.

**