She had just used that commanding tone with him. And yet, he hadn’t gotten angry…

Lu Nian felt embarrassed. “Should I lower the heater a bit?”

She herself was sensitive to the cold, so she usually kept the indoor heating at a high temperature, which could indeed make it a bit hot.

“No need,” he replied curtly.

Lu Nian didn’t know what else to say, so she continued to focus on her drawing.

The young man remained silent, only urging her once, “Faster.”

Lu Nian replied, “Wait a moment, don’t rush.”

For Lu Nian, it was a very warm and pleasant time, but for Qin Si, it was akin to torture.

Lu Nian asked, “Do you exercise often?”

Qin Si replied, “No.”

Lu Nian then asked, “Qin Si, how tall and heavy are you now?” She estimated, but she wasn’t sure.

Qin Si simply said, “I don’t know.”

Lu Nian felt the conversation faltering. It seemed Qin Si didn’t want to talk to her anymore.

He probably just wanted her to finish drawing quickly… or perhaps he was genuinely angry.

Today’s time was only enough to sketch an outline, delineating the positioning lines and outlining a rough shape, but the exquisite contours and slender figure of the young man were already vivid on paper.

Lu Nian was in a very good mood; she noticed her lines had improved again.

If she ever managed to escape from the Lu family and couldn’t sustain herself, she could sell her paintings in the park.

Perhaps that kind of life would be happier than the current one in the Lu family.

“Done,” she clapped her hands, wiped them with a towel, packed up her art supplies, and prepared to send Qin Si out.

Unexpectedly, at that moment, there was a knock on the studio door.

“Didn’t I say not to come tonight…” Lu Nian’s brow furrowed, thinking it was Zhang Qiuping and the others.

But when she saw who was at the door, she fell silent.

Lu Nian hadn’t expected Lu Zhihong to come back at this time because he had said in advance that he would stay at the company tonight and wouldn’t come home.

She had chosen tonight specifically so she could feel at ease coming back with Qin Si.

And yet, not only did he come back, he also came here to see her.

A chill crept up her spine.

“I heard you were painting here,” Lu Zhihong said, “I know you’re into painting. Dad hasn’t come to see you for so long.”

Qin Si should still be inside the room, not having left yet.

But there wasn’t a single place in this room that could cover such a tall teenager.

How could she explain to Lu Zhihong? Would he believe her? Even if she did, she feared he might not believe her explanation and get furious, maybe even do something to Qin Si.

This minute might be the longest one Lu Nian had ever experienced in her life.

Lu Zhihong entered the room beside her.

The painting supplies were neatly arranged, no one was in the room, the balcony door was open, and a cool breeze blew in from outside.

Qin Si had already left.

“After this, remember to close the windows when you paint,” Lu Zhihong said, “Your health isn’t good; you shouldn’t be exposed to this cold wind.”

Lu Nian nodded stiffly.

“Xiao Yang told me today,” Lu Zhihong said, “that you went out to eat with friends. How was the food?”

Lu Nian numbly replied, “It was good.”

She was starting to get used to Lu Zhihong knowing every detail of her life.

Lu Zhihong nodded, “But it’s better to eat less outside, it might not be clean.”

He talked to her about school matters, cared about her grades and health, all the usual stuff.

Just when Lu Nian thought the conversation was about to end, Lu Zhihong suddenly asked slowly, “Have you been in touch with Qin Si recently?”

Qin Si?

Hearing that name, Lu Nian felt a chill run through her body.

Lu Zhihong seemed casual as he said, “Xiao Yang mentioned it a while back, you two are still at the same school, and you’ve had contact before.”

Lu Nian replied, “…Yeah.”

Lu Zhihong stared at her, “So, are you close or not?”

“Close, or not?” Lu Zhihong asked.

The shadow of the lamp cast shadows on the middle-aged man’s face, making him look particularly stern.

Lu Nian’s mind was a mess, unable to say anything, remaining silent.

With Lu Zhihong’s current power, dealing with Qin Si or even with her would be as easy as snapping his fingers.

She could handle it, but Qin Si…

For so long, Lu Nian knew he wanted to break free from the Lu family and live his own life.

Now that he finally had a glimpse of a new life outside, how could she drag him back into this quagmire?

After who knows how long, she stiffly shook her head.

Only then did a hint of satisfaction appear on Lu Zhihong’s face.

“Nian Nian, you have to understand,” Lu Zhihong spoke with gravity, “people aren’t all born the same. Although you’re still young, as a daughter of our Lu family, you have to learn to be prudent in your actions, know how to interact with whom, and what you should be doing with whom.”

“You’re still young, you can play for now,” Lu Zhihong hinted meaningfully, “but you must understand what path you need to take in the future. Dad has already planned it out for you, just follow along.”

He glanced at the neatly arranged painting supplies on the side, “It’s like painting. You can enjoy it as much as you want, and Dad supports you. But losing oneself in trivial pursuits is not something you should do.”

Lu Zhihong didn’t stay long, “Go to bed early. Dad will escort you back to your room.”

As Lu Nian followed him out of the studio, her mood instantly plummeted to its lowest point.

When the father and daughter disappeared, the curtain on the balcony fluttered slightly.

The expressionless youth retraced his steps and silently descended back into the Lu family courtyard.

His fantasies were impossible to realize, something he had long known and had repeatedly warned himself not to think about anymore.

But even knowing that Lu Nian’s past, or even present, kindness and closeness to him might all be false, disguised, or just temporary whims or games.

He thought mournfully.

He accepted it willingly, like drinking poison to quench his thirst.

“Sorry,” back in her room, Lu Nian messaged Qin Si, “I was wrong this time. I shouldn’t have forced you to come to my house.”

Fortunately, he had already left before being caught by Lu Zhihong, but even thinking about it wasn’t a pleasant experience.

Under the cold moonlight, the youth lowered his eyes, silently staring at the phone screen.

“I’m willing.” He replied.

Tears welled up in the corners of the girl’s eyes.

The suppression of these past few days seemed to have erupted all at once tonight, unbeknownst to her.

Lu Nian never expected him to reply like this.

“I owe you a meal from before.” The youth said, “If you don’t want to come home.”

He said, “It’s up to you whether you come or not.”

The girl’s tears stopped, staring blankly at the screen, her bright eyes seemingly still holding tears.

The next day, Lu Nian had a fever after a long time.

When she returned to school, final exams were imminent.

After two days of exams, she felt utterly exhausted.

She lay at home for a few days before feeling slightly better, so she went to school to pick up her report card.

Lu Nian received her report card and wandered around the campus alone.

It had snowed recently, and her sheepskin boots made a soft sound on the frozen ground.

Footsteps approached from behind, and Lu Nian reflexively turned her head.

Somewhat disappointed, she saw Zhao Yayuan.

“I’ll take a look at yours.” Without hesitation, the boy snatched the report card from her hand and then handed his own to Lu Nian.

Lu Nian’s grades were almost several times higher than his.

Looking at the appalling numbers on his own sheet, Lu Nian twitched her eyebrows but didn’t comment.

Zhao Yayuan crumpled his report card into a ball and stuffed it into his pocket, frowning, “How did you manage to score so high?”

Lu Nian remained silent.

It’s not that I scored too high, it’s that your scores are too low.

“Here’s the thing, why don’t you come to my house and tutor me?” Zhao Yayuan said, “I’ll pay you a salary.”

It was absurd, Lu Nian didn’t know what to say.

Lu Nian couldn’t help but say, “Does your family need a private tutor?”

“I don’t want them to teach me, I want you to,” Zhao Yayuan said, his eyes like a cat’s, amber and especially bright in the light.

“If you teach me,” he leaned in close, “I can give you a lot of benefits.”

“Like…” The youth’s face was unusually delicate, his cat-like eyes slightly narrowed, giving him a somewhat demonic appearance, “I can tell you the truth about Nanqiao.”

Lu Nian froze in her tracks.

These days, she rarely thought about this matter, but this place name had always lingered in her mind.

Zhao Yayuan was observing her, not missing any subtle expression on her face after hearing his words.

Lu Nian seemed to genuinely not remember.

Otherwise, unless she had Oscar-worthy acting skills, but micro-expressions couldn’t be hidden.

After continuous probing and investigation during this period, he had basically confirmed it.

The Lu family might be hiding it from her too.

Lu Nian remained silent for a long time, “Okay.”

She said, “But I have to inform my family in advance.”

She looked at Zhao Yayuan, “If it doesn’t work out on my end, you’ll have to figure it out yourself.”

Zhao Yayuan breezily replied, “No problem.”

Lu Nian didn’t exchange many more words with him before bidding farewell and getting into the Lu family’s car.

Walking on the road, Zhao Yayuan kicked a small pebble away, feeling quite relaxed.

The winter sky was clear, azure and pristine.

Lu Zhuo was a fool; after enduring such treatment, he would still make excuses for his sister and not hold a grudge.

But Zhao Yayuan wasn’t a fool; he would help him seek revenge.

What to do now?

Zhao Yayuan thought slowly.

He had never been in a romantic relationship, and he had never been interested in girls.

However, every time he approached Lu Nian, he felt a strange impulse to get close to her, puzzling him but also quite enjoyable.

He wanted a little more.

It was the first time he had such a thought.