Ayalee: Special birthday treat: 1 full chapter unlocked from each of my translations for everyone to enjoy because it’s my birthday today! Enjoy🎉

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Chapter 29.1

Lu Nong had been reading to Pei Ji’an for a long time. When her throat started to feel dry, she heard Pei Ji’an say, “Do you want to check how well I’ve learned?”

Confused, Lu Nong watched as Pei Ji’an extended a hand, signaling her to pass him the book. After hesitating for a moment, she closed the book and handed it to him.

“What can I hold you with?”

“I offer you lean streets, desperate sunsets, the moon of the jagged suburbs.”

“I offer you the loyalty of a man who has never been loyal.”

…

“I can give you my loneliness, my darkness, the hunger of my heart.”

“I am trying to bribe you with uncertainty, with danger, with defeat.”

Pei Ji’an’s deep voice flowed like a cello, perfectly reciting the lines.

Lu Nong had never considered herself sensitive to voices, but this time she almost felt intoxicated by Pei Ji’an’s tone. She felt an urge to run next door to grab her violin and play Schubert’s serenade to match his voice.

It would surely be beautiful. The sweet and emotional strains of the violin paired with Pei Ji’an’s low tones would create a romantic atmosphere, especially if the listener understood the meaning of the poem.

When Pei Ji’an finished reading the poem, Lu Nong finally reacted. He could completely remember the pronunciation after just hearing her read it once.

Could he be playing with her?

Fortunately, when he started reading the next poem, he paused after just a few lines, seemingly struggling with the words. Lu Nong felt relieved.

It seemed that Pei Ji’an remembered the entire first poem simply because of his good memory. It was also normal that he couldn’t read the following poem. If he could, Lu Nong would really start to worry.

Thinking about how he only remembered the first poem, Lu Nong tentatively asked, “Do you know the meaning of the poem you just read?”

“Oh? What is this poem about?” Pei Ji’an asked with interest.

Lu Nong hesitated, mumbling, “It’s nothing. I was just asking. It’s a nice poem.”

Pei Ji’an nodded, seemingly agreeing with her statement.

Lu Nong: “…” You don’t understand it, so why do you agree?

After reading the poem, noticing that it was still early, she said goodbye to Pei Ji’an and returned to her desk to study her professional courses seriously. Since she wanted to excel, she should strive to do even better.

However, she seemed to have forgotten something. Looking at her professional book, she wondered what it could be.

Never mind, it wasn’t important.

Lu Nong happily immersed herself in her studies. As the sun began to set, the room was quiet.

Both Lu Nong and Pei Ji’an focused on their tasks, not disturbing each other.

When it was time for dinner, Aunt Wu finally arrived. She opened the study door and exaggeratedly exclaimed, “Look at my memory, this door… is broken!”

Lu Nong: “…”? ? So what?

Aunt Wu and Lu Nong stared at each other, but in the end, she couldn’t explain how it broke or how to fix it.

“……” This door is quite mysterious. It breaks just like that and gets fixed just like that… Am I being fooled?

Lu Nong: Come on, keep spinning your tale. I wonder how exaggerated you can get.

Those annoying little brothers even teamed up with Aunt Wu. How annoying!

Look how sister will help (deal with) you when she goes out. Lu Nong clenched her fists and snapped her fingers.

“Alright, the door is fixed. Let’s go eat. I made braised short ribs today,” Aunt Wu continued, ignoring Lu Nong’s expression as she rolled her eyes. “There’s also turtle soup. With such a serious injury, my son-in-law needs to nourish himself properly.”

“Haha…” Lu Nong laughed halfway and quickly restrained herself, cautiously glancing at Pei Ji’an’s expression.

Pei Ji’an looked back at her helplessly.

Caught staring, Lu Nong quickly averted her gaze but couldn’t help but feel secretly amused.

Ha ha ha, turtle soup is a great tonic for nourishing and strengthening.

Lu Nong had already decided to lay low. Even though Aunt Wu was trying to trap her, she hadn’t seen Pei Ji’an get angry with her. After so many meals of nourishing soup, everything was still fine between them. Now she was just enjoying watching Aunt Wu tease Pei Ji’an.

It was surprisingly amusing.

…Wait a minute, Lu Nong suddenly realized something. Right, everything was fine… This meant that after drinking so many nourishing soups, Pei Ji’an showed no signs of anger and remained as steady as ever.

Ah, this, no way, no way, no way?

Could it be that he really…wasn’t able to perform?

Lu Nong’s gaze inadvertently drifted to a certain spot. Below the slightly loose and straight pants, the contours became visible with movement, clearly outlined.

With such ample resources, it certainly looked capable.

Lu Nong oscillated between believing in Pei Ji’an or not, her expression resembling Pei Zheng’s troubled look from a few days ago.

…It can only be said that human nature is like a gossiping parrot.

As soon as Pei Ji’an saw Lu Nong’s expression, he knew her thoughts had taken a turn. He felt a bit helpless.

Once they reached the first floor, Xiao Zhou, four younger brothers, and the little one were sitting quietly in their seats. Upon seeing Pei Ji’an and Lu Nong come down, they quickly stood up.

After Pei Ji’an and Lu Nong sat down, everyone else followed suit.

Aunt Wu approached Xiao Zhou, patted him on the shoulder, and said, “Xiao Zhou, I’ve made quite a few snacks. Make sure to take some back to your dorm when you leave. It’s good to have something to nibble on when you’re hungry.”

Xiao Zhou beamed and replied, “Sure thing! Thank you, Aunt Wu. I won’t be polite about it.”

“Sit down, sit down! You’re such a nice young man. Do you have a girlfriend?” Aunt Wu smiled, causing her face to crinkle with more lines.

“I’ll help you serve the dishes first,” Xiao Zhou said, scratching his head as he followed Aunt Wu into the kitchen. Even as he walked away, his voice could still be heard. “I don’t have a girlfriend yet. Are you going to introduce me to someone?”

Aunt Wu replied, “Oh, I don’t know any girls! You young people should find your own match. By the way, haven’t your parents helped you look for a nice girl?”

“My parents are back in our hometown…”

Lu Nong looked on in confusion, wondering when Aunt Wu had become so friendly with Xiao Zhou.

She had only been locked in the study for half a day. How could the world change so much after she stepped out?

Lu Nong glanced at her four unfortunate brothers. Pei Zheng had a blank expression, Shen Jiming looked dazed, Zhang Kaiping stared at the dishes with a silly grin, and Jiang Yu appeared indignant. Only the little one behaved, sitting in Pei Zheng’s arms with a small wooden spoon, waiting patiently for the elders and brothers to start eating before touching his egg custard.

Xiao Bai crouched under Pei Zheng and the little one, eagerly waiting for his meal as well.

In that moment, Lu Nong pushed aside the idea of any hidden relationship between Aunt Wu and Xiao Zhou. She rested her chin on her hand and smiled, thinking how well-behaved her little one was. He truly understood the situation.

After a while, Xiao Zhou and Aunt Wu returned, each carrying a large bowl. Xiao Zhou brought turtle soup while Aunt Wu carried a pot of steamed rice.

As they set the bowls down, Aunt Wu quickly instructed Xiao Zhou, “Xiao Zhou, hurry and serve your leader some soup. Oh dear, after such a severe injury, look at how pale his face is. It breaks my heart to see it.”

Xiao Zhou gritted his teeth, not daring to look at his leader’s face. He quietly ladled the largest bowl of turtle soup and placed it in front of Pei Ji’an.

Pei Ji’an looked at Xiao Zhou, who didn’t even dare to meet his gaze.

Lu Nong and Pei Zheng exchanged admiring glances towards Xiao Zhou. Pei Zheng even discreetly gave him a thumbs-up, but Xiao Zhou immediately pushed it down, feeling frustrated. Why was his brother adding fuel to the fire?

Aunt Wu’s smile widened, clearly pleased. She nodded in approval. This young man had potential. She liked him.

Zhang Kaiping, Jiang Yu, and Shen Jiming were baffled by the strange atmosphere. They looked at the large bowl in front of Uncle Pei, then at the small soup bowl in their hands. If they weren’t mistaken, this was turtle soup?

…Turtle soup?

They seemed to grasp something but also felt it was wrong. Was this something they were supposed to see? Something that could be openly discussed?

They hurriedly lowered their heads, focusing on their food. Whatever they shouldn’t know, they would pretend they didn’t!

The three brothers almost let their heads drop into their bowls, wishing they hadn’t seen or thought of anything at all. Their family had a decent relationship with Uncle Pei, so they should be able to leave the Pei family unscathed, right?

Lu Nong: “…” I always feel that this scene is strangely familiar.

If she remembered correctly, it was Pei Zheng and Xiao Zhou who had their heads buried in their bowls, wishing to block their ears just over ten days ago.

Now, just a little while later, Pei Zheng was calmly drinking soup while Xiao Zhou… had already joined Aunt Wu’s side.

“…”

She couldn’t comprehend the current situation. How had Xiao Zhou and Aunt Wu become allies? Wasn’t he supposed to be Pei Ji’an’s bodyguard?

How could he betray Pei Ji’an? Was he out of his mind?

Then a thought struck her. The saying goes that the person who knows you best is often the one closest to you. As Pei Ji’an’s chief guard, Xiao Zhou should be the one who knew him best.

If even Xiao Zhou believed Pei Ji’an needed the nourishing turtle soup and ladled out such a large bowl, did that imply Pei Ji’an might have some issues in that department?