◎ Under the table, a foot slowly slid up her ankle ◎

Tao Xiaoxi noticed the crease forming between his brows was almost as deep as the small hills outside the county. The frustration she had felt earlier from his splash of cold water had finally eased a little.

She retracted the hand that had been lifting his chin. Her brows arched slightly, and she looked down at him like a proud queen issuing a command. “Carry me down.”

Chen Fang looked up at her.

Tao Xiaoxi looked down at him.

Outside the window, a dog was howling like a ghost.

Inside, the two of them stared at each other in silence.

In the end, Chen Fang reached out and lifted her off the ladder. But halfway down, he suddenly stopped. Tao Xiaoxi’s upper body had already fallen into his arms, but one of her legs was still hooked onto the ladder.

This position… why did it feel like she was leaping off the ladder straight into his arms like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey? Though, to be fair, she wasn’t exactly a tiger—at most, just a little rabbit that dreamed of being one.

She gave him a questioning look as if asking why he had stopped.

Chen Fang’s grip around her waist loosened slightly. “Tao Xiaoxi, do you dare say that again?”

Tao Xiaoxi hadn’t expected him to play dirty halfway through. She knew he was just trying to scare her, but hanging mid-air like this was not a pleasant feeling. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and the rag in her hand fell to the ground.

Fine. Say it again then. Who’s afraid of whom?

Just as she was about to open her mouth, he loosened his hold a little more.

Tao Xiaoxi instinctively hooked her free leg around his waist. After securing herself, she even shot him a smug look and raised her brows at him.

She was so busy feeling triumphant that she didn’t notice how their upper and lower bodies were pressed tightly together, not leaving a single gap.

A hint of amusement flickered in Chen Fang’s eyes.

He shifted his hold on her, lifting her slightly, and her other leg came down from the ladder—only to immediately wrap around his other side.

Now, both of Tao Xiaoxi’s arms were tightly crossed behind his neck, and both legs were locked around his waist. She clung to him like a little koala. Even if he completely let go, she wouldn’t fall.

He had asked if she dared to say it again. Well, she would say it again. “Chen Fang, if you—”

Before she could finish, the rest of her words were swallowed.

Literally swallowed.

In this position, Tao Xiaoxi felt incredibly secure.

For Chen Fang, this position was incredibly… convenient.

For kissing. Or for anything else.

Especially since she was wearing loose, flowy, soft fabric pants today. The kind that, with just one push, could be taken care of in an instant.

Tao Xiaoxi panicked. She slapped his back, tugged his ear, and pulled his hair, but nothing could stop his determined advance.

“Grandma… will… call us… for dinner soon…” Her voice was broken, swallowed up by his deep kisses.

The proud queen from earlier had turned into a soft, purring kitten.

She had gone completely weak in his arms, almost melting into him. But she couldn’t let herself collapse—she had to keep her back and hips straight, trying her best to avoid pressing against the heat radiating from him.

What she really wanted to say was: “If you keep going at this pace all the time, just wait until you hit thirty and start declining. You’ll fall straight into the abyss.” But she didn’t dare say that. She didn’t want to waste the delicious meal Grandma had prepared tonight. So she had to take a softer, more diplomatic approach.

Chen Fang had only intended to scare her at first, to teach this little rabbit a lesson for daring to say whatever she pleased. But somewhere along the way, he didn’t want to stop anymore.

They had never tried this position before.

He adjusted his grip, lifting her slightly by the hips. It should… feel quite good.

Tao Xiaoxi realized what he was doing and nearly cried. She had just been wiping the windows—how had things escalated to this?

Just then, her phone rang.

Finally, a lifeline!

She kicked him in the hip. Once wasn’t enough, so she kicked him a few more times.

Chen Fang pulled away slightly from her lips.

Her eyelids drooped, and she put on a pitiful expression. “Grandma is calling us for dinner.”

Her hair was a mess—from his hands.

Her lips were bright red, glistening under the light from his kisses.

Her clear, delicate nose had turned slightly pink from rubbing against his.

With that kind of pitiful, thoroughly ravished look, if she begged him, how could he possibly let her go?

The phone vibrated a few more times before stopping. He smirked. “See? Even Grandma doesn’t want to interrupt us.”

The moment those words left his mouth, a loud voice rang out from the courtyard downstairs.

“Xiaoxi, come down and eat!”

Grandma was almost eighty, but when she called someone, it was as if she was using all the energy in her lungs. Not only could they hear her on the second floor—but probably even the rooftop could.

Chen Fang’s smirk froze.

Tao Xiaoxi, still breathless from everything, burst into laughter against his shoulder.

The old lady really was his biological grandma.

She was about to respond, but Chen Fang covered her mouth. He didn’t want anyone else to hear her soft, breathless voice right now.

Instead, he replied in her stead.

“Coming.”

Hearing his answer, the old lady went back inside.

But Chen Fang still didn’t let go of her.

Tao Xiaoxi pointed to the spotless window she had cleaned, hoping to divert his attention. Also, hopefully, to cool down the heat between them.

“Look, I cleaned it so well it’s shining. You can even see double reflections in it. So clean, I think I could start a housekeeping masterclass.”

Chen Fang scoffed. “You’re amazing.”

Tao Xiaoxi imitated his expression and let out a cold snort. “You’re so perfunctory.”

There was no way to continue. He patted the person in his arms on the butt. “Get down.”

“Oh.” Tao Xiaoxi slid down from him.

Then, both of them froze at the same time.

Chen Fang pressed his tongue against his back teeth, his voice hoarse to the extreme, tinged with frustration. “What are you rubbing against?”

Tao Xiaoxi felt wronged. She didn’t do it on purpose. “How else am I supposed to get down? You’re so tall, and I’m so short.”

Chen Fang: …

Tao Xiaoxi went downstairs. The old lady was just taking the ribs out of the pot. Seeing that she came down alone, she asked where Chen Fang was.

Tao Xiaoxi turned to get bowls and chopsticks from the cupboard. “He’s taking a shower. He said he went to the construction site this afternoon and got covered in dust, so he needed to wash up first. He should… be down soon.”

The old lady had complete faith in her granddaughter-in-law’s words and didn’t ask any further. Tao Xiaoxi let out a sigh of relief. However, the person who was supposed to come down soon did not appear as quickly as expected. When her grandson finally walked in, the old lady teased, “You didn’t just take a shower—you practically soaked in a hot spring.”

Chen Fang: …

Tao Xiaoxi: …

The old lady’s remark was an innocent joke, but the two people who hadn’t exactly been behaving innocently couldn’t help but think of something improper.

Chen Fang had thick skin and sat down next to Tao Xiaoxi as if nothing had happened.

Tao Xiaoxi, on the other hand, was thin-skinned. She kept her head down, poking at the rice in her bowl.

The old lady wasn’t concerned about how long her grandson took to shower. She had more important matters to discuss. “Hey, tell me, do you think I should introduce Chuntao to A Jian?”

Chen Fang chuckled. “Since when did you become so enthusiastic about matchmaking?”

The old lady said, “It’s not about enthusiasm. Chuntao’s grandmother asked me to see if there were any good prospects around. As soon as she mentioned it, I thought of A Jian. They’re a good match in age—Chuntao is twenty-one, and A Jian is twenty-four. Their personalities complement each other too. A Jian is quiet, and Chuntao is lively. They’d balance each other out.”

Chen Fang placed a piece of rib into Tao Xiaoxi’s bowl, who had practically buried her head under the table. “A Jian probably isn’t in a hurry to find a partner.”

A Jian seemed to have his eye on Tao Xiaoxi’s younger sister, but he just kept it to himself.

The old lady disagreed. “What do you mean ‘not in a hurry’? He’s already twenty-four! Just letting them meet doesn’t mean they have to be together. Whether it works out depends on fate. But if he waits until he’s twenty-seven or twenty-eight, all the good girls will be taken, and by then, even if he panics, it’ll be too late.”

Chen Fang laughed. “What do you mean all the good girls will be taken? Didn’t I get married at twenty-eight? And look, I found you the best granddaughter-in-law.”

The old lady huffed. “Finding such a good wife was your luck, not something everyone has the fortune to do.”

Chen Fang replied, “Having good luck is true, but the key is that I have decent qualities myself. One look and people know I’m a catch. Right, Tao Xiaoxi?”

Tao Xiaoxi, who was busy stuffing rice into her mouth, choked.

The old lady quickly patted her back. “Eat slowly.” Then she glared at Chen Fang, showing no mercy in roasting her own grandson. “You? A catch? The only thing you’ve got going for you is your height. We ran into one of Xiaoxi’s classmates at the hospital today. He was fair-skinned, tall, and slender. A lawyer, no less. I’ve even heard of the school he graduated from. Now that’s what you call good qualifications.”

The old lady continued with a chuckle, a proud tone in her voice. “That boy’s mother took one look at our Xiaoxi and immediately tried to get close to me. You could tell right away she wanted Xiaoxi as her daughter-in-law.”

Tao Xiaoxi’s coughing got worse.

A fair-skinned lawyer? Among her classmates, the only one who fit that description was Qiu Tingyu. Chen Fang’s face darkened as he handed a glass of water to Tao Xiaoxi and said to the old lady, “Someone’s trying to steal my wife right under your nose, and you’re actually happy about it?”

The old lady laughed. “I’m not happy about it. That’s why you’d better stop bullying Xiaoxi all the time. There are plenty of good men out there. If you’re not careful, someone might just take her away.”

…

Chen Fang was starting to doubt if he was really her biological grandson. He glanced at the top of the head that was still buried down. “No worries. My foundation is solid. No one can take what’s mine.”

Tao Xiaoxi suddenly stopped moving her chopsticks. Under the table, a foot slid up her ankle.

“Tao Xiaoxi, is my foundation solid or not?” Chen Fang asked with a smile, his gaze carrying a hint of danger. How was it that this Qiu Tingyu kept popping up everywhere? Even going to the hospital, they had to run into him, and he hadn’t even been there himself.

Tao Xiaoxi replied almost instantly, “Very solid.”

His foot had already slipped inside her pant leg, slowly creeping upward. If she dared to say otherwise, who knew what he would do?

She held her breath, her voice trembling slightly as she asked, “Can you get me another bowl of soup? Grandma’s soup is so delicious. I want more.”

The old lady chuckled. “Drink as much as you like. You’re too thin; you need to eat more.” Then she urged Chen Fang, “Go on, get her some more.”

Chen Fang nodded, his tone full of meaning. “Yes, she should eat more. If she gains some weight, it’ll be harder for anyone to take her away.”

Reluctantly, he withdrew his foot from inside her pant leg and stood up to head to the kitchen.

But he didn’t move for a while.

Tao Xiaoxi smiled sweetly, tilting her head. “Why aren’t you going?”

The old lady looked at him too. “What’s wrong?”

He wanted to go, but his slippers were gone.