Warm yellow light spilled over the dining table as night deepened outside the window.
Jing Lüyan was still working overtime at the company, leaving only Wen Zhuo and Jing Nian’an in the dining room.
Jing Nian’an sat in her seat, her little face tense as she stared down at the rice in her bowl.
She deliberately tapped her chopsticks loudly, refusing to even glance in Wen Zhuo’s direction—she was still holding a grudge over him checking her teeth last night.
Wen Zhuo sat not far from her, his slender fingers resting on the edge of the table, a faint smile in his eyes.
From his perspective, the girl’s soft cheeks were slightly puffed with anger, even her hair seeming to radiate stubbornness.
“Still mad?” His voice was gentle, carrying a hint of teasing.
Jing Nian’an let out a soft huff through her nose, deliberately shifting her chair to the side, refusing to speak to him.
Wen Zhuo chuckled softly, suddenly extending his long arm to grip the back of her chair.
With a gentle pull—the chair legs scraped lightly against the floor.
Before Jing Nian’an could react, she was dragged right beside him.
“What are you doing!” Jing Nian’an widened her almond-shaped eyes, instinctively trying to stand up.
But Wen Zhuo’s arm was already resting on the back of her chair, his handsome, gentle face leaning close, his peach-blossom eyes filled with sincerity:
“Is my little darling really not going to talk to me anymore?”
His warm breath brushed against her ear, carrying a faint scent of cedarwood.
Jing Nian’an’s ears flushed hot, and she immediately sprang up from the chair.
Stubbornly, she dragged the chair back to its original position, plopped down, crossed her arms, and lifted her chin high: “Who wants to talk to you!”
Wen Zhuo didn’t get angry, just smiled as he watched her, his gaze lingering on her chewing cheeks as he said leisurely:
“Big brother actually had a gift for you…”
Jing Nian’an’s ears perked up instantly, and her eyes secretly darted toward him.
But she quickly forced herself to turn away, pretending not to care.
A slight curve lifted the corner of Wen Zhuo’s lips. Like a magician, he retrieved an exquisite velvet box from his suit pocket.
Gently opening it—inside lay two gem-quality pure red diamonds, perfectly cut, refracting a dazzling halo under the light.
Red diamonds were already rare, let alone two of identical shape and size.
Clearly, they had been meticulously polished.
He lightly pushed the box with his fingertips, sliding it in front of her.
Jing Nian’an’s eyes instantly lit up, like amber illuminated by sunlight, clear and sparkling.
But she quickly pursed her lips, forcing herself not to look, though her fingers unconsciously tightened around her chopsticks as she muttered softly:
“Who… who knows if they’re real… red diamonds aren’t that easy to find…”
“When has big brother ever given you fakes?” His voice was soft and low, tinged with a hint of helpless laughter.
That was true… since childhood, everything Wen Zhuo had given her was always the best.
But she still couldn’t swallow her pride, her face flushed as she stubbornly insisted: “Don’t think you can buy me off like this!”
“Oh?” Wen Zhuo feigned regret with a sigh, reaching out as if to take the box back,
“Then forget it. I’ll find something better next time to make it up to my little darling.”
With that, Wen Zhuo pretended to withdraw the gift box.
Immediately after, a “thump!” sounded.
The girl pounced like a leopard guarding its food, her palm slamming down on the box lid, her fair knees landing directly on his thighs.
Wen Zhuo took the opportunity to wrap an arm around her waist, letting her snatch the gift box away.The slender calf beneath the silk skirt pressed against his suit pants, the warm sensation seeping through the fabric in delicate threads.
The girl glared at him fiercely, her eyes clearly spelling out two words: “You wouldn’t dare.”
Seeing Wen Zhuo’s smile deepen, her porcelain-like cheeks instantly flushed crimson:
Who… who knows if you’ll go back on your word! I’ll keep it for you first… come exchange it when you find something better!
With that, she snatched the box and, like a little fish stealing from a cat, sprang up and dashed toward the stairs.
Come down later and finish your meal.
Wen Zhuo called after her, his gentle voice brimming with unconcealed amusement.
There was no need to guess—those two red diamonds were surely now adorning her shockingly hideous handmade crafts.
Jing Nian’an had loved tinkering with crafts since childhood, yet she remained blissfully unaware of how ugly her creations were, treasuring them all the more.
Every year, on his or Jing Lüyan’s birthday, they would receive a lump of “art” handmade by their little sister.
After gifting it, she would even make them guess what it was supposed to be…
Guessing wrong would upset her, and it was common for her to be brought to tears by their cluelessness.
Over time, he and Jing Lüyan installed surveillance cameras in her “personal art studio.”
A few days before their birthdays, they would watch the footage, analyzing frame by frame what she was making.
Later, after finally coaxing her into a better mood, she would demand that those artworks be displayed on their office desks or in their labs.
But Jing Lüyan was even “luckier” than him—even his briefcase was adorned with a charm…
To this day, Wen Zhuo couldn’t tell if it was a rabbit or a flattened mouse…
Ding-dong—
A surveillance alert suddenly popped up on his phone.
Wen Zhuo opened the live feed and, sure enough, saw the girl bent over, rummaging through her craft box for glue, completely unaware that her silk nightgown had ridden up to her thighs.
The man’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he hurriedly flipped the phone face down on the table.