The phone screen lit up, displaying the name Shen Qiao.
Jiang Yuli picked up the phone, swiped his finger across the screen, and answered the call.
“Xiaoyu.”
“Where did you go with my uncle?”
“Let me tell you, he’s just using a sympathy ploy, specifically targeting naive people like you.”
“We grew up together. He only came back two years ago—he’s just here to seize the family assets. He’s using you; don’t be fooled by him.”
“Where are you? Can I come find you?”
Jiang Yuli listened quietly. Last time, Shen Qiao could still use some app on his phone to track Su Lingyu’s whereabouts.
Today, he could only call and ask. It seemed Pao Pao had already deleted that app.
She’s so well-behaved.
“Are you done?” Jiang Yuli spoke coldly.
“Uncle!”
If Jiang Yuli were Shen Qiao, he would be cringing with embarrassment right now.
“Uncle, don’t hurt her!”
Where did that come from?
Jiang Yuli’s gaze drifted toward the floor-to-ceiling window. “The one who hurt her is you.”
“It was just that one time, Jiang Yuli. You don’t understand Su Lingyu at all. If you don’t believe me, just try it. See how clingy she is. Someone like you, who enjoys peace and quiet, will definitely find her even more annoying than I did.”
Even he, a normal person, couldn’t handle it.
How could Jiang Yuli possibly endure it?
“Alright, I’ll give it a try.”
Shen Qiao: “…”
Jiang Yuli hung up the phone and placed it back in its original position.
Su Lingyu was in her room unboxing Blind Boxes, so ecstatic she seemed to have forgotten everything else.
Jiang Yuli’s luck was pretty good—the Blind Boxes he bought actually contained the Hidden Edition she had been trying to get before.
As a devout follower of Pop Mart, it had finally rewarded her.
So happy.
(～￣▽￣)～
～(￣▽￣～)
Su Lingyu walked out of her room, greeted by the enticing aroma of food.
Jiang Yuli actually knew how to cook???
She stood at the kitchen doorway and asked curiously, “Uncle, when Grandpa Shen sent you abroad, didn’t he arrange a chef for you?”
“He did.” Jiang Yuli continued with his tasks without pausing. “The chef’s cooking wasn’t good.”
Back then, he was still young. The servants who accompanied him abroad all knew he was unpopular and had been “exiled.”
Those people deliberately mistreated him, then turned around to seek rewards from Shen Baichuan.
He often went hungry, so famished he had no choice but to sneak into the kitchen and cook for himself.
Sometimes, if he was caught, the servants would dump the food he had just made and say hypocritically, “Young master, eating so late at night is bad for your stomach. Children should go to bed early. Hurry up and rest!”
Little Jiang Yuli would pitifully reply, “Auntie Lin, but I’m hungry…”
The servant would immediately snap at him, “Who told you not to eat properly during dinner!”
He had eaten properly, but those meals consisted of only a small bowl—far from enough for a growing child.
Most of the monthly allowance the Shen family sent was embezzled by these servants.
“Young master, you have to understand us! To take care of you, we left our hometowns and can’t even see our families. Taking a little extra bonus isn’t too much to ask, is it?”
They spoke righteously, but in reality, they had already brought their families abroad and were living lavishly in the Shen family’s mansion, squandering money that should have been his.
Jiang Yuli, the actual owner, became the most insignificant presence in the villa.
Later, that area was hit by riots.
Jiang Yuli was working outside, and the Shen family’s luxurious villa became a target.
The rioters stormed in, looted everything, and set it on fire.
Those who had been living recklessly in the villa were either dead or injured.
Jiang Yuli narrowly escaped.
From then on, the money sent by the Shen family could finally be managed by himself.
He didn’t hire any more servants but lived abroad with Zhao Kai, whom he had saved, relying on each other for survival.
It was hard to say whether there was someone else behind the fire that engulfed the villa.
Cooking for himself felt much safer.
In Jiang Yuli’s twenty-six years of life, aside from the brief moments he spent with Su Lingyu, he had rarely experienced happiness and had even suspected he suffered from emotional blunting.
Su Lingyu’s voice brought him back to reality.
She sweetly praised him, “The chef is no good, but Uncle, you cook yourself. How are you so amazing? You started university at 16, and you can even cook. Compared to you, I’m just a little waste~”
“You’re not a little waste; you’re a little angel.”
“Really?” Su Lingyu looked around playfully.
Jiang Yuli was amused by her actions. “What are you looking for?”
“Looking for my wings. Don’t angels have wings?” Su Lingyu mimed flying with her hands.
Jiang Yuli broke into a genuine, heartfelt smile.
In the past, whenever Su Lingyu saw Jiang Yuli, he always wore that perpetually icy expression.
He actually looked quite handsome when he smiled.
He had inherited his grandmother Shen’s beauty.
Su Lingyu pointed at the pan. “Uncle, stop laughing at me. The food is about to burn.”
“Go wait outside.”
“Okay, okay.”
It was just the two of them for lunch.
Jiang Yuli prepared several dishes: coconut chicken, braised beef with yellow sauce, stir-fried pork with green peppers, and a cold shredded wood ear salad.
Aside from Zhao Kai, Su Lingyu was the second person in this house to share a meal with him.
Having someone by his side felt incredibly comforting.
“Wow!”
“Uncle, your cooking is amazing.”
“It’s so delicious!”
Su Lingyu was effusive with praise.
She was naturally lively and outgoing, and even though Jiang Yuli was cold and reserved, she said whatever was on her mind.
Jiang Yuli’s ears flushed red from the praise. “Eat more.”
Su Lingyu nodded vigorously. “Of course! It’s so delicious—I can’t let your cooking go to waste!”
After lunch, Su Lingyu rested her chin on her hand. “Uncle, I have to go home.”
She was starting to feel a bit uneasy.
A sense of panic crept into her heart.
It was a sign of restlessness.
She needed to see her parents, or at least her brother and sister-in-law.
“I’ll take you home.”
“I can just take a taxi. You’re injured, Uncle. You should rest more!”
Su Lingyu grabbed her bag and phone, ready to leave.
Jiang Yuli stood up. “Shen Qiao called you earlier. I answered it. He asked where you were, but I didn’t tell him.”
Su Lingyu didn’t seem to care. “Oh, it’s fine. Just ignore him.”
“The Blind Boxes.”
Jiang Yuli reminded her.
“Thank you, Uncle!”
Su Lingyu dashed into the room and grabbed a few Blind Boxes that didn’t contain the Hidden Edition. “I’ll take these with me. I’ll open the rest next time I come.”
Jiang Yuli chuckled quietly. “Okay.”
Pao Pao said she would come again.
After seeing Su Lingyu off, Jiang Yuli returned home.
The house felt cold and empty once more.
He sat on the sofa, picked up the Bubble Gun in front of him, and pressed the trigger expressionlessly. Transparent bubbles floated out.
At first, each press released a flurry of bubbles, but eventually, only two or three emerged with each press.
Then, nothing.
Pao Pao was gone.
The Bubble Gun was empty.
Once again, he was alone in the house.
Su Lingyu returned home, and the familiar surroundings dispelled the unease in her heart.
Her parents and brother weren’t home, so she tiptoed quietly into her sister-in-law’s room.
Sister-in-law was resting. She had merely stayed quietly in the room for a while, waiting until the palpitations in her heart had completely subsided, before slipping out unnoticed.
Night had fallen, and the family was having dinner in the dining room.
A servant came in to announce, “Miss, Young Master Shen is at the gate. He says he wishes to see you.”
All eyes at the table instantly focused on Su Lingyu.
Her expression remained unperturbed as she continued eating her meal unhurriedly. “Let him wait. I’m having dinner.”
Outside the villa’s main gate, the security guard relayed Su Lingyu’s words verbatim to Shen Qiao.
Shen Qiao stood still, taking a deep breath.
In the past, whenever he came to the Su residence, he had always been able to enter directly without any hindrance from the guards.
But tonight, he was being kept outside the gate.
Shen Qiao paced anxiously outside the entrance.
After about half an hour, Su Lingyu finally emerged leisurely from the main house.
As the gate slowly opened, Shen Qiao caught sight of her figure and immediately hurried to open his car door. He brought out a bouquet of fresh flowers and a gift box, his face breaking into an ingratiating smile as he stepped forward to meet her.
“Su Su, I was wrong about what happened before. I sincerely apologize to you,” he said with earnest sincerity. “Can we get back together?”