Xie Tingnan walked into the main hall, where the waiting butler immediately stepped forward to serve tea—brewing, rinsing, and steeping…
He went straight to the sofa, replied briefly to a few important phone calls, then tossed his phone aside, picked up a teacup, and slowly savored the tea.
When Yu Wanwan came in from outside, the man glanced up at her.
She wore a charming, solid-colored light pink short dress, which added a vibrant, delicate radiance to her originally cool and elegant beauty.
Her small hands were covered with transparent gloves that reached up to her elbows.
This was her protective shield.
Yu Wanwan’s skincare routine was meticulous to the extreme.
A small treatment every day, a thorough treatment every week—all using pure natural ingredients, yet requiring immense patience.
Just like when she went to a specialized private care center for a hydrating facial mask, she would cover herself from head to toe, leaving no patch of skin untouched.
Most of the cooking process was handled by the chefs; she was responsible for directing, measuring proportions, and controlling the heat. (This, in fact, was the essence of the flavor.)
Even though she didn’t directly handle the ingredients, she still fully armed her hands and forearms.
The man watched her, his gaze drifting from the fair skin of her neck downward.
All the way to the fair, straight legs revealed beneath the short dress, with slender ankles so delicate they seemed as if they could be held in one hand.
On her left ankle, she wore a platinum jasmine anklet, shimmering with eye-catching, delicate silver light.
Xie Tingnan beckoned Yu Wanwan with a slight gesture.
The young girl walked over to the sofa with light, quick steps, standing obediently nearby. “You’re awake?”
The man didn’t speak, just took one of her small hands and gently pulled her. Yu Wanwan tumbled down beside him, her delicate face quickly flushing with shyness.
Xie Tingnan picked up a small, emerald-green jade teacup filled with golden tea and brought it to Yu Wanwan’s lips.
Without hesitation, Yu Wanwan drank it all in one go.
The man’s lips lightly brushed against her ear, his voice magnetic and lazy. “Aren’t you afraid there might be something in it?”
The young girl’s eyes curved into crescents. “What could be in it? Would Second Master Xie need to use anything to have me?”
Xie Tingnan carefully studied her pure, jade-like face. This girl was something else.
It hadn’t been long, but her courage had grown.
His large hand slid directly under the hem of her dress…
Yu Wanwan playfully pushed him away. “It’s time to eat. Try my cooking. I’ve been preparing it all afternoon…”
“Trying to conquer my stomach?” Xie Tingnan scoffed lightly, his hand not stopping.
Yu Wanwan frowned and dodged. “The aunties are all at the dining table. Xie Tingnan, don’t be too reckless.”
“Daring to scold me?” The man pulled her onto his lap and held her down.
Yu Wanwan quickly bit his forearm.
While the man was caught between laughter and tears, she broke free, wearing a half-smile.
“Second Master Xie, please, I’m hungry. Let’s eat first, okay? Tonight, whatever you want to do upstairs, I’ll go along with it.”
Yu Wanwan’s voice was seductive and coquettish, her large eyes sparkling like stars.
The man smirked, stood up, wrapped an arm around her slender waist, and led her toward the dining room, whispering in her ear:
“That silly, cute, and fake-fierce look you just had… looked especially good to f*ck.”
Yu Wanwan’s face flushed crimson, unable to utter a single word in response.
At the dining table, Xie Tingnan behaved much more properly.
Some manners were ingrained in one’s bones.
The Xie family’s training in etiquette for their descendants was meticulous in every detail.
That man was very particular when it came to eating.
He never spoke while eating, not uttering a single word while chewing his food.
He had elegant table manners. He would always courteously pass dishes or serve soup to Yu Wanwan before eating his own portion.
While eating, his pace was steady and moderate, with almost no sound.
Actions like smacking lips or picking teeth were never seen in Xie Tingnan during meals.
Even while eating, his back remained ramrod straight. His posture and demeanor were always impeccable, except when he deliberately relaxed to rest.
Yu Wanwan silently marveled in her heart.
Coincidentally, she too had been strictly trained in etiquette.
Thus, she gave Xie Tingnan, who was quietly dining at the table, a perfect score.
After finishing his meal, the man patted the head that was still chewing slowly:
“Like a kitten, you do so much but eat so little? Are you easy to raise or hard to please?”
Yu Wanwan curled her lips: “Saving food for Second Master Xie.”
“Thank you! Silly girl.”
The phone on the table lit up. Xie Tingnan glanced at it and stood up to answer the call in the main hall.
Yu Wanwan continued eating with her small mouth, her ears perked up, and her obedient expression suddenly turned cold.
Ever since her adoptive father, Yu Guanzhong, told her about the two-year deadline, she had already started counting down the days.
A man like Xie Tingnan appearing in twenty-year-old Yu Wanwan’s life—to not be moved, honestly, was harder than reaching the heavens.
But this young girl happened to be overly clear-headed.
Partly due to her innate personality, and partly influenced by her adoptive parents.
She lacked a sense of security.
All her sense of security had dissipated the moment she was abandoned by the whole world after birth.
Thus, sealing her heart and locking away love was her strongest protective shield.
In Yu Wanwan’s phone, she had once kept a video.
It was of an eight- or nine-year-old girl who kept an exceptionally beautiful goldfish, caring for it meticulously every day and pouring her love into it.
But one day, when she went to look at the goldfish as usual, she found it had died.
Love and hope turned into unwilling regret. The little girl in the video said in a monologue:
“From that day on, I no longer held strong affection or love for anything. That way, I wouldn’t have to endure the immense pain when it suddenly left.”
Yu Wanwan was that kind of clear-headed, chillingly rational woman.
She would fall for Xie Tingnan’s every gentle gesture, but after the tenderness, she could pull herself back perfectly, never indulging.
Xie Tingnan was answering a call from his elder brother, Xie Yunan.
“Tingnan is back in the country?”
Xie Tingnan instinctively replied, “Hmm.”
“Come to Diaoyutai. Accompany me to a social engagement. There are a few important figures from the international financial circle—good to get to know them.”
Xie Tingnan glanced back at Yu Wanwan.
The young girl was still earnestly eating bite by bite. Her figure beside the massive rosewood dining table appeared especially petite and lonely.
At that moment, Xie Tingnan felt conflicted.
He really wanted to spend more time with Yu Wanwan, but he couldn’t refuse his elder brother’s request.
After hanging up, he walked over: “Take your time eating. I have some matters to attend to.”
The young girl showed little emotion: “Hmm.”
The man stared at her for a full minute. Her reaction was too indifferent.
He had even intended to spend more time with her, but it seemed wasted.
Was the girl made of iron?
How vivid she was when moved—coquettish, alluring, and even acting spoiled. Yet now, it was as if she had suddenly become a different person.
So, Xie Tingnan said nothing more and headed straight for the staircase to the second floor.
When he came downstairs again, he was already in formal attire, exuding an aura of restraint and noble elegance.
He completely ignored Yu Wanwan’s presence.
Without a word of greeting, he was already in the courtyard, where Yin Ren stood respectfully by the car.
Soon, the car started and sped away like a whirlwind into the hazy summer night.
Yu Wanwan set down her bowl and chopsticks.
Aunt An approached. “You barely ate anything. With such a delicate frame, you should nourish yourself more.”
Yu Wanwan smiled faintly. “I can’t eat anymore, Aunt An. Please clear it away.”
She knew Xie Tingnan was throwing a bit of a tantrum.
She simply wanted to allow herself a rare moment of ignorance.
Or perhaps, he shouldn’t have gotten angry in the first place. There was no need…