Lu Jingyan returned with breakfast, but still hadn’t seen Shen Nanyin get out of bed.
He placed the bag on the dining table and walked to the bedroom door.
He raised his hand to knock, only to find the door wasn’t properly locked—it swung open with a light tap.
Lu Jingyan stood there for a moment, then took out his phone and sent a message to Assistant Liu.
[Check my wife’s class schedule and send it to me.]
Junior year classes weren’t too heavy; her first class today was at 10:20.
Lu Jingyan waited until 9:30 for her to sleep in. Seeing she still hadn’t gotten up, he knocked on the door again.
Still no response.
He walked in. Tucked into the soft blanket was a face flushed pink from sleep, and the air was filled with a warm, sweet fragrance.
Lu Jingyan admired the sight for a while, then leisurely took out his phone and snapped a photo.
Perhaps the repeated disturbances finally roused her. Shen Nanyin rubbed her eyes and slowly sat up.
Still half-asleep, she thought she was in her dorm room and blindly reached for her phone beside her.
Seeing the time on the screen, she instantly woke up.
In a flurry, she looked up and met the man’s teasing gaze.
“Mrs. Lu, you’re going to be late for class.”
Shen Nanyin covered her face with one hand while trying to pull the blanket back up with the other, her neck visibly turning red.
Why hadn’t her alarm gone off?
She’d completely forgotten that after hanging up the phone yesterday, she’d quickly muted and blocked all notifications.
Lu Jingyan chuckled and patted the blanket. “Come out and have breakfast.”
After washing up, she sat down at the dining table.
Seeing the words on the packaging, Shen Nanyin was surprised.
It was Suzhou-style xiao long bao from Xu Ji in the southern district—her favorite shop.
Their Suzhou-style dumplings were the most authentic in all of Jingbei, but the shop was too far from campus, so she rarely got to eat them.
“What a coincidence, you like this shop too?” she asked, her voice tinged with delight.
Lu Jingyan fell silent for a moment before replying, “Mm.”
The xiao long bao had thin wrappers, generous fillings, and rich broth. Poking them with chopsticks released a sizzling, oily juice.
It was enough to make anyone’s mouth water.
Just as she was about to dig in, she looked up again.
“Aren’t you eating?”
Lu Jingyan actually wasn’t used to southern flavors, but meeting Shen Nanyin’s expectant eyes, he swallowed his words.
Besides, Shen Nanyin had already picked up a dumpling and placed it in his bowl.
After thoroughly buttering him up before the meal, she finally allowed herself to indulge in the xiao long bao.
She eagerly took a bite, and the aroma of crab filled her senses as rich crab roe spilled out.
Shen Nanyin’s eyes widened slightly, completely surprised to taste fresh crab roe xiao long bao at this time of year.
Even in Suzhou, outside of autumn, crab roe wouldn’t be this fresh and flavorful.
Had Xu Ji improved this much already?
It was really, really delicious.
Watching her eat as if she were about to bury her head in the bowl, Lu Jingyan hesitated again about whether to eat the portion she’d given him.
After finishing hers, Shen Nanyin still craved more, her gaze unconsciously drifting toward the opposite side of the table.
Why wasn’t he eating? Was he already full?
Surely he wouldn’t just throw it away—that would be such a waste. But asking for it back would be weird.
Just as she was wrestling with herself, the plate was pushed in front of her.
“You have it.”
Shen Nanyin hesitated.
Lu Jingyan glanced at her thoughtfully, then curled his lips into a smile. “Eat more. You’re too thin—it’s uncomfortable to hold you.”
Shen Nanyin: ?
Her hand, which had just picked up the chopsticks, froze.
Ever since coming to Jingbei, Shen Nanyin hadn’t had a proper meal, all because Shen Dingguo had strict requirements about her weight.
She had to maintain a slender figure, all because it could stir a man’s protective instincts.
Even after starting university, her weight was checked every week.
So if Lu Jingyan preferred a fuller figure, that would be even better.
With twenty minutes left before class, Shen Nanyin rushed to the doorway to change her shoes.
In her frantic movements, she swayed and nearly toppled sideways.
The next second, a warm palm pressed against her back, steadying her.
“What’s the hurry?”
Lu Jingyan glanced at her and spoke unhurriedly, “What if you fall and hurt my wife?”
Shen Nanyin: “…I woke up too late, I’m going to be late.”
Lu Jingyan took her bag, “Do I look like the kind of person who would let my wife squeeze onto the subway alone to go to school?”