The two were at a standoff in the kitchen.
Lu Jiansen’s patience was nearly exhausted. He hadn’t come down for lunch due to work, and now, because of this Lu Yinghan who seemed to be throwing a tantrum, a throbbing pain was starting to form in his head.
“I’ll go cook the corn.”
Lu Yinghan dropped those words and headed straight for the kitchen, not wanting to deal with Lu Jiansen any longer.
For some reason, anger surged up in Lu Jiansen’s chest, and his tone grew heavier.
“Lu Yinghan, are you throwing a tantrum at me?”
It was a statement, not a question.
Lu Yinghan, who had dragged a chair into the kitchen, trembled all over.
Having just returned, the fear of her eldest brother hadn’t fully dissipated yet.
Hearing Lu Jiansen’s accusation laced with anger, Lu Yinghan’s heart raced as she wanted to turn around and explain herself to him.
Her hands, tightly gripping the corn, crushed a few kernels on the spot.
She forced herself to calm down.
Lu Yinghan took a deep breath and turned to face Lu Jiansen.
“I’m not. I’m just hungry and wanted to cook a corn to eat.”
Just like before, her tone remained indifferent and distant, as if she were deliberately keeping her distance from Lu Jiansen, which irritated him to no end.
He opened his mouth to say something to Lu Yinghan but found himself directly meeting her big, sparkling eyes.
This was the first time Lu Jiansen truly looked at Lu Yinghan.
Dry, slightly yellowed hair; skin with a faint sallow tint; a frail, thin frame; wearing a set of pajamas that Lu Xuanyao had discarded, washed until the color had faded to white.
The visual impact made Lu Jiansen shut his mouth. He could only watch as Lu Yinghan skillfully picked up the pressure cooker, filled it with water, and put the corn inside.
She then easily turned on the gas stove and waited for the pressure cooker to start hissing.
The kitchen fell into an awkward silence once again.
“Just corn? There’s plenty of ingredients in the fridge. You could have called Butler Liu over to help you cook. Are you cooking corn by yourself now because you think we’ve been mistreating you?”
Lu Jiansen looked at Lu Yinghan’s back, so thin that her spine was visible, and asked in a low voice.
Lu Yinghan turned her head and glanced at Lu Jiansen with calm eyes.
“I’m just really hungry and wanted something to fill my stomach.”
She didn’t want to say more. The more she explained, the more complicated it got. Let him think whatever he wanted.
At that moment, the pressure cooker began to stir, letting out a piercing hiss that eased the awkward atmosphere somewhat.
Under the dim light, Lu Jiansen watched Lu Yinghan’s frail back and felt a momentary daze.
His heart gave a sudden thump, as if it were about to burst out of his chest, blocking his breath and making it hard to bear.
Driven by some inexplicable impulse, he stepped forward, wanting to reach out and touch Lu Yinghan.
This Lu Yinghan.
Was so unfamiliar.
Ethereal and elusive, as if he couldn’t hold onto her at all, as if she could vanish from his sight at any moment…
“Psssh—”
Lu Yinghan pulled off the valve on top of the pressure cooker to release the steam.
The sound snapped Lu Jiansen back to reality. He gave Lu Yinghan a strange look, picked up his cup to brew a cup of coffee, and returned to his study.
The dim room made it impossible for Lu Jiansen to muster any motivation to work. Rubbing his furrowed brow, he took out his phone and called Butler Liu.
“Butler Liu, come make a dinner.”
“Yes, Young Master. Is there anything you’d like to eat?”
“It’s not for me. It’s for the young lady.”
The young lady?
Butler Liu paused for a moment.
The young miss had gone out to eat with the master and madam, so this “young lady” must be Lu Yinghan.
Though he wasn’t sure why the young master had suddenly thought of the young lady, it didn’t stop Butler Liu’s mood from visibly improving.
“Very well, Young Master. I’ll prepare the meal and bring it to the young lady’s room. And what would you like for yourself, Young Master?”
“I don’t need anything. That’s all.”
After hanging up, Lu Jiansen’s mind finally settled. He opened his laptop and buried himself in work.
Lu Yinghan hugged the corn and nibbled on it as she made her way back to her room. Having not eaten all day, the corn in her hands tasted incredibly sweet and fragrant.
She had just returned to her room and hadn’t even finished half of it when Butler Liu came in with a smile, carrying a tray of food.
“Young lady, this is the dinner the young master asked me to prepare for you… Young lady?? Why are you eating raw corn?! If you’re really hungry, you could have come to me and asked me to cook for you!…”
Butler Liu quickly set down the tray and, without waiting for Lu Yinghan to explain, snatched the corn right out of her hands.
He looked at Lu Yinghan with eyes full of worry and pulled out his phone, ready to call the family doctor.
It wasn’t until the fragrant, sweet aroma of the corn filled Butler Liu’s nose that his frantic heart finally steadied.
“Hm? It’s cooked?”
In disbelief, he broke off a kernel and put it in his mouth.
It was cooked.
“Young lady, what did you use to cook it?”
“A pressure cooker.”
“Hiss—”
Butler Liu drew in a sharp breath, nearly reaching for his philtrum to steady himself.
The young lady using a pressure cooker to cook corn was even more terrifying than her eating raw corn.
“You cooked it all by yourself? Did you get hurt?!”
The old butler was genuinely panicked, checking Lu Yinghan from head to toe, all around.
There wasn’t a single sign of injury.
How strange. When had the young lady learned to use a pressure cooker?
“Miss, if you’re hungry, next time just come straight to me, alright? A pressure cooker is still too dangerous for you.”
“I understand, Grandpa Butler.”
Lu Yinghan smiled warmly at Butler Liu, a hint of tenderness in her eyes.
“Miss, this is the dinner the young master asked me to prepare for you. Let’s have dinner.”
Lu Yinghan glanced at the sumptuous dinner on the table, walked over, and took the corn from Butler Liu’s hand.
“Grandpa Butler, I’m almost done with this corn. You can take the dinner back. This one ear is enough to fill me up.”
“But, Miss…”
This was specially prepared for you by the young master.
Recalling the hunched back of the young miss that morning, Butler Liu chose to keep his mouth shut.
He could only return the dinner to Lu Jiansen’s study.
“Young master, the miss said she’s full from the corn and asked me to bring the dinner to you…”
Lu Jiansen’s face instantly darkened.
The dishes before him looked delicious.
But he had no appetite at all.
What does Lu Yinghan mean by this?
Rebellious at her age?
Trying to get the family’s attention this way?
Last night she was still obediently bringing him tea and a midnight snack.
Today she starts throwing a tantrum.
Sure enough, she’s not as sensible as Yaoyao!
“I see, Butler Liu. You all can share the dinner. I don’t need it. From now on, don’t report the miss’s matters to me. Understood? You may go.”
“Yes…”
Carrying the dishes out of the study, Butler Liu shook his head helplessly.
One and the other—why are they both so stubborn?
But this family really isn’t kind to the young miss.
Ever since the little miss was born, everyone’s attention has been on her.
The young miss, only two years old, had to learn to read the room, setting aside her willfulness and childish temper, acting according to the expressions on her family’s faces.
If one day the young miss secretly ran away from home.
They probably wouldn’t even know!