NOVPUBJust as Chen Nan and Lu Anran had finished making love and were enjoying each other’s tenderness, Chen Nan’s phone rang, displaying Nie Xiaoyu’s number.
He pressed the answer button, and immediately Nie Xiaoyu’s voice came through: "Chen Nan, I’m almost home. What do you want to eat for lunch? I’ll swing by the supermarket and pick something up!"
Chen Nan replied with a smile, "Anything is fine, I’m not picky."
Nie Xiaoyu: "Oh, I should be home in about twenty minutes."
After hanging up the phone, Chen Nan looked at Lu Anran, his face showing a trace of embarrassment: "Should we, um, part ways for now?"
"This is no fun at all!" Lu Anran muttered, having hoped to spend the entire day with Chen Nan to strengthen their bond.
But Nie Xiaoyu’s return had shattered her plans.
After straightening her clothes, Lu Anran said reluctantly, "I’ll head home first, and come to see you when I have time."
This was obviously her house.
Yet she had to hide from another girl, which made her feel very wronged.
Chen Nan’s face broke into a sly smile: "Next time I’ll come to see you and make it up to you."
True to her lovesick nature, although Lu Anran had previously looked quite melancholic, at the mention of compensation, she instantly beamed and asked eagerly, "What kind of compensation?"
Chen Nan raised an eyebrow: "Pleasure you down there?"
Lu Anran’s heart fluttered, and she nodded repeatedly like a pecking chicken: "I hope you keep your word, or else I’m never speaking to you again." Humming a cheerful tune, she took the scar removal cream Chen Nan had finished making and left his place full of anticipation.
After Lu Anran left, Chen Nan took some fresh clothes and went into the bathroom. When he came out after his shower, Nie Xiaoyu had just arrived, carrying some grocery bags.
Seeing Chen Nan with the laundered sheets and clothes, she quickly put down the groceries and said softly, "Go rest, I’ll take care of hanging the sheets and clothes!"
Chen Nan responded lightly, "I can’t have you doing everything, you go cook, I can handle this."
Nie Xiaoyu insisted firmly: "No, you’ve been working hard, let me do it!"
"Huh?" Chen Nan looked confused: "How am I tired?"
Nie Xiaoyu paused, her eyes flitting with panic: "You pulled an all-nighter making the scar removal cream, don’t you feel tired?" Without further discussion, she took the sheets and clothes from Chen Nan’s hands, lowered the drying rack, and hung them up.
After hanging the sheets and clothes, Nie Xiaoyu went into the kitchen and started busying herself without a word.
Chen Nan sensed that Nie Xiaoyu was feeling down and couldn’t help but approach the kitchen doorway, asking, "How is Grandpa doing?"
Nie Xiaoyu was washing vegetables when she heard Chen Nan’s question. Her body trembled violently, and tears uncontrollably streamed down her cheeks: "I... I didn’t get to see him!"
"Auntie said Grandpa’s condition is very bad; he’s now in the ICU."
"I don’t know what to do." Her voice choked up, and her petite frame shook incessantly.
Chen Nan stepped forward, softly saying, "Do your best and leave the rest to fate."
"Don’t worry about the money, I will find a way."
He no longer had a grandfather.
Or a father.
He didn’t want Nie Xiaoyu to lose her closest kin.
"Chen Nan, I... I think I want to give up," Nie Xiaoyu looked at Chen Nan, her eyes brimming with helplessness, "Grandpa looks so bad, I can barely recognize him, and he’s constantly on a feeding tube, living without any quality or dignity."
"Plus, I don’t know how much more money we’ll need."
"Honestly, these past few days I’ve already transferred over forty thousand yuan to my aunt."
"With an average of over ten thousand a day, I simply can’t afford it."
Chen Nan frowned slightly but still gently wiped away Nie Xiaoyu’s tears, consoling in a soft voice, "I’ve told you, don’t worry about the money."
"I don’t want to hide it from you, the scar ointment I concoct is extremely profitable, one can sell for five thousand yuan."
"It can fully cover Grandpa’s medical expenses."
Nie Xiaoyu had an emotional breakdown and sobbed loudly, "Why do you want to help me like this? Why do you take on so much for me? Why?"
Chen Nan looked at her with a pained expression, "Didn’t you say you would cook for me for a lifetime, right?"
"Since that’s the case, shouldn’t I ensure that you don’t have to worry about anything else?" he said, affectionately touching her forehead.
Nie Xiaoyu knelt helplessly on the ground and started crying inconsolably.
She was very grateful for everything Chen Nan had done for her.
But the thought of Chen Nan selling his charm to let other women pull strings and sell the scar ointment made her feel particularly suffocated inside.
The favor of Chen Nan weighed on her like an invisible mountain, leaving her breathless.
"Don’t cry, don’t cry!" Seeing Nie Xiaoyu crying, Chen Nan felt his heart breaking, he softly said, "Why don’t you go back to your room and rest for a while? I’ll cook lunch and let you taste my culinary skills."
Nie Xiaoyu adjusted her mood quickly. She wiped away the tears on her face, stood up, and said gently, "No need, this is my job."
Chen Nan sighed quietly, not saying much more.
Perhaps,
it wasn’t a bad thing to let Xiaoyu distract herself for a while.
Only,
lunch was made a bit slow.
By the time Chen Nan’s stomach was growling, Nie Xiaoyu had not yet brought the food to the table.
That worried Chen Nan not a little, after all he had been with Su Qing once this morning, and twice with Lu Anran, to say he was completely worn out was not an exaggeration.
However,
when Nie Xiaoyu finally brought lunch to the table, Chen Nan’s eyes lit up, he couldn’t help but say, "Isn’t this way too lavish?"
"No, it’s not just lavish, it’s incredibly nourishing!"
Chen Nan never expected that lunch would not only include steamed oysters but also a stew of softshell turtle and old hen, with goji berries and ginseng inside.
Additionally, there was a dish of garlic steamed abalone, as well as stir-fried leeks and eggs.
Without exception,
they all served the purpose of bolstering the kidneys and enriching male vitality.
Nie Xiaoyu said with a blushed face, "You’ve been studying so hard, and you’ve been up all night concocting the scar ointment, you really need to replenish well!"
Chen Nan nodded indisputably; although he was practicing the Scripture of the Hidden Talisman, allowing him to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and improving his cultivation through Dual Cultivation with women,
food-based nourishment was, in fact, very important!
He wholeheartedly enjoyed the lunch Nie Xiaoyu had prepared with care, feeling an obvious replenishment of his strength.
Especially after a bowl of softshell turtle and hen soup, he felt a warm sensation throughout his body.
His junior was eager and felt the urge to stand up tall.
This made Chen Nan feel utterly bemused.
After lunch, Chen Nan didn’t dare to hang around at home too long, given the notable effect of turtle soup alone, not to mention that Nie Xiaoyu was so beautiful and charming.
He was really afraid that he couldn’t control his inner desires and would harm her.
After leaving home, Chen Nan called Wang Li, chuckling, "Minister Wang, are you at work? I’m coming to see you, okay?"
