The two stood deadlocked in the kitchen.
Lu Jiansen’s patience was wearing thin; he hadn't come downstairs for lunch because of work.
And now, with Lu Yinghan seeming to throw a tantrum right in front of him, a throbbing headache began to pulse behind his temples.
“I'm going to boil some corn.”
Leaving those words behind, Lu Yinghan headed straight for the stove, refusing to pay Lu Jiansen any more heed.
For reasons he couldn't name, a surge of anger flared within Lu Jiansen, and his voice deepened with irritation.
“Lu Yinghan, are you throwing a tantrum at me?”
It was a flat assertion, not a question.
Lu Yinghan, dragging the wooden chair into the kitchen, trembled all over.
Having only just returned through rebirth, the fear she felt toward her eldest brother had not yet completely faded.
Hearing Lu Jiansen's anger-laced interrogation, panic stirred in her heart, urging her to turn around and explain herself.
Her hands gripped the ear of corn so tightly that several kernels burst under her fingers.
She forced herself to calm down.
Taking a deep breath, Lu Yinghan turned to face Lu Jiansen.
“I'm not. I was just hungry and wanted to boil an ear of corn to eat.”
Just like before, her tone was aloof and detached, as if she were deliberately keeping her distance from him, which thoroughly displeased Lu Jiansen.
He parted his lips to reprimand her, but stopped short when he met her bright, limpid eyes.
This was the very first time Lu Jiansen had truly looked at Lu Yinghan.
Dry, yellowish hair, sallow skin, an emaciated little frame, and a pair of pajamas cast off by Lu Xuanyao that had been washed until the fabric faded to pale white.
The visual impact struck him dumb. He could only watch as Lu Yinghan skillfully picked up a pressure cooker, filled it with water, and placed the corn inside.
Then, she casually lit the gas stove, waiting for the pressure cooker to hiss.
The kitchen lapsed into awkward silence once more.
“Just corn? There are plenty of ingredients in the refrigerator. You could have called Butler Liu to cook for you. Boiling corn by yourself like this—do you think we've mistreated you?”
Watching Lu Yinghan’s back, so thin that the bumps of her spine showed through her clothes, Lu Jiansen questioned her in a deep voice.
Lu Yinghan turned her head and glanced calmly at him.
“I was just starving and wanted something to fill my belly.”
She didn't want to say anything more. Explaining would only make things messier; he could think whatever he liked.
Right then, the pressure cooker grew agitated, letting out a sharp hiss that cut through the awkward tension.
Under the dim light, Lu Jiansen stared at Lu Yinghan's frail back, momentarily dazed.
His heart skipped a violent beat, as if trying to burst through his ribs, constricting his breath in a way that was almost unbearable.
As though possessed, he stepped forward, intending to touch her.
This version of Lu Yinghan...
...felt so foreign.
Ethereal and impossible to grasp, as though she could vanish before his eyes at any second...
“Hiss—”
Lu Yinghan lifted the weight valve on top of the pressure cooker, letting the steam escape.
The sound snapped Lu Jiansen back to his senses. Giving Lu Yinghan a strange look, he grabbed his mug, brewed a cup of coffee, and returned to his study.
The somber room left Lu Jiansen unable to focus on work. Rubbing his furrowed brow, he pulled out his phone and called Butler Liu.
“Butler Liu, come prepare some dinner.”
“Understood, Eldest Young Master. Is there anything specific you would like to eat?”
“It's not for me. It's for Miss.”
Miss?
Butler Liu paused momentarily.
The Little Miss had gone out to eat with the Master and Madam, so this “Miss” had to refer to Lu Yinghan.
Although he didn't know why the Eldest Young Master had suddenly thought of Miss, it did not stop Butler Liu’s mood from visibly brightening.
“Understood, Eldest Young Master. I will prepare the meal and deliver it to Miss's room right away. And what about you, Eldest Young Master? Is there anything you'd like?”
“Nothing for me. That will be all.”
Ending the call, Lu Jiansen’s mind finally settled. He opened his laptop and immersed himself in work.
Cradling the corn, Lu Yinghan nibbled on it as she walked back to her room. Having gone without food all day, the ear of corn tasted exceptionally sweet in her mouth.
She had just returned to her room and had not even finished half of it when Butler Liu entered with a smile, carrying a meal tray.
“Miss, this is the dinner the Eldest Young Master had me prepare for you... Miss?! Why are you eating raw corn?! If you were truly starving, you could have come to me and let me 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.
Looking at Lu Yinghan with eyes full of worry, he pulled out his phone, ready to call the family doctor.
It wasn't until the sweet, cooked fragrance of the corn wafted into Butler Liu’s nose that his panicked heart settled down.
“Huh? It's cooked?”
Unable to believe it, he plucked off a kernel and popped it into his mouth.
It really was cooked.
“Miss, what did you use to cook it?”
“A pressure cooker.”
“Gasp—”
Butler Liu sucked in a sharp breath, nearly having to pinch his philtrum to keep from fainting.
The fact that Miss had used a pressure cooker to boil corn was even more terrifying than her eating it raw.
“You cooked it all by yourself? Are you hurt anywhere?!”
Grandpa Butler was genuinely frightened, inspecting Lu Yinghan from head to toe, left and right.
There wasn't the slightest sign of injury.
How strange... When had Miss learned how to use a pressure cooker?
“Miss, if you are hungry next time, please come straight to me, all right? A pressure cooker is far too dangerous for someone your age.”
“I understand, Grandpa Butler.”
Lu Yinghan looked at Butler Liu with a warm smile, a trace of genuine affection showing in her eyes.
“Miss, this is the dinner the Eldest Young Master had me make for you. Come, let's have dinner.”
Lu Yinghan looked at the lavish dinner on the table, walked over, and retrieved the ear of corn from Butler Liu’s hand.
“Grandpa Butler, I’m almost done with this corn anyway. You can take the dinner back. This ear of corn is more than enough to fill me up.”
“But, Miss...”
This was specially ordered for you by the Eldest Young Master.
Remembering the sight of Miss curled up in bed that morning, Butler Liu chose to hold his tongue.
He could only bring the dinner back to Lu Jiansen’s study.
“Eldest Young Master, Miss said she was full from the corn and told me to bring the dinner to you...”
Lu Jiansen’s face instantly darkened.
The meal before him looked delectable and appetizing.
Yet he had completely lost his appetite.
Just what was Lu Yinghan trying to pull?
Was she hitting her rebellious phase?
Was she acting out like this to win the family's attention?
Just last night, she had obediently brought him tea and a late-night snack.
And today, she was already throwing a tantrum.
She was nowhere near as sensible as Yaoyao!
“Understood, Butler Liu. Share the dinner among yourselves; I don't need it. In the future, there is no need to tell me anything about Miss. Leave once you understand.”
“Yes...”
Carrying the meal tray out of the study, Butler Liu shook his head helplessly.
Why were both of them so stubborn?
Then again, this family truly wasn't very kind to Miss.
Ever since the Little Miss was born, everyone's attention had been entirely focused on her.
At barely two years old, Miss had been forced to learn how to read the room, casting aside her childish whims and temper to tiptoe around her family's expressions and moods.
If one day Miss were to quietly run away from home...
...they probably wouldn't even realize it!
Rate on N.U.
