Chapter 231: Secretly Gloating
Chapter 231: Chapter 231: Secretly Gloating
The little assistant had only been standing there for a moment, and her toes had already cringed hard enough to carve out a Magic Fairy Castle.
She really had to hand it to Miss Chang.
’Just how thick-skinned does a person have to be to stand there so calmly when everyone is pointedly ignoring her!’
Never mind Mr. Lu and Nan Yi, who hadn’t looked at her at all. Even Nan Zhi, the only one willing to greet her, had merely shot her a faint glance before turning her attention back to the fruit stand.
So Miss Chang just stood there like a wooden post, serving no purpose other than being an eyesore.
The kind-hearted assistant couldn’t bear it any longer and spoke up to give Chang Mu an out.
"Mumu, we still have a shoot. If we keep dawdling, we might not have enough time..."
Before she could finish, Chang Mu shot her a cold glare.
It seemed all her resentment from being snubbed was packed into that single look.
The assistant thought, ’Fine, fine! I’ll be damned if I ever try to help you again!’
The assistant huffily shut her mouth.
But after glaring at her, Chang Mu took the out she’d been offered.
"Since you’re all busy, I won’t disturb you."
Turning back to Nan Zhi, Lu Shixu, and Nan Yi, she was once again polite, friendly, and all smiles.
No one looked at her.
The moment Chang Mu turned away, her expression collapsed, turning frighteningly sullen.
It wasn’t until she remembered her recent plan that the bellyful of rage she was suppressing found a sliver of comfort.
Chang Mu comforted herself while frantically chanting the system’s name in her mind.
It was dead silent all around.
No matter what Chang Mu tried, she couldn’t find any trace of the system.
If she didn’t clearly remember her origins and mission, Chang Mu would have almost believed that everything, including the system, was just a dream she had imagined.
’What on earth is going on?’
...
For some reason, Lu Shixu felt that something was off.
He turned his head instinctively to look.
But as far as he could see, there was only a bustling crowd, nothing out of the ordinary.
"So you know that Miss Chang."
Nan Zhi’s matter-of-fact voice sounded by his ear.
Lu Shixu could tell her tone was calm and steady, devoid of much personal emotion.
But that didn’t stop him from feeling pleased by Nan Zhi’s attention.
"Do you hate her?"
Lu Shixu asked bluntly.
Nan Zhi shot him a glance.
Although Lu Shixu’s expression didn’t change much, she could still discern his thoughts from the subtle shift in his eyes and brows.
Annoyed, Nan Zhi bit the inside of her cheek and retorted coolly,
"Don’t overthink it. I was just asking casually as a colleague. It’s only natural."
"Mm, I know."
Lu Shixu nodded.
Nan Zhi: ...
’Don’t think I can’t see you gloating on the inside!’
’I really shouldn’t have said something so pointless!’
Nan Zhi lowered her head, took out a tissue, and helped Nan Yi wipe some sugar crumbs from his face.
She used the action to pointedly ignore Lu Shixu’s presence.
Lu Shixu seemed completely unfazed, a faint smile playing in his eyes.
However, because of this little interruption, Lu Shixu forgot about the odd feeling from just now.
He accompanied Nan Zhi and Nan Yi around the market for nearly two hours, only starting back once the trunk was filled to the brim.
It’s worth mentioning that while Nan Zhi herself wasn’t short on money, according to the identity card she’d drawn, her living expenses were clearly not enough to pay for a whole trunk full of things.
So, in the end, it was Lu Shixu who insisted on paying.
Basically, if Nan Zhi showed the slightest interest in something, the next time she looked, that item would already be in Lu Shixu’s hands.
Nan Zhi told him several times to stop, and while Lu Shixu would agree readily, he didn’t stop buying a single thing.
This made Nan Zhi not know whether to be angry or amused.
’There’s no filming this morning anyway. When Lu Shixu leaves, I’ll just make him take all this stuff with him.’
The drive back seemed faster than the drive there. Lu Shixu soon parked the car at the closest spot to Nan Zhi’s house.
Nan Yi, alone in the back, had already fallen asleep nestled in his car seat.
He was sleeping so soundly that not even the bumpy mountain road had woken him.
Nan Zhi first turned back to look at Nan Yi.
Just then, she happened to notice a detail outside the window.
"Did the road here get wider?"
She lowered her voice, muttering it to herself without expecting an answer.
But Lu Shixu replied smoothly,
"Yeah, I had someone widen the road on the second day I was here."
Nan Zhi froze instantly.
’The second day Lu Shixu was here... I was in the hospital then, wasn’t I?’
Nan Zhi had a faint suspicion but didn’t ask, merely giving Lu Shixu another look.
But Lu Shixu seemed to have read her thoughts from that single glance.
"The heavy rain a few days ago washed out a section of the road, so the car couldn’t get through that day."
That one sentence was enough to explain Lu Shixu’s motive.
Several days had passed since Nan Zhi’s high fever.
Since then, Nan Zhi had rarely asked about what had happened.
Or rather, her concern had been focused solely on Nan Yi.
She never imagined that so many twists and turns had occurred on that rainy night.
Nan Zhi could see that Lu Shixu wasn’t trying to take credit.
After a few seconds of silence, she asked,
"It’s about dinnertime. Why don’t you stay and eat?"
For Lu Shixu, this was an absolutely wonderful surprise.
"Okay!"
He couldn’t contain his excitement, and his voice came out a little too loud.
From the back seat, Nan Yi let out a little whimper.
Nan Zhi immediately shot Lu Shixu a glare.
Lu Shixu pressed his lips together.
"Sorry."
After confirming that Nan Yi hadn’t woken up, Nan Zhi let go of her reproach toward Lu Shixu.
She pushed the door open, got out, and went around to the back to pick up Nan Yi.
Her movements were very gentle, and since Nan Yi was completely relaxed with her, he showed no signs of waking when she lifted him. His head rested silently on her shoulder, fast asleep.
Seeing Nan Zhi struggling to carry him, her wrists turning red from the strain, Lu Shixu frowned.
"Let me."
He moved to take Nan Yi, but Nan Zhi sidestepped his attempt.
"Yiyi will wake up."
Lu Shixu suppressed his feelings and escorted Nan Zhi into the courtyard, opened the front door, and stayed with her until she had laid Nan Yi down on the bed.
Nan Zhi carefully helped Nan Yi out of his jacket, and when she went to take off his shoes, she saw that Lu Shixu had already moved to do it.
He knelt by the bed, a rare sight of him bowing his head, and took off Nan Yi’s dirty shoes.
This time, Nan Zhi didn’t stop him, just watched him.
Once Nan Yi was finally tucked into the blanket, Nan Zhi and Lu Shixu left the bedroom.
Only then did Nan Zhi ask,
"Aren’t you a germaphobe? You actually took off Yiyi’s shoes?"
"Better my hands get dirty than yours."
Lu Shixu walked to the kitchen and washed his hands meticulously.
After a few seconds of silence, he suddenly looked up.
"How did you know I was a germaphobe?"
Nan Zhi’s heart skipped a beat, but she answered nonchalantly,
"Is that hard to notice? You make it pretty obvious."
Lu Shixu stared at her, not saying whether he believed her or not.