Chapter 457: Not Just a Little Silly, but Very Silly
Chapter 457: Chapter 457: Not Just a Little Silly, but Very Silly
Pan Ling’er, who had been lingering outside, couldn’t stand it any longer. She crept toward the door of Nuanyang’s office and peeked her head in to look at Zhao Nuanyang, who was preparing to eat his midnight snack.
A round little head with big eyes stared intently at the food on his desk. Even if Zhao Nuanyang had wanted to eat it all himself, he couldn’t now.
Besides, Zhao Nuanyang felt he and Pan Ling’er had gotten to know each other quite well, and sharing with a friend was more enjoyable. He looked up and smiled gently. "Pan Ling’er, you’ve been on patrol all night. You must be tired and hungry. Come on, eat with me."
"Mhm!" Pan Ling’er nodded eagerly the moment she heard Zhao Nuanyang’s words. But she quickly caught herself. ’Will this make me seem too forward? Too gluttonous?’ "Actually... I’m not that hungry..."
Pan Ling’er was just pretending to be reserved, hoping Zhao Nuanyang would invite her again more enthusiastically.
Zhao Nuanyang shook his head and chuckled. He recalled the first time they had eaten together in the cafeteria. Little Red Carp had been there too, and he hadn’t known that Pan Ling’er disliked onions. Yet for some reason, she had finished all of them anyway, a classic case of saying one thing while feeling another.
In their later interactions, Zhao Nuanyang noticed that Pan Ling’er never got any dishes with onions again, which made him realize she didn’t like them at all.
’Are all girls this contrary?’
He thought of his older sister, then his younger sister at home. ’Seems like a definite yes,’ he concluded, ’because my sisters are often like that too.’
"Well, since you’re not hungry, I’ll eat it all myself then!" Zhao Nuanyang said, deliberately teasing her. "Wow, my sister’s chicken soup smells amazing! Mmm, and today’s Osmanthus Cake is delicious! Oh, my, and there are fried mantou buns under here too..."
Outside, Pan Ling’er gulped with every word Zhao Nuanyang spoke. Her big eyes widened even more, her expression turning slightly aggrieved. ’We always talk and walk together. We’re already good friends, so why can’t he share his food?’
’So stingy!’
’I was just being polite a moment ago. He could have just invited me again!’
Pan Ling’er felt a pang of frustration. Whenever she had something nice, she always shared it with Zhao Nuanyang immediately. Even if he refused, she would always offer again.
For some reason, her heart ached.
Seeing Pan Ling’er’s crestfallen expression outside, Zhao Nuanyang felt a little bad and decided to stop joking around. He beckoned for her to come over.
"I was just joking with you," Zhao Nuanyang said with a chuckle. "You always share the treats you bring with me and Little Red Carp. Now that I have such delicious food, of course I have to share it with you! When I asked you just now, you obviously wanted some, but you said you weren’t hungry. I just said that to see if you’d regret it!"
"Hmph!" Pan Ling’er shot Zhao Nuanyang a glare and said huffily, "When you weren’t going to share, I felt really hurt and upset. I thought you didn’t consider me a friend anymore. And even though you say it was a joke, my hurt feelings were real. So, I’m going to have to eat a lot more to compensate for my wounded soul."
With that said, Pan Ling’er reached for a piece of the delicious Osmanthus Cake. Zhao Nuanyang could already picture her popping it into her mouth, her puffy cheeks bobbing up and down as she chewed, just like an adorable little squirrel.
But just as her chubby little hand was about to touch the Osmanthus Cake, Zhao Nuanyang gently slapped it away.
Pan Ling’er snatched her hand back and glared at Zhao Nuanyang. "You already said I could have some of your midnight snack! Why did you slap my hand? If you’re going back on your word, I’m going to get really angry!"
"Oh, you," Zhao Nuanyang said, looking at Pan Ling’er’s expressive face, unsure whether to laugh or cry. He was beginning to understand his sister’s feeling of helplessness whenever she saw Little Red Carp eat without washing her hands. "Shouldn’t you wash your hands before you eat? If you don’t know how, I can have Little Red Carp show you tomorrow."
"Huh?" Pan Ling’er’s face flushed at Zhao Nuanyang’s teasing. She was so hungry she felt faint; her brain had simply stopped working. "I’m not usually this unhygienic! I was just so dizzy from hunger tonight that I forgot to wash my hands."
"Heh..." Zhao Nuanyang didn’t respond, merely smiling.
As Pan Ling’er washed her hands, she fretted. ’That "heh" from Zhao Nuanyang... did it mean he believed my excuse, or not?’
"Okay, they’re clean enough. Are you trying to scrub a layer of skin off?" Zhao Nuanyang said, seeing that Pan Ling’er had been washing her hands for nearly two minutes. The chicken soup was getting cold.
’Today’s Pan Ling’er isn’t her usual clever self,’ Zhao Nuanyang thought. ’She’s a bit dazed and silly. Could it be true what she said? Are her reflexes really that slow because she’s hungry?’
"Oh, oh... Coming!" Pan Ling’er quickly pulled out a handkerchief and dried her hands.
Zhao Nuanyang took another small bowl from the cabinet, one that he also used regularly. He washed it, poured in some chicken soup, added a few pieces of chicken, and pushed it in front of Pan Ling’er. "Hurry and eat! If you keep going hungry, you won’t just get dizzy, you’ll get silly!"
"I’m not silly! Not at all! Don’t you call me silly!" Pan Ling’er took a sip of the soup, feeling warmth spread through her body. Still, she didn’t want to leave Zhao Nuanyang with the impression that she was a silly girl.
Thinking about how her parents often said she was clumsy and silly, not nearly as sharp as other girls, a heavy feeling settled in her heart.
The good mood brought on by the delicious food was significantly dampened, and her expression turned sorrowful and aggrieved.
"Okay, okay, you’re not silly at all." Zhao Nuanyang didn’t want to argue with Pan Ling’er over the point. He still had some final work to wrap up after he ate.
Deep down, Zhao Nuanyang’s honest assessment of Pan Ling’er was that she wasn’t just a little silly—she was *incredibly* silly.
The portion Zhao Nuanyue had prepared for Zhao Nuanyang was huge, so both he and Pan Ling’er ate their fill.
Zhao Nuanyang still had work to do, and his mind was still in a state of high alert, so he threw himself back into it right after eating.
After tidying up the bowls and food container, Pan Ling’er began to feel sleepy. She sat on a long bench, suddenly feeling so comfortable that she didn’t want to move. Her eyelids felt as if they were glued shut, impossible to open, and she drifted into a deep sleep.
Although Pan Ling’er could take a break from patrolling inside the office building, Li and Wu still had to continue their duties. A single patrol circuit outside took two hours.
At that moment, they had no idea that Pan Ling’er, full and content, was fast asleep—and alone in an office with Zhao Nuanyang, no less.
Perhaps because she was sleeping in an awkward position, Pan Ling’er let out a faint snore.