Everyone, seeing that Baroque had finally stopped causing trouble, walked towards the dining room. However, to their surprise, Normanis remained stationary.
Yao Qianya turned to look at her husband. His reaction just now had been strange, and his current dazed state left her utterly bewildered. She walked over with concern, "What's wrong? Did something happen?"
The hand on his arm pulled Normanis, who was lost in his own world, back. He looked around blankly, his gaze finally landing on Jian You. She...
She was their Duoduo...
"Aman, why are you..." Crying?
Meeting his wife's extremely worried eyes, Normanis shook his head and smiled. This time, his smile was genuinely happy, and tears almost welled up in his eyes.
He turned to look at Jian You again, unable to tear his eyes away. "Don't mind him, Baroque just likes you too much. He's always like this; he sticks to people he likes."
Especially his little master...
Why hadn't he realized this earlier? Baroque had always been aloof with outsiders but had shown an extraordinary liking for Jian You, whom he had only met once. He... should have realized by now. It wasn't too late...
Jian You was slightly taken aback. Normanis's gaze was too unusual, seeming to hold many things, too complex, yet it gave her a warm, intense feeling that made her heart tremble.
"Mm, I know he means no harm."
Just as she finished speaking, a rough, broad hand appeared before her, exuding an indescribable sense of security.
Normanis didn't give her much time. He reached out and took her calloused hand. He couldn't help but look her up and down again. She was still wearing old, rough clothes.
"..."
A dense ache spread through Normanis's heart. Seeing her like this, he knew she had suffered a lot in the past, or Jian Lao wouldn't have taken her in.
He opened his mouth, wanting to ask many questions, but didn't know where to start. Finally, his voice turned hoarse as he said, "We should go eat..."
Their family... was finally reunited...
The others exchanged glances, completely baffled by Normanis's strange behavior. Why had he suddenly become so close to Jian You?
Even Jian You looked down at their clasped hands, unsure how to react. She should have refused, but she didn't want to pull away. Finally, she looked up at the man's firm profile again and slowly smiled...
Upon entering the dining room, the square table had been replaced by a large round one, exuding an indescribable warmth.
Normanis ignored the people behind him and directly pulled Jian You to sit down, positioning himself to her right. Baroque immediately jumped onto the seat to Jian You's left.
"Woof~"
Baroque affectionately nuzzled against Jian You, and then eventually lay down in her arms...
"Baroque, get down! You're too heavy!"
No, Baroque has been dieting recently, he's not heavy...
Hearing this, Jian You gently picked up Baroque and said with a smile, "It's okay, he's not heavy. It's nothing compared to my previous training."
Jian You merely meant that Baroque wasn't heavy, but Normanis's heart ached again. It was all his fault. Why had he agreed to let Jian Lao bring her here? And how could Jian Lao have let her endure such hardship?
He said with a stern face, "You won't train anymore. All your daily tasks are canceled, and you're not to touch any gym equipment. The shooting range is strictly forbidden!"
What if she got hurt somewhere?
Normanis was filled with unspeakable regret. Just thinking about her grueling daily training made him feel suffocated.
Jian You was stroking Baroque's fur when, after Normanis finished speaking, the smile on her face completely vanished, replaced by a cold expression. "Sir, did I do something wrong? Please tell me directly!"
After all the admiration she had for him these past few days, what was the meaning of this now?
It was more unbearable than taking her life if she was allowed to do as she pleased before but now forbidden from touching these things.
Seeing Jian You unhappy, Normanis immediately panicked. What had he said to upset her?
After much thought, he finally understood the reason and gave a helpless smile. "Those things are too dangerous. You shouldn't touch them anymore."
So, he thought they were too dangerous?
Jian You relaxed then, but she had always been like this...
"I'm here to protect Madam. How can I protect her if I don't train every day?" She followed Normanis's instructions, and her hit probability on the target was now as high as nine out of ten.
Normanis was stumped. He couldn't come up with any other reason. It hadn't been confirmed yet, so he definitely couldn't say it. Seeing everyone looking at him, he could only say,
"I meant that the New Year is a holiday for you. We'll talk after it's over..." By then, with the appraisal report out, she would spend her days showered with family affection, not living on the edge of a knife.
But you said before there would be no holiday...
"Alright, alright, let's start eating quickly. Baroque must be hungry after rushing over..."
Yes, so much time has been delayed, Duoduo must be hungry too...
With this thought, Normanis picked up his chopsticks first and served Jian You a dish onto her exquisite plate.
"..."
No, the old lady hadn't finished speaking yet. Yao Qianya truly found her husband too strange today, especially his attitude towards Jian You. He was overly concerned, even surpassing his care for Ziyue, and everyone knew how doting he was on Ziyue.
"Aman..."
Normanis finally noticed everyone's strange looks and restrained himself considerably, though he still couldn't hide the curve of his lips.
"Eat, everyone, don't be shy. We're all family..."
Of course, they knew they were family and wouldn't be polite. Aman's words...
Everyone had their own thoughts, but only Normanis and Jian You ate with gusto. As for the dog, it watched them both with a mournful expression...
"Woof!"
Baroque barked loudly, lifted a paw, refused the servant's offering of food, and then changed the direction of its hoof in mid-air, its expression immediately becoming aggrieved...
"Woof~"
Such affection was irresistible...
"What do you want to eat?"
Jian You had no choice but to ask, then sighed, thinking how this dog had truly become intelligent. It was too clever. She had seen similar dogs, but their management was also extremely strict, and they were usually not allowed to interact. Moreover, she hadn't felt this fondness for Baroque.
Baroque was instantly satisfied. It immediately pointed to various dishes with its large paws, its tail wagging with happiness.
However, it soon became listless. Looking at the familiar large hand holding chopsticks before it, it desperately wanted to take a bite. Its owner didn't love it today, boohoo...