Mu Jiu Chen's lips curved into a faint smile. Aware of the girl's awkwardness, he spoke gently, "Nuannuan, I wasn't staring at you. I only looked at you after you woke up. I've been processing documents."
Jiang Nuan's tense heart began to calm slightly. She had been dreaming, and all her dreams were filled with Mu Jiu Chen. She was so sensitive because she saw Mu Jiu Chen.
"Nuannuan, I have a business dinner tonight. I'll be back after it. A maid will be here to look after you soon. Just ask them to do anything you need."
Jiang Nuan shook her head slightly. "No need. I can take care of Xiao Kuo myself. You should go."
"How can that be? It's too tiring for you to take care of Xiao Kuo alone." Mu Jiu Chen felt heartache for her.
"Really, no need." Jiang Nuan still refused. She disliked interacting with strangers.
Mu Jiu Chen knew what she was worried about. "Don't worry, what happened last time won't happen again."
After Mu Jiu Chen finished speaking, he heard a knock on the door.
Mu Jiu Chen stood up and said, "Nuannuan, they're here with dinner. You eat first."
Mu Jiu Chen then walked out, opened the door, and saw that the maids were Li Shen's daughter and a stranger. He closed the door, and a powerful sense of oppression spread outwards.
Li Wan bravely looked up, smiling at Mu Jiu Chen, and said gently, "Ninth Master."
The other maid also greeted him.
Mu Jiu Chen nodded slightly. "Take good care of Madam and Young Master. I'll be back by nine at the latest."
Li Wan heard this and advised, "Ninth Master, you are busy with work. You should rest well. Perhaps..."
"Shut up. My affairs are not for you to arrange." Mu Jiu Chen frowned, took the food box from her hand, and said, "You wait outside," before turning to go in.
Li Wan's face felt hot and extremely embarrassed. Nine Master usually treated her well, so why was he ignoring her so completely now that Jiang Nuan had appeared?
"Oh my god, Wanwan, Nine Master is so scary! Didn't you say Nine Master treated you the best? Why is he scolding you?" Li Qin was a relative of Steward Li. After graduation, she couldn't find a suitable job, so Steward Li arranged for her to work at Mu Jiu Chen's villa. Although she was a maid, her salary was higher than in general companies. Li Qin's main purpose was to earn money, so she had nothing to complain about. After all, in this big city, earning money didn't necessarily mean saving it.
Li Wan's expression was unpleasant. She calmly explained, "Perhaps it's because the Young Master is sick, and he's in a bad mood."
Li Qin also knew that rich people could have bad tempers and thought it might be due to that.
"Nuannuan, come and eat first."
Mu Jiu Chen placed the insulated container on the table. Their son wouldn't wake up until tomorrow morning, so he had prepared Jiang Nuan's meal.
Jiang Nuan had already washed up in the bathroom and sat directly opposite him. Looking at the insulated containers Mu Jiu Chen opened, she saw steamed perch, lemon shrimp, and a cabbage soup with a few ribs, all light and appetizing.
"This looks good." Jiang Nuan picked up her chopsticks and ate a lemon shrimp. It was sour and spicy, fresh and Q-bouncy, with just the right amount of lemon flavor.
"This is delicious, you eat one too." She naturally picked up a shrimp and offered it to his mouth.
Mu Jiu Chen smiled, his eyes crinkling, and lowered his head to take the shrimp fed to him by the girl. It was indeed delicious, sour and spicy.
Jiang Nuan's actions faltered. What kind of intimate gesture was this, requiring such familiarity? And with the chopsticks she had just used.
"Delicious, do you want to eat more tomorrow morning?" Mu Jiu Chen looked at the girl who had finally reacted, her dazed expression utterly adorable. Nuannuan was slowly accepting him into her life, which was a good sign.
Jiang Nuan nodded somewhat blankly. "Okay!"
Mu Jiu Chen smiled and gestured for Jiang Nuan to feed him another shrimp, saying one wasn't enough. Jiang Nuan looked at his expectant gaze and, as if possessed, picked up another shrimp for him.
Through the glass on the door, Li Wan could see their interaction. She saw a beautiful hand feeding shrimp to Ninth Master. She was extremely surprised. Normally, Ninth Master had his own special bowls and chopsticks at home. This time, however, he was sharing chopsticks with that woman. She trembled with anger. She had only been away for a few months, so how could the noble Ninth Master have a woman and a son?
After watching Jiang Nuan finish her meal, Mu Jiu Chen went to the bathroom to change into a black suit. Jiang Nuan was clearing away the meal containers.
Mu Jiu Chen handed the tie to Jiang Nuan, his handsome face beaming with a smile. He had once seen a short video where a girlfriend tied a tie for her boyfriend. The man had done it intentionally, wanting to get closer to the girl. After the girl finished tying the tie, he thanked her with a kiss, making her blush and her heart pound, filling her with wandering thoughts. At that time, he had disdained such tactics, but when he saw the tie just now, he suddenly wanted to do it.
"Nuannuan, help me tie my tie." His voice was gentle and alluring, even the corners of his eyes carrying a smile.
Jiang Nuan looked at the tie in front of her and said faintly, "I don't know how." She truly didn't. The men she was close to were only Nan Zhou, who didn't like wearing suits, and she didn't have a boyfriend, nor did she have a reason to learn specifically.
Mu Jiu Chen knew she genuinely didn't know. "I'll teach you."
Jiang Nuan shook her head slightly and said with slight annoyance, "Wouldn't it be faster if you tied it yourself?"
Mu Jiu Chen gave himself a ridiculous excuse: "My arm is sore!"
Jiang Nuan: "...??"
"Nuannuan, hurry, I'm going to be late." Mu Jiu Chen shoved the tie into her arms and looked at her with his ink-black eyes. Jiang Nuan felt uncomfortable under his gaze. She looked again at the tie in her hand, then at Mu Jiu Chen. Finally, she took out her phone, watched a tutorial on how to tie a tie, and then put the tie around Mu Jiu Chen's neck, carefully tying it for him. Her proximity brought a faint, delicate fragrance, and his body felt restless. Mu Jiu Chen found the process both enjoyable and tormenting.
His tie clip was inlaid with rhinestones, and Jiang Nuan found it quite heavy to hold. She had experienced such ostentatious displays of wealth in Mu Jiu Chen's home, so she wasn't particularly surprised now.
"All done." Jiang Nuan looked at the knot of the tie. Although it was her first time, it was quite good.
Mu Jiu Chen lowered his head, wrapped his arms around her waist, and quickly kissed her lips. Jiang Nuan was startled but looked at Mu Jiu Chen, who opened his mouth with a smiling expression. "Nuannuan, this is my thanks!" He quickly released Jiang Nuan and strode out of the ward.
Jiang Nuan stood there dumbfounded, her heart pounding. It seemed like something had changed. No, this "taking advantage" had turned into "thanks." Jiang Nuan felt she had fallen into Mu Jiu Chen's trap again.
Li Wan and Li Qin then came in to clear the table. As soon as Li Wan entered, she saw the woman standing in the ward. A flash of amazement crossed her eyes. The woman's features were exquisitely beautiful, almost unreal, both pure and lovely. She didn't seem gentle, but rather had a cool and aloof demeanor. Li Wan couldn't help but tell herself that this was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen.