Xu Wanwan placed the last dish on the table. She rested her arm on the table and let out a breath.
She had finally finished making breakfast in time. She hoped that Li Jingran would listen to her explanation later.
"What are you doing here?"
A cold voice suddenly came from behind her. Xu Wanwan's heart shuddered, and she turned her head around in panic.
She looked at the serious man timidly, her heart pounding like a drum for some reason. She stammered, "I... I actually..."
Li Jingran frowned and looked at the delicious dishes on the table. "Didn't you say you would cook once a week?"
Xu Wan lowered her head guiltily, not daring to look into the man's eyes again.
It was not easy for her to get Li Jingran to take her in, and it was also the first time she was protected by someone. She thought that as long as she was obedient, she would be able to stay here.
However, she had said the wrong thing yesterday and was about to be chased away.
The more Xu Wanwan thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. Her nose was sore, and there was a surge of heat in her eyes. She could not help but cry.
She thought that she would be able to live peacefully for a period of time under Li Jingran's protection.
She had lived for eighteen years in her past life, but she had never experienced the feeling of being protected in the palm of someone's hand.
In this life, Li Jingran gave her a sense of security. She wished that she could stay.
Xu Wanwan could no longer control her emotions. Her thin shoulders trembled uncontrollably, and her soft sobs were particularly piercing.
Li Jingran stood rooted to the ground, looking at the girl who had suddenly burst into tears. He was momentarily at a loss.
Could it be that he had spoken harshly just now and scared the girl to tears?
He pondered for a moment and spoke slower. "I'm not blaming you. Why are you crying?"
Xu Wanwan looked up, and a drop of crystal clear tears fell from her cheek. She said carefully, "I didn't lose my memory. I shouldn't have kept it from you..."
"I was wrong. Can you not chase me away? I'll study hard and be good in the future. When I become stronger, I'll help you, okay?"
After saying that, she blinked her teary eyes and stared at Li Jingran.
Li Jingran's tense heart relaxed. Looking at the girl's pitiful look, he didn't want to continue asking.
He even felt a little regretful.
If he had known that he would make this girl think so much, he wouldn't have left her alone at the mall yesterday.
"None of this is important. You're now a member of the Li family." Li Jingran took out a piece of paper from the napkin box on the dining table and helped Xu Wanwan wipe away her tears. He said in a low voice, "I hope you don't have to live so tiredly. You don't have to give face to other people anymore. You have to live with confidence."
Xu Wanwan's long eyelashes trembled slightly as she felt the man's cold fingertips sliding across her face. It was as if a gentle breeze blew across her heart, stirring up ripples.
He actually didn't blame her, but he had instead comforted her.
For some reason, she felt like crying at this moment.
The emotions accumulated in her heart were no longer fear and sadness, but a kind of gratitude and excitement after being warmed up.
Seeing that the girl was about to cry again, Li Jingran said patiently, "Actually, you did a good job yesterday. You have to do the same in the future. Don't let your kindness turn into weakness."
Xu Wanwan held back her tears and raised her small face. She looked at Li Jingran seriously. "Yes! I'll slowly correct myself in the future and become more and more confident!"
"Then why are you crying?" Li Jingran laughed.
Xu Wanwan reached out her hand and quickly wiped away her tears. The corners of her mouth lifted into a smile. "I'm very happy to be able to stay here."
The girl in front of him was pure and cute. Her eyes were watery after crying, and the curve of her mouth made people feel like they were bathed in the spring breeze. It made Li Jingran inexplicably want to pamper her.
He suddenly lowered his eyes and chuckled.
In his twenty-six years of life, there was no other girl who could arouse his emotions like her.
Xu Wan quickly regained her composure and went back to the dining table to get a bowl of porridge. "Mister Li, it's time for breakfast."
Li Jingran sat back at the dining table and looked at the steaming rice porridge in the ceramic bowl. He was in a good mood, and his appetite grew as well. Soon, he finished his breakfast.
Xu Wanwan propped her chin on her hand and looked at the man with a satisfied expression.
How nice.
She could still stay by Li Jingran's side now. Perhaps she will have a much better life in the future.
At this moment, a sudden ringing of the phone broke the harmonious atmosphere.
Xu Wanwan took out her newly bought phone from her pocket. When she saw the caller ID, she could not help but frown slightly.
If she remembered correctly, this was Zhao Zixuan's phone number.
Li Jingran put down the spoon and looked at the girl. "Why aren't you picking up?"
Xu Wanwan hesitated for a moment, but she still picked up the phone.
A cold male voice immediately sounded on the other end of the line—
"Xu Wanwan, I've sent you the location. You'd better arrive before ten o'clock."
Unlike how she treated Li Jingran, Xu Wanwan replied coldly, "Got it."
On the other end of the phone, Zhao Zixuan wanted to say something else, but Xu Wanwan had already hung up the phone.
Li Jingran looked at her with interest.
He did not expect this girl to have two faces. In front of him, she was completely harmless and pitiful. When she faced others, she would show a cold side.
His lips curled up, and he chuckled.
"Very good."
Xu Wanwan was confused. "Ah?"
"This is how it should be for people you don't like."
Xu Wanwan's eyes flashed as she said truthfully, "It was Zhao Zixuan who urged me to meet him. I'll set off in a moment."
"Zhao Zixuan isn't a good person." Li Jingran's eyes darkened and reminded her, "When he asked you to meet him this time, he actually colluded with the Xu family to swindle your results."
"They are really too much. I have already left the XU family, yet they still use such despicable methods to deal with me." After hearing this, Xu Wanwan felt angry and sad at the same time. Her voice was filled with anger. "I will not let them succeed."
She had already witnessed such methods in her past life.
In this life, she would definitely not let such a thing happen again!
"Do you need me to go with you?" Seeing the missy so angry, Li Jingran subconsciously said, "You are now a member of my Li family. If you need any help, you can look for me."
When Xu Wanwan heard this, she inexplicably felt a sense of security.
Li Jingran seemed to be telling her that he was someone she could rely on.
She shook her head. "No need. This is my matter. I need to resolve it on my own."
Li Jingran nodded in satisfaction. "Okay, contact me if there's anything."
In fact, he was not a busybody.
But he was always worried that Xu Wanwan would be bullied. After all, he had asked her to stay, so he naturally had to protect her.
After Li Jingran went to work, Xu Wanwan did not stay idle. She went back to her room to change her clothes and put on some light makeup before setting off.
The driver drove her to where Zhao Zixuan was. After thanking him politely, she got out of the car and walked into a high-end restaurant.
In the corner, Zhao Zixuan had been waiting for a long time.