Inside the living room sat An Feng, Li Yuanjuan, and a few middle-aged men that Jiang Xu did not recognize.
They must be An Feng's friends.
But that wasn't the point.
The point was there was a woman, dressed in red with a powerful aura.
If not Zhang Xiaohui, then who?
Jiang Xu almost blurted out an expletive in surprise.
What was happening?
Suddenly, he conjured up a dramatic family scene in his mind.
On the outside, Jiang Xu calmly greeted everyone.
An Feng and Li Yuanjuan were delighted to see Jiang Xu.
They introduced him to their friends,
and Zhang Xiaohui also turned her attention to him,
her eyes filled with evaluative intent.
Jiang Xu placed the fruit and gifts on the table, smiling, "Congratulations, Uncle, Auntie, and Nuonuo on moving into your new house."
Li Yuanjuan laughed heartily, "Ah, it's enough that you came. Why bring gifts?
Ah, is this pure gold?"
She was quite surprised upon seeing the golden statues of happiness, prosperity, and longevity on the table.
Jiang Xu nodded yes.
A golden statue of this size, even if it wasn't solid, would not be cheap.
An Feng's friends assumed Jiang Xu was a rich second-generation heir.
Zhang Xiaohui, however, was keenly interested in Jiang Xu.
What he had given didn't matter to Li Yuanjuan as much as the evidence
that he was putting in effort did.
An Nuonuo felt a bit sorry for Jiang Xu.
She knew Jiang Xu was an entrepreneur and investing a lot of money.
Her eyes sparkled as she wondered about something.
Then Li Yuanjuan and An Nuonuo went into the kitchen to get busy.
Jiang Xu couldn't help but give An Feng an inquisitive look.
An Feng blinked hard.
But the two men's understanding wasn't mutual enough.
So Jiang Xu didn't understand what he wanted to convey.
Only when Zhang Xiaohui got up to go to the restroom did Jiang Xu rush over to ask An Feng, "Uncle, what's going on here?"
All of this was quite audacious.
An Feng grinned bitterly, "She insisted on coming, claiming it was on behalf of her old class, and as an investor.
Moreover, she has invested a lot in this house, and it felt rude to stop her."
Jiang Xu figured An Feng played the muscle while she provided the capital, right?
He decided this was a family affair, and he had no right to intervene.
Better to stay out of it and not change the original course of events.
When Zhang Xiaohui returned from the restroom, she went to help in the kitchen.
She was adaptable.
Strong and forceful when necessary, yet gentle when needed.
She got along quite well with Li Yuanjuan.
Li Yuanjuan was either too easygoing or for other reasons,
did not pick up on anything unusual.
But An Nuonuo was different.
Her past insecurities had made her very sensitive.
She sensed something unusual about Zhang Xiaohui's appearance at their home.
But she couldn't put her finger on it, and that was why she hadn't spoken up at the door.
Without evidence, she didn't want to make insinuations.
She kept her head down and listened quietly to the conversation.
Zhang Xiaohui suddenly turned the conversation towards her.
"Nuonuo, you're in Senior Three, right?"
An Nuonuo was taken aback for a moment, but then nodded.
Zhang Xiaohui asked, "Nuonuo, you're beautiful and your grades are good.
Have you ever considered studying abroad?"
An Nuonuo shook her head, "No."
Zhang Xiaohui added, "The quality of education abroad is really much better.
Additionally, holding a foreign degree will give you a great advantage when looking for jobs back home.
Luckily, I know a friend.
He has an entry qualification for the world's second-ranked high school."
The enrollment rate of that high school was very high.
As long as one performed normally, the chances of getting into top universities such as Cambridge, Harvard, or MIT were quite significant.
"If you want, I can help you get it," I said.
Li Yuanjuan was a bit tempted upon hearing this.
In those days, being a foreign student was a sweet spot, something many people coveted.
Not to mention graduating from a prestigious university.
But she wouldn't force An Nuonuo; everything depended on her own intentions.
After listening, An Nuonuo shook her head and merely said thank you.
Then she lowered her head and continued her work.
Zhang Xiaohui laughed and didn't continue the conversation.
She cooked a full table of dishes.
Before eating, they had to pay respects to the Kitchen God.
The adults were chatting and laughing there.
Jiang Xu and An Nuonuo were eating on the side.
However, Jiang Xu quickly noticed that An Nuonuo's mood was slightly off.
After they almost finished eating, Jiang Xu suggested taking a tour of the new house.
Li Yuanjuan smiled and said, "Sure, let Nuonuo accompany you."
Coming to the second floor, Jiang Xu asked, "What's wrong? Today should be a happy day.
I noticed your mood is slightly off."
An Nuonuo touched her face, "Is it that obvious?"
Jiang Xu nodded.
"It's my father. Last night he asked if I wanted to study abroad...
And today, Auntie Zhang said something similar."
Jiang Xu was moved, "What do you think?"
He wasn't worried.
After all, in her past life, An Nuonuo never went abroad.
"I don't want to go. It's quite nice here, but..."
An Nuonuo hesitated slightly.
She finally expressed her suspicions of something being amiss between An Feng and Zhang Xiaohui.
She had grown to trust Jiang Xu deeply now.
Jiang Xu wasn't overly surprised.
This girl had keen senses, and it was normal for her to pick up on things.
After some thought, Jiang Xu asked, "Just in case, I mean just in case, they really... What will you do?"
"I... I don't know."
Jiang Xu tousled her hair, "Let's not meddle in adults' affairs.
Just study well, get into a good university, and then we... hehehe."
An Nuonuo lightly punched him, "Stop it."
They took a tour around the second floor and finally arrived at An Nuonuo's bedroom.
Compared to the old house, the new room was fairly large and tidy.
It had a large wardrobe.
A separate washroom, and even a desk, bookshelf, and so on.
Jiang Xu sat on the bed, patting it, "It's really nice. This big bed for you alone..."
Before he could finish, An Nuonuo silently pulled out her mobile phone.
Given her intention, she was preparing to call Chen Yue.
Jiang Xu obediently kept his mouth shut.
An Nuonuo revealed a winner's smile.
After staying there for a while longer, Jiang Xu left.
Just in time, Zhang Xiaohui also left.
Outside, she stopped Jiang Xu.
Then she handed him a business card, smiling as she said he could contact her if he ever needed help.
Jiang Xu couldn't gauge her intentions, but still smiled and accepted it.
After leaving, Jiang Xu went home with a bag.
And then he arrived at his own restaurant.
He handed the bag to Chen Yue, "These are the gifts Nuonuo knitted for you.
Gloves for dad, scarf for you."
Chen Yue and Jiang Shan looked at the items An Nuonuo had made.
The couple exchanged glances.
In perfect understanding,
One of them went to close the door, while the other went to get the broom.