The girl quickly released her grip.
Even with the helmet on, Jiang Xu guessed that her face must have been completely red.
An Nuonuo took off her helmet and glared at Jiang Xu, annoyed.
But she never got truly mad.
Rather than being intimidating, it just made him want to tease her more.
Jiang Xu opened the door and then pushed the bike, saying to Nuonuo, "Come in."
"Where is this?"
An Nuonuo followed him in, curiously looking around.
"I bought it with royalty fees and a bit of money from my parents. This will be my workspace."
"Wow, you're amazing."
An Nuonuo's mouth fell open in surprise.
Then admiration took over.
In an era when most of their peers were still trying to trick their parents into giving them allowance,
Jiang Xu had already bought a small building.
He was way ahead of the game.
Jiang Xu closed the main door and said, "I'll move all my books here tomorrow.
You can come and borrow any whenever you want."
Hmm.
Using that pretext, he hoped to alleviate some of her worries.
Once she had grown accustomed to it, she would treat it like a second home.
"Okay," the girl nodded.
Completely oblivious of Jiang Xu's 'insidious scheme'.
Once inside, they both sat down.
An Nuonuo started with the stinky tofu.
It's not good when cold.
Jiang Xu suddenly had a mischievous idea as he watched her take small bites of her stinky tofu.
Clearing his throat, he asked, "Here's a question for you. If one day, a bad guy wanted to hurt you,
what would you do to ensure your safety?"
"Huh?" The girl blinked, answering dazedly, "Call for help?"
Jiang Xu: "What if there's no one around and you could only rely on yourself?
And the criminal could easily overpower you."
She was stumped by the question.
After thinking for a long time, she shook her head, saying she didn't know.
Jiang Xu grinned wickedly, "There's only one way to turn the tables: defecate within a few seconds.
The stench will deter anyone, no matter how beautiful you are.
Just like the stinky tofu in your hand."
An Nuonuo looked down.
"Ugh!"
She retched a bit, then angrily glared at Jiang Xu.
"Hahaha!"
Jiang Xu burst into laughter.
The girl was really angry.
This bad guy, always picking on her.
But she wasn't a pushover.
As Jiang Xu was laughing heartily,
she immediately took out her mobile phone, dialed a number, and turned on the speaker.
The call was quickly connected.
"Ah Nuonuo, why did you call me?"
The voice was Chen Yue's.
An Nuonuo pouted: "Auntie, Jiang Xu just bullied me."
"What?! Chen Yue's voice shot up an octave.
Her killing intent permeated the entire room through the phone.
"Give the phone to that little brat!"
Jiang Xu's laughter abruptly stopped.
An Nuonuo triumphantly handed Jiang Xu the phone.
"Mom..."
"Who's your mom?" Chen Yue shouted, "Very brave of you, Jiang Xu, to dare to bully Nuonuo.
Don't you know she's under my protection? How dare you!"
Jiang Xu: "..."
The girl smirked, finally discovering a weapon.
Jiang Xu broke into a cold sweat, "Mom, let me explain, it's not what you think."
The almighty Mother, sitting high above, trampled all reason beneath her feet, such terror.
It was not something he could resist as a mere high school student who hadn't yet formally entered the mysterious world of society.
"No need for explanations!" Chen Yue's dominance showed, "I'm telling you, don't dare to bully Nuonuo.
If you dare to bully her again, get ready for a tag-team showdown with me and your dad. Got it?"
In submission, Jiang Xu quickly nodded, "I got it, I got it."
"Hmph, remember this. If you dare to upset Nuonuo, I'll flay you alive."
With that, she hung up the call.
Jiang Xu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
Seeing the girl's smug look, he gritted his teeth, "When did you get my mom's number?"
"The first day I helped at your family's restaurant, your mom gave it to me," cheerfully replied An Nuonuo.
"You heard what my mom said, right? If you ever bully me again, it's gonna be rough for you."
She then punched the air assertively for emphasis.
So joyful.
Previously always oppressed by Jiang Xu, she had finally turned the tables.
Jiang Xu gritted his teeth in dismay, "Miss An Nuonuo, you're not playing fair. You should step up to the plate."
"No, I'm not interested in stepping up,"
The girl stuck her tongue out at Jiang Xu, cheeky and adorable.
Jiang Xu was livid.
He did not think his day of falling from grace would ever come.
An Nuonuo had gained such a powerful support.
He wouldn't be able to freely bully her anymore.
When could he finally regain his standing?
How infuriating!
"Hm hm hm…"
The girl hummed a cheerful tune while eating her candied haw.
She couldn't stomach the rest of the stinky tofu.
Just seeing it would remind her of what Jiang Xu said earlier.
That guy was really annoying.
Jiang Xu took it upon himself to eat it.
"Oh...you..."
Seeing Jiang Xu's action, An Nuonuo stared in shock.
He was using the skewer she had just used, wasn't he?
Her saliva was on it. How could he..?
Wasn't this essentially an indirect…
Jiang Xu paused for a moment when he realized what had just happened.
He hadn't thought this through at all.
All he knew was not to waste food, right?
Of course, he must play dumb at this point.
"Huh, what are you saying?"
The girl's heart raced.
But she couldn't point out what just happened.
She kept her head down, busy eating her candied haw, staying silent.
Jiang Xu found it amusing.
When they finished eating, and finished their milk tea,
Jiang Xu invited An Nuonuo to explore the whole building.
Finally, they arrived at the backyard.
Jiang Xu looked at her, "What's your opinion? If it was you, how would you reshape this place?"
She was also to be included.
In every bit of life, they were leaving their marks on each other.
Until they reached a point of inseparability.
"If it were me…" An Nuonuo bounced to the corner, "Over here, I'd plant two grapevines. I love grapes so much.
And here, could be planted with vegetables like tomatoes, winter melons, eggplants and so on.
Here, we could dig a hole for raising fish.
And here, we could have a swing, which would be so comforting to swing on whenever we have nothing to do.
Here, could be used for barbecues..."
The girl's eyes sparkled brightly.
Full of hope and anticipation for the future.
Jiang Xu quietly noted down all her words.
Would follow her suggestions for the transformation.
When everything was ready, he would bring her over and surprise her.
It was getting late. Jiang Xu rode his beloved motorcycle to drive An Nuonuo home.
The cool night breeze swept away the sultriness, but also seeped into their hearts.
"Hey, look over there,"
Suddenly, An Nuonuo noticed something.