"You didn't eat at home?" Young Master Yan withdrew his thoughts, still somewhat skeptical. Logically speaking, when she left the previous afternoon, it was still early and she could have had dinner at home.
And the driver, upon returning, specifically confirmed to him that he had safely dropped her at home.
"I was exhausted, I went straight to bed when I got home, and slept till dawn. I was only awakened by a phone call…" Zhu Qianying omitted the part where she woke up once in the middle of her sleep. Mentioning the call in the morning still made her look somewhat indignant.
Young Master Yan felt slightly guilty, a rare hint of compassion surfaced, and his cold face softened ever so slightly. He raised his hand, signaling a middle-aged man who looked like a butler, "Butler!"
"Go see what's available in the kitchen and bring it all here."
The middle-aged man was Uncle Hai, butler of the Yan Family.
"Serve it here?" Uncle Hai was surprised!
Others might be unaware, but he had seen their young master grow from a baby into a striking young man. He knew that Young Master Yan always ate in the dining room, and everyone else followed suit, because he believed that everything was to be done in its proper place. In fact, he couldn't bear the smell of food in the living room!
Young Master Yan, reminded by Uncle Hai, waved his hand impatiently, "The dining room!"
The dining room and the kitchen were both located in the corner of the living room, separated by a glass wall with an automatic door.
Zhu Qianying was wolfing down delicious snacks. Unintentionally glancing at the living room, she saw Young Master Yan leaning on the sofa, hearing a report from his special assistant.
Once, when Zhu Qianying, mouth wide open, was about to take a bite of a whole shrimp dumpling, her casual glance collided directly with Young Master Yan's peculiar look.
Zhu Qianying felt somewhat awkward, but thinking better of it, she wasn't a woman of much grace to begin with. It was better for him to face the harsh reality sooner than being disillusioned later.
Then, as she wished, she saw slight disgust on his face and in his eyes. Thus, she was even more certain that Young Master Yan was a very self-centered man with a strong desire for control.
Sigh…
She thought her days of hardship had come to an end, but it turned out that she was just jumping from one oppressive situation into another…
Zhu Qianying pulled her gaze back, somewhat despondent. Whether it was because she was almost full, or the remaining snacks weren't that appetizing, her pace of eating had noticeably slowed down, and she seemed to have lost her interest. Eventually, she stopped eating altogether, put her cheek in her palm, and stared blankly at the garden outside.
"Miss Zhu, are you full?"
Uncle Hai had been serving the Yan Family for many years and was good at reading their faces. While speaking, he kindly handed over a warm, damp towel.
Zhu Qianying turned her head and took the towel, uttering a word of thanks.
"Miss Zhu, would you like some tea to aid digestion?"
Uncle Hai glanced at the table, noticing half of the snacks were gone, was inwardly astonished. The snacks on the table were meant for three people in the family. This seemingly delicate girl had eaten more than Young Master Yan?
He couldn't possibly imagine that if it wasn't for Young Master Yan's presence putting her off, she could have eaten seventy to eighty percent of the food on the table.
"No need, thank you!"
Zhu Qianying didn't want to bother the seemingly no longer young butler, so she pushed her chair back and got up.
Though Zhu Qianying wanted to clarify why Young Master Yan had gotten her so early in the morning, seeing him still seriously listening to his special assistant's report, she decided not to interrupt him. She tiptoed to the shelf, grabbed her backpack, and sat down on the sofa facing the large garden outside.
She took out a book from her bag, and once she started reading, she was completely engrossed.
"Interesting?"
The man's deep voice wafted over her head, and Zhu Qianying instinctively closed the book. She looked up at him and smiled, "Done with your work?"
Young Master Yan felt slightly annoyed at her deliberate or unintentional ignoring of his question.
"What are you reading? You seem so engrossed!" The man stood straight behind her, his hands in his pockets.
Zhu Qianying quickly stuffed the book back into her backpack, "Nothing much, just picked up something to kill time."
She lowered her head and zipped up her backpack. Young Master Yan, standing behind her, naturally let his gaze fall on her honey-colored neck.
She had her hair done in a neat ponytail as usual and wore a loose-fitting T-shirt. Perhaps because she was thin or the shirt was too loose, the neckline was askew, revealing one shoulder.
Truth be told, she was decently covered, yet inadvertently, she gave off an exceptionally sexy vibe, just like now.
As a normal man, Young Master Yan couldn't shift his gaze away. His deep eyes lingered, catching a glimpse of a shadow beneath her collar. He could faintly make out the snowy white skin below her shoulder.
It seemed her skin must be quite fair and the exposed skin had a healthy honey color, indicating she must be a sporty girl.
That was plausible. How could someone who didn't love sports have the strength and courage to climb out of the Grand Canyon on their own?
"Do you enjoy reading usually?"
Young Master Yan was persistent. He wouldn't let go of the topic until he had it figured out.
Zhu Qianying simply hummed in response, stood up, and stepped back to put some distance between them before she finally looked up at him.
"Why did you bring me here so early in the morning? Didn't you say to wait for you to propose at home?"
Her beautiful, pitch-black eyes were like a calm lake, mirroring her tranquil tone. She appeared completely unlike the lively girl Young Master Yan had encountered the day before.
"My mom wants to see you!" Young Master Yan uttered, his tone causing a stir.
Zhu Qianying had been bent over to pick up her backpack, but at his words, she stiffened. She composed herself, picked up her backpack and stood upright.
"I thought... that this would happen later." Zhu Qianying murmured, sensing that things were slightly different from what she had imagined.
Young Master Yan turned the conventional norm of matchmaking on its head, making Zhu Qianying firmly believe that he was an extremely unconventional man.
The commands of parents and the words of the matchmaker meant nothing to him. Would he obediently introduce her to his mother?
She absolutely wouldn't believe it!
"Didn't you seem eager to marry me yesterday? What? Changed your mind?"
Young Master Yan, with his arms folded, was sizing up the woman before him. Except for her evidently youthful face, there was nothing about her that suggested she was only twenty.
Whether it was her swift reaction, extraordinary insight, or the nails she would instinctively use to scratch at others when in terrible situations, none of this seemed characteristic of a twenty-year-old girl.