Xia Sanghuan walked behind Leng Chuanjin and watched him fumble around in front of the oven. He was even wearing the light - pink apron that Leng's mother had.
She originally didn't want to disturb him, but seeing such a comical scene, she couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.
The man noticed her movement and turned to look at her.
Seeing the flour on the tip of his nose, the girl simply picked up a tissue, walked up to him, and reached out to wipe it off for him.
The man was stunned for a moment and subconsciously took a step back. Even his face blushed.
"Don't move."
The girl leaned forward slightly.
"All done."
After wiping off the flour, she threw the tissue into the trash can without noticing his expression.
"What are you doing?"
The girl moved closer to him and looked at the baking tray in his hand.
"Are you going to use the oven to light charcoal?"
Looking at the black, unidentified objects on the baking tray, Xia Sanghuan frowned.
"You might as well just ask Uncle Wang to prepare a stove for you."
The girl's straightforward words immediately hit Leng Chuanjin's sore spot.
"...These are cookies."
He choked for a moment and said.
"..."
This time it was Xia Sanghuan's turn to be embarrassed.
"Chocolate - flavored?"
"Butter and nut - flavored."
"The color of the butter in your family is quite unique."
She thought about her words and gave what she considered the most fair evaluation.
Leng Chuanjin became even more embarrassed instantly.
"Miss Xia, the young master baked these cookies for you personally. He doesn't have much experience. Please be more understanding of him."
Wang Fu, who had just put away the girl's coat, walked over at this moment to save his young master's face.
"Uncle Wang..."
The man sighed helplessly and placed the baking tray on the table.
The girl looked at him in surprise.
She originally thought that Second Brother was just acting on a whim, but unexpectedly, he had made these for her?
The anger that had filled her chest seemed to subside a little.
"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
After saying that, the butler left, leaving the two of them looking at each other.
"Sorry, Second Brother. I shouldn't have said that the cookies you baked looked like charcoal."
The girl let out a couple of dry laughs.
"It's okay."
The man took off his gloves.
"Have you had dinner?"
"Yes."
"You've already eaten..."
It might have been her imagination, but for the first time that night, a hint of disappointment flashed across Second Brother's face, a face that had otherwise shown little emotion.
But this disappointment quickly disappeared, and he returned to his usual self.
"Where did you go today?"
He asked while packing up the burnt cookies.
"Out... playing with a friend."
The girl hesitated for a moment. Not knowing how to refer to Shen Ya, she finally settled on "friend".
But this hesitation was interpreted differently in the man's eyes.
He pursed his lips and asked another question.
"Boy or girl?"
"Of course it's a girl."
She looked at him in confusion. "Does it matter?"
The man let out a slight sigh of relief.
"Yes."
"It matters."
Before the girl had time to react, he reached out and stroked her hair.
"Did you have a good time today?"
"Yeah." She nodded, lying through her teeth.
She had gone out today purely to find clues for the matter she was currently investigating. How could she have had a good time?
"What are you going to do with these cookies?"
She watched him put the cookies into a bag.
"Throw them away, of course."
He said matter - of - factly.
"Can't you let me have a taste?"
The girl raised an eyebrow.
"What if they're really chocolate - flavored?"
Her simple words instantly lifted the man's previously low spirits.
He took out a cookie and placed it in her hand.
The girl didn't hesitate to pop it into her mouth. After chewing it a couple of times, she swallowed it.
Feeling the burnt taste in her mouth, she finally couldn't hold it in anymore. Laughing, she said,
"They taste terrible."
But seeing her like this, the man wasn't angry at all.
He handed her a glass of water for her to rinse her mouth.
"I guess the rest will have to go to waste."
The girl shrugged, pretending to be regretful.
"You can finish them all if you want."
The man curled the corner of his mouth and held the whole bag of cookies in front of her.
"I'd better not."
The girl quickly took two steps back, keeping a safe distance from him.
...
Xia Sanghuan stared intently at the paper in front of her, which was filled with various experimental procedures and data.
After combining the pictures Shen Ya had sent her with what she had previously compiled, it became such a complete pharmaceutical process report.
Sure enough, after seeing those familiar drug names, she became even more certain that Wei Linjun must be related to whatever had been injected into Second Brother's body.
Was he a participant or the creator?
Regardless of his role, he couldn't stay in Fernos anymore.
Otherwise, both she and Professor He might be in danger.
But all she had at the moment was this report, and she didn't even have any evidence to prove that it was written by Wei Linjun.
If she asked Shen Ya to be a witness, not to mention whether she would be willing, even if she agreed, the people behind Wei Linjun would surely find a way to silence her.
Second Brother had kept many things from her, causing her to be almost detached from the struggle among them.
But she wasn't stupid. Based on what she had experienced and what Second Brother had told her, she knew that Wei Linjun was a tough nut to crack.
She didn't want to get involved in the power struggles, but she had already been dragged into them. If she wasn't careful, she would end up in pieces.
Neither the Fu family nor Leng Chuanjin could protect her forever.
"Sanghuan, what are you thinking about?"
Just as she was lost in thought, Professor He knocked on the table.
"What's up?"
She stood up.
"The principal wants to see you in his office."
After saying that, he looked at her with a hint of worry.
"Why has the principal been summoning you so often recently? He's not going to renege on the deal, is he?"
"Of course not."
She smiled to comfort him.
The principal's summons was probably related to that application.
For some reason, both Second Brother and the principal seemed very interested in this request.
But what interested them most was probably the name "Yun Qi" mentioned by the other party.
It seemed that the fake name she had made up to avoid being recognized was still necessary.
She pushed open the door of the principal's office. Li Ran was already waiting for her inside.
"Student Xia Sanghuan."
"Come and take a look at this."
The principal's tone was a bit solemn, and his face wore a rare serious expression.
The girl's heart skipped a beat.
She stepped forward and lowered her head to look at the things on the principal's desk.
It was a piece of white paper with a paragraph written on it.
After seeing the handwriting on the paper clearly, her eyes widened in shock.
Afraid that the principal would notice something amiss, she put her hands behind her back and pinched the flesh hard, trying to calm herself down.