The air grew stifling. Even the food seemed to sense it and toned down its aroma.
Wen Sining sized up Lu Luochen out of the corner of her eye. Had she messed up again? She had just been keeping up her usual act, yet it seemed she had managed to irk him once more.
Her lowered gaze timidly shifted to the old man.
With a loud thud, Wen Sining instinctively sprang up from her seat, looking at the old man's hand that had slammed down hard on the table with a frightened expression.
It must hurt quite a bit, right?
Veins bulged on the old man's calloused hands. He raised his hand again, this time bringing it down more slowly. "If you can eat, then eat. If not, leave the table!"
Lu Luochen took out his frustration on Wen Sining. He shot her a glare, pushed his chair back with his feet, and stood up. "I didn't even plan on coming back in the first place."
"You!" The old man pointed at him, so angry that his chin beard trembled. "Go upstairs and face the wall!"
Lu Luochen let out a cold snort and stomped forcefully towards the stairs.
Wen Sining turned around curiously to take a look. She never expected that he would be made to face the wall. He seemed just like a little kid.
The corners of her lips curled up slightly, but Lu Luochen caught that with his sharp eyes.
Damn stupid woman. Was she making fun of him?
He grabbed the handrail with a thud, and the frost in the corners of his eyes issued a warning to Wen Sining.
Caught making fun of him, Wen Sining quickly turned her head back.
The old man thought she was scared, so he gently picked up the serving chopsticks and continued to put food on her plate. "If you like it, eat more. If there's anything special you want to eat, just tell Grandpa. I'll have someone cook it for you."
"Thank you, Grandpa."
"Silly girl. We're family now. No need to say thank you."
Her plate was piled up like a small hill, filled with nothing but meat. Such a situation would never happen in the Wen family. The old man was even nicer to her than those who shared the same bloodline with her.
Even though Wen Sining was already very full, she still ate everything clean under the old man's gentle gaze.
Her belly was round and bulging. She smiled helplessly. At this rate, she might have to secretly go on a diet.
After the old man left the table, the maids immediately came up to clear it. Before Wen Sining could leave, they each took a corner and clattered the dishes together, sending them into the kitchen.
"Wait!" Wen Sining walked around the long table and came to the kitchen door. She looked at the plate in the maid's hand and spread out her hands. "Can I have it?"
"Still eating?" the maid blurted out.
Wen Sining blinked her eyes and retorted, "Can't I?"
The maid looked down on her in her heart but didn't dare to provoke her. She stuffed the plate into Wen Sining's hand and turned around to enter the kitchen, whispering and gossiping about her huge appetite with the other maids.
Wen Sining didn't care what they said. She took a pastry in each hand and happily walked upstairs.
The pastries were still a bit hot on the bottom after being taken off the plate. Wen Sining nudged the door open with her elbow and appeared in front of Lu Luochen with a silly smile.
The smile on Lu Luochen's face disappeared the moment he saw her. "Stop. Don't move."
Wen Sining's raised foot hung in the air. Her body swayed from side to side like a tumbler.
"Luochen, what's going on?"
A sweet voice came from the computer on the table.
Lu Luochen lowered his head, and the coldness in his eyes was instantly replaced by tenderness. "I'll be back in a minute. Wait for me."
Yun Chutong nodded insincerely. "Then hurry up. Don't keep me waiting for too long."
At the door, Wen Sining was still standing on one leg, swaying more and more.
"I'm busy now. Go downstairs and wait for a while."
"Aren't you hungry? I brought you two pastries."
As she loosened her grip, the original shape of the pastries was no longer recognizable.
Lu Luochen looked at her with a headache. "Keep them for yourself. I don't need them."
"But, but you didn't eat dinner. Won't you be hungry?" Wen Sining wanted to put her foot down and take a step forward. But thinking of Lu Luochen, she lifted her leg back up halfway.
All her little movements were caught by Lu Luochen. He grabbed the doorknob impatiently and drove her away. "Don't enter this room without my permission from now on."
"But..."
The door was closed, and Wen Sining didn't even finish her sentence. She was left feeling dejected.
The pastries were already in a mess, and the powder was stuck between her fingers. Wen Sining threw them into the trash can beside her regretfully.
It seemed impossible to ease the relationship between them.
Lu Luochen returned to his desk. Yun Chutong inside the computer stared at him seriously.
"Did your fiancée get angry when you drove her out?"
"What does it matter to me whether she's angry or not? If it weren't for the old - generation engagement, I wouldn't have anything to do with her."
Yun Chutong was very satisfied with Lu Luochen's response. She coquettishly moved closer to the camera, resting her chin on her hands. "Will you come to see me tomorrow? It's so lonely at home since I just got back to the country. I'm a bit scared by myself."
Tomorrow?
Lu Luochen thought for a moment. "I might not be able to make it recently. You know the old man's temper. I'm afraid he might do something to you if he gets angry."
"So we can never see each other?"
Yun Chutong pouted and angrily left the screen.
"Be good. I was wrong. I'll try my best to create opportunities for us to meet. I won't keep you waiting for too long." Lu Luochen anxiously coaxed her through the screen.
He kept saying nice things, but Yun Chutong just didn't show up.
After a long time, when she thought it was about time, she composed herself and came back to the video unhappily. "I'm tired. I'm going to rest."
Looking at her dejected expression, Lu Luochen felt a pang in his heart. "Go to bed early. I'll come to see you when I have time."
"Goodbye." Yun Chutong hung up the video without hesitation.
Yun Chutong casually threw her phone on the table and sat in front of the dressing table, admiring her extremely beautiful face in the mirror.
It seemed it was time to find an opportunity to meet this so - called fiancée.
Lu Luochen was in a bad mood after the call was hung up. He ran his fingers through his hair dejectedly and looked up at the closed door.
Wen Sining was sitting at the door like a poor little thing, with her head drooping between her legs. As soon as she heard the sound behind her, she scrambled up from the ground like a frightened bird.
"Come in."
She shuffled into the room and was then scolded by Lu Luochen to close the door. Wen Sining stood timidly behind Lu Luochen, waiting for his next arrangement.
"You'll sleep on the sofa tonight." Lu Luochen grabbed the bedding on the bed and threw it into Wen Sining's arms.
The bedding spun in the air and covered Wen Sining's head. She thought for a moment, then pulled the quilt off her head and retorted, "What about you?"
"Of course I'll sleep in the bed!"
"The sofa is hard. It'll be uncomfortable. I want to sleep in the bed too." Wen Sining said deliberately.
For the sake of Yun Chutong, Lu Luochen definitely wouldn't share a bed with her. Since she was going to live in the Lu family for a long time, she had to fight for the chance to sleep in the bed.
"Wishful thinking!" Lu Luochen threw these four words at her, picked up his pajamas at the end of the bed, and walked into the bathroom.