Chapter Eighteen: Come back and hit you!

  In fact, Jiang Xinyue did nothing at home.

  She is just a paper tiger in theory. Once put into practice, she doesn't even have one ten-thousandth of the power of Zunba.

  An Zhijie walked into the house and through the gate, Jiang Xinyue suddenly stood up from the sofa, seeing the person who had appeared countless times in her dreams, her entire face turned bright red, and she couldn't speak.

  Just like that, she rushed into someone's home without any regard, and was able to respond with a straight face, only Warbler was like this, but not Jiang Xinyue.

  Tension, shyness, anxiety, anticipation, and deep regret... Is it too much for me to follow this chaotic path?

  "Miss Jiang?" Due to their previous encounter, An Zhi Jie's impression of Jiang Xin Yue was quite deep: "Where are An Ran and Xiao Zhan classmates?"

  A flash of confusion on An Zhi Jie's face did not escape Jiang Xin Yue's eyes... Was he guessing his own motives? Jiang Xin Yue felt a little uneasy, biting her lip before answering: "Uh... they went to buy vegetables..."

  "Please sit down," An Zhijie handed the package to the butler, loosened his tie, and sat down on the sofa next to Jiang Xinyue. As the host, he chatted with the guest, which seemed like the right thing to do. "I heard from Xiao Zhan that An Ran went to your place for the past two days? Didn't give you any trouble, did she?"

  He was so close to her, just within a meter's range. She could see the faint freckles at the corner of his eyes and the slightly greenish stubble on his chin. His eyebrows were thick, his eyes were full of spirit, with a similar sharp and bright gaze as An Ran, but with an added air of mature elegance. And also... his smile was so captivating... Jiang Xinyue blinked her eyes, momentarily unable to think.

  "Miss Jiang?" An Zhijie called out tentatively again.

  "What? Oh, no, nothing, An Ran is fine, he's very capable... " Jiang Xinyue hastily added: "He won over 2,000 yuan from us playing mahjong..."

  Every game of mahjong was won, the old man almost cried, although there were also clever tactics in it, but An Ran's hand as a newcomer was really amazing.

  Playing mahjong? Winning? As the father of the person involved, An Zhijie still doesn't know when his son learned this trick. Has he gone astray? As a father, he would naturally think in this direction, but recently he hasn't heard any negative feedback from Secretary Zhou Bin or the teacher.

  An Zhi Jie felt that he should re-examine his relationship with his son, Zhan Yu. Although they didn't seem close, a father's love is boundless, and An Zhi Jie understood the concern in his heart. He had always been paying attention to An Ran - it seemed like every time something related to Zhan Yu came up, An Ran would become different from usual.

  "Miss An, sorry about that. When I get back, I'll make sure to teach him a lesson properly. How much did he win? I'll have him return it to you later."

  Jiang Xinyue hastily waved her hand: "I didn't mean that... uh, what I wanted to say is, An Ran had a great time playing at our house and we all liked him very much."

  I've cried... I really want to slap myself in the face... Where's my talent? My eloquence? Why is it that when I type, the words flow smoothly, but as soon as I try to speak, I become so clumsy?

  An Zhijie heard An Ran having fun, feeling a bit melancholy and also a bit relieved. He who was used to dealing with the business world with ease, had rarely been in contact with women all these years, this kind of family gathering was a bit difficult for him. Plus Jiang Xinyue's expression changed suddenly, An Zhijie didn't know what he should say for a moment either.

  "That... the house is really beautiful..." The silent atmosphere made Jiang Xinyue feel a bit unbearable, her eyes wandered around not knowing what to do, and when she turned back, she accidentally met An Zhijie's gaze, instantly her face turned red, she racked her brains, and barely managed to throw out a sentence to ease the awkwardness.

  "Shall I take you on a tour?" suggested An Zhijie, following up on the topic.

  "......good......"

  Kitchen, living room, game room, audio-visual room, gym, guest room... going upstairs, the spiral staircase shines brightly, Jiang Xinyue follows behind An Zhijie, looking at his robust and majestic back, a little dazed.

  It turns out that love at first sight really exists in reality. Jiang Xinyue had written about it before, but deep down, she didn't quite believe it, after all, it's something that originates from life yet transcends it. But when she met An Zhijie, she realized that it's true.

  She can't help but write An Zhijie into her stories, the faint scent of Gucci cologne on his body, his angular face with a resolute expression and an air of dominance, the moment he wraps his arms around her, the sense of safety and happiness that radiates from his embrace...

  Every stroke of writing is a heart-wrenching thought.

  This thought was told to her by Zhan Yu, that there is really hope for the future, and it will reach its peak.

  She wanted to be like Xiaoyu, brave enough to chase love once, after all, even a little girl like her had the courage, why couldn't she? So she followed Xiaoyu's plan and made trouble together. But when she really faced An Zijie, she realized that courage wasn't something everyone possessed.

  She was nervous even looking at his back.

  In a daze, she repeated the same mistake. The iconic long skirt trailed on the ground and was then successfully trampled underfoot once again. "Ah no!" Jiang Xinyue felt herself tumbling forward with her eyes wide open.

  I cried... The last time was already embarrassing enough, why did it have to happen again? Is this really that unlucky?! People won't think I'm doing it on purpose, will they?! It's so humiliating. What's even worse is that people won't think I have some kind of physical disability, right?! No way, she may not be very athletic, but she's still a healthy person!

  Forget it, might as well just die. Otherwise, wait a bit and I'll just pretend to have fainted. Saves me from having to face that awkwardness.

  In the flash of lightning, Jiang Xin Yue's mind was filled with countless thoughts as she stood at the center of the river. Just when she decided to close her eyes and grit her teeth in preparation for the impending doom, a pair of strong arms pulled her back once again.

  Last time it was from behind, this time it's from the front, but it's all the same, as long as he is there, she won't get hurt.

  "Are you okay?" An Zhijie looked down at her, startled like a little rabbit. By rights, a woman of her age shouldn't be called cute anymore, but the expression she had just now was really, very cute.

  Is this the determination one should have when facing death with a clear conscience?

  "....It's nothing......" Jiang Xinyue said softly, and didn't dare raise her head to look at An Zhijie.

  An Zhijie suddenly averted his gaze, as the saying goes, "A gentleman does not look at what is not proper." Jiang Xinyue's long dress with a chest-high slit was trampled under her foot, causing the neckline to be pulled down a large section. From his angle, he could see everything.

  An Zhijie is not a young punk, so he won't lose control at first sight, but after such a long time without being close to women, he also has a slight wavering of his mind.

  The magnificent waves. Moreover, this unintentional revelation is more attractive than those intentional exposures.

  The women of the Jiang family, although petite due to their southern heritage, have certain parts that are quite pronounced. Grandma Jiang is like this, Jiang Xinyi and Jiang Xinyue sisters are like this, Zhan Jiaolong's eldest daughter Zhan Qiao is like this, and I believe future generations like Zhan Yudan will be the same.

  And with the tempering of the five northern Han ethnic groups during the Warring States period, it seems that this generation's height has increased somewhat. Zhang Fei is now a head taller than his mother, at 1.72 meters tall.

  "Shall we go upstairs?" An Zhijie turned around, giving her some space to tidy up.

  She let her skirt swing open, the arc of her chest being pulled back by the shoulder strap, Jiang Xinyue didn't notice that she had inadvertently exposed a glimpse of herself just now, and hummed in response, continuing up the stairs.

  The bedroom was just a stop at the door, and Jiang Xinyue still had this courtesy. It was standing on the ultra-large platform with three sides surrounded by emptiness that made her happy with the beautiful scenery.

  The vast lake surface, the distant mountains are misty. The lake water has become a natural barrier, ensuring safety while giving people a sense of spiritual connection with nature.

  No wonder An Ran wasn't that surprised by the environment of the Wu Guan, as her own home also enjoys a unique and beautiful landscape.

  A gentle breeze lifts the curly long hair on the riverbank, embracing nature with a hint of charm. The beautiful long skirt also shows its charm at this moment, and under the blowing wind, it rises with a floating arc.

  An Zhijie stood quietly behind, watching all of this. He thought back to that time when he had fantasized about creating a home by the mountains and rivers for a woman.

  Unfortunately now, there is a house, but she is no longer here. A house without people, perhaps that's what truly makes a home?

  "Huh, they're back!" Jiang Xinyue's peripheral vision caught a glimpse of the car's shadow.

  An Zhijie also came back to himself and smiled: "Shall we go downstairs?"

  Two people went downstairs together, and they saw Zhan Zhuang embracing a small mountain by himself, still shouting and directing An Ran's appearance. An Zhijie glanced at Jiang Xinyue, who coughed dryly with some embarrassment and tucked her long hair behind her ears.

  If you don't look at her as a family member, Xiaoxiao's appearance is just a bit spoiled and wilful, like a female bandit. Jiang Xinyue has immorally forgotten his principles because of her beauty.

  "Huh, Uncle An, you're back?" Zhan Zhu Zhu raised her eyes and saw the two people on the stairs. She clicked her tongue in admiration - what a perfect couple! And she even openly winked at Jiang Xin Yue to celebrate her aunt's smooth progress.

  An Ran simply nodded silently towards her father.

  "Little war..."

  "Uncle An, just call me Doudou, Xiong Anan also calls me that, right?" DouDou nudged the motionless Xiong beside her with his shoulder.

  ...He never called her, or maybe he just called her Zhan Zhu Zhu? When did they get so close? An Ran wanted to refute, but after glancing at Zhan Zhu Zhu, she lost the will to argue again...... Fine, fine, anyway in the end what's black would be said to be white by her, why bother putting in the effort.

  She nodded silently again.

  An Zhijie looked at An Ran's expression and felt that his son, who was always strong and stubborn at home, seemed to have more emotions suitable for his age.

  "Actually, it's not that troublesome, Uncle asked you to go out for dinner, okay?" An Zhijie had never encountered a situation where someone was invited to dinner and then bought ingredients to cook at their own home. This kid, Doudou, is a bit too enthusiastic.

  "No big deal, no big deal, I just love this move," Zhan Pengpeng said with a knee on An Ran's butt: "Uncle An, you and Little Auntie chat first, I think the scenery outside is great, you guys go for a walk, the kitchen will be taken care of by me and Xiong An'an!"

  An Ran dared to be angry but didn't dare speak, his expression awkward as he was pushed all the way into the kitchen by Zhan Zhan. An Zhi Jie smiled as he looked at his son, seemingly finding it somewhat amusing.

  Although An Ran had been eating the loving breakfasts made by Zhen Zhu for almost a month, he still hadn't seen her cook up close in the kitchen. The images of chefs in his mind were no more than what he saw in movies like "Little Chinese Chef" or "Food God", and he always thought that the swift chopping sounds were exaggerated techniques.

  But the performance of Zhan Zhan overturned his cognition. Her movements were not so fancy, but very practical, fast, and she seemed to be able to do many things at once, cooking in the pot, washing in the water, and cutting on the chopping board.

  She really should be a chef. And looking at her quick movements, there is no impatience or fluster, and her expression seems to be enjoying it?

  Yes, it's really enjoyable...

  "Um, I want to do something?" An Ran felt that this spacious kitchen seemed to have no place for her, and several times she even got in the way.

  "Uh, you're in charge of carrying the dishes." Zhan pointed to the side, "Take out the dishes and wash them clean, fill them with food and take them to the table." As long as he doesn't go out to disturb his aunt and uncle's world, it's fine.

  Thus, the most handsome dishwasher and busboy/waiter in history was born.

  She didn't plan to make a full Manchu-Han banquet, that's too grandiose, it would have intentional marks, not intimate enough, and not suitable for developing a romantic and warm relationship. So, she simply made six dishes and one soup today, which should be enough for the four of them.

  "Hmm, Xiong An'an, the dishes are nicely arranged, you have a good sense of aesthetics." Zhan Zhuangzhuang took off his apron and glanced at the table, unable to help but praise.

  She gave him a calm glance, he had no idea at all, having studied fine arts for some time.

  "Go call Little Aunt and them to come over for dinner!" Zhan Zhuang took out a few wine glasses and poured beer. Although it's better to have some red wine at this time, we are actually having Chinese food, so it's not suitable. In the end, she replaced the red wine with a dozen beers.

  "You go." An Ran rarely refused, taking over the wine bottle.

  "Hey, you're blushing again?" Warmed up to tease him, haha, at first thought Xiong An'an was quite arrogant, but now looks pretty shy. "Alright, I'll go."

  The way of shouting is standing at the gate and yelling loudly: "Uncle An! Auntie! Dinner's ready!"

  The effect is very intuitive.

  Because of the reminder from War, today is Mid-Autumn Festival, An Zhijie also let the two housekeepers go back early. The dining hall, which had not been used for a long time, suddenly lit up with dazzling lights and warm air, and An Zhijie was also a little dazed.

  It's been a long time since our home was so lively and had such a strong sense of life.

  "Wow, you're so skilled!" An Zhijie looked at the dishes on the table and sincerely praised. Nowadays, many children are spoiled and don't do household chores, let alone cook a whole table of delicious food that's both visually appealing and fragrant. It's hard to believe this was all made by this young girl.

  "That's it," said Zhan, who rarely knew what humility was, and made a inviting gesture: "My life goal is to open a small restaurant. Come on, Uncle An, you try first and see my skills."

  Four people sat down, An Zhi Jie Jiang Xin Yue on one side and Zhang Dan Feng An Ran on the other. Does it look like a family or not?

  "Cheers! Wishing everyone a happy Mid-Autumn Festival!"

  ......This is really familiar...... An Zhi Jie smiled and glanced at An Ran, rarely, a hint of shyness flashed across An Ran's face.

  An Zhi Jie thought An Ran was shy because of the scandal with Dou Dou.

  An Ran thought to herself, "Why did I provoke such a classmate? How embarrassing!"

  No matter what thoughts each person had in their heart, the atmosphere of eating was still very pleasant. An Zhi Jie suddenly remembered that he hadn't had such a lively dinner with An Ran for a long time, and unconsciously felt a little grateful to Jiang Xin Yue and Zhan Mei Mei.

  "Uncle An, is it delicious?" Zhan Zhu Zhu was eagerly awaiting An Zhi Jie's evaluation.

  "Ah, it's really delicious, even better than some Chinese restaurants' head chefs." An Zhijie carefully savored each dish and seriously evaluated them.

  "Haha, delicious! I'll come over often to freeload from now on. Mmm, you and Little Auntie are in charge of eating well, Xiong An'an is in charge of buying groceries, and I'm in charge of cooking." Zhan Zhuang assigned tasks to each person with a flick of his fingers. Creating a family atmosphere was the first step, then letting them get used to this atmosphere was the second step, after getting used to it... things will naturally fall into place.

  "Why am I buying vegetables?" An Ran was unhappy and protested, "That's something housewives or old men and women should do!"

  "You've just won over 2,000 yuan, who's going to spend it if not you? Let me tell you, this ill-gotten wealth from gambling must be spent as soon as possible. I'm actually helping you accumulate virtue." Zhan Er'er made a big scary face at him.

  "An Ran, can you play mahjong?" An Zhi Jie finally found a relatively relaxing topic to chat with him.

  In front of everyone, An Ran also didn't dare to be as silent as usual, and hummed: "Just learned."

  "I'm the master," said Zhan Yunyun, taking credit for it and making Jiang Xinyue feel embarrassed and lower her head - isn't this a bad thing? Corrupting someone else's child.

  "A good teacher produces excellent students, no problem." An Zhijie didn't mind anything and chose a praiseworthy point.

  Drinking, chatting, eating, everything is getting better and better. The war is about to smile, and the phone suddenly rings.

  It must be Da Pang and others sending themselves Mid-Autumn Festival messages. Zhan Ruanruan opened it with a start, and it turned out to be Xia Feihan.

  On this grand day, are you honored and surprised?

  She opened her phone with a smile, feeling good today. Later on, no matter what kind of low-level interesting blessing messages Xia Fei sends, she plans to just laugh it off - not because she's magnanimous, but because, you can't have a fight over text messages, especially when they're international numbers and each message costs a lot of money!

  "Where are you? Aren't you at home?"

  The message was very brief and obviously didn't intend to offer any greetings or well-wishes, directly launching into accusations.

  Zhan Zhenzhen wrinkled her nose, silently throwing a right hook in her heart to punch Xia Feihan, and replied with a text message: "Happy Mid-Autumn Festival to Leng Ge! Asking Xia Zhiji brother how are you doing? I'm having dinner at Xiong Anan's house with Xiao Yi, everything is going smoothly, aren't you very impressed with me? Haha!"

  "Where is Xiong An's home?" Xia Fei Han's text messages kept coming.

  "Ugh, looks like I'll have to waste another buck: "What's the matter? Are you coming to join in on the fun? The Xie family is located at the foot of beautiful Lushan Mountain. Have you heard of XX Shangjun? It's a small island surrounded by a lake, and the scenery is exceptionally beautiful! Hehe, are you jealous?"

  The messages sent from this side are joyful, but the peacefulness around me is inexplicably infuriating, and I have a strong urge to go over and take a look.

  "Wait until you've finished eating before sending it out." Jiang Xinyue reminded with a hint of caution, not wanting to ruin the great atmosphere.

  "Oh, haha, it's Xia Feihan," said Zhan Dandan, waving her phone around. Although Xia Feihan's words were unpleasant to hear, being able to receive his text message on this day made her feel good. When people encounter happy events, their spirits are lifted.

  "Isn't Xia cold?" An Ran was very impressed, but wasn't it said that Zhan Yu and he didn't get along? "Not Xia Zhi?"

  "What a stupid question! Zhan Zhan rolled her eyes: "Xiong An'an, I still have some IQ, right?""

  "This child..." Jiang Xinyue felt uneasy again and looked at An Zhijie with embarrassment.

  "It's nothing, kids will be kids." An Zhijie didn't think much of it. In fact, watching the young people bickering, his mood seemed to have grown younger as well.

  "What's wrong with spending Mid-Autumn Festival properly? Why are you running to someone else's house?" Xia Fei Han's text came again. "Don't tell me you've taken a liking to An Ran?"

  Zhan Zhan felt for the first time that Xia Fei Han was being so annoying. This little guy wasn't like this before. "Xia Fei Han, I forgive your miserable mood of spending Mid-Autumn Festival alone abroad. Since I'm in a good mood after dinner, I'll accompany you to chat online. Now, don't be too anxious and ruin Xiao Yi's good deed, or I'll beat you to death."

  "You're afraid I'll ruin your good thing? You have one minute to get out the door, otherwise, I'll beat you to death."

  Digression

  Haha, what does Hei Han Xiao Ge mean by saying that? Hurry up and spend your money! Only with flowers and applause can Nan Zhu make a dazzling appearance. Otherwise, with the humble character of a fan, it's easy to write him off as a false alarm... Right, this is the threat of Hong Guo Guo haha