"We can't afford to pay for any antiques in this house! Daju!"
In the bedroom, where cat fur was flying everywhere, Bai Yu and the orange cat formed a temporary alliance and lunged toward the falling teacup.
In the end, the teacup landed squarely on the cat’s soft belly.
Hot tea spilled all over it. Although it wasn't particularly scalding, the cunning cat let out a miserable "meow" to elicit sympathy.
Assistant Liu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. "Young Master Lin, you didn't have lunch. You can't take this medicine on an empty stomach. Let me have the kitchen send over a meal first."
The young girl remembered the delicacies she hadn't gotten enough of yesterday and swallowed hard, raising her hand. "Can you send two portions?"
The orange cat meowed and raised a paw: *Cat food with freeze-dried treats, please.*
Young Master Lin’s expression remained unchanged, and Assistant Liu hurried out of the room with fervor.
*Young Master Lin is actually allowing Miss Bai Yu to eat in his room? It seems like he’s not far from speaking again! The Lin Family’s empire finally has a successor!*
While waiting for the food, the orange cat sat on the coffee table, and the girl sat cross-legged on the floor, staring at it.
"Now we can be certain that someone is trying to harm Lin Du."
As soon as Bai Yu said this, Lin Du lifted his eyes slightly, his dark pupils obscure and unfathomable. The slanting rays of the setting sun fell across the girl’s body.
The orange cat pointed at the incense burner: *Last night, meow managed to knock over the incense just in time, which is why the Big Boss didn't have a flare-up today.*
Although the orange cat only kept "meowing," Lin Du could roughly guess its meaning through its actions.
"We alerted the enemy last night. The real culprit will likely keep a low profile for the next few days."
"Then we'll have to go with Plan B." The girl raised an eyebrow and gave Lin Du a wicked grin. "If you don't risk a child, you can't catch the wolf."
The man glanced at the wounds on her face, his eyes showing a touch of irritation. He pulled an ointment and some cotton swabs from the drawer and tossed them onto the coffee table.
The orange cat played with the cotton swabs, batting them around.
Bai Yu noticed a bloodstain on the fat cat’s paw pad—she didn't know where it had picked up that injury. She picked up a swab, dipped it in ointment, grabbed the cat's fat paw, and began to apply the medicine.
The orange cat tilted its head: *Human, although meow stays by the Big Boss's side, my heart is with you.*
Bai Yu’s light brown eyes curved into crescents, and she flicked the cat on its head. "Smooth talker. Save that for the little female cats."
The kitchen sent over several small plates of enticing dishes. The portions were small, but they were all arranged on the table in front of Lin Du.
Lin Du had always been a light eater, occasionally picking at a few bites with no real appetite. Over the years, Madam Fang had spent a fortune hiring chefs from all over the country just to get him to eat more. The Lin Residence's kitchen was filled with the nation's top culinary talent.
Whoever cooked the meal Lin Du ate the most of received a higher salary. Therefore, whenever they served Lin Du, the chefs brought out every trick in their book.
Bai Yu looked at the exquisitely plated dishes. They were indeed tempting, but something seemed to be missing.
"Why is there no rice?"
Assistant Liu adjusted his glasses awkwardly. "Young Master Lin eats very little. It’s quite an achievement that these dishes can even make him pick up his chopsticks."
"Food is the fuel of life; how can you not eat?" The girl pursed her lips in frustration.
"If Miss Bai Yu wants rice, I’ll have the kitchen send it up immediately."
The girl raised a hand. "No need. I’ll go myself."
Bai Yu strode toward the door, with the orange cat meowing and trotting behind her.
*Meow hasn't had home-cooked egg fried rice in ages. Meow wants to eat, meow wants to eat!*
Assistant Liu sighed softly as he watched Young Master Lin looking at the table of food with a complete lack of interest.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, the top-tier chefs were standing with their hands on their hips, looking thoroughly displeased.
"Do you have any farm-fresh eggs? And some leftover rice," the girl asked. She picked up a knife, chopped some green peppers, and beat the eggs.
She lit the stove, added oil, cracked the eggs in, and immediately turned off the flame. She dumped the cold leftover rice into the wok, broke it up, added seasoning, and stir-fried it over medium heat for two minutes before tossing in the chopped peppers.
Although the kitchen wok was a bit large and flipping it took some effort, Bai Yu didn't want to lose her momentum. From start to finish, it took only a few minutes.
A bowl of aromatic farm-egg fried rice was ready.
The chefs on the side sneered.
"A simple bowl of egg fried rice, and she wants to put it on Young Master Lin’s table? I’ve been at the Lin Residence for twenty years and have never heard of such a thing."
"The Lin Family is the wealthiest in the land—how could they allow such a low-class dish on the table?"
"If Young Master Lin actually eats this fried rice, I’ll do a handstand and peel potatoes!"
Bai Yu grabbed a few spoons and held the large bowl of fried rice. As she passed the door and heard the chefs whispering, she turned her head and retorted, "I’d love to see you do a handstand and peel potatoes."
The burly chefs were so angry their faces turned black.
The orange cat followed behind, drooling all over the floor, "meowing" at her to hurry up and eat.
When Bai Yu returned to Lin Du's room with the fried rice, Assistant Liu had already had most of the other dishes cleared away.
"Hey, hey, why are you clearing them? We haven't eaten yet!"
Assistant Liu looked at the steaming, fragrant bowl of rice in Bai Yu’s hands. It smelled so good he couldn't help but swallow his saliva, but Young Master Lin had been pampered since childhood—could he really eat such common fried rice?
Seeing his hesitation, the girl placed the rice directly in front of Lin Du and told the servants to bring the other dishes back.
"In all of Xiangyun Village, my egg fried rice is the best. Don't you really want to try it?"
Seeing his indifferent expression, she took it as a rejection. "Fine. If you aren't going to eat, I'm hungry, so I'll eat it myself."
The orange cat was so hungry its eyes had gone blank. It only started devouring the food when Bai Yu gave it a small bowl of its own, burying its whole cat face into the bowl and eating with gusto. While eating, it even sneakily used its paw to swipe a shrimp from a side dish.
Having been hungry all morning, Bai Yu took a massive spoonful of fried rice, stuffing her mouth until her cheeks were bulging, and squinted in satisfaction.
The sight of the young girl and the cat eating so heartily sparked a ripple in Lin Du’s dark, deep eyes—like a dead lake stirred by falling green spring leaves.
The man caught the scent of the fried rice and his Adam's apple bobbed.
Bai Yu had noticed long ago. She pulled out a fresh spoon, took a large scoop, and held it to Lin Du’s lips.
The fragrant fried rice touched his lips.
With her mouth full, she mumbled, "If you ate at this speed in the village, the elders would scold you."
Watching her cheeks move as she chewed, Lin Du opened his mouth instinctively.
On the side, Assistant Liu clutched his chest, his nostrils flaring with excitement.
*He ate it! Young Master Lin actually ate!*
Because he hadn't eaten in a long time, after five big spoonfuls, Lin Du raised his hand to signal he was full.
"Then I'll finish it all."
Bai Yu looked thin, but she had quite an appetite. She polished off most of the dishes on the table, as well as the entire sea-bowl of fried rice.
After the meal, the girl leaned against the window, looking up at the crooked tree outside.
In the corner of her eye, she saw a figure approaching.
Outside the window, the dense leaves shredded the sunset, casting dappled light onto the girl’s slightly chubby cheeks.
Only when the cooling ointment was applied to her nose bridge did Bai Yu realize that Lin Du had come over.
Bai Yu bit her lip, a flush of red climbing her cheeks, and her movements became much more reserved. Although she was considered the village beauty in Xiangyun Village, she wasn't as stylish as the beauties in Jing City. Even without makeup, her skin was smooth and delicate, but compared to those refined beauties, she still seemed a bit plain.
Lin Du watched her shy, delicate appearance, and a flash of joy crossed his eyes, only to be immediately masked by cold indifference.
"Lin Du! Don't worry, I will definitely find out who is trying to harm you."
"You're so good to me, I..."
When the girl looked up again, Lin Du was gone. She heard the sound of water in the bathroom.
The orange cat finished the last of the freeze-dried treats and let out a full burp: *Human, don't tell me you're planning to offer your hand in marriage as a reward?*