"I just didn't eat breakfast this morning; I probably just have an empty stomach. There’s nothing really wrong."
The man narrowed his eyes, studying her with a mix of suspicion and tenderness. "Is that so? Do you want to go to the hospital for a check-up?"
Lin Anqiao's stomach began to settle slowly. She suppressed the pain radiating from her abdomen and forced a smile. "Brother, I’m telling you the truth. When have I ever lied to you? I’m fine. There’s no need to go to the hospital; I just need to rest for a bit."
"But I’m worried," Song Hanjiang said in a low voice.
Lin Anqiao shook her head, remaining firm. "I’m already feeling much better. I really don’t need to go to the hospital."
Seeing that her condition had improved, Song Hanjiang finally gave in, though he cautioned, "Then you must eat breakfast on time from now on. Do you hear me?"
Lin Anqiao lowered her eyes and nodded obediently. "I understand."
Song Hanjiang reached out to stroke her hair, his tone softening. "You’re always so stubborn."
*Click—*
A faint sound of a camera shutter came from behind them.
Lin Anqiao instinctively turned her head, looking behind her with curiosity, but found nothing there. Song Hanjiang didn't seem to notice. He turned to her and asked curiously, "What’s wrong?"
Thinking she had merely imagined it, Lin Anqiao shook her head. "It’s nothing. Let’s go inside!"
Song Hanjiang placed a hand gently on her back and walked inside shoulder-to-shoulder with her. His warm palm, felt through her thin dress, seemed to radiate heat through every fiber of her being. A soft spot in her heart felt as if it had been struck hard, before sinking low.
They sat across from each other to eat. He placed a serving of crab in her bowl, his voice gentle. "You loved crab the most when you were little."
Lin Anqiao’s hand, holding her chopsticks, paused for a fleeting moment. She raised her eyes to meet his warm, refined gaze. A bitter smile quickly surfaced at the corner of her lips.
She still loved it now. Unfortunately, she had stomach cancer; she could no longer eat it.
Song Hanjiang’s peach-blossom eyes shimmered as he watched her. After a long moment, he furrowed his brows. "Qiaoqiao, you aren't hiding anything from me, are you?"
The rising inflection in his voice made her heart tremble. He was always so sharp.
"Of course not," Lin Anqiao said with a faint smile, brushing the question aside.
In the next second, Song Hanjiang suddenly leaned forward toward her. The distinct, cool, woody scent that was uniquely his became clearer, and Lin Anqiao’s heart began to flutter. His fingers touched her cheek for a split second. The slightly cold fingertip made her shiver. An incredibly intimate atmosphere instantly emerged between them.
Song Hanjiang chuckled, staring at her with a touch of playfulness. "You had a grain of rice on your cheek." His tone was rising, his expression somewhat ambiguous. "You’re still exactly the same as when you were a child."
His voice carried a heavy, bewitching quality. Lin Anqiao’s heart began to race wildly again. After he pulled his hand back, she subconsciously lowered her gaze, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks. It wasn't very obvious, but it was still caught by Song Hanjiang opposite her.
He changed the subject. "That woman earlier—what did she come to you for?"
"She told me to come home and cook for the child," Lin Anqiao replied with a husky, mocking laugh.
"Don't pay any attention to them in the future," Song Hanjiang said, his tone deepening, a trace of imperceptible danger flickering in his eyes. "Did you hear me?"
Seeing him defend her like this, the resentment in Lin Anqiao’s heart eased slightly. She nodded gently. "Okay, I’ll listen to you, Brother."
"Such a good girl..."
When those words reached her ears, she subconsciously swallowed. He spoke the intimate words so naturally. He had often praised her like that when she was a child. But hearing his praise again felt like a lifetime ago. How much longer would she be able to hear it?
The corners of Lin Anqiao’s eyes grew slightly moist. She found she was becoming reluctant to leave this world.
...
In the evening, at the Fu family’s living room.
Fu Jingzhou had just walked through the door when he saw Qiao Yusu comforting the child. Fu Xiaochuan had been crying the whole time, and he looked to be in a very bad state.
"What’s wrong?"
As soon as Fu Jingzhou’s voice fell, Fu Xiaochuan quickly scrambled off the sofa and ran toward his father. He grabbed Fu Jingzhou’s leg, looking up at him. "Daddy, I want to eat the food Mommy makes! I want to eat Mommy’s cooking!"
Fu Jingzhou’s brow furrowed tightly as he looked at Qiao Yusu. "Didn't you go to ask her? Where is she?"
"She must still be annoyed with me. As soon as I arrived, she went crazy and cursed me out. She still misunderstands us..." Qiao Yusu said, her expression darkening slightly before she laughed carelessly. "But it’s fine, I won’t hold a grudge against a young girl like her."
Fu Xiaochuan cried even louder, the noise giving Fu Jingzhou a headache. Seeing the child’s distress, Qiao Yusu stepped forward to soothe him. "Xiaochuan, how about Auntie Yusu cooks for you instead?"
"I don't want that!" Fu Xiaochuan cried and ran back to his room. "I just want to eat the food Mommy makes..."
Qiao Yusu’s face turned deathly black.
At that moment, Fu Jingzhou’s phone rang; it was his executive assistant. He walked toward the tea room with his phone, feeling impatient as he listened to the wailing of his son. When Lin Anqiao was around, his son never cried. Why was he throwing such a tantrum now?
Fu Jingzhou furrowed his brows and said to Qiao Yusu, "I have work to attend to. You two go out and eat."
Before Qiao Yusu could respond, the man had already strode into the tea room. Her hands tightened at her sides. It was just cooking, wasn't it? What was so hard about that? She would learn tomorrow.
After Fu Jingzhou picked up the phone, the voice of his assistant, Su Qi, came through. "President Fu, the background information on Miss Lin’s 'brother' has been investigated. He is actually the heir to the Song family of Beijing, Song Hanjiang."
The man stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows of the tea room, the hand holding the phone freezing in place. No wonder he looked so familiar the first time he saw him—he was Song Hanjiang! This man was elusive and rarely appeared in public; almost no one knew what he looked like. How could it be him?! Would a man like that actually play-act for Lin Anqiao? Could he really be her brother?
Fu Jingzhou’s heart began to panic. He furrowed his brows, listening as the assistant continued. "President Fu, I don't need to tell you about the Song family, right? They are a top-tier elite family in Beijing. He went missing in his early years and only later returned to his family. It is said he had an older brother, but he passed away. Currently, Song Hanjiang is the only one left."
"According to our investigation, we haven't yet found a specific relationship between Miss Lin and Song Hanjiang. We need to look into it in more detail..."
"You can't find out?" Fu Jingzhou’s brow grew cold, his icy reflection staring back at him from the window. "Why can't you find it?"
"It is possible that the Song family deliberately erased certain traces," Su Qi said in a hushed tone. "It must be very important information."
"Keep digging!"
At Fu Jingzhou’s order, Su Qi quickly responded, "Understood, President Fu."
After hanging up, Fu Jingzhou stared at the darkening sky outside the window, his gaze increasingly terrifying. He never expected that the man behind Lin Anqiao would have such a massive background. The Song family of Beijing—they were the elite of the elite, even wealthier than the Fu family... How could this man possibly be Lin Anqiao’s brother?