C13 I'm Poor

Moo Nuannuan froze as soon as the voice echoed from the speaker. She slowly glanced at the screen. Although it was an unknown number, there was no doubt that the man who had called her just now was Mu Jiachen. Then her eyebrows furrowed. Why was he calling her about food? Had he not left yet? Was he still waiting for his driver? But half a day had already passed.

"Shouldn't you have left yet?"

He only hung up in response?

She stared at her blinking screen before burying her face into her hands. Stomping her foot onto the pavement, she could only groan in frustration. Luckily, there weren't many pedestrians in the alleyway during this time, so only a few people glanced her way. However, she didn't look like she cared. All she was thinking about was that stinking man in her apartment!

Why was everyone trying to make things so difficult for her?

Xiao Chuhee and Moo Liyan–her biological parents–had never loved her. In fact, some might even assume that she was a child out of wedlock or a child born from a cheating wife rather than their actual child, because what parents would treat their own child so terribly? Her fingers trembled at the thought, but they weren't the only ones that the fates had thrown at her.

Now that she was forced to marry into the Mu family, Mu Tingxiao had hated her so much that he didn't even want to see her. And his lack of appearance had gone on for three days now. There wasn't even a phone call to update her as to what had happened.

That was fine! Perhaps the fates were already giving her a chance by offering her some freedom to do as she pleased. Yet it seemed that they had other plans by introducing her to Mu Jiachen–the man who had offered her nothing but trouble since their very first meeting. The heavens above were probably laughing at her misfortunes.

At first, Moo Nuannuan wanted to ignore the text message and leave him alone for a couple more hours–let him starve to death! However, just as she was about to walk the other way, she thought back to the threat he had given her. Would he tell Mu Tingxiao that she had tried to seduce him if she didn't follow his orders?

A sense of dread washed over her, and she immediately staggered to the side.

Although she had threatened Xiao Chuhee and Moo Wanqi about purposely messing up, if Mu Jiachen was the type of man who'd willingly spot these types of nonsense, then she was also done for! Besides, the Moo family would definitely try to cover up their mistakes by sacrificing her once again. It's not as if they hadn't done it before.

Glancing back at the dishes that Mu Jiachen had texted her, she heaved a sigh and headed straight to the farmers' market to buy some ingredients. Moo Nuannuan made sure to pick a few ingredients here and there that were included in the meals that he had wanted before bartering with the staff. By the time she was done, half an hour had already passed and she was already stumbling towards her apartment in exhaustion.

As soon as she had opened the door, she could see Mu Jiachen's tall figure lying on her sofa.

His head was tilted against the back, and his long legs were crossed together. He didn't even bother looking her way when she had walked in, looking like the type of man who was used to others waiting on his beck and call. His eyes were closed, and his face was impassive. It was impossible to tell what he was feeling, and a sense of coldness rushed through her veins.

There was something about the way he was seated in that patchy sofa that made him stand out. It was strange to see such a rich man standing in such a small apartment.

Even from afar, anyone could tell Mu Jiachen was like royalty. Although his chest was tightly wrapped with gauze, and his cheeks were slightly flushed from the lack of air condition, he still couldn't hide the nobility and elegance that reeked from his posture.

With a sigh, she placed the bag on the table and bent down to change her shoes.

As she did so, a dark shadow swallowed her little frame, and the biting feeling in her veins grew even stronger. She gulped.

Moo Nuannuan slowly raised her head to see that the man who had been previously lying on the sofa was already standing before her. However, instead of looking at her gangly form, he was staring at the vegetables that he had just brought back. His lips were pursed, and his head was tilted. It was obvious that he wasn't expecting her to bring back raw ingredients instead of actual meals.

"Are these the take-outs I've requested?"

"Take-outs are too expensive," she responded indifferently, taking the bags from the table. "As you can see, I'm not exactly well-off."

Mu Tingxiao stared at her clothes. They were already worn, and he could see small holes around the corners of her shirt. She must've already been wearing the same clothes for years for them to look this run-down. Suppressing a grimace, he simply nodded. They did look like they've just been brought from a thrift shop.

For someone who was related to the Moo Family, she was living a hard life compared to her two older siblings.

However, Moo Nuannuan spared no time to hear what he thought as she headed straight to the kitchen. It was always the same for people. There were only two reactions she'd get as soon as they found out her identity. They'd either shoot her a sympathetic look or rolled their eyes in disgust. Although these expressions might've hurt her before, they didn't now.

She spent the next hour cutting and boiling the ingredients that she had bought; and by the time she was finished, she started to plate them as traditionally as possible. "Dinner's ready," she called out, finally setting all the plates on the small table.

Mu Tingxiao finally placed his phone on his desk and stared at her messy hair and sweaty forehead. Then, his gaze fell on the dishes that she had cooked up.

Although the presentation wasn't restaurant quality, the colors were quite satisfying. The little hues of green and orange were enough to leave any man satisfied by the looks, and the taste wasn't actually half-bad. It was light and healthy–suitable for a recovering patient. He stared at them for a long time, before taking another bite.

Moo Nuannuan started eating herself. It had been a long time since she had cooked this much, especially since she was used to just cooking for herself. But she had to admit, the dishes today had truly outdone themselves. "Guess I haven't lost my touch just yet," she murmured, impressed by her own cooking skills.

Just as she was about to eat another spoonful of rice, a grunt sounded right beside her. She slowly glanced up at Mu Jiachen to see that his face had darkened almost immensely. His dark eyes were now swirls of black, and green veins started bulging from his forehead. The grip he had on his chopsticks tightened.

Her heart skipped a beat.

What was going on?

Had she offended him? "Hey, if..."

Mu Tingxiao didn't even let her finish as he stalked out of the apartment.

His strides were long and steady, and he didn't look like a man who was recovering from a gunshot wound. Even with his soaked gauze, he didn't even flinch. The man had a stronger pain tolerance than she initially thought.

Although she was curious as to why he had acted this way, she didn't follow him out. Instead, she focused on the bowl of rice before her.

Outside the door.

Mu Tingxiao circled his hands around his pockets, desperately trying to find a cigarette. "Fuck," he breathed out. He had already wasted his last stick the other day, and due to the gunshot wound, he wasn't able to go out and buy more for his stash. His nails dug deeper into his palm as his mind flashed back to the simple meal readied for him.

The sweet aromatic smell reminded him of his mother's dishes.

Although her mother was born in a prestigious family, she always had an affinity for doing things on her own, especially when it came to her own son. She'd go out the extra mile to learn how to make different soups and dishes just to please his picky tongue. "Someday," she had said, ruffling his hair. "You'd find a woman who'd do all of these for you."

She was right, in a sense.

However, as soon as he thought of the damp and dirty basement, he could only grit his teeth in frustration. How the hell could they be so cruel to her? Clenching his fists, Mu Tingxiao punched the shaky wall. The bang echoed across the floor, shaking the unsteady lightbulb at the top of his head. "Fuck," he said again.

Moo Nuannuan's ears perked up.

Although hesitant, she didn't waste any time as she put down her chopsticks and raced to the door. "What's wrong?" Her eyes widened in worry. "What happened?"