C9 You Left to Eat

"What... what do you want to do?" Jingxi instinctively took a step back, her eyes filled with fear as she stared at the man in front of her.

Before she could finish her sentence, Tingyuv interrupted her. His deep eyes seemed like windows, completely concealing his thoughts, yet his words were laced with a mischievous edge. "Are you nervous?"

Of course, she was nervous! Jingxi frowned, but remembering she was in her own home, she felt a surge of confidence and retorted, "What nonsense are you spouting? This is my house. Do you actually dare to lay a hand on me?"

She doubted he had the guts! Unable to bear his gaze, Jingxi turned away, taking a few steps to put some distance between them. "Spill it! Why did you suddenly show up at my place?"

Tingyuv glanced at her, clearly noticing the warning in her eyes, and let out a cold chuckle. His dismissive attitude instantly ignited Jingxi's anger. However, before she could speak, she noticed Tingyuv turning his head, his gaze landing on her bed.

She had left in a hurry that morning and hadn't made her bed. Now, the covers lay in disarray. But that wasn't what caught her attention. It was the corner of something pink peeking out from under the warm yellow blanket...

Oh no! Alarmed, Jingxi realized Tingyuv had seen it too, and she lunged forward. But it was too late. Tingyuv had already lifted the blanket, turning to her with a look of disdain. "You don't wash your underwear?"

Jingxi froze. In the next second, she dashed forward, quickly grabbing the underwear and hiding it behind her back. Meeting his mocking gaze, her eyes flashed with defiance as she snapped, "None of your business!"

Last night, she had been so exhausted from dealing with Zixin that she hadn't left the house, let alone done any laundry.

Originally, she had planned to wash up after breakfast, but who would have thought he'd catch her at just the wrong moment?

Thinking about how this man barged into her room without permission and now pulled back her covers without asking, Jingxi was furious. She glared at him, "You have no shame!"

Tineyuv raised an eyebrow, replying with a teasing tone, "That's shameless?"

Meeting the fiery look in her beautiful eyes, a glimmer of mischief flashed in his deep gaze. Tineyuv stepped closer, inching toward her.

He backed her up to the edge of the bed, leaving her with nowhere to retreat. Only then did he stop, deliberately blowing a breath across her face, his voice laced with suggestion, "I can be even more shameless. Want to find out?"

"You... you better not try anything!" Jingxi quickly raised a hand to push him away.

Tineyuv glanced down at the small, pale hand on his chest, his eyes flickering. Just then, he caught a familiar scent, the same fragrance from the car earlier.

He frowned slightly, his gaze landing on the pale neck before him, his Adam's apple bobbing as he leaned in...

He moved closer.

Jingxi leaned back.

She was about to fall onto the bed when suddenly, the door swung open from the outside.

Ms. Liu's voice came in before she even looked up, "Jingxi, breakfast is..." ready.

Liu Meiyun looked up, her mouth dropping open at the scene inside!

A second later, she quickly recovered and said, "Carry on!"

With a bang, the door was shut.

Jingxi's mouth twitched, closing her eyes in despair: Mom!

The next moment, she snapped her eyes open, catching the teasing glint in his eyes. She swiftly pushed him away, rolled off the bed, and dashed to the door.

She flung it open and rushed out.

Watching her dart away faster than a rabbit, Tineyuv raised an eyebrow, the scene replaying in his mind, a subtle smile playing on his lips.

On the other side.

Jingxi rushed out the door and headed straight for the bathroom, only to find it locked from the inside. She could see Ms. Liu's silhouette in the kitchen, so it was clear that the person in the bathroom was her father, Jiang. With a frown, Jingxi stuffed the underwear she was holding into her pocket.

Footsteps approached from behind. Jingxi turned to see Tingyuv casually emerging from his room. She gritted her teeth, about to tell him to leave, when Ms. Liu suddenly poked her head out of the kitchen, beaming with a smile that wasn't directed at Jingxi, but at Tingyuv.

"Mr. Lu, you must stay for dinner! It'll be ready soon!"

Jingxi's heart sank. She knew exactly what her mom was up to, so before Tingyuv could respond, she quickly interjected, "He's not staying! He's leaving right away!"

She turned her head, giving Tingyuv a warning look that seemed to say if he dared to stay, there would be consequences.

Tingyuv raised an eyebrow, thinking this feisty woman needed to be put in her place. How dare she threaten him? Originally, he hadn't planned on staying for dinner. But after hearing Jingxi's words, he changed his mind instantly. Turning to Ms. Liu, he smiled and said, "Well, I guess I can't refuse such a kind offer!"

Jingxi: "!!!"

"Great! Just a moment, it'll be ready soon!" Ms. Liu, pleased with the outcome, hurried back to the kitchen.

The next second, Jingxi stormed up to Tingyuv, glaring at him and hissing, "Who said you could stay? You're not allowed to have dinner here!"

Just then, Jiang emerged from the bathroom and overheard her. He immediately scolded, "Jingxi, don't be rude!"

Jingxi clenched her teeth in frustration.

Seeing the flash of smugness in Lu Tineyuv's eyes nearly drove Jiang Jingxi crazy. Yet, he maintained an air of magnanimity, responding, "It's fine, I don't mind at all!"

Soon, dinner was served. Jiang Jingxi focused on her meal, wishing time would pass quickly. Meanwhile, Ms. Liu kept piling food onto Lu Tineyuv's plate with such eagerness that Jiang Jingxi couldn't help but frown.

As expected, after a brief introduction, Ms. Liu got to the point, eagerly asking Lu Tineyuv, "Mr. Lu, how old are you? Are you married?"

Jiang Jingxi lifted her eyes, exasperated, and interjected, "Mom, can you stop acting like a matchmaker, asking every guy if he's married?"

With that, Jiang Jingxi glanced at Lu Tineyuv, a mischievous smirk on her lips, and said sarcastically, "You don't need to worry about this one. My dad said he's like an uncle, a whole generation apart!"

Liu Meiyun's expression froze, and realizing her mistake, she shot Jiang Jingxi a look, scolding, "What nonsense are you talking about?"

Jiang Jingxi pouted, retorting, "I'm not talking nonsense. Ask Dad if you don't believe me."

She then looked playfully at Jiang, their eyes meeting. A hint of threat flashed in Jiang Jingxi's gaze.

Jiang immediately thought of his secret stash of money, feeling nervous as his wife looked over. His face tensed before he finally said, "Alright, stop worrying about it. Jingxi and Leader Lu... they're not a match."