Chapter 189: Chapter 154: Yixia, Sleepless All Night
Perhaps because he was in Jiang Yixia’s home, Lu Fan felt very comfortable, even sleeping on the sofa.
The whole night passed without any disruptive noise.
He had to admit, although it was an older residential complex, its location was secluded enough that it was rarely disturbed by the clamor of the city.
Plus, it was the first time in a long while that Lu Fan had been this close to Jiang Yixia.
So naturally, he slept much more soundly.
But for Jiang Yixia, it was torture.
She barely slept all night.
She felt restless and flustered.
It wasn’t until the early hours of the morning, when she lay on her side with the comforter between her legs, that she finally managed to fall asleep.
She rose bright and early the next morning.
She had originally planned to hurry Lu Fan out the door.
But when she opened her bedroom door, she found him sleeping soundly, curled up on his side on the sofa. His broad, solid frame filled out the not-so-small sofa, defining its contours perfectly.
He wasn’t using a pillow, merely resting his head on his bent arm.
In the dim light, the hair falling over his forehead looked soft, washing away the sharp intensity he usually wore in the business world and leaving behind a rare, relaxed air.
Jiang Yixia walked over to the water dispenser with her cup. As she filled it, her gaze drifted uncontrollably toward him.
He was wearing loose cotton pajamas, the collar hanging open to reveal a hint of his well-defined collarbone and neck.
Even in sleep, the curve of his back and shoulders exuded a strength he couldn’t hide. It wasn’t the soft paunch of a typical middle-aged man; his frame was still firm and broad, giving off a powerful sense of security.
Lost in thought, she didn’t realize her cup was overflowing until it was too late.
She snatched the cup away in a fluster and took a sip.
Just then, as if on cue, Lu Fan woke up. Seeing Jiang Yixia, he greeted her, "Morning, Yixia."
"Morning? Look how late it is," Jiang Yixia said, exasperated. "Okay, hurry up and go."
"I haven’t had breakfast yet."
"Don’t push it."
"Fine. Just let me get changed," Lu Fan said, and immediately started to take off his pajamas.
Jiang Yixia’s eyes widened and she immediately spun around. "What are you doing, changing in the living room?!"
"It’s not like you haven’t seen my body before. What’s the big deal?" Lu Fan said nonchalantly.
"You damn pervert," Jiang Yixia muttered as she retreated into her bedroom.
After his little bit of teasing, Lu Fan finished changing, tidied his appearance, and called toward the bedroom, "Yixia, I’m leaving now! Don’t forget to come over and get breakfast later."
"I’m not getting it," Jiang Yixia called back from inside.
Lu Fan just smiled, pretending he hadn’t heard her.
「A short while later.」
Jiang Yixia finally emerged from the bedroom.
Seeing that Lu Fan was gone, she let out a sigh of relief.
Looking at the empty living room and recalling the boisterous energy from just moments before, Jiang Yixia felt a pang of sadness at the contrast.
He was annoying sometimes, sure, but with him around, life was like a lit firecracker... CRACKLE, POP, POP-POP-POP...
But unlike the previous night, when her emotions had the upper hand, Jiang Yixia was now firmly back in the grip of reason.
’I can’t forgive him so easily just because of these things he’s doing.’
’I can live perfectly well without him.’
Jiang Yixia tried to convince herself.
Because of Lu Fan’s antics, Jiang Yixia ended up leaving for work late.
By the time she arrived at her flower shop, two customers were already waiting.
"I’m so sorry, I’m late," Jiang Yixia apologized.
Both customers had pre-ordered flowers the day before and had come to pick them up first thing in the morning.
Fortunately, neither of them seemed upset. One just teased, "Business must be booming lately. You must be exhausted."
Hearing this, Jiang Yixia could only offer an awkward reply. "Business is just okay, not too busy. Maybe I’m just getting old."
"Haha, you’re joking! You’re not old at all. You look like you’re in your early thirties, tops."
After helping the two customers, Jiang Yixia looked at her reflection in a mirror.
Since she hadn’t slept well the night before, her complexion looked a little dull.
’It’s all that damn Lu Fan’s fault...’
Just as she was thinking this, Lu Fan appeared carrying a bowl of oden. "Yixia, come on, try some of my oden. I made the broth just how you like it."
"You made this?" Jiang Yixia asked, skeptical.
"Yep. I opened an oden shop. What do you think?" Lu Fan said, pointing to a new shop next to the pastry store.
Jiang Yixia looked and was struck speechless. "Are you insane? Opening a pastry shop was one thing, but now an oden shop, too? Most people sell oden from a little cart, and you went and opened a full-blown store for it."
"I’m confident my oden will be the hottest thing on this whole commercial street," Lu Fan declared, full of swagger.
Jiang Yixia rolled her eyes at him.
’Honestly, I don’t even know what to think about him wasting money like this.’
Lu Fan seized the opportunity. "So, I was hoping you could help me out. See if my oden tastes good, and if there’s anything I can improve."
Considering how much he had helped Sifan and Silu lately, not to mention Jiang Ming, Jiang Yixia hesitated for a moment before finally agreeing.
She sat down, took a bite, and then looked at Lu Fan with a frown.
Lu Fan asked, "What’s wrong? Is it bad?"
"It’s good," Jiang Yixia replied coolly. "So good, in fact, that I don’t believe you’re the one who made it."
Hearing that, Lu Fan immediately protested, "I swear, I really did make it! The shop has security cameras, you can check the footage if you don’t believe me."
"Fine, I’ll take your word for it for now," Jiang Yixia said, her gaze drifting toward the oden shop. "If you make it just like this, you probably won’t lose money."
