Chapter 30: You’ve Learned to Be Naughty

The roaring range hood was switched off by plump fingertips, leaving only the pleasant music playing from her phone in the suddenly quiet space.

Song Wenwei hummed along as she fiddled with the pot lifter, then washed the bowls and chopsticks and set them on the rack to dry. Her movements flowed seamlessly.

Steamed lotus root sandwiches, spinach stir-fried with eggs, bass chunks, yam and pork rib soup, broccoli stir-fried with meat.

She prepared four meal boxes, each with four small compartments for dishes and two more for rice.

Song Wenwei nodded in satisfaction. She snapped the lids shut on the boxes—everything was ready.

After a moment’s thought, she pulled out her phone and lingered on the “L” contact screen.

She hadn’t set a nickname for Lu Nan yet. After pondering, she thought of the wound on Lu Nan’s right shoulder—【One-Armed Hero】.

Song Wenwei closed the door to her home and stood in the narrow stairwell, facing the wooden handrail and the steps stretching downward.

She hesitated. Going straight to Lu Nan’s place felt a bit rude—what if she was busy?

Glancing at the meal boxes, she found a lofty excuse: if she waited any longer, the food would get cold and wouldn’t taste good. She had to go.

But what if Lu Nan wasn’t home?

She took out her phone. Better to just ask. Her finger hovered over the video call button, pressing and releasing it repeatedly, torn with indecision.

Finally, she steeled herself and tapped it lightly. The phone chimed “ding ding ding…” like drumbeats pounding on her heart.

In an instant, the video call connected.

“Hello?” Song Wenwei held her phone high, and half a face appeared on the screen. She asked, “Are you home?”

In the video, the person picked up her phone, and Lu Nan’s face nearly filled the small screen entirely.

The girl’s smooth, flawless neck came into view, leading up to clean, rounded earlobes, a high nose bridge, and a delicate nose tip. Her cool, refined brows and eyes resembled a perfectly sculpted work of art.

The sunlight overexposed the phone slightly, turning the tips of her originally jet-black hair faintly yellow.

Malnourished, Song Wenwei thought. She needs more protein.

In the video, Lu Nan shook her head lightly, her hair swaying with the motion. Her voice wasn’t loud but carried an ethereal quality: “I’m not home. What’s up? Is it something urgent?”

“A bit urgent. Where are you?” Song Wenwei frowned.

It really was urgent—the food was about to get cold, and cold food didn’t taste good.

The phone on the other end shook noticeably, and an anxious voice came through: “I’m at the library entrance. What happened? Don’t move—I’ll come find you.”

Lu Nan was packing up to leave when she heard this. She had no idea what danger Song Wenwei was in—maybe she’d spotted Su Shi during an arrest. But since she could make a phone call, it couldn’t be too dire. She hurried over now, and she’d make it in time.

“No, no, no—I’ll come to you.” Song Wenwei’s lips curved into a smile upon hearing the answer. She lifted the meal boxes dangling from her hand and held them up to the phone like a proud offering. “It’s urgent because if we wait any longer, the food will get cold.”

Realizing she’d overthought it, Lu Nan paused, relief washing over her. Good, she’s fine.

She instinctively started to refuse: “I don’t…”

But before she could finish the word, Song Wenwei cut her off. “Shh! I’m coming to find you right now.”

Seeing the finger pressed to lips in a shushing gesture on the screen, Lu Nan couldn’t help but chuckle.

Childish…

Her smile, not yet faded, caught Song Wenwei’s eye, and for some reason, it conjured an image in her mind of early spring snow melting away, flower buds quietly blooming.

A fleeting palpitation. How strange.

“You… what are you laughing at…?”

“Nothing.” Lu Nan shook her head, her lips curving. “I’ll wait for you.”

The call ended, and Lu Nan turned to lock the library door.

She flipped her temporary Work Permit upward and stuffed it into her oversized pocket, then sat idly on the bench by the entrance.

About five minutes later.

Song Wenwei arrived, slightly out of breath. There was only one library around here anyway—easy to find and not far.

Knowing Lu Nan hadn’t eaten yet, this lunch was her way of thanking her for taking that knife for her.

No, Song Wenwei shook her head furiously inwardly. One meal isn’t enough! That knife wound hurts constantly—how could it be repaid so easily?

She patted the bag, feeling around to check if the soup had spilled from her hurried run.

Confirming no food had leaked out, Song Wenwei entered the cultural center. She walked straight for dozens of meters, turned a corner past another gate, and spotted the library on the left opposite it.

Passing through the long corridor, she saw the girl leaning back in the chair with her eyes closed, resting. A large parasol shaded her from above—likely provided by the library for visitors.

Her arms were wrapped around herself, her full weight on the wooden chair. An intangible breeze passed through her white fabric, sunlight spilling over her, just like the first time Song Wenwei had seen Lu Nan.

Too skinny. As the wind lifted her clothes, Song Wenwei clearly saw the skeletal frame beneath.

Lu Nan was far too thin—even among her peers, she stood out. Tall people without proper nutrition were prone to illness.

Song Wenwei sat quietly beside her, gently setting the meal boxes on the table without waking her.

Perhaps it was the sound of her movements, but Lu Nan quietly opened her eyes. Due to just waking, ripples shimmered in her light-colored pupils.

“You haven’t eaten yet, right?”

Seeing Lu Nan staring blankly, Song Wenwei waved her hand in front of her face.

About to answer, a mischievous impulse suddenly surged in Lu Nan.

With a serious nod, she said word by word, “I have.”

At first, not catching it clearly, Song Wenwei inwardly grumbled that Lu Nan was as terse as ever, counting out words like gold.

Once she processed it, she cursed inwardly. Damn!

“Huh?” Song Wenwei froze mid-motion with the meal box, staring straight at Lu Nan in disbelief. “Really? But didn’t you say you’d wait and eat together?”

Truth be told, she hadn’t anticipated that loophole. A hundred precautions, one oversight…

But! Were her dishes really so unappealing? In mere seconds, Chef Song’s heart endured torment and agony. The path of a great chef is long and arduous.

Seeing her stunned, Lu Nan’s lips curved into a smile that grew wider, her body shaking with laughter.

She drawled leisurely, “Nah, I haven’t eaten. Just teasing you.”

For some reason, she just wanted to tease Song Wenwei—no particular reason.

Song Wenwei had kindly brought her food; she couldn’t just sit there with a straight face waiting to be fed—that would be rude. So, a little teasing it was.

“Lu Nan, you’ve learned to be naughty!”

Song Wenwei’s eyes crinkled with laughter as she gave her a light shove. Lu Nan steadied herself on the table, pretending to topple, then sat up laughing again.

With strangers, Lu Nan could say one sentence and not spare another word. But once familiar, it was different.

Tang Jiu had said: Lu Nan was cold on the outside but warm within—aloof exteriors were always secretly passionate!

At this moment, Song Wenwei couldn’t agree more with Tang Jiu. Spot on!