Although his Third Master, the Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Machine Pavilion, insisted that Xiao Shixiong kept Li Shilin by his side purely out of appreciation for his business talent, Lin Xiao remained skeptical. It wasn't that Lin Xiao refused to believe Xiao Shixiong; it was that the whole affair had been handled poorly. It wouldn't have been an exaggeration to charge him with the crime of having eyes yet failing to see.

"My lord, have you returned from Shengjing?" Xiao Shixiong asked fawningly.

Lin Xiao laughed. "Well now, you're certainly well-informed of my whereabouts!"

Xiao Shixiong was startled and hurriedly explained, "My lord, I absolutely did not pry into your schedule. The Pavilion Master previously instructed me to be fully prepared to serve you. That's why brothers from the Heavenly Machine Pavilion report your movements to me from time to time. The idea was that I could appear before you the moment you need me!"

Lin Xiao chuckled. "What are you so flustered about? I was just making a casual remark. Why did you call? Is something wrong?"

"I wanted to treat you to a meal. You've been in Jinling City for a while, but I have yet to properly host you for dinner. My service has been lacking!"

"Let's skip dinner. My wife is personally cooking for me. However, I can have some tea with you after I eat. I was actually hoping to have a chat with you anyway!"

"My lord, where would you like to have tea?"

"You pick a place."

"My lord, what do you think of Wangjiang Tower? It's a teahouse I own right on the riverbank. The scenery is quite nice!"

"Alright, Wangjiang Tower it is."

"My lord, I will await your august presence!" Xiao Shixiong replied respectfully.

"Sounds good."

With that, Lin Xiao hung up the phone.

"You're going out?" Shen Jingzhe asked curiously.

Lin Xiao smiled. "Yeah, but after dinner. I'm not missing the chance to eat with my wife for anything!"

Tossing that line out, Lin Xiao stood up and went into the villa.

Su Qingning was a whirlwind of activity in the kitchen, cooking with gusto. The pungent smoke from the frying oil billowed around her, but she didn't seem to mind in the slightest. Seeing this, a feeling he could only describe as happiness sprouted inexplicably in Lin Xiao's heart. It was like a furnace, warming him from the inside out. So comfortable.

He watched her for a while until Su Qingning seemed to sense his presence. She instinctively turned her head and saw Lin Xiao leaning against the kitchen doorway, watching her with a grin.

Su Qingning chided playfully, "You! When did you get here?"

"Just a little while ago."

Lin Xiao entered the kitchen, walked up behind her, and, without giving her a chance to object, wrapped his arms around her.

What hit me first wasn't her soft body, but her perky, shapely rear. Damn, that's firm. It sent a jolt right through me.

The moment Lin Xiao hugged her, Su Qingning's body trembled slightly. Her cheeks flushed as she protested softly, "You! I'm cooking. Go on, get out!"

"Nope. I want to watch you cook," Lin Xiao said, holding her tighter.

Su Qingning surrendered. She knew Lin Xiao was a rascal; once his mind was made up, ten oxen couldn't drag him away unless he changed it himself. Besides, she found being held by him like this to be quite comfortable. So, she stopped trying to make him leave. Even though his embrace was seriously slowing down her cooking, she didn't say another word.

The meal was ready in no time: six dishes and a soup. Setting aside the taste, the presentation alone, along with the tantalizing aroma, was enough to make one's mouth water.

Lin Xiao thoroughly enjoyed the meal. Perhaps because he was in a good mood, he ate one more bowl of rice than usual. Full and satisfied, he slumped back in his chair and smoothly pulled Su Qingning into his embrace. The presence of Shen Jingzhe made Su Qingning incredibly shy, but she also adored the feeling of leaning against Lin Xiao. So, she threw caution to the wind and rested her head against his chest.

"Honey, thank you for all your hard work," Lin Xiao said.

Su Qingning smiled. "It was just a few dishes. It was no trouble at all!"

"But don't do it again," Lin Xiao said, his tone serious.

Su Qingning was taken aback. "Why? Was it not good? Don't worry, I'll study some recipes later!"

Lin Xiao gently pinched her fair cheek. "Silly girl, how could I ever think your cooking is bad? I just think your skin is too soft and delicate. Spending so much time in the kitchen will roughen it up. Besides, inhaling all those cooking fumes for too long can't be good for you. Let's just hire someone to cook from now on."

Su Qingning's heart quivered. She snapped her head up to look at him, her peach-blossom eyes filled with emotion. She had assumed he didn't want her to cook anymore because he disliked her food. To be honest, she also felt her cooking was sorely lacking compared to his. But to think that the real reason was simply his concern for her...

She was only human, after all. How could she remain unmoved? No matter how stunning she was, at the end of the day, she was still just a girl. And what girl doesn't yearn for the care of the man she loves? Especially since her father had passed away, it had been a very long time since anyone had doted on her to such an extent.

She stared at Lin Xiao for a moment, and her eyes suddenly turned red. She was about to cry.

"Silly girl, why are you crying all of a sudden?" Lin Xiao said affectionately, gently wiping her tears away.

Su Qingning sniffled, trying to sound defiant. "I'm not crying! Some sand just flew into my eye, that's all!"

Despite her words, her voice was already thick with tears.

Lin Xiao chuckled. "Okay, okay, sand in your eye. My mistake."

"Hmph! You're so annoying. I'm going to go wash my face!"

"Alright," Lin Xiao laughed.

Su Qingning got up and went into the bathroom.

"Hey, can you two not be so lovey-dovey when I'm around?" Shen Jingzhe said with a resentful look.

"Then why don't you leave?"

"Fine, I will!" With that, Shen Jingzhe huffed off to his room.

Su Qingning came out of the bathroom a moment later, her fair face still dotted with droplets of water. Even so, she was still so beautiful it could make a man's heart race.

"Honey, I have to go out for a bit."

"What happened?" Su Qingning asked quickly.

Lin Xiao smiled. "It's nothing serious, just meeting a friend."

"Oh. Well, be safe!"

"Mhm, don't worry, I will. You go get some rest. If I have time, I'll come back and take you to the bar. If not, you and Shen Jingzhe can go together."

Su Qingning nodded vigorously.

Lin Xiao affectionately patted her on the head. Just as he was about to leave, Su Qingning suddenly spoke up.

"Lin Xiao, did you forget something?"

"What's that?" he asked, looking at her quizzically.

Blushing, Su Qingning pointed to her own red lips.

"You haven't kissed me yet!"

BOOM!!!

Lin Xiao was petrified by her words.

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