Gently bite the jasmine

Chapter 120 You should back off

Lin Xi was momentarily stunned when the car stopped at the entrance of a slightly dilapidated alley.

She turned to Duan Yiheng and asked, "Where is this? Is this a place to eat?"

“This is where my maternal grandmother lives,” Duan Yiheng said. “After my mother passed away, my maternal grandmother moved here alone.”

Lin Xi was on the verge of tears, grabbing Duan Yiheng who was about to get out of the car: "You didn't even tell me beforehand, and I'm here empty-handed."

Duan Yiheng smiled and said, "It's alright, you'll see when you go in. The old lady doesn't care about these formalities."

Lin Xi was pulled through the door in a daze.

"Grandma, I'm here!" Duan Yiheng called out from afar.

A moment later, an elderly woman with gray hair and dressed simply greeted them with a smile.

Duan Yiheng introduced Lin Xi to the old lady and made Lin Xi call him "Grandma".

"Grandma." Lin Xi was very obedient, but also a little embarrassed.

The old lady pulled Lin Xi to sit down in the courtyard: "I only saw you once when you were a child. You've grown up to be so beautiful in the blink of an eye."

Duan Yiheng looked at the old lady with a wry smile: "Grandma, Lin Xi and I are still hungry. We came here for dinner, but you didn't prepare anything for us."

The old lady said, "You're too late. I haven't had a chance yet. Go and get the vegetables from the kitchen and help me prepare them."

Duan Yiheng took off his coat and went to the kitchen as if it were a habit.

Lin Xi wanted to help, but the old lady stopped her, saying, "It's nothing, it's just carrying something, it won't tire you out."

Duan Yiheng turned around and brought out two bowls of dishes, complaining, "Grandma, there isn't a single main dish."

Lin Xi glanced back and saw a lush green expanse.

The old lady laughed and said, "Eating something too hard at night is hard to digest. It's your own fault for not calling me beforehand."

Duan Yiheng sat down next to Lin Xi: "Then I will definitely tell you next time."

The old lady chuckled: "Don't just stand there, start picking the vegetables."

Lin Xi and Duan Yiheng had never been to the kitchen before. Duan Yiheng was skilled at picking vegetables because he often came to this alley. Lin Xi tried to pull one off, but ended up tearing the whole celery stalk bald.

The old lady was overjoyed, while Lin Xi awkwardly picked up the turnip and carefully combed it.

The vegetables were prepared, but neither of them knew how to cook them, so it would be impolite for them to just sit there. They stood on either side of the old lady in the kitchen.

Lin Xi saw the white tofu on the plate and asked, "Grandma, are you making braised tofu with bamboo shoots?"

The old lady nodded: "That's good. There's also a dish of stir-fried celery and tofu, but the tofu needs to be pan-fried first. Can someone help me keep an eye on it?"

"I'll do it," Lin Xi volunteered.

"You're going to get out of the way." Duan Yiheng grabbed her waist and spun her around halfway in the air.

Lin Xi clung to his shoulders, her eyes wide, and kept giving him meaningful glances: Are you crazy? What if we get caught?

Duan Yiheng chuckled softly, tapped her forehead, and pushed her away slightly.

Lin Xi snorted to herself and hid behind him to watch him fry tofu.

The oil sizzled and popped, and Lin Xi instinctively grabbed his clothes, saying with concern, "Be careful."

"It's alright," Duan Yiheng said. "Just step back a little."

The old lady couldn't bear to watch any longer and turned the flame down a bit.

"..."

Duan Yiheng and Lin Xi exchanged a glance, suppressing their laughter with pursed lips.

They must be idiots.

The old lady's cooking skills were excellent, and Lin Xi kept praising her.

"Grandma, did you add sugar to these two vegetarian dishes?" Duan Yiheng asked with a smile.

The old lady said, "No, how can you eat it with sugar?"

"Some people are so sweet-talking I thought you added sugar." Duan Yiheng glanced at Lin Xi.

Lin Xi stepped on his foot under the table, and only after hearing Duan Yiheng hiss did she immediately let go.

The old lady saw everything, but with Lin Xi around, she couldn't ask anything. She only privately asked Duan Yiheng to come alone again when he had the chance.

Duan Yiheng agreed and then left with Lin Xi.

Once in the car, Duan Yiheng didn't start the engine. Instead, he took Lin Xi's hand, kissed it, and asked:

"How is Grandma? Do you like her?"

Lin Xi felt a tickle on the back of her hand and nodded: "Grandma is very loving, I like her very much."

“She likes you a lot too.” Duan Yiheng held her hand and played with it. “Actually, I’ve wanted to bring you here for a while, but I haven’t found the right opportunity.”

Lin Xi leaned to the left: "I don't see why Grandma likes me. I can only tell that you are very happy tonight."

Duan Yiheng leaned closer, his nose almost touching hers, and asked softly, "Then do you know why I'm happy?"

Lin Xi paused for a moment and said, "Because you saw Grandma."

Duan Yiheng: "That's only half the reason. The other half is naturally because of you."

"Me?" Lin Xi asked, puzzled. "I didn't do anything."

Duan Yiheng: "Didn't you reject Duan Mingxuan and come out with me?"

It was just having a meal together.

Lin Xi looked distressed: "I just felt that some of the things Uncle Duan did to you were very uncomfortable, and Duan Mingxuan's words didn't mention you either. I didn't want to go, so I followed my own heart. Besides, they are the real family."

Duan Yiheng raised his hand and pressed it against the back of her head, saying softly, "Don't I have you? You have me too. What others do is none of your concern."

“But you weren’t indifferent from the beginning.” Lin Xi looked at him. “Disappointment accumulates one thing at a time. Uncle Duan was a good father to you at first, wasn’t he?”

A glint of light flashed in Duan Yiheng's eyes. He then rubbed her face, cupped the back of her head, and kissed her.

Lin Xi was caught off guard and found himself unable to move, completely restrained by Duan Yiheng.

She didn't understand why he suddenly kissed her when they were having a nice chat.

Inside the quiet carriage, only the intimate sounds of the two kissing could be heard.

The intersection was dark, and the car was even darker. People were talking loudly as they passed by, which made Lin Xi flinch.

"Don't be afraid," Duan Yiheng whispered gently in a low voice, his lips close to hers. "We can't see inside."

Lin Xi blushed, but strangely, she was coaxed into a quiet, deep kiss.

While things were ambiguous here, a storm was brewing in the north courtyard of the Duan family villa.

"Who took these pictures of all this mess?" the old man slammed his fist on the table in anger.

Uncle Deng respectfully replied to the old man: "She is the second young master's ex-girlfriend. She did not leave City B. In order to get revenge, she sold the photos of the eldest young lady and the two young masters to Hongyu. Since it involves Yin Fan, Hongyu Media dared not publish them privately, which is why you were able to see these photos."

The old man could hardly believe his eyes.

The bold headline was even more infuriating—Breaking News! Duan Family's Adopted Daughter Two-Timing, Masterful Manipulation of Her Brothers.

The content is even more eye-catching, subtly implying that Lin Xi, as Lin Xi's secretary, used Duan Mingxuan to climb the social ladder and that she had an ambiguous relationship with Duan Yiheng.

"Call Duan Yiheng back immediately."

Uncle Deng quickly responded.

After a moment's thought, the old man stopped the person again: "Wait a moment, call Amei over first."