Lu Shao is cunning; Miss Nan has fallen for his tricks again.

Chapter 162 My Stepmother is Younger Than Me

“I just asked him, but he didn’t say anything,” Yan Yixu replied, his words mumbled.

"That's really strange. What happened? It only stayed outside for one night and it turned out like this. Could it be..." Yu Jing suddenly realized.

He glanced at Mo Jingyu's bed and lowered his voice, "Could it be that you're heartbroken?"

Wang Heqing pointed at Yu Jing and said incredulously, "Are you crazy? Heartbreak? Our Jingyu is the most handsome guy in the department, what heartbreak could he possibly suffer?"

Mo Jingyu turned around in frustration.

"Keep your voice down." Yan Yixu patted Wang Heqing on the shoulder.

Wang Heqing, with a steamed bun stuffed in his mouth, coughed violently twice when Yan Yixu slapped him. Yan Yixu was startled and quickly helped Wang Heqing pat his mouth.

"Come on, have some water to soothe your nerves." Yan Yixu quickly took the water glass from the table and handed it to Wang Heqing.

After taking a sip of water and calming down, Wang Heqing looked at Yan Yixu with a resentful expression and said, "You might as well just kill me."

"Oh, by the way, my cousin is back from abroad and she's treating me to dinner tonight. Do you want to come along?" Yan Yixu said lazily, leaning back in his chair.

"Cousin? I've never heard you mention her before?" Wang Heqing collected all the takeout boxes on the table and put them in the trash can.

“She’s a few years older than me and went abroad a long time ago, so I never mentioned it. So, are you going or not? If you are, I’ll have her book a private room.”

Yu Jing said, "Go ahead, it'll save you money on a meal."

"Heh, how strange. Does the young master need money for a meal? He probably wants to see what his cousin Yan Yixu looks like." Wang Heqing's insight was also top-notch.

"Yes, okay, I just want to see if my cousin Yan Yixu is pretty."

"What about Jingyu? Are you going?"

I waited for a while but didn't get a reply from Mo Jingyu.

Not refusing means you're going.

"Uh, I already told my cousin not to stand me up tonight."

临市
Lu Zhiyan led Nan Xu off the boat. "What are the plans for lunch?"

“Yes, let’s open a popular restaurant.” Nan Xu reached out and pressed down the brim of her sun hat.

After changing clothes at the hotel, Lu Zhiyan and Nan Xu drove to the popular restaurant they wanted to visit.

Nan Xu, dressed in a red halter-neck dress and wearing a sun hat, stood radiantly in the sunlight.

Nan Xu had a camera hanging around her neck, and she would take pictures whenever she saw a beautiful scene. Lu Zhiyan carried Nan Xu's bag and walked behind her.

The two walked hand in hand along the path, surrounded by roses climbing the railings, the whole path filled with the fragrance of flowers.

"After you return to the capital, you'll be busy with work, so you won't be able to go to Snow City, right?" Nan Xu asked, linking arms with Lu Zhiyan.

"Well, aren't you going with Yan Xiaoxiao? I won't go to Snow City. We can go together next time when we have time." Lu Zhiyan's voice was indifferent.

"That's such a shame. I'll have to enjoy this happiness for you." Nan Xu sighed, pretending to be troubled.

But she was secretly overjoyed.

"Stop pretending, you're secretly overjoyed."

"No, I'm clearly very sad."

"Don't lie to me, I know you better than you know yourself. I know exactly what you're thinking, but I'm surprised you're happier traveling with them than with me?"

"Oh dear, girls have so many things to talk about when they're together, but there's not much to talk about with boys. It's all about love and romance or going out to play, there's nothing new at all." Nan Xu glanced helplessly at Lu Zhiyan.

"What else? What else can we talk about besides these?" Lu Zhiyan retorted.

"We can talk about anything—clothes, perfume, high heels, gossip."

"They can talk to me too, what's the difference between me and them?"

Nan Xu glanced at Lu Zhiyan and shook her head. "Alright, stop comparing. You can't compare." As soon as she finished speaking, they arrived at the trendy restaurant they were going to check out.

Nanxu, holding the dessert menu, asked Lu Zhiyan, "What would you like to eat?"

"You decide, I'm fine with anything." Lu Zhiyan opened his phone and sent a message to Jiang Lan.

Popular restaurants are usually not very good, so he just makes do with whatever he finds.

"This restaurant is really good. Don't be fooled by its trendy decor, the cakes taste amazing..."

"If it tastes so good, why wouldn't there be a queue?" Lu Zhiyan asked with a smile, his tone somewhat teasing.

Nan Xu looked around and saw that there were indeed few people; including them, there were only four tables of guests.

"Well, maybe others just don't know how to appreciate it," Nan Xu stubbornly tried to argue.

"Alright, order as many dishes as you like."

When the desserts arrived, Nanxu tried a few bites of each one, her expression shifting from initial interest to eventual lack of enthusiasm.

"Okay, you're right, it really doesn't taste good." Nan Xu resignedly leaned on Lu Zhiyan's shoulder.

Lu Zhiyan picked up a spoon, scooped up a bit of strawberry cake, and put it in his mouth. The cream that should have been smooth and silky turned into cream with the taste of strawberry industrial saccharin.

This was the first time Lu Zhiyan had ever tasted such a terrible cake; he was torn between swallowing it and spitting it out.

He wouldn't have eaten it at all if the strawberry cake hadn't looked so appealing.

"I don't want to eat anymore, let's pay the bill." Nan Xu took her phone to pay the bill.

Lu Zhiyan helped Nan Xu pack her things into her bag and waited outside the door.

Nan Xu, dejected, paid the bill and immediately launched into a tirade against Lu Zhiyan: "Can you believe that three pieces of cake and two drinks cost 1200? That's more expensive than in Beijing!"

"It's just a little money, why are you taking it to heart?" Lu Zhiyan laughed.

He really hadn't realized that Nan Xu, who usually spent money extravagantly, would care about such a small amount of money.

"Hehe," Nan Xu chuckled dryly. "I may be rich, but I'm not a victim. How many delicious cakes could I buy in Beijing with 1,200 yuan?"

"Yes, yes, I'll buy you some small cakes when we get back to the capital. But shouldn't we eat something else now?"

"Sigh, I'm not in the mood." Nan Xu said dejectedly, linking arms with Lu Zhiyan.

"Okay, we'll go eat when you're ready."

"No, you should eat first if you're hungry. I don't have an appetite. I'll take some photos and walk around outside." Nan Xu pulled Lu Zhiyan along and looked him in the eye.

"I don't have an appetite either. I ate too much this morning. Let's walk around and eat later."

"That's fine."

The two were taking pictures hand in hand along the tree-lined path when she saw a familiar figure through the camera lens.

She paused stiffly for a moment, and Lu Zhiyan clearly sensed the change in Nan Xu's body.

"What's wrong? Are you cold? There's no wind at all." Lu Zhiyan even reached out to feel it, and indeed there was no wind.

"I... I think I saw Uncle Lu," Nan Xu stammered.

Following Nan Xu's gaze, Lu Zhiyan indeed saw Lu Ji.

Lu Ji was walking ahead of them, accompanying a pregnant woman.

"Yes, it's him. The one next to him is his girlfriend, and the baby in her belly might be my... no, our future younger brother or sister." As she spoke, she smiled genuinely at Nan Xu.

"Laugh? You still have the nerve to laugh?" Nan Xu looked at Lu Zhiyan with exasperation. "However, I think that woman is younger than you... no, she seems younger than me." Nan Xu hesitated before speaking.

(End of this chapter)