After the fake young master left home, he discovered that it wasn't raining at all outside.

The room was so quiet you could hear the dust motes bobbing in the light. The hum of the air conditioner vents and the distant car horns outside the window were all swallowed up by the silence.

Song Qian silently thought about his beloved car, and suddenly remembered Song Lian's instructions.

Then, a thought flashed through his mind. He lifted his foot, moved gently to Zhu Yan's side, squatted down, and slowly placed his hand on Zhu Yan's leg.

He paused, his body motionless, only his eyes darting around. Seeing out of the corner of his eye that Zhu Yan didn't react, he took a breath and began the next step.

A pair of hands that had never done any manual labor naturally and skillfully began massaging Zhu Yan's legs.

Lu Ze: !! ? ? ?

Is this... still the young master of the Song family, the little devil? What's going on?

Zhu Yan, with her eyes closed, noticed something strange coming from her legs. The sensation was sometimes light, sometimes heavy; it wasn't a sleep aid at all, but rather a wake-up call.

Sure enough, after being pampered by a top-notch professional team at home, he found Song Qian's massage to be nothing short of torture.

"Young Master, if you don't know how to press it, then don't press it." Zhu Yan's words were devoid of any discernible tone.

Song Zhen abruptly stopped what he was doing, chuckled dryly a few times, "Ahem... Hahaha, sorry, I haven't learned that."

Song Qian withdrew his hand, feeling slightly guilty, and stood up.

Just then, Lu Ze rushed to Zhu Yan's side. "Hey, I knew Young Master Song couldn't do this kind of work. Just watch from the side." Lu Ze's smugness was undisguised in his gaze as he looked at Song Zhen.

Zhu Yan raised her slender, long hands and stroked Lu Ze's hair, then pushed his head away the next second:

Go to sleep.

"Okay."

Zhu Yan just wanted to sleep peacefully at this moment, so Song Zhen and Lu Ze didn't cause any more trouble.

While the banquet was peaceful and serene, Wen Chen next door wore a mask of pain.

The moment Wen Chen learned that Shen Yan and Qin Ci wouldn't help him, he immediately thought of asking Gu Ye for help.

Coincidentally, Gu Ye is on leave today and is not in Beijing.

At this moment, Wen Chen was covered in sweat, and his school uniform was soaked with sweat. The already enclosed space was now filled with a sweltering heat.

Wen Chen had already finished his third shower. He stood in front of the bathroom mirror, his fists clenched, pounding hard on the sink.

Zhu Yan, you just wait!

The mirror reflected Wen Chen's grimacing face, his eyes blazing with murderous intent as if they were about to burst through the mirror and vent his dissatisfaction.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

In the afternoon, Zhu Yan spent four classes in the classroom feeling utterly bored.

After school, Zhu Yan did not go home immediately, but instead kept his promise to treat everyone to dinner the day before.

As the capital of H country, Beijing is full of luxury hotels, with five-star hotels being the top choice for those in positions of power.

However, the place where the banquet was held was a snack street in the capital.

He doesn't like those Michelin-starred meals; he can only say that those dishes look good, but they can't compare to the deliciousness of these authentic street food snacks.

Lu Ze, being a good brother to Zhu Yan, shared the same tastes, and the two of them would often come over for a meal together.

The streets are filled with the aroma of all kinds of snacks. They may not be as refreshing as the fragrance of flowers, but they can still linger in your mind.

At night, this street is at its liveliest, a place for hardworking laborers to unwind after get off work, and a place where countless teenagers chat about their future.

A bottle of wine and a bunch of skewers represent both immediate enjoyment and a spiritual sustenance for striving to live a fulfilling life.

Wealthy young masters and ladies would disdain coming here; to them, this kind of street, full of life and atmosphere, is dirty and chaotic.

But there are exceptions.

Zhu Yan and Lu Ze arrived at a barbecue restaurant, found an empty seat, and sat down.

"Are you sure you want to eat here?" Zhu Yan asked one last time, holding the menu.

"Yeah, I've been craving barbecue here for ages. It's all Lao Lu's fault for not letting me come, making me miss out on delicious food."

Lu Ze held the menu in his hand, flipping through it constantly, his eyes filled with longing for the food.

"That shouldn't be the case, why aren't they going to rip me off?" Zhu Yan found it somewhat unbelievable.

"Brother Yan, even if we go to Zizhu Garden, the best hotel in Beijing, for a meal, it seems like it won't bother you at all right now, right?" Lu Ze ordered the food and also added a few bottles of wine. "Then why should I torture myself by eating such awful food?"

Zhu Yan chuckled softly, "I don't have any money right now. The bonus from last time was deposited into your account, including Wen Huai's. The only money I have on me right now is enough to treat you to a meal here."

Lu Ze's pupils dilated slightly, as if he were incredulous. "No way, Brother Yan, what if I really go to Zizhu Garden to eat?"

"You pay," Zhu Yan said, looking at him as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Zhu Yan really didn't have any money. Logically speaking, as the young master of the Zhu family, Zhu Yan shouldn't be short of money, but at home, his food, clothing, and daily necessities were all taken care of by special servants, so he didn't need any money at all.

As for expenses after he went out, the Zhu family should have sent people to protect him when he went out, so the servants would naturally handle things like swiping his card.

But who knew that Zhu Yan would get up so early today, and that Zhu Mo had forgotten to tell him about all the people he had arranged.

"Luckily I didn't go. Brother Yan, you said you'd treat us, so where would I have any money?" Lu Ze was a little scared. If he had really gone to Zizhu Garden and ordered a huge table of dishes to rip off Zhu Yan today, they would have been detained there because they couldn't afford to pay.

Zhu Yan looked at him, and the two smiled at each other.

"I'll go buy you some water. We only have drinks and alcohol here." Lu Ze got up and went to a nearby store to buy a few bottles of water.

Lu Ze knew that Zhu Yan didn't like drinking beverages; besides water, Zhu Yan had only ever drunk milk and coffee.

Coffee is for waking up, while milk is for growing taller.

Yes, that's right. Zhu Yan is now 185 cm tall, and he thinks he's too short.

Just then, my phone rang; it was Zhu Mo calling.

"Ayan, where are you eating with your classmates? I'll send someone to pick you up."

"No need, I'll take my classmate's car back." Zhu Yan dared not tell Zhu Mo that she was eating in a place like this.

"It's like this, Ah Yan. To ensure security, no outside vehicles are allowed to enter the manor."

Banquet:…

"Then have someone wait for me at Zizhu Garden." Zhu Yan was out of options. He couldn't possibly have someone pick him up from the snack street. Not to mention what kind of car Zhu Mo would send to cause a ruckus, if his family found out he was eating at a place like this, he estimated he might lose his freedom to dine out.

When Lu Ze returned after buying water, he overheard Zhu Yan and Zhu Mo's conversation and was somewhat surprised.

"Purple Bamboo Garden? It's more than 20 minutes away from here."

"There's no other way; that's the closest luxury hotel to here."

Zhu Yan was also helpless. Oh well, let's just treat it as a walk after eating.

"Brother Yan, you still think about this after having a big meal at the Zhu family's house?" Lu Ze asked while chewing on some grilled meat.

"You're still envious? You wouldn't be happy if I actually let you go." Zhu Yan took a bite of a lamb skewer. "The whole table is full of desserts."

Zhu Yan spoke calmly, but only Lu Ze knew how devastated he was inside. He knew Zhu Yan loved spicy food and hated sweet dishes the most.

"Oh? Why don't you talk to them about it?"

"What? Say I love spicy food and will eat spicy food from now on? They all seem to like sweets. Do you think I'll change my mind for them just because I said that?"

Lu Ze thought about it for a moment, and it seemed that it was really unlikely.

After all, the Wen family also loves sweets, so Zhu Yan never liked to eat with them.

It seems that Zhu Yan is in a pretty bad situation. Although Lu Ze's father doesn't allow him to eat junk food here, at least the food at home suits his taste.

……

And so, they experienced the warmth of everyday life amidst the hustle and bustle, enjoying the delicious food before them.