You're already divorced, why are you so anxious about him becoming a succubus?

The journey from Jiangcheng to Qingcheng, the capital of the grasslands, is over 1,700 kilometers.

It was noon, and Lu Ci checked the fuel gauge, deciding to refuel at the next service area and grab something to eat.

Just then, the cell phone on the center console suddenly rang.

Lu Ci glanced at the screen and saw that the caller ID showed Jiang Xinyue.

He was about to reach for his phone when his hand froze in mid-air.

Lu Ci turned his head slightly and glanced at Shen Nian sitting in the passenger seat out of the corner of his eye.

She was leaning against the car window, her eyes fixed intently on the scenery rushing past.

The phone was still ringing, and this time, Shen Nian turned her head to look.

Lu Ci hesitated for a moment.

If it's a call from someone else, he'll just answer it.

But this senior's personality is such that she blurts out wild and inappropriate things without thinking. If she says something she shouldn't, she'll be in big trouble...

You can't hide your feelings for someone.

But if you like both... then you'd better keep them well hidden.

But now Shen Nian's clear, big eyes are looking at him, and if he doesn't answer the call, he'll seem guilty.

Although this girl has become much more cheerful, Lu Ci knows very well how thoughtful and sensitive she is.

After hesitating for two seconds, Lu Ci steeled himself and answered the phone.

Before he could even speak, Jiang Xinyue's voice rang out first:

"Hey, Boss Lu, I've been back in Chongqing for days, and you haven't even called once. That's really something..."

Hearing that familiar tone and the dangerous words about to slip out, Lu Ci felt a chill run down his spine. He quickly raised his voice and forcefully interrupted her:

"Hey? Senior, is something wrong?"

Jiang Xinyue, who was on the other end of the phone, was interrupted and fell silent for a moment.

After a moment, he said, "Chen Feng just called me and said that your resort is planning to do the landscaping first."

I happen to know someone here, so I conveniently connected you with a reputable landscaping company. Their quote is significantly cheaper than those in Jiangcheng. I've been free in Shancheng these past few days, so I'm planning to go with the landscaping team.

When Shen Nian, who was sitting to the side, heard that it was a girl on the phone, she kept looking ahead, but her ears were already perked up and listening carefully.

After hearing Jiang Xinyue's words, Lu Ci breathed a sigh of relief: "Okay, then you can contact Chen Feng directly. I'm planning to go to the grasslands for a visit, so I won't be in Jiangcheng for the next few days."

Jiang Xinyue was silent for a moment, then hesitantly asked, "Going to the grasslands? With friends?"

"Um."

"Alright, that's all for now. I'll contact Chen Feng and hang up."

Shen Nian kept looking at the road ahead, but her little head was already racing with wild speculations.

The girl's tone of voice was a bit strange...

However, after carefully recalling Lu Ci's reaction, Shen Nian realized that it was quite normal throughout.

Maybe that girl likes Brother Lu, that's not surprising.

But it's okay, the person sitting next to Brother Lu now is me!

Shen Nian quietly came to a conclusion in her heart, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly.

Lu Ci didn't say a word and quietly drove the car.

In such matters, if the other party doesn't ask, as a man, you should never presume to be clever and offer further explanations.

Because if you offer even one more explanation, no matter how perfect the reason, it will just seem like you're trying to cover something up.

……

It was evening.

Shen Nian hadn't slept much last night, and finally couldn't hold on any longer. Leaning back in her chair, she fell into a deep sleep.

Lu Ci had been driving all day, his mind highly focused, and now he felt a little tired.

He glanced at the highway sign ahead, turned on his turn signal, and drove out of the highway toll station, entering a small town.

The car gradually slowed down, and the slight bumps woke Shen Nian up.

She rubbed her eyes, looked at the unfamiliar streets outside the window, and asked somewhat groggily, "Brother Lu, are we here yet?"

"No, it's still early." Lu Ci slowed down the car and said while looking at the signs on the roadside, "I'm a little tired. I'll find a hotel here to stay for the night, rest for a bit, and then leave tomorrow."

Shen Nian nodded obediently.

The town was small. Lu Ci drove around the main street and found that there were basically only a few small hotels with old-fashioned facades.

He chose a hotel that looked relatively clean, parked the car at the entrance, and led Shen Nian inside.

Lu Ci booked two adjacent standard rooms at the front desk.

After putting his things away, Lu Ci knocked on Shen Nian's door: "Let's go out and get something to eat."

The two left the hotel and strolled along the streets of the small town.

The air here is fresh, but the atmosphere is completely different from the bustling and noisy Jiangcheng.

The pace of life on the street has slowed down considerably; there are hardly any young people to be seen, mostly elderly people and children.

Lu Ci stopped in his tracks as he passed a supermarket.

"Wait here for me, I'm going inside to buy a pack of cigarettes."

Shen Nian nodded, stood at the supermarket entrance, and curiously looked around at this quiet northern town.

Lu Ci went into the supermarket and asked for a pack of cigarettes, but his gaze was drawn to a few small figures standing in front of the freezer.

Several children, around seven or eight years old, were gathered around a transparent freezer filled with ice cream, having a lively discussion.

"I want this one! This one has a chocolate coating, it looks delicious, and it's a bit bigger than the other one!" A chubby little boy with a runny nose shouted, pointing at the ice cream in the freezer.

"No! Those are too expensive, they cost two yuan each!" Another slightly older boy frowned. "We only have three yuan together, we can't afford those. Let's buy these one-yuan ones instead, three of them, so the six of us can each have half."

Lu Ci's hand, which had just taken out his phone to make a payment, stopped in mid-air.

He paused for a moment when he looked at the children.

It seems like I used to be like that too.

When I was a child, whenever I had a few cents, I would want to go to the small shop, take a look around, and see all the dazzling array of snacks, but I couldn't afford to buy any of them.

Back then, I was thinking how great it would be if my family owned a supermarket, then I could eat whatever I wanted.

I was thinking, things will be better when I grow up. Adults have money to buy whatever they want to eat, and nobody will care.

but……

Later, he became the adult he had looked up to as a child, only to find that he had lost his childhood self...

Lu Ci snapped out of his thoughts, looked at the children who were still struggling with their problems, and a relieved smile appeared on his face.

"Take whatever you like, it's on me."

The sudden sound startled all the children.

They all turned their heads in unison, looking timidly at the tall, unfamiliar man.

Although their eyes were full of longing for the ice cream, their long-standing upbringing and vigilance prevented anyone from daring to reach out and take it.

Seeing their reserved demeanor, Lu Ci smiled and said, "Hurry up and take it, or I'll pay and leave. If you miss this opportunity, you won't be able to eat it again."

Upon hearing this, the boy who was leading the group swallowed hard, and finally mustered up his courage to reach out and take out a box of ice cream that he had always dreamed of eating from the freezer.

With the first one taking the lead, the remaining children immediately cheered and each chose their favorite one.

Lu Ci smiled, reached into the freezer and took one himself, then walked to the counter and said to the smiling proprietress, "Let's calculate it together."

The proprietress snapped out of her daze and smiled as she pressed the calculator.

After paying, the proprietress turned to the children, who were beaming with joy, and reminded them, "Hey! You kids, aren't you going to thank this brother?"

The group of children then realized what was happening, immediately stood in a row, looked up at their dusty little faces, and shouted loudly:

"Thank you, brother!"

Shen Nian, who was standing outside the door, turned around when she heard the sound.

Then, the group of children, clutching their ice cream, ran happily out of the supermarket.

Lu Ci walked out with the box of cigarettes and ice cream.

He watched the children's retreating figures, listened to their carefree laughter, and smiled gently in the summer evening breeze.

"Give."

Lu Ci withdrew his gaze and handed the box of ice cream in his hand to Shen Nian, who was standing aside in a daze.

Shen Nian took the ice cream, looked back at the group of children running away in the sunset, then turned to look at the man beside her.

The girl's heart skipped a beat at that moment.

"Brother Lu, you're so kind."