Ning Xin’s eyes widened in disbelief, and she forcefully tugged at her ear. “What did you say?”
The sudden courage and impulsiveness from Nie Ran vanished instantly, and he withdrew his hand, walking away. “It’s nothing.”
But Ning Xin wasn’t going to let it slide. She chased after him and asked, “Did you just say ‘get married’? Do you want to marry me?”
“You misheard me.”
“That’s impossible!”
She grabbed his sleeve, clearly indicating that she wouldn’t let him go until he explained himself. “Speak! Why do you suddenly want to marry me?”
Nie Ran, feeling annoyed and originally intending to come up with a random excuse, changed his mind upon seeing her like this.
“Just doing a good deed.”
“What?”
“Otherwise, you won’t have a chance to get married in your lifetime.”
Ning Xin fell silent for two seconds, then she viciously twisted his arm.
Nie Ran let out a miserable cry, clutching his arm as he looked at her.
She turned away decisively and went to look at Lang Xiao in the bedsheets.
The particles of light emanating from Lang Xiao’s body were trapped in the thin fabric, flickering like fireflies in a jar.
Ning Xin softly comforted Lang Xiao, asking him not to be afraid and endure a little longer, as dawn would soon come.
Nie Ran looked for a moment, then walked over and asked, “Have you had dinner?”
She didn’t answer, as if she hadn’t heard, only whispering to Lang Xiao.
Nie Ran asked again, this time adding her name, “Ning Xin?”
Her ignoring him confirmed to him that she was angry again.
What could have been a good opportunity for reconciliation had turned into this.
His arm was no longer hurting, but he felt regretful enough to want to pinch himself again, murmuring softly, “I was just joking.”
Ning Xin still ignored him, but scoffed, obviously not believing him.
Nie Ran felt somewhat helpless, stood still for a while, and then quietly left.
As the door closed, Ning Xin glanced up, a little curious about where he was going, but she didn’t follow to ask.
This despicable man actually said no one wanted her?
That’s because she doesn’t want to find one! Otherwise, there would be plenty of people wanting her.
Ning Xin got up, lay on the bed, and aimlessly played with her phone for a while, feeling like she had forgotten something.
When the door opened again and Nie Ran came back, carrying bags full of food emitting a fragrant smell, she remembered that she had initially intended to go downstairs for dinner.
Why did he buy so much food? Trying to tempt her, make her relent?
Impossible.
Ning Xin opened the food delivery app, intending to order something even better than his.
Unexpectedly, Nie Ran took out the takeout one by one and placed them on the table, then said to her, “Let’s eat.”
“…”
His unusual kindness made her wary, fearing it was a trap, so she didn’t move from the bed.
Nie Ran unwrapped a pair of chopsticks for her and placed them gently on the takeout box, saying lightly, “You’ve always treated me before. Today, it’s my treat. Come and eat.”
Ning Xin frowned, still not trusting, shaking her head.
“I’ll order for myself.”
Nie Ran said, “I can’t eat all this by myself. Are you going to let me throw the leftovers away?”
Ning Xin had experienced days where one box of food could last for two meals. She hated wasting food. Thinking about all this takeout potentially going into the trash, she hesitated for a moment, then walked over, but halfway there, she pulled out two banknotes.
But before she could hand over the banknotes, Nie Ran glared at her, and she withdrew them.
The two of them silently finished their meal, and he tidied up the garbage, holding it in his hand.
“He’ll stay with you tonight. I’ll leave first,” he said.
Ning Xin asked in surprise, “Where are you going?”
He glanced outside. “I’ll find somewhere to sleep for a bit.”
In modern society, it’s difficult to go anywhere without identification, even if you have money in your pocket. It’s hard to find a decent hotel. He wanted to sleep, either in some dirty motel or on the streets.
Ning Xin looked at her spacious room and pursed her lips. “You can sleep here.”
Nie Ran looked surprised.
She didn’t back down, saying coldly, “Since you’ve been part of the problem, you might as well pay for it. Since there’s an extra bed here anyway, you might as well give me the room fee.”
Nie Ran suddenly understood, shrugged, threw the garbage out, and handed her a stack of bills.
Ning Xin was startled by the thickness of the stack and hastily said, “This is too much.”
“Too much.”
She intended to cheat him a bit, but she would have only accepted a couple of hundred at most.
But there were tens of thousands here.
Nie Ran, however, said, “This is the money I earned from selling clothes today. It’s all for you.”
“What?”
“You manage the finances in the madhouse.”
He said this in a matter-of-fact tone and went to take a shower.
Ning Xin stood still, stunned, only understanding his meaning after a long time.
The “madhouse” was their shared household. He earned money, she managed the finances, and they spent it together?
After leaving the orphanage, every penny she spent was earned by her own hands. No one had ever handed her money before.
This feeling was just too unfamiliar.
For a moment, she didn’t know what to do, whether to accept it or not.
Before she could come to a decision, Nie Ran had already finished showering and come out, dressed neatly, with damp hair, nodding at her before lying down on the other bed and falling asleep.
Not long after, the familiar rhythm of breathing filled her ears.
Ning Xin looked at the money in her hand, sighed, and went to take a shower and sleep.
The next morning, as the sky was just beginning to brighten, something furry slipped into her blanket, startling her awake.
Looking down, she saw Lang Xiao nestled in her arms, rubbing against her chin.
Ning Xin couldn’t help but smile and kissed his forehead.
“Good morning.”
He, having stayed awake all night to control himself, was now exhausted, yawning and closing his eyes.
She needed to use the bathroom, so she cautiously slipped out from under the covers. But as she turned, she met Nie Ran’s gaze at the window.
After last night, there was a bit of awkwardness between them.
Ning Xin said, “Up so early.”
He nodded, and they had nothing more to say to each other.
She slipped into the bathroom, and when she came out, a steaming breakfast was already on the table.
As she nibbled on a meat bun, she glanced at the goods in the corner and asked, “Are you still going to do business today?”
Nie Ran looked distracted. “I can do whatever. It’s up to you.”
“With so much merchandise, it would be a waste to throw it away. Let’s go sell some more in the morning, earn whatever we can. Then in the afternoon, we’ll take Lang Xiao to the hospital and get some more medicine for you, how does that sound?”
“Get medicine for me?”
“Yeah, the doctor said last time that in your situation, you need to keep taking your medication consistently. You can’t slack off just because you see some improvement, or else it’ll rebound,” she explained.
He nodded, his gaze fixed on the takeout box in front of him, lost in thought.
After finishing their meal, they packed everything up and tucked the still-sleepy Lang Xiao into the bag.
Ning Xin went ahead to scout the way. Seeing that the front desk was busy, she quickly signalled to Nie Ran to rush out.
Then she went through the normal procedures to check out, taking the merchandise with her, and met up with him outside.
They set up their stall again in the square.
Thanks to the news coverage, many people came specifically today, eager to catch a glimpse of the “Underwear Prince.”
Nie Ran became more skilled at handling the goods and collecting money. With Ning Xin assisting nearby, helping with bargaining and attracting customers, the business was not only booming but also organized.
During a break, he sat down to drink some water.
Suddenly, someone patted his shoulder, and he turned to see a kindly-looking old man.
“Is this your wife?” the old man asked.
Wife?
Nie Ran squinted his eyes, not bothering to entertain him.
The old man praised Ning Xin endlessly, “This girl is great, so beautiful and smart. Look at her business acumen… Ah, it reminds me of my old partner.”
Nie Ran frowned, “Your partner?”
“My partner looked just like her when she was young, just a bit plumper. But as she got older, her health deteriorated, and she passed away from heart disease last year. When we first met…”
The old man became emotional, reminiscing about the past.
Nie Ran wasn’t very interested in listening and was about to leave. But then he suddenly remembered something and sat back down.
“Why did she marry you?” he asked.
“Huh?”
“You said earlier that many men liked her.”
The old man chuckled, “You want to know how I managed to win her over, don’t you? Haha, that’s a long story. Although I was handsome and tall when I was young, and I was considered quite a catch wherever I went, it still took some effort. First of all…”
Ning Xin was busy to the point of being overwhelmed, and she hadn’t seen Nie Ran coming to help. She turned to look for him and saw him sitting on a pile of goods, listening intently to an old man.
He nodded along, appearing like a diligent student.
…Busy as she was, he was chatting?
She put her hands on her hips and shouted, “Nie Ran, come over here and collect the money!”
Both men looked up simultaneously. Nie Ran stood up, patted the old man’s shoulder, said something, then ran over to her to collect the money, unable to hide his delight.
Ning Xin was very suspicious. “What are you two talking about? You seem so enthusiastic.”
Isn’t he usually too proud to bother with anyone?
Nie Ran said, “Nothing.”
She wanted to ask more, but the business was too busy, and she quickly forgot about her curiosity.
The morning’s business was much better than expected. Most of the merchandise was sold, and Nie Ran not only recovered his initial investment but also made tens of thousands in profit. They didn’t bother taking the remaining goods with them and instead gave them to the street cleaners.
With the task completed and feeling relaxed, Ning Xin deposited the money into her account, put the card into her small bag, and nodded at Nie Ran, who was waiting outside with Lang Xiao in his arms.
“Let’s go, let’s have something nice to eat.”
Since pets weren’t allowed in restaurants, Ning Xin was thinking of buying something to hide Lang Xiao in. But he woke up, sniffing the delicious smells all around.
Coincidentally, there was a men’s clothing store in the mall. She asked Nie Ran to take Lang Xiao to the restroom while she bought a set of clothes and shoes to send over. When they came out, they were two handsome guys.
Nie Ran was about 1.9 meters tall, and Lang Xiao was nearly as tall.
Ning Xin walked between them like a sandwich cookie, attracting attention.
They had already eaten hot pot several times, and she had also ordered steak and fried chicken takeaway before. But now, they spotted a self-service barbecue restaurant ahead.
She exclaimed, “Let’s eat here today!”
The other two didn’t care what to eat at all, letting her decide everything.
Ning Xin confidently told the waiter “Three,” paid the bill, chose a table, and happily wandered around the hall with plates in hand.
Nie Ran and Lang Xiao sat on their chairs, the latter curiously looking around until his gaze settled on a row of raw lamb meat, reluctant to look away.
Nie Ran stood up. “Sit here and don’t wander around.”
Lang Xiao swallowed and nodded.
A few minutes later, Ning Xin returned with two laden plates and was startled to see the scene at the table.
“Quick, put that down!”
Lang Xiao had somehow brought a plate of raw lamb meat from somewhere and was hiding in the corner, secretly nibbling on it!
After wrestling half of the lamb meat from him, she patiently explained, “We shouldn’t eat raw meat. It can have parasites and doesn’t taste good. Cooked food is much tastier. I’ll grill some meat for you later… Where the hell did Nie Ran go?”
Just as they spoke of him, Nie Ran walked in from outside, holding a bunch of bright red roses, easily ten of them, attracting the attention of numerous people.
He stopped at their table and handed the roses to Ning Xin.
“For you.”
Ning Xin said, “…Where did you get the flowers?”
“Picked them up.”
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