Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Lin Nannan Outsmarts Lu Hang

As they were talking, Lin Nannan returned.

She was in high spirits because she had been given many nice things, even several pounds of pork ribs. Earlier, Grandma had whispered to her that she would stew the ribs for her.

She'd never had ribs before.

So, she was looking forward to it, and her mood improved. Even these people seemed more tolerable now.

"Done talking?" she asked.

"Settled!" No resolution meant it was settled.

Lin Nannan nodded and said, "Grandma told them to go have tea."

Lu Hang needed to think things through, so he let Zhang Shengguo and the others go out for tea first.

Once they'd gone, Lin Nannan stayed behind. She sat by the bed and looked at him, asking, "It didn't work out, did it?"

Lu Hang looked at her, momentarily at a loss for words.

Lin Nannan's perceptiveness caught him off guard.

When you thought she was scheming, you’d find her refreshingly simple—doing what she wanted, eating what she craved, with no ulterior motives.

But if you assumed she was simple, she'd zero in on the heart of the matter—like when dealing with He Ye, or now.

"I wasn’t eavesdropping!" His look prompted her to defend herself. "You said it was settled, but your brow stayed furrowed. Besides, if someone is targeting you, it’s not something that can be resolved quickly. The army might worry about you, but they won’t keep sending people to protect you forever, right?"

"You're quite knowledgeable?" Lu Hang asked.

Lin Nannan didn’t mention that she was familiar with this history. Instead, she replied matter-of-factly, "Of course. Why doubt it? Even if they arranged everything for you, given your personality, you probably wouldn’t agree."

Lu Hang's heart raced.

He realized that Lin Nannan knew him better than his own parents did, despite the fact that they hadn’t talked much.

"You know me that well?" he couldn’t help but ask.

Lin Nannan didn’t want to explain too much, so she answered vaguely, "I guess so."

The more he saw her goodness, the harder it was for Lu Hang. He couldn’t hold back and said, "Nan Nan, you know, danger could come at any moment. Staying by my side offers you nothing but life-threatening risks. You—"

Before he could finish, Lin Nannan interrupted him.

"Are you trying to make me leave?" she asked bluntly.

Lu Hang remained silent, tacitly agreeing.

Lin Nannan wasn’t angry. Instead, she fiddled with the quilt and said, "But I ruined their plans. If I leave here, will I really be safe?"

Lu Hang’s expression instantly changed, which secretly delighted Lin Nannan—Hah, got you!

"If you really want me to leave, I have nowhere to go. I’d have to live in that cowshed on the back hill. Then, wouldn’t it be even easier for those people to target me?" she murmured, throwing Lu Hang into disarray.

"You’re not going anywhere!" Damn it, he had forgotten about that.

Lin Nannan looked puzzled. "Didn’t you tell me to leave?"

By now, if Lu Hang still didn’t realize Lin Nannan was doing this on purpose, he wouldn’t be the formerly brilliant Lu Hang.

He took a deep breath and confessed his feelings. "Nan Nan, you’re wonderful—so wonderful that it makes me feel guilty. I’m afraid of burdening you, afraid you’ll grow to resent this life. But in my heart, I don’t want you to leave. You have no idea how your presence has given me something to live for each day..."

Lin Nannan didn’t love Lu Hang—after all, she had never been in love before, and no one had taught her what it meant. She simply found Lu Hang unobtrusive, giving her plenty of freedom. Plus, the Lu family treated her well, so she had no intention of leaving at all.