Forced into a Contract Flash Marriage with the Ice-Cold Beauty - Chapter 17

Lu Zhimo paused while picking up her noodles, then chuckled. “If I hadn’t lived well, do you think I’d have grown this tall and built this strong?”

“That makes sense. Just look at your 180 cm frame, you could probably take down several people with one punch. I’m glad you had a good life.”

“Exaggeration. I couldn’t take down even one Ji Nanchen with a single punch.” (Ji Nanchen: Focus on your romance, don’t drag me into this!)

“By that logic, did you ever bully other kids at the orphanage?”

“Of course not. I was very well-behaved. Do you know why my surname is Lu? I was the only child who took the matron’s surname. As for bullying, Nanchen was often the one being picked on. If I ever got into fights, it was always to protect her.” Lu Zhimo reminisced about her childhood, it wasn’t exactly happy, but at least she never went hungry.

“Ji Nanchen was an orphan too?” This surprised Bai Qingrang.

“Yes, she’s three years younger than me. I remember she came to the orphanage when I was seven, after some terrible accident happened in her family. Don’t let her current reputation as an all-around bodyguard fool you back then, she was the kind of kid you could knock down with one punch.”

Lu Zhimo’s humorous tone made Bai Qingrang cover her mouth to stifle a laugh. “If she hears you talking like this, she’ll come after you. So what happened next?”

“Later, PA-40 came to recruit talent. At first, Matron Lu was against it, she thought it was practically sending us to our deaths. But the resources the corps offered were too generous. If Nanchen and I were taken away, all the children in the orphanage would have enough to eat for a full five years.”

The lighthearted mood of their chat vanished. Lu Zhimo’s eyes grew distant, as though her life had been completely upended after joining the corps.

“It’s getting late. Let’s get some rest after we finish eating.” Noticing her sorrow, Bai Qingrang began clearing the bowls, coaxing gently, “We can continue another day.”

“Don’t you want to understand me better? If we’re going to revisit the past, let me say it all at once, it’s better than suffering twice.” The way Lu Zhimo faced her pain head-on deeply captivated Bai Qingrang, who set down what she was holding and returned to her seat.

“But I don’t want you to hurt. I don’t know how to comfort you in your pain.”

“It’s alright. What’s already happened can’t jump out and harm me again. But I want to lay my heart bare and show you the most real version of me. That’s the greatest sincerity I can offer you and this relationship.”

Bai Qingrang reached out and placed her hand over Lu Zhimo’s, silently offering strength.

Lu Zhimo smiled, interlacing their fingers tightly. Their gazes met, melting into a pool of clarity in each other’s eyes.

“So what happened after you joined the corps?”

“Nanchen and I were sent for five years of intensive training. During those years, we did nothing but train in combat techniques and survival skills.

After five years, we were assigned to a base in Florence, carrying out various covert missions.

Throughout that time, Nanchen and I were constantly living on the edge. The closest I came to death was when I was rescuing orphans in a war zone. Amid the rubble and ruins, I accidentally stepped on a landmine, surrounded by nothing but gunfire and explosions.

Nanchen provided cover and refused to retreat, saying she’d rather die on her homeland. Our captain, Zanda, a remarkable man didn’t give up on me either. The scene was pure chaos: relentless bombing, with flying shrapnel turning even shattered stones into lethal weapons.”

Zanda crouched before me, disarming the mine for what felt like an eternity. I thought, at worst, I’d lose a leg better than dragging the whole team down. But he succeeded, and I kept my life.

After eight years in Florence, I finally moved to a less active role. Zanda helped us apply for reassignment, and we returned to Xuancheng to take over management of the security company under our group. We’ve been at it ever since.

Just as Ji Nanchan was sleeping soundly, faint rustling noises disturbed her. She rolled over, squinting toward the doorway, where three overlapping shadows were swaying furtively. The sight sent a cold sweat down her spine. Clutching her blanket, she shrieked, “Who’s there?”

Frantically switching on the bedside lamp, she saw Leng Bingqin standing there awkwardly, clutching a large teddy bear in one arm and a little lamb plushie in the other, hesitating as if wanting to enter the dark room but too unsure to move.

Heart still racing, Ji Nanchan panted, clutching her chest. “Sneaking around in the dead of night without a word are you trying to scare me to death so you can inherit my chickens and dogs?”

Leng Bingqin puffed out her cheeks, murmuring timidly, “I’m scared! I can’t sleep.”

“Scared of what?”

“Scared someone might touch me.”

“There’s no one else in the house. What’s there to be afraid of?” Ji Nanchan was baffled by the excuse but didn’t dare lose her temper, worried the sensitive girl might run away from home again. Instead, she waved her over, hoping to comfort her and send her back to bed. “Come here.”

Misunderstanding the gesture, Leng Bingqin barged right into the bed with her two plush companions, her gloomy expression instantly lifting. “Chenchen is the best.”

“Tsk, who said you could get in my bed? Go back to your own room if you want to sleep.” Though her words were sharp, Ji Nanchan made no real move to kick her out.

“You told me to come over!” Leng Bingqin insisted shamelessly, settling herself and her plush toys under the covers.

Ji Nanchan grabbed the teddy bear and placed it between them as a flimsy barrier, but Leng Bingqin promptly tossed it behind them. Wrapping her arms around Ji Nanchan, she nuzzled her neck. “No bear in the middle. I want to be close to Chenchen.”

Biting the corner of the blanket in frustration, Ji Nanchan blocked Leng Bingqin’s head with her hand. “No touching, no disturbing my sleep, no talking.”

“Kiss-kiss~” Ignoring the rules, Leng Bingqin puckered her lips, demanding a goodnight kiss.

Ji Nanchan pressed a finger to her pouty lips, firmly refusing, “Nope, we don’t do goodnight kisses in this house.”

“Hmph!” Denied her kiss, Leng Bingqin turned her back in a huff. When Ji Nanchan didn’t immediately comfort her, she slowly scooted backward until the back of her head pressed against Ji Nanchan’s lips considering it her makeshift goodnight kiss.

Ji Nanchan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Usually so clumsy and tearful, yet full of these mischievous little tricks.

On the small 1.5-meter-wide bed, Leng Bingqin sprawled out like a starfish, one foot on Ji Nanchan’s face, the other digging into her waist, hugging the lamb plushie tightly. She occupied four-fifths of the mattress.

The pitiful Ji Nanchan was squeezed to the edge, teetering precariously, while the even more unfortunate teddy bear had already tumbled to the floor.

Mumbling incoherently in her sleep, Leng Bingqin gave a sudden, forceful kick.

Startled awake, Ji Nanchan flailed her arms in confusion, letting out a bewildered “Eh? Eh? Eh?” before tumbling off the bed in a heap.

Sitting on the fallen teddy bear with her messy bedhead, she blinked in confusion, utterly clueless about how she’d ended up on the floor.

Staring at Leng Bingqin, who was hogging the bed, Ji Nanchan yawned repeatedly and lingered by the bedside for a while longer before finally getting up and leaving the room to wash up.

Toothbrush in her mouth, she walked into the yard and thought, Since I woke up early today, why not help the little nanny collect the eggs?

As she brushed her teeth, she stepped into the chicken coop, recalling yesterday’s KPI meeting. Without hesitation, she headed straight for Sihua’s nest.

One, two, three, four, five eggs!

Ji Nanchan’s eyes widened wider than the eggs themselves. With toothpaste foam still on her lips, she mustered all her strength and shouted, “Leng Bingqin! Sihua exploded with eggs!”

Soon after, the little nanny, still bleary-eyed, rushed out. “What’s wrong? What’s wrong?”

“Oh my gosh, Sihua laid five eggs!” Ji Nanchan was as thrilled as if she’d won the lottery, clenching her fists and dancing around excitedly.

The two of them found Sihua among the flock, but just as they were about to heap praise on her, they noticed that the hen looked utterly exhausted from laying eggs, wobbling unsteadily as she walked.

Leng Bingqin brought over a basket for the eggs and said worriedly, “Sihua doesn’t seem quite right.”

“We can’t let her lay eggs for now,” Ji Nanchan declared, moving Sihua’s nest aside and gathering a pile of weeds to create a separate enclosure.

Today’s overall KPI had skyrocketed, and Leng Bingqin filled the basket to the brim with eggs.

Ji Nanchan was deeply concerned about her chicken. She stayed in the coop for a long time, even feeding Sihua separately to keep her company.

“Nanch, I’m hungry,” Leng Bingqin complained, resting her head against the fence. The prized flowers in the yard had already been fed, but Ji Nanchan had forgotten about her.

“Oh no, how could I forget?” Ji Nanchan slapped her forehead, stepped out of the coop, and took Leng Bingqin’s hand, leading her toward the kitchen. “Come on, I’ll teach you how to cook.”

“I’m sure I’ll learn it in no time,” Leng Bingqin said confidently, quickly putting on an apron. “I’ll be your little chef from now on and make sure you’re well-fed and plump.”

“Thanks,” Ji Nanchan replied, her lips twitching, “but I’m afraid I might get poisoned, so let’s skip that.”

“How can you underestimate me?” The foodie bristled with indignation.

Ji Nanchan ruffled the little nanny’s hair, then turned and pulled two packs of instant noodles from the cupboard. “Cooking porridge takes too long. You look starving, so let’s just have instant noodles for now.”

“Is this tasty?” Leng Bingqin stared at the enticing picture on the packaging, practically drooling.

“You’ve never had it before?”

“I haven’t seen much of the world, so of course I haven’t,” Leng Bingqin said innocently, convinced of her own lack of experience.

Ji Nanchan’s eyes widened in disbelief. Tsk, she really is a sheltered rich girl who knows nothing about the hardships of life!

“Alright, first, we boil the water,” Ji Nanchan patiently explained, following the steps. She took out two bowls and emptied the seasoning packets into them. “Once the water boils, add the noodles. When they’re soft, transfer them to the bowls. Pour in some broth and mix well.”

The kitchen filled with the savory aroma of the instant noodles. Leng Bingqin was practically drooling, eager to grab her bowl, but Ji Nanchan stopped her. “Go get two eggs.”

“We’re adding eggs too?”

“I’m just worried you won’t be full.”

Leng Bingqin quickly brought the eggs, and Ji Nanchan handed one back to her. “Watch me and learn how to crack an egg.”

“Okay!” Leng Bingqin mimicked her, nervously tapping the egg against the edge of the pot. Her hands trembled as she saw the shell crack, and she fumbled to break it into the pot.

Plop! The egg smoothly dropped into the pot, and her anxious heart settled back down. She wiped her forehead with a sigh of exhaustion. “So tiring.”

Ji Nanchan inwardly grumbled: You’re just cracking an egg, not laying one. How is that tiring?

After poaching the egg in the leftover noodle broth and scooping it into their respective bowls, Ji Nanchan handed the chopsticks to Leng Bingqin. “Now we can eat.”

“Yay~” The little housekeeper carried her bowl toward the dining table, but Ji Nanchan grabbed her from behind and steered her to the courtyard entrance.

“Eating noodles tastes best when you sit in the yard.” Sitting on the steps, she stirred her noodles a few times, blew away the steam, and began slurping noisily.

Leng Bingqin tried to copy Ji Nanchan by propping her feet up nearby, but her leg-shaking lacked that carefree, casual flair, it just looked awkward.

Noticing this, Ji Nanchan tapped her knee with the end of her chopsticks. “If you can’t get it right, don’t force it. It’s a bad habit anyway.”

“Why are you the only one allowed to shake your legs?” Leng Bingqin protested.

“I have chronic rheumatism shaking helps dispel dampness.”

“I don’t believe your nonsense. What flavor are your instant noodles? Why do they look tastier than mine?”

“Mine are pickled mustard tuber flavor.”

“I want to try yours. Give me a bite.”

“Hey, eat your own.”

“Nanchan, you’re so stingy!”

This courtyard had never felt so lively before. With just a simple bowl of instant noodles, Ji Nanchan tasted the warmth of home.

She glanced at Leng Bingqin carefully eating her noodles and smiled knowingly. It seemed having an extra mouth to feed wasn’t so burdensome after all; it was okay if this little klutz couldn’t do housework.

But soon, her smile faded. The person before her would leave eventually, what was she hoping for?

Leng Bingqin waved a hand in front of Ji Nanchan’s eyes. “What are you spacing out for? Your phone is ringing.”

“Keep eating. I’ll get the call.”

Returning to the living room, she picked up her phone, it was Lu Zhimo calling.

Answering, Ji Nanchan feigned an automated message: “The number you have dialed is powered off. Sorry the—”

“Aren’t you bored? Come to the office. We’re having a small meeting.”

Beep beep beep! Ji Nanchan mimicked a busy signal.

“Still acting like a kid at your age? Do you think you’re three?”

“Tch, fine. I’m heading out now.”