Tea-flavored Romance

"Then is it alright if I take another, longer route back to the home?"

“That’s your choice, it’s none of my business,” Jiang Manyue replied. “I’m going back.”

"Is there something you wanted to tell me?"

"No."

“You clearly have it; I can feel it.”

“You’re mistaken,” Jiang Manyue said without turning her head. “Go back on your own. I won’t see you off.”

Having said all she wanted to say, the girl turned and left. Ning Yuan watched the slender and graceful figure of Miss Manyue and couldn't help but mutter to himself—he clearly sensed that ever since he had endured the pain to hug Manyue, she seemed to have something to say, but when they were actually alone together, she remained silent, as if she was still hesitating.

It seems they are still lacking an opportunity for a face-to-face, honest, and heartfelt exchange.

There's no other way but to take it one step at a time. Tomorrow is the New Year's Eve dinner, and we need to start preparing the ingredients early this morning. I need to go to bed early and get up early tonight.

With this in mind, Master Ning leisurely returned to the Gu family home. After a brief chat and greetings, Gu's mother led him to the guest room where a bed had been made to rest.

The Gu family had no shortage of a guest room or a blanket, so the desire to stay with Xuebao remained just a thought; it was impossible to actually voice it. The guest room was fully equipped; even though Ningyuan had brought his own set of toiletries, the Gu family thoughtfully provided him with a new one. Every detail was meticulously considered, leaving no room for complaint.

"Then Xiao Ning, you should get some rest. I won't bother you any longer."

"Thank you, Auntie..."

After a brief farewell, Gu's mother closed the door and left. Ning Yuan lay on the newly made bed, covered his face with his hands, and let out a long sigh of relief. He began to think about how to have a proper conversation with Manyue.

He must be involved in Xuebao's affairs and keep up with the progress. If he can communicate well with Manyue, he will be more willing to help the Gu family.

But what if the full moon continues to resist...?

Sigh... Being a man is hard, being a scumbag is even harder.

On the bright side, at least Full Moon's attitude has begun to soften a bit, and the future isn't as bleak as it was before. This is a good start.

I don't want to think about it anymore. I'll wash up first, and then I'll have a video call with Jiu Bao to experience the healing power of this little angel.

However, plans often go awry. After Master Ning returned to his room, drying his hair, Little Hanhan called him via video call before he could answer. He swiped to answer, and the camera on the other end began to shake.

"Here he comes... Ning Yuan?"

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

In the video, Lu Jiujiu is wearing a pink pajama set in a girly color scheme. The little strawberries on the pattern look sweet and cute. She is lying on the bed with her chin propped up, and you can see her restless little feet swaying gently behind her in front of the camera.

As night fell, the lights shone brightly, and the warm orange light made the girl's delicate and lovely face look infinitely beautiful. The unique angle of her lying down also allowed the little silly girl, whose pajamas collar was usually not fastened tightly, to unabashedly show off the allure of her figure, leaving Master Ning unsure whether to look at his girlfriend's face or her collarbone.

Cute...I want to...

Unfortunately, the girl seemed to have a slight guilty look on her face, and Master Ning was slightly taken aback when he noticed this:

"Jiujiu... what are you doing?"

"Me? I wasn't doing anything..." the girl stammered. "Ningyuan, are you alright?"

"Well, it went fairly smoothly, but I won't be able to make it back this year."

“Oh…oh oh oh…”

“Jiu Jiu…”

"W-what happened?"

Is Little Zero with you?

The little girl's innocent eyes revealed a visible panic and shock, and her little mouth involuntarily formed a round "o" shape, making her look incredibly cute. However, she was quickly forced to calm down:

"No, no, how could Little Ling'er be in my room... It's so late, she couldn't possibly be sleeping at my house..."

“Lu Jiujiu, at least change your expression when you lie. What will you do if you do this every time…” Master Ning said helplessly, “It’s okay, go ahead and tell me, I don’t blame you.”

"Really?" Lu Jiujiu asked cautiously, "You really don't blame me?"

"Well, how could I possibly be angry with you..." Master Ning said, "You're my precious darling, I cherish you more than anything."

“See, Little Ling’er, I told you Ning Yuan wouldn’t be angry…” Lu Jiujiu looked expectantly at Ning 10 beside her: “We don’t need to lie to him… Look… Hmm? Why did he hang up? Is his internet connection bad?”

Ning10: "..."

The little leek spirit covered her face in despair, thinking that if she could report her teammates, she would have reported Lu Jiujiu, that idiot, a thousand times over... She couldn't even see through such an obvious baiting tactic...

Sigh! Now we're just waiting for Emperor Jiang to rule the world alone!

Chapter 340: Snowball's Night Raid Plan

Ning 10's gank and ambush failed to stop that scumbag. How she subsequently became enraged and attempted to turn evil, and how she was ultimately thwarted by that naive, clueless look, was something Master Ning was completely unaware of. He only knew that Xiao Ling'er was clearly starting to stir. If they couldn't quickly resolve the northern conflict and return to pacify the south, it was hard to guarantee she wouldn't incite that naive guy to shout, "The Tea Emperor is dead, the Supreme One shall rise!" and reignite the war against Xueyue.

If that's the case, then Master Ning's efforts to appease Jiu Bao in the early stages were essentially wasted. Besides, if Xue Yue and her two childhood friends really team up, it's not something a weakling like you could defeat by binding a simpleton with her.

You're still not wise enough, Little Zero... If you and Miss Full Moon had swapped intelligence, your tribulation time would probably have been brought forward to when we were both adults.

He shook his head, no longer focusing on those strange ideas, and reached out to turn off the bedside lamp to conserve his energy for preparing the New Year's Eve dinner tomorrow. Suddenly, he heard a rustling sound coming from the doorway.

His door wasn't locked from the inside, which made it exceptionally easy for the sneaky tea master to open Master Ning's door. Xuebao tiptoed in, and in the darkness, her little hands began to fumble for the light switch on the wall. Master Ning watched with his eyes open as his girlfriend's figure approached little by little, and then he turned on the bedside lamp...

Gu Guanxue: "..."

Ning Yuan: "..."

"Haha... What a coincidence, you're still awake so late?"

Xuebao, clutching her pillow, gave an awkward yet polite smile. Her white cotton pajamas accentuated her shapely figure, making her appear incredibly slender. Master Ning, watching his girlfriend's surprise attack that had been abruptly foiled, couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.

"Come in...it's cold outside."

As he spoke, he opened a corner of his blanket. Seeing this, Gu Guanxue said, "Isn't this inappropriate?" but her body betrayed her, and she slipped into the warm blanket. Her soft, cool body, nestled in Ning Yuan's arms, felt like a snowflake falling into a warm furnace. The girl's body quickly warmed up again, and her eyes curved into a smile.

"Did you already guess that I would launch a night raid?"

"No, it's just that I'm not used to sleeping in the same bed so early..."

"Hmm, I knew you were sensitive to unfamiliar beds, so I came here specifically to help you get used to this bed." Gu Guanxue smiled, her eyes narrowed. "You didn't think I just came here for a hug, did you? I'm not that kind of delicate girl~"

"Woman, you're playing with fire," Master Ning said, feigning malice. "I think you don't know what it means to be wicked... Have you completely forgotten the lesson I taught you in your room? There's no nanny coming to save you now."

“I don’t think that’s likely to happen.” Xuebao winked mischievously and smiled, “You’ve always been all talk and no action… whether it’s me or Jiang Manyue.”

Master Ning: "???"

So, Miss Full Moon's plan to commit the Snowfall Smash really succeeded? Was Olaf really standing by the window at just the right moment, observing that direction?

Ning Yuan felt a little guilty for a moment, but he quickly thought about it. Xue Bao always liked to trick him. Maybe she just thought that something might happen between him and Jiang Xihua when he arrived at Manyue's house, and was setting a trap for him?

Thinking this way, Master Ning felt much more at ease. Remembering the despicable behavior of that certain tea-sage lady who routinely used entrapment tactics, he couldn't resist pulling her into his arms and giving her a couple of kisses.

"This is the price you pay for underestimating me."

Unfortunately, Master Ning underestimated his self-control, and Xuebao also underestimated the integrity of her boyfriend. With a soft and sweet body in his arms, how could Ning Yuan, who had tasted the sweetness, stop after just kissing and hugging as he had done the last time when they shared a bed in his room?

"Ugh...you...don't..."

Xuebao was just about to say something.

Master Ning has once again taken control of Xuebao's mind. The saying "human hearts are treacherous" has been passed on to Xuebao, as if she might be swallowed up by this treacherousness if she is not careful.

Ning Yuan: I used to think I was a gentleman, but I never expected to be proven wrong so quickly.

The dumpling, as soft as solidified white jade, made Gu Guanxue's cheeks slightly flushed and her eyes watery. She looked a little scared, yet also expectant. She probably hadn't expected that her boyfriend, who used to be content with just kissing her while sleeping in the same bed, would suddenly evolve like this.

“Ningyuan…”

However, whether it was due to some mysterious force or because mothers-in-law are naturally sensitive, just as the two men's rationality was about to burn out in this warm and romantic atmosphere, there was another soft knock on the door:

"Xiao Ning, it seems you don't have a humidifier in your room. I put it by the door for you. Remember to come out and get it later, otherwise you'll feel very uncomfortable in the middle of the night."

Gu Guanxue's eyes widened upon hearing her mother's voice. She instinctively hugged Master Ning tightly and curled up in his arms, as if afraid that her mother would come in and capture her on the spot.

scared.jpg

Master Ning also pretended to be calm and stopped what he was doing, but of course he still didn't let go of Xuebao's heart. He composed himself and replied calmly, "Okay, Auntie, I'll bring it in now."

After saying that, he reluctantly pulled his little hand out of Xuebao's pajamas and carefully covered himself with the blanket to hide his girlfriend's sudden nighttime intrusion. He was mentally planning how to deal with it if Gu's mother came in later…

Yes! Slippers! These are one of the classic pieces of evidence used to get caught, so you'd better hide them well.

After quickly taking some simple precautions, Master Ning gently opened the door, but there was no sign of Gu's mother. It seemed she had simply put down the humidifier, given a few instructions, and left, not coming to drag Xuebao back to her room as he had suspected. This relieved Master Ning slightly. He picked up the humidifier, turned around, and locked the door behind him, just in case the expected situation did occur.

Xuebao, covered by the blanket, revealed a pair of bright and alluring eyes, her gaze still seeming to linger with the passion from just moments before. Seeing that Master Ning was about to naturally slip into bed after plugging in the humidifier, Gu Guanxue quickly stopped him:

"I think we should sleep with two separate blankets for now..."

"Why? Weren't you sleeping soundly just now?"

"That's because you think it's fine." Olaf glared at him, annoyed and embarrassed. "I think it's too dangerous..."

"Don't worry, I'll only give you kisses and hugs, I won't go all the way."

Upon hearing this, Xuebao sighed and said softly, "I'm not afraid that you want to sleep with me, I'm afraid that if things continue like this, it will turn into me wanting to sleep with you..."

Master Ning was stunned: "You just tried to sleep with me?"

"Don't ask girls these kinds of questions, just think I've lost my mind!" Gu Guanxue pulled the blanket over her face and said in a muffled voice, "Alright, I'm here to help you get familiar with my bed, go to sleep, I have to get up early to go back to my room tomorrow."

Master Ning: "..."

Lust Card: What do you mean by the most practical passive skill? (Tactical lean back)

Although he still longed for the feeling of touching the dumpling, Ning Yuan couldn't force his girlfriend since she had spoken. He was also worried that if he were to give in halfway, he would end up eating Xuebao the day before New Year's Eve. So he had no choice but to take another blanket and sleep on the other side.

Nothing more was said that night. Of course, how Xuebao ended up sleeping with Ningyuan in her arms, and how Master Ning endured the torment of chanting the Heart-Cleansing Mantra for most of the night, is something only God knows.

Early in the morning, Xuebao once again stealthily clutched her pillow, trying to sneak back to her room before her mother discovered everything. However, to her surprise, it wasn't her mother who discovered her, but rather a little girl named Gu Huaige who got up early. When this little cousin saw her older cousin sneaking out of Ningyuan's room so early in the morning, she was shocked:

Sister Xiaoxue... are you going to deliver a pillow to your cousin-in-law?

After Gu Guanxue noticed Gu Huaige, she made a shushing gesture, indicating that she should keep this a secret between the two of them. The young Gu Huaige nodded, somewhat bewildered, without objection. She had always admired this universally praised older sister, so keeping her secret was naturally a given, except…

I have a feeling this secret might soon become less of a secret...

When I woke up early this morning, a thin layer of snowflakes had already fallen outside the window. I don't know if it started falling last night or early this morning. Although the snowfall isn't too heavy yet, the outside world is already covered in a blanket of white. This is Master Ning's first time experiencing a snowy winter in the north, and he's behaving like a southerner who's never seen anything like it.

Northerners find it hard to understand the excitement Southerners feel when they see snow. Most Southerners are deeply moved when they see snow in the North for the first time, experiencing firsthand what real heavy snowfall is like.

The ingredients for the New Year's Eve dinner had to be prepared early in the morning. As the head chef, Ning Yuan had no time to play in the snow with Gu Guanxue. However, Xue Bao didn't seem to care much. After breakfast, she quietly accompanied Master Ning in the kitchen, occasionally glancing at the younger generation outside having a snowball fight and running around. The two of them looked like an old married couple in their busy work.

Aside from some ingredients that require fresh stir-frying and processing, the rest of the soups, ribs, and other ingredients that require longer cooking times had already been placed on the small stove, slowly simmering to concentrate their essence. The younger members of the Jiang family seemed quite fond of Master Ning's cooking after their meal last night. Being high school students, they only briefly took some photos of the snowy scenery and posted them on their WeChat Moments before rushing over to watch Master Ning take over the cooking.