After she finished speaking, Gu Jiaojiao went into the kitchen. Fu Guoguo wanted to follow but couldn’t bear to leave Sheng Shijing by himself.

So she stayed in the living room to keep him company. Unfortunately, Sheng Shijing was hopelessly dense when it came to romance.

Seeing Fu Guoguo sitting there without moving, he asked, "Why don’t you go in and help?"

"She’s making noodles for her man. What am I going to do in there, get in the way? I’m not as clueless as you are."

Fu Guoguo pouted, a little displeased with Sheng Shijing’s attitude. She was trying to be nice and keep him company, and this is what he said to her.

When Sheng Shijing saw her roll her eyes, he didn’t get angry. Instead, he let out a sarcastic laugh.

"Haha, I never would’ve guessed. Not only do you not have a stutter, but you’re quite sharp-tongued. You’re also a little vinegar jar, though."

"How am I a vinegar jar now? When have I ever stopped any girl from liking you?" Fu Guoguo was absolutely furious.

"You haven’t. But I have to ask, are you into Brother Su? Jiaojiao is just making a bowl of noodles, and you’re already this jealous."

"You... you’re insane." Fu Guoguo was so mad at Eldest Brother Sheng that her face darkened.

She shot Sheng Shijing an irritated glare. "Hmph, I would never fall for a married man. I’m not that shameless, you know. Your sense of morality is completely warped."

With that, she turned her head away and stopped paying Eldest Brother Sheng any mind, but she still didn’t leave.

Fu Guoguo grew up by her second brother’s side, and the two of them had always been very close.

And Second Brother Fu was far more responsible than her eldest brother, Fu Junyuan. Since they were young, he’d had to look after both his older brother and his younger sister.

Afraid of making life harder for her second brother, Fu Guoguo matured at a young age. As a result, she had far more patience than most people.

Sheng Shijing, on the other hand, was the eldest in his family. He’d had to look after his younger siblings since he was a child, so he also matured early.

However, his understanding was limited to basic social graces; when it came to matters of the heart, he was slow on the uptake and utterly clueless.

His adoptive sister’s sudden changes—first becoming completely unreasonable, then suddenly becoming capable of anything—had left him perplexed.

Then, because of his biological sister, his feelings had shifted from pity to disappointment, making it hard for him to accept the unpredictable nature of women.

What left Sheng Shijing even more bewildered was when his own sister became the subject of a scandalous rumor involving a married man in their residential compound.

It all made him feel like he had no idea what was going on in the minds of women these days, which was why his attitude toward them was so cold.

This was the first time he had ever teased someone like he was teasing Fu Guoguo, and he wasn’t even sure himself why he was doing it.

Though Fu Guoguo was angry, she didn’t leave the living room. Instead, she sat on the far end of the sofa, sneaking glances at Eldest Brother Sheng.

’He looks especially good in that long down jacket today,’ she thought. ’His features are even more refined than my eldest brother’s, and he has the same dashing air as my second brother.’

’Even though Eldest Brother Sheng is clueless and doesn’t know what to say, you just can’t take your eyes off him.’

"Why are you two fighting?" Su Shuochi asked as he came down from the second floor, neatly dressed.

"Brother Su, you’re back?" Fu Guoguo greeted Su Shuochi warmly the moment she saw him.

"Shuo Ci, you’re changed. And I wasn’t fighting with her!" Sheng Shijing added.

He sat on the sofa, looking up at Su Shuochi’s tall, imposing figure. Su Shuochi was the very picture of a dashing gentleman.

His handsome face was set with a pair of deep eyes that twinkled with a self-assured light, like stars in the night sky.

He had a thick head of black hair that shone with a healthy luster under the lights.

"Where’s Jiaojiao?" Su Shuochi asked, his eyes sweeping the living room when he didn’t see his wife.

"She’s in the kitchen making you some noodles."

"Okay. You two keep watching TV. I’ll go to the kitchen and help." With that, he headed for the kitchen.

He walked over to the stove and saw Gu Jiaojiao about to carry the bowl. "Let me get that. Don’t burn yourself."

"Okay. I only made one bowl for you. They said they just ate and were too full for more."

"Alright, let’s go eat out there," Su Shuochi said, carrying the full bowl of noodles out of the kitchen.

He saw Gu Jiaojiao sit down on the sofa, so he placed the bowl of noodles on the coffee table and sat down to eat beside her.

"Jiaojiao, let me tell you..." Su Shuochi began to murmur in her ear, chattering away as he ate his noodles.

It was as if he hadn’t spoken in a lifetime, and he told her about everything that had happened while he was away.

He even remembered the most trivial little things, recounting them all with great relish.

Seeing that she wasn’t the least bit impatient—in fact, she was resting her chin in her hands, a smile playing at the corners of her eyes as she listened—he spoke with even more enthusiasm.

Sheng Shijing never knew a man could be so chatty. He had known Su Shuochi for a long time.

The Su Shuochi he remembered was a stern, taciturn man. If he could say something in three words, he’d never use four.

But here he was, rambling on and on, making even the smallest matter sound like the most fascinating story.

Meanwhile, his adoptive sister’s eyes were sparkling. She was utterly captivated, and would even ask a few questions from time to time.

Fu Guoguo, of course, couldn’t understand what Su Shuochi was saying, but she found herself staring dazedly at Sheng Shijing.

The four of them together made for a harmonious scene. Just then, the phone in the living room rang.

Fu Guoguo immediately ran over and picked up the phone. "Hello, who is this for?"

"Is Jiaojiao home?" Su’s mother’s anxious voice came from the other end.

"She is. One moment, please."

"Jiaojiao, it’s for you. It’s a middle-aged woman, but not your mom. I don’t recognize the voice."

Gu Jiaojiao walked over quickly. "Hello?"

"Jiaojiao, has Chi made it home yet?"

"He just got here. He’s eating noodles right now. Mom, are you and Dad doing well? I heard Erya and Little Stone are home..."

Gu Jiaojiao chatted with Su’s mother for a while, relaying all the little details Su Shuochi had just told her.

Su’s mother happily chatted with Gu Jiaojiao for a long time before finally hanging up.

Gu Jiaojiao had just hung up when the phone rang again. "Mom, did you..."

Gu Jiaojiao assumed it was Su’s mother calling back, but instead she heard the hearty laughter of her grandfather and father on the other end.

"Jiaojiao, your older brother is back! Are you free to come over for lunch tomorrow?" came Mrs. Gu’s cheerful voice.

"My older brother actually decided to come back?" Gu Jiaojiao was surprised this time.

"Yes, he said he came back specially for your second brother’s wedding. He also said he’ll stay until after the New Year." Mrs. Gu’s voice was filled with boundless joy.

"We’ll come for lunch tomorrow, but you’ll have to prepare for two extra people. Shuo Ci is back, and Eldest Brother Sheng is here too."

"Shuo Ci’s back? Wonderful, wonderful! And the Sheng boy is here too? Great! I’ll make some extra dishes and wait for you all."

Gu Jiaojiao exchanged a few more words with her mother before the other end hurriedly hung up.

"Jiaojiao, was that a call from your mom?" Su Shuochi asked, having already washed the bowl and come out of the kitchen.

"Yeah, she’s inviting us over for lunch tomorrow," Gu Jiaojiao said, relaying her mother’s message.

"Jiaojiao, since Brother Su is back, I think I’ll head home for the night," Fu Guoguo said, seeing that things were settling down.

"Even though you live close, I don’t feel right about you going home alone. We have guest rooms, you can just stay in the one you always use."

Gu Jiaojiao offered casually, seeing that Fu Guoguo didn’t really seem to want to leave.

"Alright, then. I’ll get up tomorrow and make breakfast for everyone," Fu Guoguo said, her eyes on Sheng Shijing.