Nora turned her head aside, not giving him a promise, but picked up the packed night snack instead.

She asked, "Wanna eat?" 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Pedro stretched out his long legs, kicked away some parts blocking his feet, and asked sideways, "Made by Humphrey?"

"Yeah," Nora replied, raising her eyebrows, "Not eating?"

Earlier, she told Humphrey she would bring some night snacks back to eat, and he made it for her on the spot. It was clear that Pedro wasn’t on good terms with Humphrey. If Pedro acted all prideful and refused to eat the night snack, it wouldn’t be surprising.

"I’ll eat."

Pausing his work, Pedro answered without hesitation, getting up leisurely.

Nora chuckled lightly, "Had to ask him, are you into him?"

"... "

Pedro was speechless.

While kicking the obstructing items aside and clearing a path to the door, Pedro stood in front of Nora, raised a hand, and unexpectedly ruffled her hair.

Nora frowned, just about to pick a fight when the night snack in her hand was snatched away, followed by Pedro’s leisurely voice drifting ahead, "A night snack offered by a rival must be eaten."

With those words, he had already walked away.

Trailing behind Pedro, Nora sneered, "Do you see everyone as a rival?"

"Yeah." Pedro didn’t point out her low EQ, speaking slowly, "Guard against men and women, young and old. With a girlfriend this pretty, can’t let any of them slide."

"Crazy." Nora laughed softly, swearing, walking over to help him drag a dining chair, "So, people liking me is all because I’m ’pretty’?"

"Maybe," Pedro placed the night snack on the table, paused deliberately, then swept over with a teasing gaze, "also because of your interesting soul?" After saying that, he cheekily added, "...though that’s a bit hard to find."

"You’ve grown up, huh!"

Nora was so angry she kicked the dining chair behind him.

Just as the chair was about to fall, Pedro, as if he anticipated it, reached back and caught it steadily.

Smiling, he casually pulled open a chair next to him, then tugged Nora by the hand to sit her beside him, pressing her arms down to make her sit.

He said, "Please, my dear, enjoy the night snack."

"Who’s inviting whom?"

"The rival invited me, and I invite you." Pedro said, totally serious.

"... "

Nora couldn’t stand it anymore, kicked him on the calf.

The force wasn’t strong; Pedro got the last laugh verbally, allowing her to kick him.

Besides an array of flavorful barbecue, the night snack included a quite bland-tasting pumpkin porridge.

Pedro used to be quite into healthy living, with three meals a day, maintaining regular sleep schedules, living like a little old man at a young age, just short of not using goji berries in his tea.

But somehow, in recent years, he’s been slacking off, developing a bit of a stomach problem. He never mentioned it, and Nora found out by chance while spending time with him lately. She feared him eating just barbecue would upset his stomach, so she had Humphrey prepare some porridge.

"Why modify a drone?" Nora poked at the grilled eggplant flesh with chopsticks, speaking slowly, "It’s not waterproof, cold-proof, or wind-resistant. In terms of performance, isn’t any drone on the market better?"

Pedro popped open a cold beer for her, eating the bland porridge himself, lips curving, "Didn’t you take a different approach and add mechanisms?"

"The question is," Nora sipped the beer and retorted, "Can you do it?"

"... "

He really couldn’t.

"Making some small changes, adding an automatic operation program..."

Pedro reached out for the beef skewer, only to have Nora smack his hand away. His hand paused, eyebrows raised, looking at Nora with a half-smile.

Nora was enjoying the food, catching sight of his expression, she warned, "Finish the porridge before eating... Then what?"

Grinning, Pedro obediently retracted his hand, saying, "To attend the drone exhibition in July."

"Oh," Nora was calm, didn’t think much of it, just felt a bit nostalgic, "Haven’t seen you doing things yourself for a long time."

Pedro used to love tinkering with these on his own, just like Joseph and Oliver, always tinkering with those things whenever he had free time.

Nora never visited Pedro’s place, but once, at Butler Loxley’s, she saw an album filled with photos of Pedro winning various tech awards, from elementary school to university, all preserved by Butler Loxley. Nora had spent an entire afternoon flipping through the album back then, the more she looked, the more she found this man captivating, yet she’s never mentioned it to Pedro.

"Miss it?"

"Once he starts fiddling, he gets obsessed, what’s there to miss?"

Nora grumbled, not in a good mood.

This man had a one-track mind. Early in their relationship, one weekend, Nora wanted to invite Pedro for a mountain climbing and camping trip, but he vanished, only showing up the next weekend. This guy was quite strange, didn’t even realize she was angry, excitedly took her to a place to unveil several robot puppies, able to bark, jump, and run, claiming they were for her.

Turns out, all the time he disappeared was spent researching these puppies.

Nora almost hammered him on the spot.

If she liked puppies, wouldn’t she buy real ones?

Expressionless, cold, unemotional robot dogs, what was there to flaunt?

She wasn’t dating for those reasons; if she were interested in robot dogs, why not hang out in the labs at the vast Capital University of Technology researching things?

——Over these years, Pedro Langley has made some progress. I wonder if he realizes why she got angry.

But, when she thought about it——

In the midst of her thoughts, she heard Pedro Langley say reassuringly, "This time it’ll be resolved soon."

She lifted her eyelids, gave him a steady look, then extended two fingers, tapping them along the table until they reached Pedro Langley’s hand, gently poking his arm.

"Hey."

"Hmm?"

Pedro drank the last sip of pumpkin porridge.

"If you really like it, you don’t have to worry about me," Nora Scott pinched his wrist, her fingers caressing the bone, resting her chin on her hand, and said unhurriedly, "I wouldn’t throw them all out when you’re not around."

Chuckling softly, Pedro covered her hand and patted it, speaking earnestly, "You’ve grown up."

"..."

Nora shot him a sidelong glance.

"No need," Pedro laughed again, with a hint of laziness, his eyes slightly deep, "The company has a dedicated research team. I’m just a businessman; enjoying the results is enough."

Momentarily stunned, Nora smiled, "You’ve changed."

"Have I?" Pedro’s eyebrows twitched slightly, tightening his grip on her hand as he said softly, "A technician can’t change the world."

"What can change it?"

"Leading technology," Pedro said, "It can’t be achieved by one person."

"..."

Nora paused for a moment.

From passion to responsibility.

You claim to be a profit-driven businessman, but in reality?

With a fervent heart, caring for the world.

The steady, mature, profit-driven exterior still harbors the sincere and pure heart of a young man.

When we were young, we pursued things recklessly, the answer was—passion.

When we mature, we still pursue those things, but why?

Passion doesn’t last.

Responsibility does.

Actually, he hasn’t changed at all.

"Here."

Nora handed him the beef skewer he wanted to eat.

Pedro took the beef skewer and, seeing her bright eyes, teased, "Your gaze has changed."

Gazing at him, Nora held his hand, leaned back, slightly tilted her head, thought for a few seconds, then suddenly asked, "Is it love?"

Pedro chuckled, almost choking, turned his head, his shoulder gently shaking.

Then, under Nora’s warning gaze, he stifled his laughter and earnestly agreed, "Yes, it is."

Entwining her fingers with his, swaying them lightly, Nora smiled and said, "My mentor once said, in every industry, though it may seem chaotic, with all kinds of people, there are always new entrants with dreams who may be disappointed. But there are always a group of sincere and innocent people, capable and believing, standing at the forefront, always pure, truly loving the industry. They may be let down by others, but never themselves."

"What about you?"

Thinking carefully, Nora casually said, "I don’t have anything I particularly like."

"What about comics?"

"I don’t know," Nora smiled slightly, "A sense of achievement is too easily gained, leading to a loss of passion."

She knew many people, including herself, who were called—naturally gifted in their field.

Deemed as geniuses.

In reality, in their field of expertise, they indeed pick things up quickly.

It seems they were born for this line of work.

And, people like them, more or less, have a bit of rebellion in them.

"Is this why you can’t let go of the bamboo flute?" Pedro asked teasingly, with a look of sudden realization.

Nora glared at him, "Can’t the food plug your mouth?"

Pedro laughed, taking it further, "Your acting is an eyesore, playing the bamboo flute hurts the ears, can we find something you’re not good at that doesn’t affect others?"

"..."

Nora wanted to retort.

But after thinking about it, she had to admit he made sense, and couldn’t help but laugh first.

She withdrew her hand, pushed the almost-cold midnight snack towards him, "Hurry and eat, then go cuddle with your code overnight!"