For Fang Yu, navigating life with these two young mistresses was proving infinitely more arduous and perilous than any of the deadly missions he had once undertaken in North Africa.
He had no idea what the old man had been thinking when he sent him here. This was not the job of a bodyguard—it was the work of a glorified nanny. What's more, any other nanny would at least be well fed. But him? He'd slaved over a huge pot of noodles, only to get a single sip of broth for himself, while the two girls had polished off every last scrap.
By this point, Fang Yu's stomach had been growling with ravenous hunger for ages, yet the moment he saw Lin Ruofei open her mouth to speak, he knew with a sinking heart that he was about to be saddled with yet another thankless chore.
"Fang Yu, will you do me a favor tonight?" Lin Ruofei's eyes crinkled into soft crescent moons as she spoke to him, her voice sweet and disarmingly gentle.
"What is it?" At her honeyed tone, Fang Yu's mind began to race with wild, fanciful thoughts. Could it be that this young Miss Lin, having seen every inch of his naked body, had developed improper, lustful feelings for him? It must be so, he thought. Why else would she look at him with that soft, adoring gaze? Hah! I, Fang Yu, truly am irresistible, able to sweep countless young maidens off their feet with my very presence.
"Huh? Why are you drooling?" Yan Ting's brows furrowed sharply, snapping Fang Yu out of his delusional daydreams. How could a grown man drool like that? It was utterly repulsive, she thought to herself.
"Nothing, nothing at all." Fang Yu hastily wiped the saliva from the corner of his mouth in embarrassment, before fixing Lin Ruofei with a perfectly solemn expression. "No matter what you need me to do tonight, I'll say yes." As he spoke, he waggled his sharp, sword-like brows at her, drawing a chorus of exasperated eye rolls from both young women.
"You're getting far ahead of yourself. I just need you to help me move some things tonight." Lin Ruofei spoke flatly, her tone utterly deadpan.
"Er…" A cold sweat broke out across Fang Yu's forehead. And here I thought you wanted me to keep you company for some other kind of activity tonight, he raged silently to himself. It's just more backbreaking labor, isn't it?
And so he spoke up, his voice tinged with weary desperation. "But I've been run ragged all day long, and I haven't had a proper thing to eat yet."
"Huh? You didn't eat any?" Yan Ting blinked her big, wide eyes at him, before snickering mischievously. "Oh right, I forgot. I drank the very last sip of the noodle broth earlier."
At those words, Fang Yu was seized with an almost overwhelming urge to scratch the walls down in frustration. He paused for a long moment, before forcing out through gritted teeth: "Can I at least get something to eat first, before I help you move?"
"Fine. I'll call Uncle Li and have him bring you dinner." Yan Ting spoke slowly, a flicker of guilt softening her features as she looked at his pitiful, long-suffering expression. She'd tormented the man more than enough for one day, after all.
"Got it." Fang Yu nodded with a bright smile, even as a bitter, weary laugh echoed in his chest. If you had access to dinner this whole time, why did you make me slave over that pot of noodles for nothing?
Yan Ting called Uncle Li at once, and a mere ten minutes later, he stepped through the front door with a dinner in hand.
"Hello, Uncle Li." Fang Yu hurried to greet the man politely the moment he appeared before him, yet he merely shrugged when he saw the venomous glint in Uncle Li's eyes as their gazes locked. It seems the old man is still holding a grudge over that knee to the groin, Fang Yu thought to himself.
Even so, at the sight of Uncle Li's stiff, awkward gait, he offered up a silent apology in his mind: Sorry about that, Uncle Li. I'll go easier on you next time.
"Young miss, here is your dinner. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now." Uncle Li shot a withering glance at Fang Yu, then offered a polite smile to Yan Ting, before turning on his heel and walking out the door.
"Hurry up and eat. Once you're finished, we'll head off to move my things." Lin Ruofei shook her head in amusement at the sight of Fang Yu, who looked like a starving wolf ready to devour his meal whole, before turning to Yan Ting and saying, "Tingting, I've already talked it through with my dad. I'm moving in here with you."
"That's brilliant! With you here with me, things are never going to be dull." Yan Ting grinned and nodded at Lin Ruofei, before her gaze drifted over to Fang Yu, who was shoveling food into his mouth ravenously beside them, a wicked, mischievous grin spreading across her face.