Growing Fond of You, Mr Nian

At dinner, Nian Xi lost her appetite just thinking about the prospect of Jiang Yuning going undercover.

She still couldn’t accept the full reality of the situation.

On the other hand, Jiang Yuning had a good appetite. He hadn’t eaten in days, and he swiftly wiped out all of the vegetables on the table.

“Don’t just eat vegetables. Have some meat too.” Nian Xi sounded sorrowful as she placed food on his plate. “You may not even get to eat over there.”

Jiang Yuning swallowed his food and said, “Xixi, I’m not going to prison, you know.”

“I’d rather have you go to prison!” Nian Xi grimaced.

All she had to do was to wait for him to come out of prison. On the contrary, she did not know if he would even be able to come back from this mission.

Jiang Yuning did not utter a single word.

“Do you know what you have to do when you’re undercover?” Nian Xi asked suddenly. “It’s pretty complicated…”

“I don’t think you should be teaching him tips,” Nian Junting interrupted her. “His appearance and disposition is his best disguise. He looks like an innocent, gullible person without any malicious intentions.”

Nian Xi just wanted to ignore him now, and she did not even want to look him in the eye. Nian Junting was snubbed by his sister at the dinner table.

After dinner, Jiang Yuning pulled Nian Xi along for a walk outside. He treasured the time they had left with each other, probably because he was going to leave her soon.

Nian Junting waited by the windowsill and watched the two of them from inside the house. He sighed deeply. “Why do I feel like I’m pushing someone so pure and innocent into dangerous territories? Luoluo, do you think I’m being too cruel? What if something really happens to Jiang Yuning? Nian Xi may not forgive me, her own brother, for the rest of my life.”

Luosang patted his shoulders gently. “I don’t know, but I know that if it was you, you would go immediately. Even if I’ll dread that and be unwilling to give you away, I’ll probably give you my quiet support. I know you’ll be doing something for the greater good, so I think Nian Xi does understand the implications. She’s just saying these things, but I’m sure she’s proud of Jiang Yuning deep down.”

Nian Junting looked at her with affection as he held her hands.

…

Meanwhile, in the yard…

Nian Xi was looking up at the moon above them with an extremely heavy heart.

“Yuning, I’ve been a cop for so many years. When I was in the police academy, I had a friend who was transferred to be an undercover agent. Later… he never returned.”

A sharp pang of pain suddenly hit her chest.

Jiang Yuning scratched his head. “But you weren’t afraid to become a cop because of that, right?”

Nian Xi stayed silent. Of course, being a cop was dangerous, but it was also a heroic job that she was proud of. She was part of something bigger, upholding safety and justice.

“Your brother’s right, I’m not as weak as you imagine me to be.” Jiang Yuning clutched his trousers tightly. “When I was 12, I went to Vietnam with my father for work. However, his laboratory went up in an explosion, and I was playing in the building when the explosion happened. I was buried beneath all that rubble and debris for ten days before I was rescued. Thankfully, I survived that incident.”

Nian Xi was shocked. She had never heard about this accident before.

Jiang Yuning squatted down beside her, with his arms hugging his knees. “It was all dark, and I didn’t even know how much time had passed. I was stuck in a small space, and I was terrified. I kept crying and crying for someone to come and save me, but no one knew that I was right there beneath the rubble. A lot of the aunties and uncles from the laboratory who knew me had died in the explosion as well. Moreover, my dad was unconscious, and my mother was in New Zealand on a stargazing trip. It was impossible to reach anyone. I was thirsty and hungry. I could only drink my blood and urine…”