A Woman's Performance

The weather was still hot at the end of August. The weather in Junsha usually doesn't cool down until October, with occasional cool night breezes, so you need to wear a light blanket.

Liu Chang'an got dressed and came out. He pushed open the door and was greeted by Qin Yanan's annoyed face. Compared to her indifference and aloofness when facing others, this expression was quite vivid.

"You come here so early in the morning to make a racket. It seems you didn't sleep well yourself, so you can't let others sleep in too?" Liu Chang'an stretched comfortably, then, remembering that he hadn't done the "Seedling-Pulling Technique in a while, he started doing it with his legs shaking and arms outstretched.

"I didn't sleep well, so who do you think made me sleep poorly?" Qin Yanan asked, looking at Liu Chang'an's strange behavior.

After finishing his routine, Liu Chang'an pointed to himself with a slight hint of doubt, "Could it be me?"

"Who else but you?"

Liu Chang'an was slightly embarrassed. "The person you're tossing and turning at night, dreaming of day and night, shouldn't be me. I have a girlfriend. You should find someone else you desperately want."

"Hehe, someone actually thought I was a graceful lady, but what happened? I got beaten up twice by someone. I wonder who did it?" Qin Yanan was slightly smug, but she also felt that her words had a teasing and ambiguous tone. She quickly turned her head away, twirling her fingers around her hair twice, trying to see his reaction.

Liu Chang'an didn't react, turned around and picked up the pot to wash it.

"Would you like to have breakfast together?" Liu Chang'an asked.

Qin Yanan was a little angry. She had been teased by him for nothing, and when she tried to tease him back, he didn't react at all. This person was too boring.

"Explain yourself clearly, what exactly happened with that phone call you made to me last night?" Qin Yanan didn't come here early in the morning just to have breakfast.

Liu Chang'an poured the dishwater onto the sycamore tree. Zhou Dongdong had urinated there when she was a child and tried to pull Liu Chang'an into the water, falsely accusing him of urinating there as well.

"I received your call first last night, and then I called back to ask what happened," Liu Chang'an said, looking into Qin Yanan's eyes after thinking for a moment.

When a woman is thinking actively, the light in her eyes is more beautiful than usual.

Qin Yanan paused for a moment, then looked at Liu Chang'an with some suspicion, "I have absolutely no recollection of this."

"Check your phone." Liu Chang'an was very cooperative.

Qin Yanan then looked at Liu Chang'an while taking out her phone, scrolling through her call history, tapping incredulously, and even looking at the phone number with the name "Liu Chang'an" recorded. Her mouth slightly agape, she stared at Liu Chang'an in disbelief, "Why did I call you?"

"Just like you did the day before yesterday afternoon, you called me 'brother' a few times on the phone and said you missed me." Liu Chang'an put the pot on the stove, leaving Qin Yanan with a busy back view.

Hong Soup Spicy Rooster noodles are delicious, but there's no reason to eat them every day. Liu Chang'an is planning to have steamed pork with rice flour this morning.

Qin Yanan stood there, a hint of fear gradually appearing in her eyes, and stammered, "Could it be... could it be Ye Sijin again?"

Liu Chang'an half-fat and half-lean pork, stir-fried it with rice flour until golden brown, mixed it with sweet bean sauce, placed it on top of cabbage, covered the pot, and steamed it.

"Didn't you say... Ye Sijin's obsession had dissipated and that you wouldn't make me sleepwalk anymore?" Qin Yanan squatted down in front of Liu Chang'an with a worried expression.

Liu Chang'an waved his palm-leaf fan. Qin Yanan had a very pleasant fragrance. Generally speaking, a woman's body fragrance is just the smell of cosmetics and skincare products seeping into her skin. But it can't be too absolute. Some girls who are healthy, don't have frequent sex or unhealthy nightlife, and eat fruit regularly do have a fresh and charming natural body fragrance, which is completely different from the smell of products seeping into the skin.

The smell of the pickled food seeping into the skin is not only pleasant, but also carries a hint of hormonal allure; the natural body odor makes you want to take a bite, to eat it.

"Who knows?" Liu Chang'an shook his head.

"What should we do then?" Qin Yanan looked at Liu Chang'an helplessly, her big, dark eyes darting in front of Liu Chang'an, full of innocence and pitifulness.

A woman's ability to unconsciously exude alluring charm when trying to achieve her goals is probably innate.

"Did you remove the surveillance cameras?" Liu Chang'an asked after thinking for a moment.

Qin Yanan shook her head.

"How about I come back to take another look tonight?" Liu Chang'an said reluctantly.

A faint blush rose to Qin Yanan's cheeks as she bit her lip, feigning reluctance, "What if... what if it's like last time?"

"So what?" Liu Chang'an said nonchalantly.

Qin Yanan nodded resolutely, a hint of resentment in her voice, "That's true, it's not like we haven't seen it before."

"That is."

"Then I'll head back now..."

"Have breakfast before you go back," Liu Chang'an urged. "Didn't you see I cut enough for four people?"

Qin Yanan sat down again, seemingly without any idea what to do.

Liu Chang'an turned around and gently picked up a palm-leaf fan to fan the firewood under the pot. Why hasn't Zhou Dongdong come down to start the fire yet?

Liu Chang'an turned his head and glanced at the towering Baolong Center. Compared to Qin Yanan, Zhu Juntang was really not in the same league. Zhu Juntang really had no self-awareness to be Qin Yanan's best friend. She must often sell herself out and help Qin Yanan count money.

Zhou Dongdong came downstairs as usual, full of energy. She ran to the stove, grabbed a stool leg, and threw it in. Then she said to Qin Yanan, "Sister, good morning! Have you had breakfast? My family has a breakfast stall. Give me some money, and I'll go buy you some!"

Qin Yanan couldn't help but chuckle and waved her hand, "No need, your brother Chang'an made breakfast."

"Oh, is that so? Then if you don't eat breakfast and Brother Chang'an doesn't make it for you, you can buy breakfast from my family." Zhou Dongdong tried her best to promote it.

"Okay, okay." Qin Yanan couldn't refuse, and even thought that she should buy breakfast in front of her next time.

Zhou Dongdong had taken over the fire-starting, but Liu Chang'an took out the stool leg that she had initially thrown in.

"It's rare for people in Junsha to eat steamed pork with rice flour for breakfast, isn't it?" Qin Yanan made conversation.

"Yes, in the old days, steamed pork with rice flour was also popular near the Grand Canal in northwestern Shandong. Merchants, students going to take exams, and boatmen pulling boats would eat a bowl of steamed pork with rice flour in the morning to have the energy to work or travel... This custom may still exist in some places today," Liu Chang'an recalled.

"The 'old times' you're referring to, is it the Republican era?" Qin Yanan asked astutely.

Liu Chang'an nodded, letting her think whatever she wanted; after all, it seemed like she was suspecting her neighbor of stealing an axe.

Qin Yanan didn't ask any further questions. Since Liu Chang'an had already agreed to come over that evening, she looked at Zhou Dongdong, whose cheeks were flushed from tending the fire, and listened to Zhou Dongdong singing some nonsensical children's song. She asked with great interest, "Dongdong, why are you so energetic every day?"

"Because I'm a living, breathing child," Zhou Dongdong said matter-of-factly.

Qin Yanan couldn't help but smile. Zhou Dongdong sometimes really sounded like Liu Chang'an. It seemed Zhou Dongdong had been influenced by Liu Chang'an quite a bit... Qin Yanan glanced at Liu Chang'an. When Ye Sijin was little, was she also liked by Liu Chang'an as much as Zhou Dongdong?