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Lu Heng picked up a little crab meat with his chopsticks and put it into his mouth. The meat was mixed with crab roe and crab paste, fragrant and savory with an incredibly rich, thick texture—so plump and delicious it made one want to bite off their tongue.

Lu Heng's eyes, usually warm with a gentle smile, instantly lit up. He could not help taking another bite.

After becoming famous in his previous life, he had to attend all sorts of banquets and cocktail parties. To keep Lu Heng's manners from drawing criticism, the company had specially hired an etiquette instructor to train him in every respect. As a result, Lu Heng looked very elegant when he ate... and ate very quickly.

After all, he had started out as a martial arts star. The awkward thing about debuting too young was that he had reached the height of his fame while still at the age where a growing boy could eat his father out of house and home. Unlike some artists with small appetites, who could survive an entire reception without eating anything as long as they held a wineglass and mingled, Lu Heng always felt hungry twenty-four hours a day. When he was starving beyond endurance, he had somehow taught himself the skill of "elegant sneaking bites."

To the Wei family, Lu Heng looked like a hamster sitting at the dining table. He ate in small, graceful bites, calm and refined, but at an unbelievable speed. Everyone felt that in the time it took to blink, the entire bowl of crab roe and crab meat had vanished.

Lu Heng narrowed his eyes in satisfaction and praised sincerely, "It's delicious. Thank you."

How had he done that?!

The members of the Wei family exchanged looks. Old Master Wei, seated at the head of the table, could not resist placing a chopstickful of braised lion's head meatballs into Lu Heng's bowl. Lu Heng smiled and thanked him, then finished them in one bite, then another. This time, everyone clearly saw his cheeks puff out slightly as he ate.

Wei Zhanjie also felt an itch to try. He picked up a piece of sweet-and-sour pork and held it out to him. He had deliberately chosen the biggest piece on the plate, wanting to see how Lu Heng would dispose of such a huge chunk of meat "elegantly, calmly, and without attracting attention."

In the end, Lu Heng swallowed the sweet-and-sour pork with absolutely no pressure at all, stuffing it into his mouth in one bite, then another, so fast that he had finished chewing and swallowing before everyone could blink. When he noticed the camera turning toward him, he even remembered to put on an innocent smile, doing his utmost to maintain an elegant, composed appearance in front of the lens.

Wei Zhanjie finally understood what Director Chen had meant when he kept talking about Lu Heng having "an incredible sense for the camera."

Lu Heng's performance at the table stirred everyone's urge to feed him. So they kept offering him food, one chopstickful after another... and Lu Heng, who was too embarrassed to refuse and too reluctant to refuse, ended up stuffed = =!

After lunch, Lu Heng's stomach was so bloated that he had no choice but to go out for a walk. The Wei family's little princess, now a full-fledged Lu Heng fangirl, volunteered to be their guide and led Lu Heng and a group of cameramen through the quiet streets.

On a midsummer afternoon, the cloudless sky was a flawless blue. Dazzling sunlight poured down freely, filtering through gaps in the lush green leaves and casting dappled shadows that made the greenery seem even brighter.

The weather was a little hot. Wei Jiayi, dressed in a white princess gown, held Lu Heng's hand and chattered nonstop along the way. She asked about his family and hobbies, but more than anything, she wanted to know why he was so amazing, and whether he had been afraid while fighting bad guys.

Having only just been reborn, Lu Heng could not clearly remember every trivial detail from sixteen years ago. He also habitually refused to give perfunctory answers, so recalling things was somewhat difficult for him. Wei Jiayi would often throw out seven or eight questions, and Lu Heng could barely answer one. His overly slow responses made the Wei family's little princess very sad. With her lips pursed, she looked at Lu Heng sorrowfully, tears threatening to spill as she asked, "Brother Lu, do you not like me?"

"No." Lu Heng answered at once.

"Then why won't you answer my questions?" Wei Jiayi tilted her head and asked seriously, "Do you think I'm being too presumptuous?"

The seven-year-old girl did not actually understand what "presumptuous" meant. She had simply often heard adults use phrases like "would that be too presumptuous?" in polite conversation, so she knew it was not a good word and became very worried.

Seeing Wei Jiayi looking like a little adult as she fretted so solemnly, Lu Heng nearly laughed aloud. He actually liked children quite a bit. Besides, Wei Jiayi was pretty and adorable in both manner and behavior. Dressed like a doll, she was lively, clever, and quick-witted. If she wanted to, she could easily win anyone's affection.

Lu Heng thought for a moment, then crouched down until his gaze was level with Wei Jiayi's. With a serious expression, he explained, "I like you very much. That's why I have to think carefully before answering your questions."

"I understand. Grandpa said Confucius also said that one should think three times before acting." Wei Jiayi nodded very seriously. "Brother Lu, you're amazing. You're the second smartest person I've ever met in my life."

Lu Heng laughed helplessly and asked without thinking, "Then who's the smartest?"

"My second brother!" Perhaps because she had thought of the person she admired, Wei Jiayi's answer was loud and certain.

The childlike words brought knowing smiles to everyone's faces.

Little Wei Jiayi looked up at the blazing sun, then suddenly stretched both hands toward Lu Heng. "Brother Lu, I'm a little too tired to walk. Can you carry me? Let's go sit in the pavilion beside Mùyúnbi."

Mùyúnbi was the name of that artificial lake, supposedly taken from an ancient poem. The pavilion beside it was called Embracing Jade Pavilion. Built from white marble, it appeared even more exquisite amid the deep green shade. Sitting in the pavilion on a midsummer afternoon, one could feel cool breezes drifting in from the lake. Leaning against the railing and looking into the distance, one could see the lake surface, reflected into the color of jade, shimmering with ripples. From afar, it looked like a piece of finest jade, its lush green depths glimmering with moving light.

Wei Jiayi tugged at Lu Heng's sleeve and pointed at the lake as she whispered, "There used to be koi in this lake. People would bring bread to feed them, and those fish were really stupid. Whenever they saw people, they'd swim right over. My second brother once scooped some up in a plastic bag and grilled fish for me. But it tasted awful."

Not only had it tasted awful, he had nearly set the lawn on fire. Fortunately, the security guards discovered them early, put out the fire, and sent them back to the Wei family. Grandma Wei and Fang Yuqing, who had stayed home, apologized while paying for the lawn repairs. After the guards left, they gave Wei Linxuan a severe scolding. Yet the next day, they took the entire family to a countryside resort to fish and have a barbecue, ordering Wei Linxuan to eat every fish he grilled himself.