Stealing Your Heart

“Young Master, Young Mistress, the dumplings are ready. Ma’am requests for your presence,” Mr. Feng informed them.

Lin Xinyan swallowed her words. “Let’s go.”

Zong Jinghao had been drinking on an empty stomach, and the mention of food made his stomach growl.

“Alright,” he hummed in response.

Chinese New Year was months away, but Cheng Yuxiu cooked up a feast anyway, considering the fact that they had four more mouths to feed. She hoped to get on Zong Jinghao’s good side as well.

She did not know what Zong Jinghao liked, so she cooked a variety of dishes.

Lin Xinyan caught on immediately and glanced at Zong Jinghao intendedly.

Zong Jinghao merely evaded her gaze and pulled out a chair to sit down.

Lin Xinyan walked into the kitchen just as the maid turned off the stove. She picked up a ladle and offered, “I’ll do it.”

Everyone’s dumplings were mixed together in the pot, making the ugly ones look increasingly jarring, next to the pretty ones.

Lin Xinyan scooped the dumplings into one giant bowl, which confused the maid.

“I wouldn’t eat that if I were you,” the maid warned her. “I don’t think that anyone can finish that!”

Lin Xinyan grinned. “Someone will.”

I’m doing this on purpose!

Didn’t you refuse to eat Cheng Yuxiu’s dumplings? How about the ones the kids and I had made?

all, you

for Lin Xichen, and one for Cheng Yuxiu. She handed the three bowls to the maid to help her set

Jinghao. “I’m sure that you won’t reject this? I made this for you along with

giant bowl in shock. This is enough to feed a

finish it, Daddy!” Lin Xichen reminded him, echoing Lin Xinyan’s thoughts. He pulled his sister over and asked, “Look! Daddy’s eating your dumplings! Aren’t you

course!” she chirped. “Do you

Zong Jinghao fell silent.

am I going to

spoon up and stirred the suspicious mixture of dough and vegetables that looked

looked forward

some vinegar. “It’ll taste better

tastes better with vinegar!”

anxiously.

him with an empty bowl and saying,

completely and scooped a mouthful of the doughy mixture into his mouth. He figured that he

was an indication that Zong Jinghao would

inside as Lin Xinyan scooped a few dumplings into her bowl in an attempt to comfort her.

Yuxiu forced a smile onto

night tossing and turning on his

morning at

while his grandmother returned to consciousness for a brief moment in the middle of the night before

Ya did not sleep a wink that night. She collapsed onto the sofa at dawn, and not even

as the events of last night flooded into his mind; he had been out drinking with Shen Peichuan and Zong Jinghao, after which he left with Shen Peichuan. He could

and surveyed his surroundings. Did Shen Peichuan just

to the side and saw Qin Ya sprawled on the sofa without a blanket. The heater was on, but the cold wintry winds could still seep through the cracks between

blanket off his body, he walked over to Qin Ya

been sleeping