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

with dumplings- one for herself, one for Lin Xichen, and one for Cheng Yuxiu. She handed the three bowls to

misshapen dumplings right before Zong Jinghao. “I’m sure that you won’t

at the giant bowl in shock. This is enough to feed a

sure that you finish it, Daddy!” Lin Xichen reminded him, echoing Lin Xinyan’s thoughts. He pulled his

Of course!” she chirped. “Do you like my dumplings,

Zong Jinghao fell silent.

am I going to

picked his spoon up and stirred the suspicious mixture of dough and vegetables that looked nothing

She had looked forward to the moment that her father had

vinegar. “It’ll

It tastes better with vinegar!” Lin Ruixi

at the side, wringing her hands together anxiously. How

him with an empty bowl and saying, “Give me

a mouthful of the doughy mixture into his mouth. He figured

that Zong Jinghao would rather suffer on his own than accept

the inside as Lin Xinyan scooped a few dumplings into her bowl in an attempt to comfort her. “Mom, I can’t finish these.

Yuxiu forced a smile

Jinghao spent the night tossing and turning on his

next morning at

begging for water, while his grandmother returned to consciousness for a

result, Qin Ya did not sleep a wink that night. She collapsed onto the sofa at dawn, and not even the rising sun could

and opening his eyes, he took in the unfamiliar surroundings 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

sat up and surveyed his surroundings. Did Shen Peichuan just send

Ya sprawled on the sofa without a blanket. The heater was on, but the cold wintry winds could still seep

body, he walked over to Qin Ya and covered her with it, only to notice the dark bags

been sleeping