Chapter 114 — Never Force Things

“Exactly, don’t force yourself!” Su Nian feigned concern as he reached for the nearly cold spicy hot pot, continuing, “Health comes first. Don’t let trivial matters derail your future; that would be a terrible loss.”

“No forcing!” Cheng Yishu abruptly grabbed Su Nian’s hand, stopping him, his gaze icy as he stared straight into Su Nian’s eyes. “I like spicy food— the spicier, the better.”

Pushing away Su Nian’s hand mid-reach, he picked up his chopsticks again, scooping out a piece of tofu glossy and bright red from the chili oil without hesitation, then stuffed it into his mouth.

An An frowned, her expression filled with reluctant sympathy, waiting silently to see how Cheng Yishu would react.

Su Nian leaned back leisurely, arms folded, glancing at Lin Xiaowen, who paused briefly while holding her chopsticks before naturally picking up a bean sprout and putting it into her mouth.

Meanwhile, Cheng Yishu had just placed the tofu in his mouth and hadn’t even started chewing when his eyes suddenly widened.

A fiery blaze seemed to erupt from deep within his nasal cavity, followed by a burning sensation spreading across his tongue, searing every inch of his mouth’s inner walls.

He forced himself to swallow the entire piece of tofu, then involuntarily opened his mouth. Cheng Yishu vividly felt as if flames were shooting out from within.

“Oh my god, Yishu, stop eating! Don’t try to show off your toughness, seriously!” An An, nearly forgetting why she had come along today, abandoned her earlier coquettish act and even shot Lin Xiaowen a sharp glance.

“If you degrade yourself like this, it doesn’t mean others will appreciate it. What’s the point?”

Cheng Yishu’s fair skin flushed a deep red, resembling the hue of someone drunk. Swallowing hard, he panted and snapped, “Mind your own business and shut up…”

“Oh, come on, Cheng Yishu! Don’t be ungrateful. I’m only concerned about you!” An An retorted, her anger rising.

“Thanks, but if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be in this mess…” Cheng Yishu hadn’t finished when Lin Xiaowen slammed down her chopsticks with a clatter, expressionless.

“You two go ahead and eat slowly. I’m leaving.”

Lin Xiaowen stood, ready to walk away, but An An, now visibly annoyed, grabbed her arm with a stern face.

“Wait, I need to talk to you.”

“I don’t have to listen,” Lin Xiaowen pulled free, meeting her gaze calmly.

“You must listen!” An An’s voice sharpened as she rose, “I’ll say this only once. You can choose to hear me or not. If you don’t, fine, but don’t blame me if you miss something important.”

Lin Xiaowen’s breath caught faintly. Cheng Yishu stood beside her, eyes urgent, looking at Lin Xiaowen. Before he could say anything, An An shot a cold glare at him, her tone icy.

“Sit down. It’s not your turn to speak yet.”

Already flushed from the spicy hot pot, Cheng Yishu now looked even more embarrassed, scolded sharply in front of the woman he loved by a young girl. It was a little humiliating.

Su Nian, still seated, looked up at the three of them and gently tugged on Cheng Yishu’s sleeve, whispering, “If I were you, I’d listen to that little beauty. Maybe there’s a chance for a breakthrough with her.”

Cheng Yishu blinked in surprise, seeming to understand, and slowly sat down again, though he muttered grudgingly, “Little beauty? Hardly.”

His voice was low, clearly meant for certain ears. An An caught every word and shot him a fierce glance before turning to Lin Xiaowen.

“I think we should talk privately.”

Lin Xiaowen paused for a moment, then resolved, meeting An An’s eyes.

“Fine.”

Though she wasn’t as pretty as An An, nor as well-endowed, nor as well-connected, when it came to arguments, Lin Xiaowen had never been afraid of anyone.

An An smiled in satisfaction, glanced around, and added, “Shall we chat while we walk?”

Cheng Yishu nearly jumped in surprise at An An’s casual tone, as if they were just old friends gossiping. He was even more unsettled when Lin Xiaowen returned that serious ‘smile’ and agreed.

“No problem!”

Su Nian tugged at Cheng Yishu’s sleeve again. The reluctant man shot him a look of impatience.

“Don’t pull me. Hurry up and catch up. They’re walking away!”

“Pfft… Let the girls talk about their feelings. What are the two grown men doing following them? Sit down and keep eating,” Su Nian said.

“Are you really that carefree? Aren’t you afraid they’ll clash again if their conversation goes sour?” Cheng Yishu lowered his voice, glancing at Su Nian.

Just then, a sudden rush of fiery heat hit his nose again. The owner had brought over two fresh bowls of spicy hot pot.

“Sorry to keep you waiting! Hey, those two girls—done eating?”

Pretty girls were always popular everywhere.

“Oh, they want to walk around some more. It’s fine. Just leave these here,” Su Nian replied politely.

“Ah, okay, okay!” The owner left, glancing around somewhat disappointed, probably hoping to catch another glimpse of the two girls.

Cheng Yishu, displeased by the owner’s disappointed look, pushed aside the spicy hot pot emitting a choking heat and said, “I’m talking to you, and you’re still eating!”

Su Nian, already hungry, picked up the bowl without extra ingredients and started eating, mumbling, “If I’m not mistaken, An An already made her intentions clear when she came with you—she’s here to help, right?”

Without hesitation, Cheng Yishu replied, “Yeah, but I never planned to trust her. Who knows what schemes she’s got in her head!”

Su Nian didn’t look up, eating heartily.

“You don’t trust her, yet you brought her along?”

“Please, she lives right next door and even had an assistant guarding my door. I wish I could shake her off!” Cheng Yishu complained, both anxious and aggrieved.

“That persistent?”

Su Nian looked seriously into Cheng Yishu’s eyes and asked, “So, you really aren’t dating An An?”

Cheng Yishu shouted as if his tail had been stepped on, “You still doubt me? Didn’t I assure you repeatedly on the phone this afternoon? Besides, if you didn’t believe me, why would you secretly give me your contact information behind Xiaowen’s back?”

“Enough, enough, stop yelling!” Su Nian put down his chopsticks, noticing the curious glances from the crowd. Frowning slightly, he whispered a warning.

“Don’t forget you’re public figures. Although this is a border town where people are simple and there may not be many fans or acquaintances, plenty come here to travel. Are you trying to make trouble for yourself by making a scene?”

Su Nian gave Cheng Yishu a sharp look. Cheng Yishu reluctantly sat back down.

Su Nian composed himself and continued, “Don’t think I suddenly took your side. I did some digging in Shanghai, got the gist of your rumored relationship with An An, and that’s why I decided to help you... Of course, the main reason is—someone asked me to.”