Ch. 1591..1600

Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1591

“What else can we do? We can only go with your way.” Zhong Chufeng continued, “Let’s eat first. When we’re done, we’ll bring some back for her. Anyway, she won’t be getting down from the car anymore, so it’s fine even if she eats a little later. Furthermore, it’s not cold in the car so it’s alright if we eat out here first.”

While they were chatting on this side, Yuchi Yishu had already ordered a cup of warm soy milk from the shop owner, which he promptly handed to Tang Yuanyuan. “Drink this to warm up.”

“Thanks, Yishu.” Tang Yuanyuan took a sip after accepting it and found that the temperature of the drink was just right. She was feeling a little happy as Yishu was indeed very considerate.

At first, Zhong Chufeng wanted to leave a good impression, but he never thought that Yuchi Yishu would snatch away his opportunity. As such, he asked the shop owner for some buns that Tang Yuanyuan liked to eat and directly squeezed himself in between the two. “Yuanyuan, you can’t just have soy milk. It won’t make you full. Here, have a few bites of some buns.”

Tang Yuanyuan stretched out to take the buns and muttered after taking a bite, “Thanks, Chufeng!”

“Hehe.” Seeing her mouth getting stuffed as she ate, Zhong Chufeng felt very satisfied. This young lady was really easy to feed and she would eat everything with satisfaction.

At this moment, Yuchi Yishu’s faint voice came from behind. “What’s the rush?”

Hearing this, Zhong Chufeng turned his head and lowered his voice before saying, “You don’t understand. It just goes to show that you haven’t liked a girl, so you don’t know what my intentions are.”

Yuchi Yishu pressed his thin lips and looked at Tang Yuanyuan across Zhong Chufeng’s shoulder. She was really innocent and did not understand much, but she was very transparent and passionate about life. When he looked at her, he found her to be youthful and energetic.

In the years that he and Zhong Chufeng have known each other, although he knew that Zhong Chufeng treated ladies well, he would still distance himself slightly from them. It was only with Tang Yuanyuan that he remembered her preferences and habits. At the same time, he respected Tang Yuanyuan and would not immediately announce his wish to go after her. This kind of thought showed that he had really placed Tang Yuanyuan in his heart. On the other hand, he… was just an elder brother, so he should not be too close to her as it would only make others gossip. Thinking of this, Yuchi Yishu did not speak anymore and only stared at the stall in front of him.

After a long while, Tang Yuanyuan handed him a bun. “Yishu, why aren’t you eating?”

It was only then that Yuchi Yishu came back to his senses.

“Is it that you don’t like to eat buns?” Tang Yuanyuan looked at him curiously with moist eyes.

“No.” Yuchi Yishu reached out to take it. “It’s alright with me.”

“Sigh. Why do you care about Yishu? Since he’s a grown man, he’ll be fine even if he goes hungry for a few meals,” Zhong Chufeng said to Tang Yuanyuan. “Has your soy milk turned cold? I can ask them to warm it up again.”

“Okay.”

An Qian was sitting in the car while looking at the three who were outside drinking soy milk and eating deep-fried dough buns as if it was a feast. She could not help rolling her eyes. It was fine that Tang Yuanyuan was the only one acting like a social recluse, but why were those two men acting the same way too? Could they not see what kind of people they were sitting next to in that stall? It was so annoying!

Thinking of this, An Qian was so angry that she wanted to smash the car, but this was not her car and it would be hard for her to explain herself if something was broken. As such, she could only take out her phone and complain in the group.

‘The social recluse from before doesn’t just find fireworks amazing, but she even likes to drink soy milk and eat deep-fried dough buns. She even regards them as treasure.’

‘An Qian, why are you traveling with such a person? You said you’re going to have fun in a snowy town. I thought that it would be good news, but how did things turn out so unpleasant?’

‘Of course, a fattie will think that everything is delicious; otherwise, why do you think she grew so fat in the first place? It must be all the trash that she stuffs into her mouth. Hahaha!’

Seeing everyone scolding the social recluse, Tang Yuanyuan, along with her, An Qian’s resentment disappeared and she was extremely satisfied.

When the three people returned to the car after eating, Zhong Chufeng brought her a bag filled with steaming hot buns and a cup of soy milk as well as a greasy deep-fried dough bun. After just a glance, she felt sick. “Take it. It’s for you.” Zhong Chufeng urged when she saw her staring at the bag without moving.

An Qian was stunned for a long while before she subconsciously looked at Yuchi Yishu and took the bag after she suppressed her urge. After accepting it, she planned on throwing the greasy bag out of the window.

“Hurry and eat it while it’s still hot. It’s been a whole night; you must be hungry, right?”

An Qian looked at the steamed and deep-fried buns; she thought that they were unhygienic. They would be really hard to eat, so she said, “I’m on a diet these days, so can I not eat these? The deep-fried buns were fished out of oil, so it feels as if I’ll gain several pounds after eating this.” She wanted to reject the offer by saying so and never intended to hurt Tang Yuanyuan.

After she had spoken though, Tang Yuanyuan heard something different when the words reached her ears. Even Zhong Chufeng felt that it was a little harsh.

“What nonsense are you talking about? What does it matter if it was fished out of oil? Have you never eaten any oily foods at home? Do you only ever eat veggies? You can just throw it away if you’re not eating it!” In the past, Zhong Chufeng liked to make fun of Tang Yuanyuan, but he recently realized that she was all grown up now. He also knew that this topic could no longer be talked about. Although he did not know if Tang Yuanyuan would mind, he still wanted to protect her innocent soul. Suddenly, Zhong Chufeng regretted coming out with this arrogant cousin of his. There had to have been something wrong with his brain back then.

An Qian did not expect Zhong Chufeng, who had always been good-tempered, to kick up such a big fuss at her. She was stunned for a little while. Then, she suddenly realized something and there was a sneer in her eyes. Tsk. It seems that this cousin of mine has really taken a special liking to that fattie and is even protecting her.

“Why are you kicking up such a big fuss? I just think that it’s too greasy for me to eat it so early in the morning. It’s not that I’m unwilling to eat it. Alright, I’ll eat it. Are you happy now?”

She aggressively grabbed a piece of fried dough bun and took a bite. She had never tried this before in her entire life although she would often see stalls selling them back then when she was studying. She felt disgusted by it and thought that she would never try them. When the bun came near her mouth, however, she was surprised that it smelled good. An Qian took a bite to try it and was surprised to find it… delicious.

Her fair ears reddened as she felt like she had just shot herself in the foot. This should be garbage food, so why does it taste so good? You can’t do this, An Qian. This is garbage food from a stall by the street. You can only take one tiny bite and that’s all. But in the end, she took another bite and could not help herself from eating more and more. She finished the fried dough bun in no time at all.

Deep down, she wanted to cry so badly. She then took a sip of the soy milk. She had been starving the entire night and felt cold when she got down from the car just now. The cup of hot soy milk made her whole body feel warmer. When she finished drinking the soy milk, she turned around and saw Tang Yuanyuan looking at her with a smile. “Is it good?”

Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1592

She smiled innocently, her eyes sparkling.

An Qian suddenly started having mixed feelings.

In the WeChat group, she said that Tang Yuanyuan was merely a bumpkin. She even called the latter fat, and felt that it was beneath her to be eating food like this.

But Tang Yuanyuan innocently asked if it was delicious, looking clueless, which made An Qian somewhat annoyed.

Compared to Tang Yuanyuan, this made An Qian seem rather malicious.

That was just how humans are. When one argued over something, and the other party was not on the same page, the two sides would definitely argue to no end. In the end, one might lose their sense of right and wrong, and might even lose their image.

But if one party had chosen to be considerate, it would not be proper for the other party to continue in that way.

An Qian pursed her lips, then nodded after a while. “It’s alright, I suppose.”

At that, Tang Yuanyuan cracked a wide smile, much like a child.

“Chufeng said that you don’t like to eat these, but I didn’t believe him. I told him that you would like it once you have a taste of it.”

Hearing this, An Qian glanced at Zhong Chufeng. This cousin of mine! She didn’t know if he spoke ill of her often, so she said, “My cousin never speaks the truth. I’ll have you know that he has always criticized me since young, therefore, don’t believe anything he says about me.”

“Criticize you? Why would he?” Tang Yuanyuan asked, feeling confused. “Shouldn’t cousins treat each other well?”

Just as her brother has treated her since day one, with nothing but love and care.

“You’re right, I, too, think a cousin brother should treat his cousin sister better. After all, he is a blood relative, right?” said An Qian as she deliberately looked at Zhong Chufeng.

Hearing that, Zhong Chufeng scoffed. “Treat you better? Sure, no problem. On the condition that you call me by my first name from now on, and not by full name, as you have been doing all along. If you don’t treat me as a relative, why should I treat you as mine?”

Zhong Chufeng had never really liked An Qian. It was only because of his mother’s words that he gave in. “How could you behave this way toward your uncle’s daughter? Do you realize how much younger she is to you? Besides, it’s the New Year. I’m sure you can put your differences aside and treat her in an amicable manner.”

Moreover, considering the kind man his uncle was, Zhong Chufeng agreed to the request.

However, he just couldn’t wrap his head around how the daughter of his kind uncle turned out to be such a rude and unpleasant person.

She was the complete opposite of Tang Yuanyuan.

Zhong Chufeng thought back to the time when he first met Tang Yuanyuan.

It was when he had befriended Yuchi Yishu and went over to his house for the first time. During his visit, he came across this little girl seated on the sofa. The table in front of her was full of snacks, and she was fixated on eating the cotton candy in her hand.

That was the first time Zhong Chufeng saw someone eating with such seriousness, completely devoted to it.

What she held in her hand seemed more like a precious gem rather than just mere cotton candy. Her eyes glowed brightly with every bite.

The image was burned into Zhong Chufeng’s mind.

This little girl went on to call him ‘Chufeng’. His heart almost melted as he heard the term of endearment, ears going red. Many years had passed since this incident, yet Tang Yuanyuan was still the same girl he first met, with a pure and innocent heart.

However, Tang Yuanyuan had grown over the years. Although he didn’t know how long she would be this way, Zhong Chufeng wanted to protect her innocence at all costs.

“Calling you by your first name is not a problem for me, but you have to treat me nicely first. Why should I call you so affectionately when you treat me so poorly?”

Tang Yuanyuan laughed at their bickering, and she couldn’t help but look at Yuchi Yishu. She and her brother had never quarreled in such a manner before.

Her brother had always spoiled her and was a man of few words. He usually got straight to the point.

As such, Tang Yuanyuan was rather intrigued to encounter such an interaction.

At midday, the group found a restaurant to have lunch, then rested for nearly two hours before setting off again. Three days later, they finally arrived at Snow Town.

The heavy snowfall this year made them cancel their original plan, which was to drive to the village. After finding a place to park the car, everyone set for the village on foot with their luggage in tow.

Although it was a free and easy trip, the absence of a guide meant that they had to sort out everything on their own. On the Internet, though Yuchi Yishu had appointed a local to guide them, the latter did not need to accompany them during the whole trip.

“In previous years, cars could be driven in at this time, but that’s not going to work this year. The snow is too deep, and your shoes wouldn’t be fit for it too. Go to the shop over there to buy yourselves a pair of snow boots, and then I will take you guys in.”

With the snow boot situation resolved, another problem arose. As the snow was too deep, the wheels of the luggage were practically useless. If there were only four luggages, the two young men would be able to handle it between them. However, they brought along quite a few things this time.

The local immediately said, “You don’t have to worry about your luggage. Just take your valuables with you, and we will have someone to bring the rest later.’’

“Alright.”

Then, the lot of them went back to pick out their valuables from their luggage. An Qian, on the other hand, had her own reservations about this idea. “Zhong Chufeng, could you carry my luggage along with us? I don’t want those people handling my stuff. God knows what they would do with it during the delivery.”

Zhong Chufeng was baffled and looked at her weirdly. “Do you happen to be lugging silver in your luggage? Why would they even want to take your clothes, An Qian? ”

“How would I know that they won’t go through my stuff? You never know what could happen.”

Zhong Chufeng didn’t want to help her. After all, they had already agreed that the locals would carry their luggage for them, so why should he carry her luggage for her? It’s not like there are precious items in her luggage anyway, so why is she kicking up a fuss?

“Zhong Chufeng, if you don’t help me with my luggage, I will tell your mom that you are bullying me.”

Zhong Chufeng chuckled coldly. “Go ahead and tell her. In fact, call her right this instant. Tell her you are being bullied and let your family come pick you up.”

An Qian did not expect him to react that way. Noticing that Tang Yuanyan and Yuchi Yishu were walking toward them, she said coldly, “In that case, I’ll tell Tang Yuanyuan that you have feelings for her!”

Zhong Chufeng, who had been indifferent, suddenly had a horrified look on his face.

“Yuanyuan, did you know that my brother…”

Before An Qian could say anything else, Zhong Chufeng covered her mouth and said, “Shut up! What nonsense are you talking about? Do you realize how old Yuanyuan is? What are you trying to do?”

“Will you help me with my luggage then?”

Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1593

Zhong Chufeng didn’t expect that An Qian would be so cruel and actually threaten to tell Tang Yuanyuan his feelings, just to force him into carrying her luggage.

However, she now knew his weakness. Zhong Chufeng was already accustomed to An Qian’s antics in front of his parents. He knew that his parents wouldn’t believe a word she said, even if they did end up believing some of it. They were his parents after all, and wouldn’t berate him too much.After all, blood was thicker than water.

But Tang Yuanyuan was different.

This girl was as innocent as a lamb. If An Qian were to spout nonsense to her, or say bad things about him, it was hard to tell if Tang Yuanyuan would believe it or not.

It was fine if she was just bad mouthing him, but Tang Yuanyuan absolutely could not know about Zhong Chufeng’s feelings for her; otherwise, how would he face her in the future?

Could he deny it and say that he did not like her? If he did, he would leave Yuanyuan with the impression that he didn’t like her. Even if she gradually came to learn about the romantic feelings between a man and a woman, she would still be under the impression that he did not have feelings for her.

However, if he were to admit his true feelings, he might just scare the little girl off.

I better not bring this up now. She deserves to grow up carefree at her own pace. I’ll tell her when the time is right.

“Pick it up now, old man. You will carry my luggage for as long as our journey requires.”

Now that An Qian got what she had wished for, her lips curved into a smile of satisfaction. “Zhong Chufeng, I really didn’t expect for her to be your weakness. Why did you agree so easily to my request? Now that you’ve exposed your weakness to me, I’m afraid you will have to suffer for the whole trip.”

“Oh!” An Qian exclaimed as a realization hit her. She then smiled and waved her phone at Zhong Chufeng. “Don’t forget that I can easily get in touch with Tang Yuanyuan via WeChat. You know, just in case you have thoughts of upsetting me in the near future. I will immediately tell her about your nasty intentions.”

“Nasty intentions? Do you think that you are the only one in a position to make threats? Do you think I don’t know the purpose of you coming here?” Zhong Chufeng responded rather bitterly.

An Qian froze for a moment.

“What do you mean?”

Noticing that Yuchi Yishu and Tang Yuanyuan had almost reached them, Zhong Chufeng realized that they could very likely hear the two of them speaking from that distance. “Just so you know, I am not the only one walking on thin ice here. I will help you with your luggage, but if you ever cross the line, don’t blame me for my actions then.”

With that, Zhong Chufeng turned to pick up An Qian’s luggage and walked away from her.

An Qian wanted to retort, but had to hold her tongue as Tang Yuanyuan and Yuchi Yishu had reached them. She now looked rather pale.

She knew exactly what Zhong Chufeng was referring to. She stood there biting her lower lip in anger just as Tang Yuanyuan approached her.

“An Qian?” Tang Yuanyuan called out to her with an innocent expression and earnest eyes. “You called out to me earlier. Is something the matter?”

Zhong Chufeng tensed up as he picked up the luggage. He wouldn’t put it past An Qian to spill the beans.

“It was nothing, actually.” An Qian smiled thinly. “I just wanted to ask you; will we be sharing a room?”

A room?

Tang Yuanyuan initially assumed they would each have a room to themselves, and she wasn’t expecting An Qian to share a room with her. She stood there in a daze as An Qian came forward and took Tang Yuanyuan by the hand. “I’ve been meaning to tell you, I am only one year older than you, so feel free to call me ‘Qian’. Also, seeing that we will be sharing a room, we won’t have to be scared of sleeping alone in the dark.”

Tang Yuanyuan responded naïvely, “I am actually not afraid to sleep alone.”

For a moment, An Qian’s mask slipped. “Well, I am actually a little scared to be alone. Do you think you could keep me company?”

“Well, if you’re afraid, then we’ll share a room!”

Tang Yuanyuan kindheartedly patted An Qian on the shoulder and said, “You don’t have anything to be worried about!”

An Qian was speechless. In reality, she wasn’t afraid of anything.

Zhong Chufeng was amused by Tang Yuanyuan; all he could do was swallow his laughter. Carrying the luggage, he asked, “Shall we go now?”

“Okay.”

As the conversation died down, Yuchi Yishu kneeled before Tang Yuanyuan and said to her in a deep voice, “The snow is too deep to walk. Hop onto my back.”

Tang Yuanyuan asked in surprise, “You want to give me a piggyback ride?”

“Yep.”

And so, she hopped onto Yuchi Yishu’s back, her little hands wrapped around his neck happily, as excited as a child with a candy cane.

An Qian watched the entire scene unfold, feeling jealous.

She then turned to look at Zhong Chufeng, who pointed to the suitcase in his hand and said, “You wanted me to carry that. I can’t carry you and the luggage both.”

After hearing this, An Qian wanted to stamp her feet in anger.

Yuchi Yishu was a prize; she knew this because he was very famous in their circle of friends. He was the Prince Charming equivalent—tall, dark, handsome, and not to mention wealthy too. He truly was a catch.

In addition to the girls from their own school, those from other schools also had their eyes on him.

Occasionally, a photo would cause quite a stir among the girls. It was by accident that An Qian stumbled upon a photo and fell in love with him at first sight. After that, she dug up some intel on Yuchi Yishu’s background.

She discovered that he was the grandson of the Ye Family, the richest family in North City. His maternal grandfather had no heir, therefore he adopted the Yuchi surname in order to inherit his maternal grandfather’s company.

In other words, not only was he from the richest family in North City, he also had the backing of the famous Yuchi Group from abroad.

A union of these two powerhouses was sure to turn heads.

Of course, there was also his mother, Han Muzi, who was the sister of Han Qing, which made him the nephew of the president of the Han Group.

Just saying one of those three names was good enough to catch people’s attention, what more to say when these three big fishes were put together.

Plus, not only was he easy on the eyes, he was also intelligent, and very low-key about his background, which had got countless girls eyeing him as their future husband.

It was also around this time that An Qian unintentionally found out that Zhong Chufeng had a good relationship with Yuchi Yishu, and that they were about to embark on a trip to Snow Town. Therefore, An Qian took the opportunity to follow them.

However, much to her surprise, Yuchi Yishu was much too kind to Tang Yuanyuan during their journey. Although they did address each other as brother and sister, it was a known fact that they were not related by blood, and were merely friends who grew up together.

As a matter of fact, Tang Yuanyuan practically grew up in the Ye household since she was a child.

An Qian didn’t know if she was reading too much into it, but it felt as though the relationship between these two was much more complicated.

As she thought of this, she ran to catch up with the rest of them.

The journey that usually took only half an hour ended up becoming an hour long because of the heavy snow. By the end of it, An Qian’s legs were almost frozen.

Looking at Tang Yuanyuan sprawled on Yuchi Yishu’s back comfortably, An Qian was going crazy with jealousy.

Why take the trouble? She is obviously a fat bumpkin. Just how far does Yuchi Yishu think he can walk with her on his back?

The rage An Qian was building up inside her only made the evil thoughts in her head grow.

“Hmph, had you not made me carry your luggage, I could have probably carried you on my back too.”

Of course, Zhong Chufeng did not miss the opportunity to poke fun at her.

Just like that, An Qian decided to hold Tang Yuanyuan responsible for her situation.

Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1594

The houses in Snow Town were not only beautiful, but also built for a purpose. The roofs were piled with snow, giving the overall scenery a vast outlook of whiteness. At the doorstep of each house laid a shovel and broom for snow removal, and there were rows upon rows of street lights to illuminate the area at nightfall.

The sky at dusk was so beautiful that one might think they were in a dream.

Tang Yuanyuan got down from Yuchi Yishu’s back. Pulling out her mobile phone, she started capturing several photos of the scenery. A thought struck her mind, and she turned around to ask, “Yishu, we haven’t taken any photos together yet. Shall we take one now?”

“Okay.” Yuchi Yishu nodded in agreement, like the accommodating brother he has always been to Tang Yuanyuan.

Tang Yuanyuan turned on the front camera of the mobile phone as she said to Yuchi Yishu, “Let’s use this to take the pictures.”

“Alright.”

As she adjusted her position, Yuchi Yishu bent down and stood close to her, his towering frame blocking the beautiful scenery that Tang Yuanyuan had taken a long time to find for the picture.

As they both posed for the photo, Tang Yuanyuan’s hand shook a little. Blinking, she looked at both their faces on the phone screen.

She couldn’t help but realize that she and her brother were worlds apart in their appearance. He had a handsome face and eyes that were as deep and mysterious as the ocean. As charming as one can be—according to the girls who had set their eyes on him before. Whereas looking at herself, all she saw was a plain set of eyes in a round face. She looked nothing like her brother.

This realization dampened Tang Yuanyuan’s mood almost immediately.

As she was about to put her phone away, Yuchi Yishu raised his hand and pressed on the camera shutter.

The photo was instantly captured.

Tang Yuanyuan was still processing the fact that they really took a photo, as she was feeling rather ashamed of her weight at the moment and did not want to take one.

“Wait up!” The minute Zhong Chufeng noticed they were taking photos, he abruptly let go of the luggage and went forward, squeezing himself between Yuchi Yishu and Tang Yuanyuan. Holding onto her fair wrist, he said, “Yuanyuan, take a picture with me too!”

Not waiting for her answer, he took her mobile phone as he happily said, “Come on, let me snap the picture. My arms are longer, so we’ll be able to get a good angle with the scenery in the background…”

Zhong Chufeng then went on to snap several pictures with Tang Yuanyuan. She, on the other hand, was standing there in a daze.

After taking the photos, Zhong Chufeng was going through the photo album when he noticed that Tang Yuanyuan seemed a little confused in all the photos, while he had a series of different expressions.

It seemed that he was the only one getting hyped.

Zhong Chufeng thought to himself, It’s okay. It’s good that I even have a photo with her now. With a smile, he turned his head to Tang Yuanyuan then asked her, “Send these photos to me, alright?”

“Okay.”

Of course, sharing the pictures with him was not a big deal for her.

After using her mobile phone to send all the photos to himself, Zhong Chufeng returned it back to her.

“You have to save these photos of us, Yuanyuan.”

“I definitely will, Chufeng!”

As they were happily taking photos, An Qian made her way to them. She had been wanting to post a picture of Tang Yuanyuan to the WeChat group for the longest time, and today, the opportunity had presented itself.

She panted as she reached them, saying, “I want to take a photo too, Yuanyuan. Let’s take one together.”

Tang Yuanyuan was about to oblige when Yuchi Yishu, who had been silently observing for some time, suddenly interjected and said, “We ought to get indoors; the sun will set soon and it will get dark out here. Let’s take a look at our accomodation first. It’s only our first day here.”

Zhong Chufeng immediately agreed. “He’s right. Since we’re traveling on our own, there will be plenty of time to take pictures while enjoying ourselves over the next few days. I brought my camera along for this trip too. Once our luggage is delivered, we can use the camera to take photos, and I’m sure they’ll come out better.”

And with that, An Qian’s plan had hit a wall, yet again.

She looked at Tang Yuanyuan with a bit of resentment. Are they doing it on purpose? The two of them had taken pictures with her, but why would Yuchi Yishu not allow her to take pictures with Tang Yuanyuan?

Could it be that Yuchi Yishu actually noticed what happened before? Oh dear, I must find time to explain myself to him.

The house had two floors; the lower level was where the kitchen, bathroom, and dining area were, while the upper level was the bedrooms.

There were three rooms in total, so Yuchi Yishu and Zhong Chufeng would be taking one each, while Tang Yuanyuan and An Qian would be sharing a room.

An Qian, who was practically frozen to the bone, had finally begun to regain sensation in her hands and feet upon entering the house. The landlord was there to welcome them, and offered everyone a bowl of hot soup. There was a thick layer of oil floating on the top, and this made An Qian rather disgusted.

“This mutton soup is the perfect comfort food for such brittle coldness,” said the landlord. “The snowfall today is indeed rather heavy. It must not have been easy for you guys to walk all the way up here. Drink up now! Let’s get you guys all warmed up.”

Hearing that, Tang Yuanyuan’s eyes lit up, and her hand shot out to take the bowl from the landlord.

“Thank you, Madam!”

Seeing Tang Yuanyuan’s flushed face, paired with her round eyes and chubby cheeks, the landlord smiled and said, “You are most welcome! Enjoy the soup.”

In the end, the cold got the best of An Qian and she too resorted to drinking the soup.

As she reached out for the soup, her hand brushed against the landlord’s, to which the landlord said, “Oh dear, your hands are freezing! It must have been a long journey here.”

The landlord looked at what she was wearing, and couldn’t help but say, “Sigh, you young girls. Elegance and style should not outweigh comfort. You’re still young and probably don’t think anything of it now, but when you get older, you’ll be much more prone to frostbite. Besides, girls get cold easily. That’s just how our system is built, so you must take caution to dress well to keep yourself warm.”

An Qian drank the mutton soup, and though she didn’t usually fancy this type of soup, it seemed relatively acceptable then. The warm soup felt like liquid warmth going down her throat, the heat slowly radiating throughout her entire body.

Sometime later, her complexion returned to its usual rosiness.

Tang Yuanyuan, on the other hand, had finished drinking her bowl of soup and couldn’t help but ask the landlord shyly, “Madam, this soup is delicious. May I have another bowl, please?”

It was the first time that the landlord had laid eyes on such a cute young girl, and she was smitten by Tang Yuanyuan and her sweet tone. She immediately agreed to her request with a big smile on her face.

“Why, of course, dear!”

Upon hearing this, An Qian resented her even more for this.

One bowl is more than enough to warm up the average person. But it’s not surprising that a fatty like her can’t control her food intake, what more to say about counting calories. A girl like her can never lose weight.

I really don’t understand. Why would Zhong Chufeng like a girl like her? Could it be that skinny girls are not to his liking?

She rolled her eyes as she sipped the soup in her bowl.

Seeing Tang Yuanyuan’s bubbly personality, the landlord couldn’t help but offer her some snacks once she had finished her second helping of soup.

“Oh, young lady, I can tell you’re a person who appreciates good food. These are my treasures, and I don’t usually share them with just anyone, but since fate has made us cross paths, I will let you try these.”

Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1595

The landlord had prepared a pleasant dinner for them. Tang Yuanyuan was not one to pick and choose when it came to food. For her, as long as it was served to be eaten, that is exactly what she would do. There really was nothing she didn’t eat.

On the other hand, An Qian had many restrictions on her food intake. Most of the food was either too greasy, had too much fat, or she simply did not like it.

Meanwhile, Yuchi Yishu and Zhong Chufeng dug into the meal. It was only An Qian who barely ate.

While clearing the table, An Qian asked the landlord for a cup of milk tea, to which the landlord pointed out, “You barely touched your food during dinner. Was the meal not to your liking?”

Not wanting to come off as rude, An Qian responded, “Oh no! Not at all, it’s just that I am trying to lose weight so I have to watch what I eat.”

As she said that, a thought flashed in her head. I definitely do not want to end up looking like tubby ol’ Tang Yuanyuan.

“Lose weight?” asked the landlord in a surprised tone. “You are already so slim. How much more weight do you want to lose?”

“Madam!” An Qian exclaimed. Her tone became louder as she spoke, “I may be thin now, but if I pay no heed toward what I put into my system, I will become as round as a dumpling before you know it.”

“Oh dear girl, you do realize that your health should be the top priority. Look at that girl just now. She ate so well!”

An Qian couldn’t help but roll her eyes and said, “Pfft, if I were as fat as her, I would probably drown myself in a river.”

The landlord’s smile disappeared, and she said in a serious tone, “How could someone so young like yourself say such a thing? Being fat or thin is a personal choice, but look at it this way; while you are so fixated on losing weight and counting calories, you’re missing out on all the delicious food out there. You restrict yourself meticulously while she enjoys them freely, not caring about what others might think. Plus, she does not look bad either.”

“You call that ‘not bad’? I guess we have different perspectives on this.”

“Do you really think that you look good like this? When the two of you walked in here earlier, her complexion was radiant, and her cheeks were flushed red. You, on the other hand, looked rather pale with your chaffed and dull lips. Is this your definition of being pretty?”

“I…” An Qian was caught off guard by the landlord’s brutal honesty, as well as her assessment of Tang Yuanyuan. Speechless, she spun on her heel to leave. Seeing her reaction, the landlord shook her head.

Meanwhile, Tang Yuanyuan had already settled in the room, and had started to unpack her things since their luggages arrived while they were having dinner just now. She laid out some of the snacks she had brought with her on the table.

When An Qian entered the room, she was greeted by the sight of the snacks on the table. As such, she couldn’t help but frown.

“You’re back!” Tang Yuanyuan pointed to the things on the table and said, “These are my favorite snacks. Feel free to dig in whenever you’re hungry.”

It was only An Qian and Tang Yuanyuan in the room. An Qian, who was still very bothered by the conversation with the landlord, was so overtaken by her emotions that she lashed out at Tang Yuanyuan. “Eat? Do you honestly think I would eat as much as you?”

She then looked at Tang Yuanyuan’s face and sneered. “Just look at yourself! Would it kill you to watch what you eat?”

Tang Yuanyuan felt the blood drain from her face.

An Qian had been holding back the entire time. Seeing Tang Yuanyuan’s face now, she felt a dark satisfaction. Wasn’t the landlord so adamant that her complexion was so good? How about she take a look at Tang Yuanyuan right now?

An Qian closed the door to prevent others from hearing in on their conversation. She then walked over to Tang Yuanyuan. “I mean, just look at yourself. You’re already so fat; don’t you know how to watch what you eat?”

Tang Yuanyuan did not speak and just bit onto her lower lip.

With a disgusted look, An Qian scanned Tang Yuanyuan from the top of her head all the way down to her feet. She then looked at Tang Yuanyuan’s face once again and stretched out her hands to poke her cheeks. “Don’t you find yourself disgusting when you see yourself in the mirror?

Disgusting?

Tang Yuanyuan was flabbergasted. She had never been attacked by others this way before, and was at a loss for words.

“An Qian, why would you say that? I… I’ve never offended you before.”

Having been sheltered since young, she had the impression that everyone could get along well with each other. She had no clue that An Qian would attack her in this way.

“You’ve never offended me?” An Qian sneered. “With that face, you don’t have to offend me at all. I already feel disgusted just looking at you. Besides, knowing how fat you are, how could you have the heart to let Yuchi Yishu carry you on his back the whole way? Do you not feel an ounce of guilt for abusing him like that?”

Tang Yuanyuan was speechless.

An Qian took a deep breath and walked over to sit on the side of the bed. “I didn’t want to bring this up in the past out of consideration toward your brother, but you displaying all your snacks on the table like this was the last straw. I really cannot bear this any longer. Please keep all your high-calorie junk food out of my sight for the next few days. Put them all back into your trashy luggage.”

Tang Yuanyuan bit her lower lip. Somewhat struggling, she mumbled, “I just thought you would like to share them with me, so I offered them to you.”

“What makes you think I would want to share them with you? Do you want me to become as fat as you after eating it? What a joke!”

An Qian was still laughing as she took off her shoes and was about to lie down. She did not expect Tang Yuanyuan to suddenly rush over and pull her out of the bed. Caught off guard, An Qian crashed onto the floor.

“What are you doing?”

“This is my room!” yelled Tang Yuanyuan as she clenched her fists hard. Angry and agitated, she looked An Qian straight in the eye. “Since you hate me so much, get out of my room.”

“Are you crazy?! We’re supposed to share this room.”

“N-No!” Tang Yuanyuan said sternly. “My brother paid for this place, so I have the right to refuse having you as my roommate! Since you despise me so much, you can sleep somewhere else!”

An Qian looked at her in shock as she processed what had just happened. All this while, she assumed that given Tang Yuanyuan’s cute and humble personality, she could be easily bullied. She was expecting the girl to silently oblige and put away her snacks, possibly even cry when being scolded.

But boy was she wrong.

Tang Yuanyuan actually dared to go against me?

“I respect you only because you are Chufeng’s cousin sister, but you have crossed the line. If you refuse to leave, I will tell my brother everything you said.”

Tell Yuchi Yishu?

An Qian was alarmed when she heard this. She quickly got up from the ground, ignoring her pain from when she had fallen down.

“Alright, I’ll go out as long as you don’t tell on me.”

Tang Yuanyuan pursed her lips and looked at her angrily. After An Qian left, her eyes welled up and tears flowed down her cheeks as she cried uncontrollably.

She was so annoyed that she had treated An Qian with sincerity, while all along, An Qian had been thinking of her in that way.

Even though she somehow managed to maintain her composure in front of An Qian, Tang Yuanyuan couldn’t help but touch her face as she thought back to earlier that day, when she was taking photos with her brother.

She pulled out her phone and stared at the photo. She was a girl, but her face was much bigger than Yuchi Yishu’s. She not only had round eyes, but a round face too.

She must have been very heavy indeed, yet she stayed on her brother’s back comfortably while he had to carry her all the way.

Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1596

Since meeting the girl who liked her brother, Tang Yuanyuan had a change of heart yet again.

She stared at the photo for a long time, her vision going blurry.

Shortly after, Tang Yuanyuan was afraid that someone might notice that something was not right with her. After all, her brother had brought her to Snow Town for the New Year in an effort to make her feel happy. Hence, she did not want to make him upset, especially now.

As she thought of this, Tang Yuanyuan quickly wiped her tears with the back of her hand.

Don’t cry! Pull yourself together!

It was the New Year. If she was to cry at this time, the trip would surely be a let down to both her brother and Chufeng. She had no choice but to control her emotions.

Moreover, I just met An Qian; who cares about her opinion?

Tang Yuanyuan kept consoling herself. This shall pass. Not long after, Zhong Chufeng knocked on her door.

“Yuanyuan?”

Tang Yuanyuan was startled to hear Zhong Chufeng’s voice. She immediately took off her shoes and tucked herself underneath the quilt.

“Yuanyuan, are you there? An Qian told me that you don’t want to sleep in the same room with her. Is something wrong?”

They had, after all, agreed on this earlier that day. Zhong Chufeng’s first assumption was that Tang Yuanyuan had been wronged in some way, which would explain why she had suddenly changed her mind. There was simply no other logical explanation as to why the soft-spoken Tang Yuanyuan would drive someone out of the room she had agreed to share with earlier on.

Tang Yuanyuan did not reply for fear that she might reveal something. An Qian, who stood next to Zhong Chufeng on the other side of the door, whispered, “Zhong Chufeng, don’t say anything. Do you want her brother to come over? I already said that she brought too many snacks along, so we had a disagreement. I’d rather sleep by myself, and I’m sure she’s afraid that I will eat her snacks. Just let me sleep in your room.”

“Did you think that your every wish is my command?” Zhong Chufeng glanced at her, annoyed. “Did you say something to Yuanyuan?”

“What could I have said?” An Qian avoided his gaze.

“Did you tell her about what we spoke of before…” Zhong Chufeng paused, not daring to say anything.

“Of course not!” An Qian immediately retorted. “How could I just say that casually? Why would I lose the leverage I finally have over you? Of course I have to use it well.”

Upon hearing, Zhong Chufeng contemplated giving her a good beating. He took a deep breath and asked her coldly, “Then what did you tell her? Come clean with me or I will get her brother to come here this instant.”

An Qian thought for a while and felt that it would be okay to tell Zhong Chufeng. If he handled the matter, Yuchi Yishu would not be alarmed. After thinking about it, she opened her mouth and said, “I didn’t say anything, really. I saw that she had too many snacks, so I advised her not to eat too much of it.”

“Is that all?”

An Qian shrugged. “That’s all, but she lost her temper and said that her brother paid for this trip. She went on to point out that since her brother is the one who paid for the transportation and this place, she has the right to not let me stay in the same room as her.”

“An Qian, I know both of you well. If you had merely persuaded her to eat less, she would definitely not have lost her temper this way. In fact, I am positive that she would not have treated you any differently. You must have said something to offend her.”

“Why would I?” An Qian was defensive. “Although I might not like her, it’s not a must for me to like her. This is just the way I speak. Am I supposed to change the way I speak just to please her?”

“And so the black sheep refuses to admit it’s mistake.” Zhong Chufeng decided not to press further, and shifted his focus onto Tang Yuanyuan instead.

Thinking of this, Zhong Chufeng said solemnly, “Wait in my room while I talk to her.”

An Qian harrumphed, then turned around to leave.

After she left, Zhong Chufeng reached out and knocked on the door. “Yuanyuan, An Qian has left. May I come inside?”

Tang Yuanyuan ignored him. The reason being that she just could not talk at that moment, because it would be evident that she had been crying the moment she said anything. She hoped that Zhong Chufeng would leave if she continued to not respond, for it would be better this way.

However, Zhong Chufeng was not one to give in easily, whatmore after knowing that Yuanyuan was angry. No matter what happened, he knew the matter at hand must be resolved.

He knocked on the door for a while, but didn’t get a response, so he could only change his tone.

“If you don’t say anything, I’m going to assume you’re okay with it. I’m opening the door now.”

Even then, Tang Yuanyuan did not respond. Zhong Chufeng couldn’t help but worry and immediately pushed open the door.

The room was quiet, and by the way her shoes were scattered on the floor, it was evident that she had taken them off in a hurry to get into bed.

Tang Yuanyuan was silent; her face could not even be seen.

Zhong Chufeng felt his heart squeeze painfully, and he dared not say anything. He pulled the door shut behind him, taking off his shoes to slowly approach her.

“An Qian has always been bossy since young. She must have said something really bad to upset you this much. No matter what, please don’t take it to heart. I apologize to you on her behalf, alright?”

Tang Yuanyuan still did not respond.

Zhong Chufeng felt very bad, and so he asked her, “How about I treat you to a nice barbecue? I heard that there is a barbecue pit outside in the snow where we can put the meat on. Apparently, meat tastes different when grilled outdoors here.”

He deliberately went on talking about the process in order to attract Tang Yuanyuan’s attention. To his dismay, she did not respond from under the quilt even after he finished talking. Zhong Chufeng was really worried, since all the talk about eating did not even manage to catch her attention. Just how upset is she? Zhong Chufeng thought to himself as he carefully reached out to pull the quilt down, revealing Tang Yuanyuan’s face. Looking at her, he felt a piercing ache in his heart, along with a feeling of helplessness.

Tang Yuanyuan’s eyes were shot red, and she looked back at Zhong Chufeng with watery eyes.

“Y-Yuanyuan, why are you crying?”

Helpless at the sight that met him, Zhong Chufeng scrambled to get some tissues, only to run into the edge of the table. He sucked in a breath in agony and reached for the tissue, but accidentally bumped into the table lamp, almost pushing it off. He quickly reached for the lamp just in time before it hit the floor. “That scared the life out of me.”

After sorting out the mess, he turned around to find Tang Yuanyuan sitting up on the bed, looking at him nervously.

“Chufeng, are you okay?”

Her face was filled with concern. Zhong Chufeng heaved a sigh of relief and said, “You’re finally willing to talk to me.”

Tang Yuanyuan realized that she was still crying when he said this. Had he not interrupted her just now, she would have remained lying under the sheets. She then looked around the room, avoiding his gaze.

“Whatever An Qian said was utter nonsense, so don’t pay attention to anything. However, if it really does bother you, I will send her back this very night, then come over to meet up with you all again.”

Hearing the latter, Tang Yuanyuan suddenly felt that things were getting out of hand and shook her head.

“You don’t need to do that, Chufeng. It’s too troublesome. I’ll just assume that she did not say anything today, but… I really don’t want to talk to her anymore.”

Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1597

“Alright, you don’t have to speak to her. You can even ignore her existence.”

“Chufeng, is your leg hurting?” Tang Yuanyuan asked as she glanced at his thigh. “You hit the table quite hard just now.”

“I’m okay!” Zhong Chufeng smiled, holding back his tears. “I’ll be fine as long as you don’t cry. I can even bump into it a few more times just for you.”

With that, he reached out and wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes. “Don’t cry, okay? These beautiful round eyes might just lose their shine from too much crying.”

Beautiful eyes?

Tang Yuanyuan bit her lower lip lightly and asked, “Are my eyes really beautiful?”

“Of course!” Zhong Chufeng replied quickly, “There is not a single part of you that looks ugly, my dearest Yuanyuan. Everything about you is unique and beautiful. Don’t believe whatever nonsense An Qian has said.”

“I’m okay now.” Tang Yuanyuan wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and whispered, “Chufeng, you can stop worrying now. I may have spoken rather harshly to your cousin earlier. Although what she said had crossed the line, when I think of it now, she is right after all. I am fat…”

“You are not fat!” Zhong Chufeng interrupted her before she could even finish saying the word. “Anyone who dares speak that way about you is my enemy, regardless of who he or she might be. You are perfect in my eyes, Yuanyuan!”

Tang Yuanyuan was taken aback by Zhong Chufeng’s reaction. She froze for a long moment before slowly lowering her gaze, choosing to remain silent.

Zhong Chufeng tidied up the messy silk sheets and said softly, “Yuanyuan, you are too young to be beating yourself up about what others think of you. All you need to do right now is to do what you like and be yourself. There are so many people in the world, and each one has their own thoughts and opinions about things. Don’t let those voices affect you. Their opinions of you carry no weight. You are your own person, okay?”

“I understand now, Chufeng.”

“Let me deal with An Qian. You leave this to me and get a good night’s sleep. When you wake up in the morning, this will be nothing but a forgotten memory.”

After comforting Tang Yuanyuan, Zhong Chufeng left.

Tang Yuanyuan felt a radiating warmth in her heart after hearing Zhong Chufeng’s kind words. He is probably being nice to me because it was his cousin who caused trouble.

Had the roles been reversed, she was certain that Yuchi Yishu would do the same for her, helping her to sort out the situation.

Yuchi Yishu…

As she thought of him, Tang Yuanyuan’s mind wandered to the photo on her phone again.

She was unsure herself as to why she had become more sensitive recently, and her thoughts often strayed toward things that she should not even think of.

When she looked at the photo, she felt that she was too fat and didn’t deserve to stand next to her brother. There should be a better and more beautiful girl beside him, and not her. Not this chubby blob, with nothing good about her.

Thinking of this, Tang Yuanyuan closed her eyes. Could it be that I have feelings for—no, that’s impossible.

How could she have such thoughts?

Tang Yuanyuan shook her head in denial, trying hard to dispel those ridiculous thoughts. Her brother was so kind to her; she simply couldn’t think that way about him!

In order to clear this doubt in her mind, Tang Yuanyuan opened an anonymous account in a forum and posted about this.

She briefly explained the relationship between her brother and herself, and talked about the recent events, finally asking if she should stay away from him, and if her feelings were normal.

After she posted it, Tang Yuanyuan held onto her phone tightly, biting on her lower lip. I did not mention anything too detailed in the post. Nobody would know it’s me right? Or… should I delete it?

Just as Tang Yuanyuan picked up her phone again to delete the post, she found that someone had responded to her.

‘Greetings, Original Poster! I think you like your brother. You said it yourself that you two are just childhood friends who grew up together. You are not related by blood, nor do you share the same parents. What’s wrong with liking him, then?’

It was true that she and her brother were childhood friends. He had indeed always treated her very well.

‘In agreement with the previous poster, I, too, think that it is completely fine for the Original Poster to have such feelings. Plus, based on what you said, your brother seems like an excellent all-rounder. Also, you grew up with him right? Had I been in your position, I would have chased after him long ago. You know the saying, the heart is easily fond of those close to it. Which other girl would have such an opportunity? Think about it.’

‘I think the family of this boy has already thought of making her their own daughter-in-law, right? Why else would they treat someone like their own daughter? For all you know, your brother also thinks the same way.’

Making me their daughter-in-law?

Seeing this statement, Tang Yuanyuan’s cheeks flushed red as she anxiously typed out a response.

‘No, no, my aunt and brother are just being kind to me. I’m sure they do not have such intentions.’

After thinking for a while, she immediately explained, ‘My relationship with my brother is not like what everyone thinks, nor do I… like my brother. Please don’t get me wrong.’

‘Are you sure? You sounded so cautious just now. You seemed to be afraid that everyone might perceive you as abnormal, hence why you dare not admit your true feelings. Am I right?’

Seeing these words, Tang Yuanyuan felt as if her heart had been pierced. She didn’t dare to think of it.

‘Come on, which era are you living in? If you like this person, be courageous and fight for him. Just like a previous commenter stated—the heart is easily fond of those close to it. If you give this opportunity up, you might regret it in the future.’

Tang Yuanyuan stared at the words for a long time and finally started typing out her response slowly.

‘But I’m just a fattie. I’m nowhere near to being a perfect match for my brother.’

After posting it, Tang Yuanyuan felt that it was wrong to say that, so she immediately deleted the message.

Stop thinking about it already. I should not even have posted this today.

At this moment, a commenter who was presumably online at that moment saw Tang Yuanyuan’s reply and left her a message in the comments section.

‘I realized that you had deleted your reply before I could respond. You have to be more confident. It is not a problem at all. If you really like him, you can make some changes.’

Make a change? To slim down?

Tang Yuanyuan had never considered this to be an issue before. Her day always started with wondering about what she was going to eat.

It had never once crossed my mind to… lose weight.

‘It is difficult to make changes, but the key lies within yourself. If you really like him, you should not hesitate to want to change yourself. I am not saying that you have a problem, but since you are not confident now, why not change in order to boost your confidence? Become confident and pursue him openly. Don’t you agree?’

These words really touched Tang Yuanyuan’s heart.

Now that she had admitted her feelings, it had left her with no way out.

After so many years of his companionship, how could she have no feelings at all?

Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1598

That night, Tang Yuanyuan did not sleep well. Her dreams were all over the place; one minute, she would be dreaming of An Qian’s sarcastic words and laughter; another, she would be thinking of Zhong Chufeng’s comforting words. As her dream progressed, even the forum commenters made an appearance.

At the very end of the dream was Yuchi Yishu. He stood motionless, looking at her with a warm, welcoming gaze and open arms. “Yuanyuan,” he called out.

Tang Yuanyuan ran toward him in desperation, but before she could throw herself into his arms, the image before her changed yet again.

Her brother had disappeared and turned into several unfamiliar faces of men and women, all staring at her with spurned expressions.

“Look at this fat girl! She’s such an ugly duckling, yet she yearns to become a beautiful swan. She actually thinks that she stands a chance with the dreamy Yuchi Yishu.”

“Good heavens, will she crush him, given her weight? I can’t believe she has the courage to go after him.”

“Fat people these days really have too much confidence. Does she even look at herself in the mirror?”

Word after word pierced Tang Yuanyuan’s heart like sharp arrows.

Tang Yuanyuan felt horrible. She shook her head and cried out, “No, I didn’t, I didn’t…”

She was still in the nightmare, and had no idea that Yuchi Yishu was next to the bed looking at her. He frowned as he saw her tears.

He originally came over to wake her up, but after calling out to her for a long time with no response, Yuchi Yishu grew worried. He had no choice but to push open the door, only to find Tang Yuanyuan crying out loud.

As soon as he walked over and sat down next to her, Tang Yuanyuan began to cry. Her cries were heartbreaking and full of sadness.

Is she having a nightmare?

Yuchi Yishu gently placed the back of his palm on her forehead and found that her temperature was rather high. So, he patted her cheeks lightly and called out her name, “Yuanyuan.”

“No, I didn’t…” Tang Yuanyuan was still crying.

Yuchi Yishu could only continue calling out her name as he tried to coax her. ” Yuanyuan, don’t cry. I’m right here with you. Don’t cry, okay?”

Suddenly, Tang Yuanyuan subconsciously hugged Yuchi Yishu’s arm, as if finally at peace. After a while, she rubbed his hand and called out softly, “Yishu.”

Hearing her call out for him, Yuchi Yishu’s heart melted.

Will this girl ever grow up? How is she still like the child from years ago? When in reality, she will be an adult in a year’s time. She has yet to learn the ways of this cruel world—still so innocent and naïve. Even Little Sprout is more grown up than her.

Yuchi Yishu tucked the blanket around her properly, and slowly withdrew his hand. At that moment, Tang Yuanyuan suddenly jerked, almost as if she was frightened.

When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Yuchi Yishu’s face.

“Yishu?” exclaimed Tang Yuanyuan in surprise. She thought she was imagining things. How could he be in her room?

“You’re finally awake, huh?” Yuchi Yishu reached out and flicked her forehead.

Yuchi Yishu couldn’t help but notice that there were tear streaks on her face, and her eyes had a gloomy look in them. He wiped her tears and asked her in a low voice, “Did you have a nightmare?”

Only then did Tang Yuanyuan realize that she was crying. She sat up nervously, touching her face to find that they were actually wet.

“Ah, I actually cried.”

“Are you so confused that you don’t even realize you were crying?”

Tang Yuanyuan shook her head. “This has happened before. Even I am not sure as to why I was crying. I’m sorry, Yishu. To be honest, I’m not even upset about anything.”

“I’m not blaming you at all, so why are you apologizing?”

Yuchi Yishu grew up with her, and he knew her personality well. Tang Yuanyuan had always been easy to talk to. With her soft spoken character, she rarely said things that would upset others or would require an apology. So there was little need for her to apologize.

Now she wakes up in tears and apologizes to me? What for?

Yuchi Yishu frowned as he asked, “What happened?”

Tang Yuanyuan couldn’t help but hang her head, her eyes flashing with panic and guilt. “Nothing happened, really. There really is nothing, even though I did actually cry…”

“So you’re apologizing to me?” Yuchi Yishu held her chin and raised her face till their eyes met, thereupon he saw a flash of panic and guilt in her eyes. “What are you hiding from me?”

“Yishu, I…”

“Tell me the truth.”

Tang Yuanyuan was definitely not going to tell him what happened the night before. If she did, she felt that she would reveal her thoughts, but if she kept quiet, she knew Yuchi Yishu would continue to pester her, and be worried for her.

Tang Yuanyuan looked around the room and suddenly cried in a low voice, “Actually, I was dreaming of you.”

“And?” Yuchi Yishu narrowed his eyes slightly. “What did you dream about me?”

“I dreamt that you had left me. You thought I was too troublesome and that I ate too much, so you decided to abandon me. That is why I felt a little sad.”

“I left you? Because I felt that you were troublesome?”

“Well, in the dream, I kept asking you for food and that made you feel that I was troublesome.”

Tang Yuanyuan’s eyes became red as she said that. She then hugged his arm and asked, “Yishu, do you feel that way deep down?”

Yuchi Yishu was stunned by Tang Yuanyuan’s hold on his arm, and had to take a moment to recompose himself. He then muttered hoarsely, “Of course not. How could I leave you? Dreams are the exact opposite of reality. They will not come true. ”

“Then you have to promise to never leave me, alright?”

“Alright.”

It was only then did Tang Yuanyuan realize she was holding a grown man’s arm. She let go immediately, her cheeks blushing from the realization.

“You finally feel shy now?” asked Yuchi Yishu as he lightly tapped the tip of her nose. “You can’t do this in the future, Yuanyuan. Now that you are all grown up, there are certain boundaries between a man and a woman. Regardless if it is your brother or any other guy, you must pay attention to keep your distance.”

“Yes, Yishu. I will.”

Tang Yuanyuan got up to put on her sweater. She went to clean up and go about her skincare routine before heading downstairs to have breakfast with Yuchi Yishu. Heading out of her room, she ran into Zhong Chufeng and An Qian.

“You better be on your best behavior today. You hear me? If you step on anyone’s toes again, I will have you sent home myself. I will also put in a word to her brother on some of your “good qualities”. I’m sure you wouldn’t want anything like that to impact your chances of being his friend.”

“Understood,” said An Qian. She was rather frustrated, but had no choice except to agree.

They did not expect to bump into Tang Yuanyuan right after their conversation.

“Yuanyuan, did you sleep well?” An Qian asked as she greeted her with a smile. Her sudden enthusiasm surprised Tang Yuanyuan. Looking at Zhong Chufeng, something crossed Tang Yuanyuan’s mind and she smiled back to An Qian. “Yes, I did.”

“I’m very sorry about yesterday. My friends and I can get a little noisy; they always insist on chatting with me via video call. I was afraid that we would bother you, so I didn’t stay with you as we agreed on. I hope you don’t mind?

This must be something Zhong Chufeng and An Qian came up with to bury the hatchet. Tang Yuanyuan took into account the fact that An Qian took the initiative to say that she was embarrassed. With that, she decided to forgive her, and she replied, “It’s okay, An Qian. I don’t mind.”

Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1599

Tang Yuanyuan turned toward Yuchi Yishu and took his arm, saying, “Let’s go, Yishu.”

Yuchi Yishu glanced at An Qian, and he sensed an emanating reluctance from Tang Yuanyuan, so he obliged. “Alright, let’s head downstairs .”

After the two left, An Qian lashed out at Zhong Chufeng, “You asked me to apologize to her, and I did. Did you see her attitude?”

“What attitude?” Zhong Chufeng glanced at her coldly. “If you said those things to me, believe me when I say that I will slap you.”

“What?!” An Qian called out in disbelief.

Zhong Chufeng ignored her and walked downstairs. An Qian gritted her teeth for a moment before following suit.

The landlord had already prepared a hearty spread for breakfast. She waved at Tang Yuanyuan the second she spotted her.

Being the polite person she was, Tang Yuanyuan smiled back and greeted her, “Good morning, Madam.”

“Good morning, did you sleep well last night?”

The landlord couldn’t help but notice that Tang Yuanyuan’s eyes were a little swollen. But since she did not seem down, the landlord didn’t ask further.

“A nice cozy sleep calls for a mouth-watering spread. Come along now, let’s have breakfast.” The landlord whispered something into Tang Yuanyuan’s ears as she served her some porridge.

“This here was from a recipe your brother had specifically given to me.”

“Really?” Tang Yuanyuan asked as she raised her head in surprise.

She turned to look at Yuchi Yishu, just as he took a sip of his porridge and set the bowl down. “What are you looking at? Go ahead and dig in.” said Yuchi Yishu.

Not long after, Zhong Chufeng and An Qian came down for breakfast as well. Initially, An Qian intended to sit close to Yuchi Yishu, however, her plan was intervened by Zhong Chufeng who quickly instructed her, “Come and sit over here.”

An Qian fumed, feeling a murderous rage toward Zhong Chufeng.

Tang Yuanyuan didn’t want to sit with An Qian for breakfast. Although she had forgiven her out of respect for Zhong Chufeng, she was still very much angry with the way An Qian had spoken to her the night before.

As Tang Yuanyuan looked up, she couldn’t help but feel irritated at the sight of An Qian. She didn’t reveal what she was feeling, and instead shifted her focus onto nibbling on a pastry.

The pastry was packed with a generous amount of filling, making each bite flavorful. Tang Yuanyuan felt her taste buds awaken, and she even felt the urge to cry in contentment.

It was clear that the landlord had a knack for cooking. Tang Yuanyuan told herself that she would eat to her heart’s content. “Eat slowly. Don’t choke on your food.”

“It goes well with porridge,” said Yuchi Yishu as he dished out a bowl of porridge and set it beside Tang Yuanyuan. “Thank you, Yishu.”

Zhong Chufeng looked at her and couldn’t help but laugh. “Yuanyuan, you really are not one to eat slowly. No one’s going to take it away from you. If you like the pastry so much, you can have mine.”

Hearing his words, An Qian wanted to add her two cents too. And so, she pushed the pastry in front of her to Yuanyuan. “You can have mine too.”

There were now two more pieces of pastry in front of Tang Yuanyuan. She glanced over at the slender An Qian, and thought about what she said last night. Just like that, Tang Yuanyuan lost her appetite.

Tang Yuanyuan shook her head, saying, “It’s alright, you two can have it.” Had this taken place just a day ago, Tang Yuanyuan would have been very happy with the kind gesture. However, now that she has come to learn An Qian’s true colors, it felt rather hypocritical.

Fortunately, this time round, Yuchi Yishu was there to help her out.

“It’s best that you both eat your own food. It’s not like there isn’t any food on this table.”

Zhong Chufeng curled his lips and said, “ I offered it to her because she likes the pastry. Are you not happy that I treat your sister well?”

“Just continue eating your food.”

Tang Yuanyuan finished her pastry gloomily, then had the small bowl of porridge. Shortly after that, she wiped her hands and said, “I’m full.”

As soon as she said that, all three heads swiveled in her direction. Their sudden attention made Tang Yuanyuan blush bright red in embarrassment.

“W-What’s wrong?”

Zhong Chufeng held his tongue for what felt like forever, his expression uncomfortable.

After all, Tang Yuanyuan was not one to have a small appetite. One could give her a few more pastries and she could eat them up effortlessly and still have other dishes afterward. Much like a pig really, but a cute one nonetheless.

However, she had only a single pastry and said that she was full.

Could it be because of what An Qian had said to her last night? Even though he had comforted her, what he said was surely the equivalent to putting a band-aid on an open wound. Although the wound was out of sight, the pain would still be there.

Zhong Chufeng suddenly regretted that he allowed An Qian to tag along on this trip.

Had she not been here, none of this would have happened.

Yuchi Yishu, on the other hand, was indifferent. He seemed to know something was up but did not make it obvious. He merely picked up a few dishes and put them in Tang Yuanyuan’s bowl, saying to her in a low voice, “Then sit and accompany me, will you? You’re still growing; you cannot have so little food.”

“But…” Tang Yuanyuan almost blurted out that she was too fat, but managed to hold her tongue just in time.

“Well, then I will eat a little bit more to keep you company, Yishu.”

As Tang Yuanyuan finished up, Yuchi Yishu refilled her bowl with food, until she finally felt full. She realized that she could not eat anymore, so she discreetly pulled on Yuchi Yishu’s sleeve under the table and whispered, “Yishu, I really can’t eat anymore.”

Only then did Yuchi Yishu stop. “If you are full, let’s go take a walk around the cabin.”

Then, he got up and said to Zhong Chufeng, “I’ll take her out for a walk.”

Zhong Chufeng was stunned for a few seconds before acknowledging the guy. “Okay.”

This meant that Yuchi Yishu did not want him to follow. He and Yuchi Yishu had been friends for so many years, hence he could read his gestures like a book.

An Qian, however, put down the spoon in her hand and said, “I’m full! I’d like to go for a walk too.”

As soon as she got up, Zhong Chufeng yanked her back into the chair as he snarled, “Where are you going? You barely ate anything! Sit down and eat a little more.”

“But I’m stuffed!”

“Just stay put even if you’re full!” Zhong Chufeng’s tone was harsh. He made sure that Yuchi Yishu and Tang Yuanyuan were out of sight before he continued saying, “Can’t you see that they do not want company? Are you that oblivious?”

“Zhong Chufeng, why are you speaking to me like that?”

“Well then, why did you follow me on this trip? It’s not like I invited you along. Do you know what I had to do to save your face? No one invited you either. In fact, they made it clear that they didn’t want you to follow. Yet, you are so thick-faced that you tagged along regardless.”

Hearing this, An Qian stood up, feeling offended.

“I’m thick-faced? You do realize that it is you who is thick faced right? Didn’t you see that Tang Yuanyuan only has eyes for her brother? Yet, here you are putting yourself in this position. Go on, tell me that I am wrong!”

“Why you…!” Zhong Chufeng exclaimed in anger, his expression turning thunderous.

“And to think you have the audacity to call me out.” An Qian sneered as she folded her arms. “Did you forget to take your own actions into account?”

Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1600

Zhong Chufeng was a true gentleman. He was usually very kind and gentle with women. Even with those he didn’t quite like, he treated them all well.

Except for Wen Jingrou, a classmate of his who at one time stalked Yuchi Yishu all the way to their dormitory, and An Qian, who had just joined the list.

If it wasn’t for the fact that they were related by blood, Zhong Chufeng would have probably laid a hand on An Qian. However, An Qian seemed to not notice, keeping up with her attitude and went on cursing.

“You pour all your affection and kindness in the expectation that it will be reciprocated by her. But, you fail to realize that she barely even notices your existence, what more to acknowledge your feelings for her. Being in such a position, you still dare to reprimand me? Why are you looking at me like that? I’m pretty sure if you were to look for a potential partner at your academy, you could very likely land yourself a decent girl. But here you are falling head over heels for a tubby fat girl. Really makes me wonder if you’re out of your mind!”

“An Qian, shut your mouth this instant!”

Zhong Chufeng couldn’t hold it in any longer, so much so that he stood up and banged on the table.

The landlord and her husband who were in the kitchen heard the commotion and scurried over to investigate.

As soon as they stepped out of the kitchen, they caught the sight of Zhong Chufeng and An Qian bickering. An Qian was even saying some nasty things. “Why should I shut up? So you can tell me off, but I’m not allowed to say anything? Also, what makes you think it is okay for you to slam the table in that manner? Did I make a false statement? Tang Yuanyuan is such a fat girl. You can’t actually have feelings for her, can you? With a figure like that, she is never going to find a partner even when she grows up—”

Smack!

Zhong Chufeng couldn’t restrain himself any longer and slapped An Qian hard across the face. Even after that, he continued to feel as if his stomach was twisted into knots.

Zhong Chufeng slapped her so hard that An Qian fell to the ground. Stunned over what had happened, she stood up in disbelief over the fact that he had just slapped her.

“How dare you raise your hand to me, Zhong Chufeng!” An Qian hissed at him after standing frozen for a good ten seconds. She touched her face and felt a soreness to match the buzzing in her ears.

“I’m going to call my dad right away. I’ll also tell your mother about how you have slapped me!”

“Be my guest!” Zhong Chufeng snarled back at her. “Go on then, the phone is right next to you. You make your call, and I’ll make mine. Once you’re done, pack up all your things because you are heading back home this very day. Also, don’t bother taking their car; take a taxi instead.”

An Qian was stunned. She did not see that coming from Zhong Chufeng. If I were to leave now over this squabble with Zhong Chufeng, would that mean Tang Yuanyuan will have Yuchi Yishu all to herself? She had come all this way for Yuchi Yishu. How could I return with not even some progress to show for? I am sure to become the laughing stock among the girls back at school.

After some thought, An Qian bolted upstairs, crying all the way.

The landlord and her husband who had witnessed the scene looked at each other blankly. They were not expecting the dispute to escalate to this extent.

After some time, the landlord went over to Zhong Chufeng and said to him, “Don’t let your emotions get the best of you; she is just a little girl. Naturally, it wouldn’t occur to her to think before she says something. You—”

“She is not a little girl anymore,” Zhong Chufeng cut her off coldly. He remained expressionless as he said, “Madam, can I trust you to keep what happened today between us? Let me handle it.”

The landlord nodded. “Okay, don’t worry, my lips are sealed.”

After hearing what An Qian had said earlier, the landlord did not have a good impression of her. She felt that the young lady was too quick to throw her words and spoke too bluntly.

It is not proper to speak that way, simply throwing out words with no consideration for other people. Tang Yuanyuan is a sweet, young girl. If she had heard those words, how would she feel?

All it would take was a single word to destroy the happy life of a person.

And so, the landlord decided that she did not like An Qian.

However, thinking back to how Zhong Chufeng had slapped so hard that An Qian fell to the cold hard floor, the landlord couldn’t help but feel sympathy toward her. Character and values must be nurtured from a young age, otherwise this is what would happen. Now, it was only her cousin who disciplined her with a slap. What would befall her if she met some truly evil people in the future?

“Thank you,” Zhong Chufeng said to the landlord as he turned to go upstairs to collect his emotions.

Meanwhile, Yuchi Yishu and Tang Yuanyuan were completely oblivious as to what took place.

Although the snowfall was not as heavy as the day before, the land was still covered by a thick layer of snow. Seeing this, Yuchi Yishu wanted to give Tang Yuanyuan a piggyback ride as they walked around. She happily agreed, but suddenly slipped off his back a moment later and wanted to walk by herself.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Tang Yuanyuan shook her head. “I just wanted to walk and see what it feels like to sink my own two feet in the snow.” She went on to jump around in excitement, her boots making crunching sounds in the snow. She even felt that it was quite therapeutic.

“You are going to get exhausted. Come on now, let me carry you.”

Tang Yuanyuan did not respond, nor did she hop onto his back.

At this point, Yuchi Yishu was positive that something was wrong with her. He put his hands in his pockets and looked at the back of her head.

“What exactly happened last night?”

Tang Yuanyuan was stunned and turned around to look at him, but quickly turned back. Did I say something to give myself away? Was I not putting on a good enough show with my excitement over the snow? Why is he suddenly asking me what had happened last night?

“Don’t be afraid. You know you can tell me anything, right? I will sort it out for you. Nobody can pick on you while I am around.”

Yuchi Yishu’s words made Tang Yuanyuan want to cry, however, the thought of Zhong Chufeng and his comforting words the night before, despite being in pain from ramming his leg into the table, made her hold back. The least she could do was to keep mum.

Tang Yuanyuan shook her head and said, “No one bullied me. It’s just that I don’t like An Qian very much.”

“Huh? Why?”

Tang Yuanyuan had always got along well with people. For her to say that she didn’t like An Qian made Yuchi Yishu suspicious.

Tang Yuanyuan quickly ran through her options till she finally settled with one and blurted, “I don’t like her sense of style. She’s not gentle enough, hence me not liking her.”

“Is that all?”

“Also, I don’t like the way she speaks. Remember when we all got out of the car and drank soy milk, while she sat in the car all by herself? I didn’t like that either!”

As she went on, Tang Yuanyuan suddenly realized that if one didn’t like someone, it was relatively easy to point out things that they didn’t like about them. It was something she hadn’t noticed previously.

“Yishu, long story short, I simply don’t like her, hence why I don’t want to share a room with her.”