Chapter 447: Don’t Say It

"Oh, by the way, that Pan Ling’er seems easy to talk to. It looks like you’re pretty familiar with her. Are you good friends? If so, you could invite her over," Zhao Nuanyue probed. If he could bring her home as a guest, it would mean their relationship was already quite close.

But who would have thought that blockhead Zhao Nuanyang would just shake his head at his sister’s question and reply, "We’re not very close friends. It’s just that her daily patrol happens to be when I’m on my way to work. After that one time we talked, you could say we’re just nodding acquaintances."

Hearing Zhao Nuanyang’s reply, Zhao Nuanyue shook her head and sighed. ’It’s been two or three weeks. The girl greets you every day and shows up every day where you pass by on your way to work. If she isn’t interested, who would do that, rain or shine?’

’This foolish brother of hers just didn’t see it. He was really dense.’

Little Red Carp grew anxious and was about to blurt it out, but Hua Yusen shook his head at her, signaling her to keep quiet.

Some things leave the deepest impression only when you discover and experience them for yourself. If she and Little Red Carp interfered, Zhao Nuanyang might just follow their advice instead of making the right judgment from his own heart. That was something Zhao Nuanyue didn’t want to see.

Seeing that her sister didn’t want her to speak, Little Red Carp had no choice but to back down and say no more.

The lunch break was only an hour long. After Zhao Nuanyang finished his meal, he sat and chatted a bit longer with his sister before he had to get back to work.

Zhao Nuanyue checked the time, then packed up the lunch box. She handed the small package of pastries to her brother and said, "Nuanyang, take these to work and share them with your colleagues. It’s getting late, so I’m going to take Little Red Carp and head home. By the way, what do you want for dinner tonight? I have some time today, so I can put in a little extra effort and make you something nice to help you build up your strength!"

"Whatever’s fine, Sister. I love everything you make." Zhao Nuanyang smiled, then walked his sister and Little Red Carp out of the cafeteria. He escorted them to the main gate and signed them out with Uncle Xu, the gate guard, once more.

Once Zhao Nuanyue and Little Red Carp were in the car, Little Red Carp asked impatiently, "Sister, why didn’t you let me say anything just now? I actually have a really good feeling about that Pan Ling’er. I think she and Brother could really hit it off!"

"Heh, you’re right. I have a good feeling about Pan Ling’er too. But that’s precisely why we can’t say anything to your brother," Zhao Nuanyue said with a mysterious smile.

"Why? Why?" Little Red Carp asked twice in a row. "Come on, Sister, tell me! I’m dying of curiosity!"

Seeing Little Red Carp’s eagerness, Zhao Nuanyue leaned in and answered mysteriously in a low voice, "It’s actually very simple. That Pan Ling’er has a crush on your brother, but Nuanyang is a very simple person. He’s quite dense about certain things."

"Right, right! Brother is so dense when it comes to feelings, especially romance. He’s never been in a relationship, so he’s even slower to react," Little Red Carp readily agreed, interrupting Zhao Nuanyue again. "But since he’s so dense, shouldn’t we tell him sooner so he knows?"

Zhao Nuanyue shook her head, disagreeing with Little Red Carp’s view. She said earnestly, "Don’t you think it would be a very interesting thing for our simple, dense Nuanyang to discover on his own that there’s a lovely girl by his side who likes him?"

Hearing her sister’s words, Little Red Carp thought about it for a moment, then it dawned on her. She nodded. "You’re right. If Brother develops feelings for Pan Ling’er, he’ll make a move when the time is right. Those feelings would come from his own heart, not because we influenced him. For him, it would be a unique life experience—a special part of his growth."

"Yes, exactly." Zhao Nuanyue nodded, pleased that Little Red Carp had immediately grasped the key point. "All we need to do now is investigate Pan Ling’er’s background! If there are no issues, we’ll just let nature take its course and not interfere!"

"Mm, okay." Little Red Carp nodded, showing she agreed with her sister’s view. "Even though I’m super curious and dying to say something, for the sake of Brother becoming more mature and having a unique life experience, I’ll hold my tongue and let things happen naturally."

Zhao Nuanyue nodded, then looked toward Zhang Hong and Li Wei in the front of the car. "Zhang, Li, if you have a moment, could you please help me look into that Pan Ling’er? Thank you."

"No problem, I’ll get on it as soon as possible," Li Wei agreed. Li Wei didn’t know Pan Ling’er, but he knew the man called Li who was often with her. They had served in the same military unit once, so it probably wouldn’t be too difficult to get information from him.

Zhao Nuanyue was very happy. After returning home, she did some chores and cooked.

Once Zhao Nuanyang got back, she and Hua Yusen were planning to go back to the Huajia Old Mansion.

As soon as he got home, Zhao Nuanyang couldn’t wait to tell his sister how sharing the pastries with the gentlemen at work had earned everyone’s approval. Some of them had even become much friendlier with him.

"Sharing food really can bring people closer." Zhao Nuanyue was delighted to see her brother so cheerful and full of life, a rare sight.

"Yeah! I used to be quiet and was just on nodding terms with everyone. But today, when everyone was tired from work, I made them hot tea and passed out the snacks. We all ate and chatted, which not only satisfied our hunger but also lifted our spirits," Zhao Nuanyang said with a smile. "Even my supervisor, Mr. Lao Yang, decided to bring in his family’s specialty pastries tomorrow to share with everyone."

"Heh, that’s great," Zhao Nuanyue agreed. The people who worked at the museum were all from well-off families, so buying or making some snacks was certainly within their means.

Hua Yusen returned and called out to Zhao Nuanyue, Zhao Nuanyang, and Little Red Carp, "Is everyone ready? Can we go? Oh, why have you all eaten dinner already?"

"Brother-in-law, I’m exhausted from work. After eating, I just want to rest, I don’t really feel like going out to visit. But thank you for the invitation, anyway," Zhao Nuanyang said gratefully. Ever since his sister and brother-in-law got married, they always included him and Little Red Carp when they went back to the family home. It was fine at first, but Zhao Nuanyang felt that these were his brother-in-law’s family gatherings, and as relatives, he and Little Red Carp shouldn’t intrude.

He understood that there was a distinction between close family and more distant relatives; he grasped that much about the ways of the world.