Shi Fa Ke’s eyes shifted slightly, landing on the hand holding the soup spoon. His hands were well-proportioned with flesh and bone, long and beautiful. Mm, this wasn’t the point—the point was… it was said that people who knew martial arts had particularly agile reflexes.

“If you really have no appetite, then don’t drink the porridge. Drink this bowl of bird’s nest soup instead—it’s also Ke Tian’s heartfelt intention. I heard bird’s nest soup is especially nourishing.” Shi Fa Ke had made up her mind. With a smile, she walked to his side and reached out to hand him the bowl containing the bird’s nest soup. When she extended her hand, her sleeve seemed to casually brush against a small dish of side dishes on the table’s edge… and the dish fell down.

Mm, catching a falling bowl or dish barehanded should definitely be a piece of cake, right? Shi Fa Ke thought with certainty.

Then she heard a crisp “crack” sound as the dish fell straight down without hesitation and shattered into pieces.

Shi Fa Ke was stunned, staring at the dish that had instantly broken into several pieces. She suddenly noticed that the pattern on the dish seemed… somewhat familiar. Her gaze became vacant as she looked at the fragments on the ground, then at the other bowls and dishes on the table. She suddenly realized that these bowls and dishes seemed to be a matching set, and moreover, they were He Ke Tian’s favorite famille rose porcelain set. Her vision immediately went black…

He Ke Tian would probably kill her!

But why had He Ke Tian been so generous as to use her favorite bowls and dishes to send food to Young Master Lu!

These thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant, while the Young Master Lu she had wanted to test remained firmly seated throughout, completely motionless… one could say he was extremely composed.

He hadn’t even tried to reach out to rescue the dish, just watched helplessly as that famille rose dish shattered into pieces right in front of him!

“Young Master Lu…” Shi Fa Ke’s lips trembled.

“Mm?”

“Why didn’t you catch it…”

Lu Chi looked innocent as he said, “How could I possibly catch it?”

But you didn’t even reach out! Shi Fa Ke’s face was full of accusation.

“Fine, fine, fine. Even if I can’t catch it, I’ll try to reach out next time.” Lu Chi sighed with some helplessness.

As if she were being unreasonable!

Shi Fa Ke thought indignantly.

But… wasn’t she indeed being unreasonable?

Shi Fa Ke tremblingly reached out to pick up the famille rose dish that had shattered into pieces on the ground… Ah ah ah, He Ke Tian would definitely kill her. Shi Fa Ke began considering what she could give as compensation to make her calm down.

Mm, she seemed to really like the Jiangnan Misty Rain painting that Young Master Lu had previously given her? She had even almost spent fifteen hundred taels to buy it, and although it was a fake, money couldn’t buy what the heart desired.

But… she herself really liked that painting too and was reluctant to part with it.

Shi Fa Ke looked conflicted as she went to pick up the fragments on the ground, but before her fingertips could touch the pieces, her hand was caught by Lu Chi again.

Lu Chi sighed and casually picked up the fragments to throw them in a nearby dustpan. “I told you not to pick up such sharp things—you’ll cut your hand.” As he spoke, he looked down and saw Shi Fa Ke’s expression on the verge of tears, which startled him greatly. “You, you, you… what’s wrong?”

“I broke Ke Tian’s dish…” Shi Fa Ke pouted.

“So what? She broke my minced meat porridge too.” Seeing her look like she was about to cry, Lu Chi was so anxious that sweat broke out on his forehead.

“But this is Ke Tian’s favorite famille rose porcelain…”

“Well, that was my favorite minced meat porridge!”

Even though Shi Fa Ke was very conflicted at the moment, she was almost amused by Lu Chi. Had he developed a grudge against minced meat porridge? What deep resentment was this…

Seeing her break into laughter through tears, Lu Chi finally let his anxious heart settle down. “It’s just a piece of famille rose porcelain—hardly worth your tears.”

“It’s not ordinary famille rose porcelain. This set of famille rose bowls and dishes is Ke Tian’s favorite. With one broken, it’s no longer a complete set, and she’ll definitely be angry.” Shi Fa Ke frowned with distress, then looked at Lu Chi with conflicted eyes.

“What is it?” This look gave Lu Chi an unpleasant premonition.

“Ke Tian really likes the Jiangnan Misty Rain painting you gave me… she even said she wanted to spend fifteen hundred taels to buy it before.” Shi Fa Ke bit her lip. “If I give her that painting, she probably won’t be angry anymore.”

Lu Chi’s face darkened as he looked at her coolly. “Mm, but I would be angry.”

Shi Fa Ke’s face fell immediately. She had known it… that’s why she had wanted to test him first, and sure enough.

“Actually, I really like that painting too and am reluctant to give it to Ke Tian. Last time when she offered fifteen hundred taels, I refused to sell it.” Shi Fa Ke said somewhat dejectedly. “But this time I broke her favorite dish—how can I make amends…”

Lu Chi was silent for a moment, seeing her distressed expression. “Are you that afraid of her being angry?”

“Mm, she’s my best friend.” Shi Fa Ke said glumly. “And I feel terrible about breaking her favorite thing.”

Especially… since she had done it on purpose.

Thinking of that foolish idea from before, she now almost regretted it deeply, and to think she had been so pleased with herself earlier!

Lu Chi silently sighed in his heart. He had seen her looking like she was plotting something earlier, so he had decided not to fall for it. Who knew this silly girl would lift a rock only to drop it on her own foot… and now she was feeling wronged.

What could he do? This was the girl he had taken a fancy to.

“She likes paintings?” Lu Chi asked after sighing.

Shi Fa Ke thought about it—He Ke Tian seemed to only like Master Lin Yuan’s paintings?

“Ke Tian likes Master Lin Yuan’s paintings. When she saw the Jiangnan Misty Rain painting you gave me in my room, she mistook it for an authentic piece. Even when I explained it to her, she wouldn’t believe me.” She then looked at Lu Chi with admiration. “It shows that Young Master Lu, your painting skills can truly pass off fake as real.”

Lu Chi’s mouth twitched.

“In that case, I’ll help you paint another one as compensation for her dish.” Lu Chi said.

Shi Fa Ke was stunned, then her eyes immediately lit up. “Really?”

Lu Chi smiled helplessly. “Why would I lie to you?”

That Jiangnan Misty Rain painting was his gift to her—naturally he would be displeased if she gave it away. Since this silly girl insisted on compensating someone with a painting, he might as well paint another one.

“Young Master Lu, you’re so wonderful!” Shi Fa Ke became happy at once. “Ke Tian will definitely be very pleased!”

Although Young Master Lu’s paintings weren’t authentic, Ke Tian still liked them! That day she had explained to Ke Tian for a long time that the Jiangnan Misty Rain painting wasn’t authentic, but Ke Tian stubbornly refused to believe it and insisted on paying for it. When she wouldn’t sell it, Ke Tian had almost gotten angry.

It seemed she really did love Master Lin Yuan’s paintings.

Young Master Lu’s painting skills had already reached perfection, and his imitations of Master Lin Yuan were particularly masterful. If he painted a picture for her, Ke Tian would definitely be very happy.

Lu Chi saw that Shi Fa Ke was happy and shook his head, resignedly getting up to paint for her.

Whether He Ke Tian was happy or not didn’t matter to him—as long as this silly girl in front of him was happy, that was enough.

“Don’t rush, you’re still ill.” Shi Fa Ke’s conscience kicked in as she pulled him back. “It’s not too late to paint after you’ve recovered.”

“A’Ke is still considerate.” Lu Chi teased.

This conversation was all too familiar to Shi Fa Ke—it was exactly the routine she’d had with her brothers since childhood. She habitually nodded without blushing. “Of course.”

Lu Chi paused, then finally couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Shi Fa Ke was dazed by his laughter, only then realizing that Young Master Lu wasn’t one of her brothers… Mm, this kind of behavior of taking advantage while acting coy seemed a bit shameless? Her face immediately turned red as a tomato, and she was rarely shy.