211: His Intentions

"Jia Jia! You're being unreasonable. Let's go home! Stop embarrassing yourself here! At your age, you should be more likable!" Yan's father said angrily.

"If you want to leave, you need to apologize first," Yan's mother insisted, knowing well that her daughter should apologize. As an educated person, she acted with reason and was unwilling to let her daughter be disrespectful.

"I won't..." Yan Jia frowned, displaying her stubbornness.

"You've been spoiled by your grandparents," Yan's father said irritably.

"Let it go," Su Hanyan smiled generously and said, "It's okay. She's still young and a bit impulsive, not considering things thoroughly. I won't hold it against her."

Implicitly, she meant that Yan Jia didn't understand, and although she wasn't happy about it, she wouldn't make a fuss about it in front of so many people.

"Who do you think you are? What's there for you to make a fuss about? Have a look at yourself! How can you compare to Yan Yan? Are you a toad lusting after swan's flesh? Trying to set your sights on my Brother Chen, I see you better rein in your thoughts!" Yan Jia became even more unreasonable, glaring at Su Hanyan.

To her, this woman was an intruder who shouldn't appear in front of her cousin Yan Yi and Brother Chen.

"Jia Jia!" Jin Chen spoke up, his tone distant and aloof, "I'll say it again. Hanyan is my friend! If you must ask if she's my girlfriend, then let me tell you, I hope she is! But this isn't up to me. I want to pursue Hanyan, but I don't know if she would accept me."

With that said, he looked at Su Hanyan.

Su Hanyan's heart skipped a beat. What... what was he doing? Was this a confession? Or was he deliberately doing this to save her face?

She wasn't sure of Jin Chen's intentions behind this. Unable to decide how to respond, she heard Yan Jia speak angrily.

"Brother Chen, you clearly agreed with Yan Yan!!"

"No," Jin Chen pursed his lips, his gaze falling on Yan Jia's face, his voice calm, "That was only Yan Yi's unilateral agreement!"

He had never agreed with her from the beginning.

At that time, he was plagued by illness, single-mindedly seeking a cure for his condition. He had spent years seeking medical treatment without success, never having the mind to consider matters of love.

Until he met Su Hanyan.

He believed that she was the one destined for him!

"Jia Jia, Brother Chen has already saved face for you and us. If you continue like this, where will Yan Yan's face go when she returns? Let them handle their own affairs, don't interfere," Yan's mother suppressed her anger, her good manners not allowing her to lose her temper in front of others.

Yan Jia was dissatisfied, several times wanting to suppress her anger, but couldn't.

Yan Yan treated her like a younger sister, and she promised Yan Yan to watch over Brother Chen for her. She hadn't heard anything about Brother Chen having a girlfriend last year, and this year...

She disliked Su Hanyan, her gaze like a sharp blade directed at Su Hanyan. The way she stared at her seemed as if she wanted to swallow her whole.

"Why are you glaring at me?" Su Hanyan was quite displeased.

If it weren't for not wanting to embarrass Jin Chen and his grandmother, she would have reprimanded this girl. She really didn't understand how this brat had lived so securely with such a mouth.

"Brother Chen asked you a question, answer him! He said he wants to pursue you! Do you have any face?" Yan Jia was very dissatisfied. She never expected that Brother Chen would pursue this girl.

212: What Kind of Drama is This?

"What's so good about her anyway?"

Yan Yan has lived abroad, seen the world, and will return to China soon. What does she count as?

"Are you asking about the relationship between me and Brother Chen?" Su Hanyan smiled sweetly, "Then, what do you think our relationship is?"

With that, she gently linked her arms around Jin Chen's, a sweet smile playing on her lips as she tilted her head onto his shoulder.

Yan Jia's eyes widened, nearly popping out of her sockets.

Even Jin's grandmother was bewildered by this spectacle—what kind of drama were her grandson and Miss Su playing at?

Amid the astonished gazes of everyone present, Su Hanyan looked up at Jin Chen with a smile as bright as flowers, "Dr. Jin, why didn't you say so earlier? If you had, I would have agreed long ago! You're such an outstanding talent, wherever you go, you're a focal point worth attention. I'm honored that Dr. Jin has taken an interest in me!"

A slight smile played at Jin Chen's lips as he reached up to tousle her hair, "She's already my girlfriend, why are you still calling me Dr. Jin?"

"Oh." Su Hanyan immediately obediently called out, "Jin Chen."

"Yan Yan."

Yan's father and mother exchanged glances, politely blessing the two, "Chen Chen has found a good match, both in looks and talent. They are truly a match made in heaven! Chen Chen has found a suitable partner, and Grandma Jin must be pleased too, right?"

"Very pleased, why wouldn't I be?" Jin Yan smiled as she looked at the two young people, "I hope the two of you will get along well and have a happy marriage."

"Don't worry, Grandma," Jin Chen smiled.

Yan Jia was bored.

Although the two families were close, the child had just been so unwise to make such a fuss, making everyone's face look bad.

Yan's father and mother did not stay long. Since they had visited the elderly, they prepared to leave.

"Aunt Jin, we'll be leaving now. You should rest early."

"It's almost noon. Stay for lunch together. It's rare for us to have so many people today. Let's make it lively." Jin's grandmother warmly insisted.

Yan's father and mother declined repeatedly, but Yan Jia wanted to stay, "You go back, I'll stay for lunch. I haven't seen Grandma Jin and Brother Chen for a long time. I want to spend some more time with them."

"Be honest and come home with me," Yan's father disagreed, finding her to be quite unpleasant, "Didn't you see that Brother Chen brought his girlfriend back? What are you meddling in here for? You don't have any insight!"

"Exactly. You're lucky they're not holding you accountable for your immaturity. Once we leave, who knows what trouble you might cause." Yan's mother also disagreed.

"I know I was wrong. Can't I apologize?" Yan Jia said, actually coming to Su Hanyan, sincerely apologizing, "I was too rude just now and offended you. I apologize to you. As an adult, please don't lower yourself to my level. Since you're Brother Chen's girlfriend, I'll call you Sister Yan Yan. I hope you forgive my earlier rudeness!"

This girl had been so rude just now, and now she was so polite.

If Su Hanyan hadn't just experienced it herself, she simply wouldn't believe it.

Drama queen! She was definitely a drama queen!

Isn't this just acting? Who can't do this!

Su Hanyan immediately responded with a gentle smile, "It's okay. You're Brother Chen's friend, so you're my friend too! We can become good sisters in the future and have fun together! I don't blame you at all, I forgive you!"

213: Pfft! Drama Queens!

"Look at our Jia Jia, who said kids can't learn from their mistakes? It's good that she's able to admit when she's wrong," Jin Yan said, patting her on the head.

"That's about right," Yan's father and mother felt relieved now that their daughter had finally apologized, "Look at how magnanimous Brother Chen's girlfriend is compared to you. You should learn from her."

"Yes." Jin Yan liked hearing this. She knew Su Hanyan's character well, "Yan Yan is really a good person, beautiful and kind-hearted. Jia Jia, you should spend more time with Sister Yan Yan in the future."

"Don't worry." Yan Jia smiled and said, "I'll definitely get along well with Sister Yan Yan, right?"

"Mhmm," Su Hanyan smiled in agreement.

"Can I stay for lunch then?" Yan Jia asked.

"Of course, of course!" Jin Yan laughed and poked her forehead, "Such a child!"

"You can stay for lunch, but you have to help with cooking. Don't act like a princess, just sitting there and eating!" Yan's mother reminded her.

"I got it!" Yan Jia grinned and approached Su Hanyan, pretending to be affectionate, "How about Sister Yan Yan and I cook together this noon?"

"Sure, no problem."

The two put on a show in front of everyone. After sending off Yan's parents, Yan Jia grabbed Su Hanyan's hand and headed to the kitchen to perform.

Jin Yan was delighted to see the harmonious relationship between the two girls and gave them some instructions, eagerly awaiting lunch.

Jin Chen asked Su Hanyan with a smirk, "Can you two handle it?"

He knew very well that Yan Jia couldn't cook at all. This pampered girl had never touched a kitchen knife in her life.

"We can!" Su Hanyan and Yan Jia replied in unison.

[the two of you can NOT cook. move aside]

"Brother Chen, you go upstairs to read. We'll call you when the food is ready!" Yan Jia said.

"Are you sure you don't need my help?" Jin Chen asked.

"No need." Su Hanyan flashed a sweet smile, revealing eight perfectly aligned teeth, "You're skilled with a scalpel, not a kitchen knife! Just wait to enjoy the food!"

"In that case, I'll wait to taste it." Jin Chen smiled and glanced at Su Hanyan before turning to go upstairs.

"I say, Sister Yan Yan, should we start cooking?" Yan Jia grinned and reached out her hand.

Su Hanyan smiled gently and took her hand, "Let's go."

The two women walked hand in hand into the kitchen, their backs looking harmonious. As soon as they entered the kitchen and closed the door, they immediately let go of each other's hands.

Yan Jia: "Pfft! Acting so much!"

Su Hanyan: "Pfft, drama queen!"

"I just gave you face earlier, did you really think I was apologizing to you? You? You're not worthy of my Brother Chen! A woman like you isn't even fit to shine shoes for Yan Yan!" Yan Jia cursed.

Su Hanyan crossed her arms and looked at her with a sardonic smile, "I knew you wouldn't apologize! I wasn't expecting an apology from you. If it weren't for Jin Chen's face, I would have slapped you hard already! Don't try to compete with me using your 'Yan Yan'. You heard it yourself, it was Jin Chen who liked me first and wants to pursue me! He likes me, not your Yan Yan. So, you really don't need to act like a circus clown!"

"Wait and see, when my Yan Yan returns, you'll just stand aside!"

Su Hanyan smirked, "Whether I stand aside or not isn't up to your Yan Yan to decide, even less so up to you! It's up to Jin Chen!"

214: Going Too Far

"You!" Yan Jia's chest heaved with anger. This woman had been quiet all along, seeming mild-tempered and easy to bully. Never did Yan Jia expect her to be so sharp-tongued, "You're such an expert at pretending. Aren't you afraid my Brother Chen will discover your true ugly face?"

Su Hanyan chuckled, "Ugly face? Who's uglier than you? Don't worry, even if your disguise falls off, I won't."

"Then let's wait and see!"

"I'll accompany you to the end!"

"Hmph!" Yan Jia glared at Su Hanyan with disgust, "I'm not arguing with you right now. You, go cook!"

Su Hanyan dragged out a stool from the kitchen and plopped down on it, crossing her legs lazily, "I don't know how. You do it!"

"You don't know how? Then what did you say you could do earlier?" Yan Jia was infuriated, "You're good at nothing but talking big, aren't you?"

"You said you could do it just now," Su Hanyan raised an eyebrow, "Moreover, it was you who volunteered to stay and cook. No one forced you, right?"

"I also don't know how," Yan Jia admitted, "What do we do now?"

[istg these two]

Su Hanyan shrugged, "Don't ask me, I don't know."

She really didn't know how to cook. Although she had seen others cook and Su Dajiang had taught her a while back, she claimed she understood it mentally, but her hands were clumsy and she couldn't produce anything.

She could understand it immediately, but couldn't make it last.

Yan Jia: "..."

Seeing her look, she felt that she really couldn't, Su Hanyan stood up and said, "Forget it, let's just tell Grandma Jin the truth!" It's not fair to let them wait for nothing, let alone do anything.

"No need." Yan Jia stopped Su Hanyan, "There's a first time for everything. I'll cut and wash the vegetables, you cook!"

After speaking, she took out a knife, laid out the chopping board, and chopped the potatoes and cabbage recklessly, as if chopping firewood, and then took out a piece of meat from the refrigerator and cut it very roughly.

The leaves and minced meat were flying everywhere, making a mess.

Su Hanyan was shocked. It was the first time she had seen such a way of chopping vegetables. It was really amazing!

"Hey, if you can't cut it, don't cut it." In this age, food is not so tight, but conservation and non-waste are advocated everywhere, which is a bit too much.

"I'm done here, you burn it!" Yan Jia dropped the knife, leaving the messy scene to Su Hanyan, and sat down to rest.

Su Hanyan frowned, staring at the chopping board for a few minutes, not knowing where to start.

Yan Jia looked at Su Hanyan's distress behind her, with a smile of satisfaction on her lips. Anyway, Jin Chen and Grandma Jin knew that she couldn't cook, so she wasn't embarrassed.

If this meal wasn't edible, it would be embarrassing for Su Hanyan. Grandma Jin had said before that she liked diligent, simple, gentle and home-loving girls.

Since this was the case, having cooking skills was a must.

She was now putting a difficult question in front of Su Hanyan, face to face with this messy vegetables, watching how she would turn decay into magic.

"You shouldn't do this," Su Hanyan turned around and looked at Yan Jia, "You don't know how much food will be wasted."

"Grandma Jin's family doesn't care about money. Unlike you, a poor ghost who probably only gets to eat meat on New Year's and holidays, right?" Yan Jia lifted her lips in a mocking smile.

"Having money isn't a reason for your waste. Yan Jia, it's too much for you to do this just to embarrass me," Su Hanyan turned around and tried to clean up these things little by little, "I'll make a meal that will surprise you. Just wait and see."

"Sure, I'll wait!" Yan Jia propped her chin with one hand, looking smugly at Su Hanyan.

215: Silent Provocation

WARNING
DELIBERATE INJURY (BURN)

Su Hanyan indeed couldn't cook, but at least she was trying her best. She tried to remember the steps Su Dajiang had taught her for stir-frying vegetables while adding various seasonings.

But everything went wrong, and she was in a frantic mess.

Yan Jia watched with glee, hoping Su Hanyan would mess up completely so Grandma Jin could see how different she was from her cousin Yan Yi, whom her grandson Jin Chen had chosen.

Su Hanyan knew Yan Jia was enjoying her struggle, but she couldn't care less.

As smoke started billowing from the pot and the food threatened to burn, she shouted loudly, "Yan Jia! Get me some water!"

"I don't care. You're the one cooking, not me! We have our own tasks!" Yan Jia casually dug her ear, unconcerned.

"Are you trying to set the kitchen on fire and burn down the house?" Su Hanyan yelled sharply, "Hurry up!"

Her reprimand startled Yan Jia.

"Stop yelling, here you go." Yan Jia got up to fetch water from the tap but changed her mind. Instead, she poured a cup of boiling water from the thermos and handed it to Su Hanyan, "Here, be careful."

Su Hanyan didn't expect it to be hot water. As soon as she grasped the glass, the scalding heat made her let go, and the cup fell to the ground, spilling hot water everywhere.

Her hand accidentally turned red from the burn.

But she couldn't dwell on it now. She glared at Yan Jia and hurriedly picked up the pot to go to the sink for water.

The commotion attracted Jin Chen over. Perhaps because Su Hanyan was there, he hadn't been able to concentrate on his reading today.

So he simply closed his book and came downstairs to see what was going on.

Pushing open the door into the kitchen, he was almost overwhelmed by the acrid, burnt smell inside. Covering his nose and coughing twice, he walked in.

"Watch your step," Su Hanyan hastily warned.

Looking down, he noticed broken glass on the floor. Not only that, there were splatters of minced meat everywhere, and the whole kitchen was a mess, almost like a crime scene.

Jin Chen looked towards Su Hanyan.

Su Hanyan looked at him for help, "I'm sorry, Jin Chen! I really don't know how!"

Jin Chen smiled helplessly, shaking his head, "You two seemed so confident just now. I thought you'd be fine."

"Now what?" Su Hanyan asked awkwardly, looking at him, "Can we salvage this?"

"Let me try," Jin Chen rolled up his sleeves and washed his hands by the sink, "Leave it to me, and you can help on the side."

After saying that, he suddenly noticed Su Hanyan's hand was red and swollen. Frowning, he asked, "Did you get burned?"

"Yeah, yeah," Yan Jia quickly interjected, "Sister Yanyan worked hard. She accidentally burned her hand! Although she's a bit clumsy, she's really serious."

The remark was both praise and ridicule.

Who wouldn't pick up on that?

Su Hanyan didn't call her out directly but admitted, "Yes, I was just too careless."

"Does it hurt?" Jin Chen naturally took her hand and examined it carefully, "It's not serious. But be more careful in the future."

Yan Jia stared with wide eyes, watching the two of them closely, her expression unpleasant.

Su Hanyan glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, pursed her lips, and boldly placed her hand near the male lead's lips, "Jin Chen, can you blow on it for me? Hmm? If you blow on it, I won't feel the pain."

Jin Chen's gaze swept back and forth across Su Hanyan's face a few times, and their eyes collided in midair.

Su Hanyan felt a bit embarrassed, not because she was shy, but because she felt guilty.

Jin Chen's lips curled slightly, "Sure."

Seeing the intimacy between the two, Yan Jia ground her teeth so loudly it was audible.

Su Hanyan blinked at her, silently provoking her.