30 MEET ME HALFWAY

The meal was made and partaken without much conversation. Zhong Feng was naturally not much of a talker, and he tended to concentrate on his tasks. On the other hand, Hu Lei merely observed him, not willing to break the image of the immortal-like man cooking.

The pancakes were not chef-level. However, she wholly admitted that she could eat them over and over. Unlike professionally cooked food, they had a unique simplicity in taste. For someone like Hu Lei who did not like savoury things, they were perfect.

Again, she felt a tiny patch of warmth in her heart and for some reason, her eyes stung.

The truth was that no one had ever taken time to make a meal wholeheartedly for her. Her mother had not been the homemaking type. Her father, though he was a good father, was not interested in much except in his constant research into the wonders of medicine.

As a result, her food had been prepared by the mamas hired to help around the house or occasionally, by old housekeeper Bai.

Zhong Feng seemed to notice her weird mood, but he did not ask. He did not want to break the sense of harmony that they had established. She remained at the counter long after eating the pancakes to her satisfaction until she felt her mind become grounded and stable.

"It's time for me to go home." She said clearing her throat.

Zhong Feng nodded, but there was reluctance somewhere in his mind. He felt that he had been affected by the strangeness in the girl. Otherwise, why would he feel a sudden longing and loneliness at the suggestion? It was not like she was leaving forever.

"I will get your clothes." He walked out of the kitchen quickly.

Hu Lei looked at the disappearing figure and felt her nose souring and eyes stinging once again. When she turned away, her eyes became strange as she catalogued her emotions. If there was anything she understood, it was the objective evaluation of situations.

She could tell that she felt something unusual towards Zhong Feng. From a psychological point of view, she concluded that she had formed an attachment to him. It was like she had imprinted on him like a baby duck to its mother. After all, she did not know anyone in Supreme City, and Zhong Feng was the only person she felt she knew in this country which should be her home.

Of course, there was Old Bai and his wife who cared for the manor in her father's absence. However, she could not really bond with them. And her mother, she did not dare mention him.

So, Zhong Feng was her only true connection to the city. She knew that if she was in a desperate situation and needed help, he was the one she would seek out. He was all she knew. Moreover, his kindness to her the previous night and this morning cemented her faith in him.

It was like she could let go before him. In fact, she had let go before him without reservations. Since she was eight years old, she had never truly been able to completely relax. She was the type that slept with one eye open because of the nightmares and fear.

But the previous night, looking at his often apathetic face and basking in his aura, she had felt safe enough to be reckless.

Her heart beat faster and she felt a sense of crisis.

Inhale, exhale…

She could analyse the situation in her mind a thousand times. However, it would not be easy to force a change to her current state of feelings. Right now, she could not do anything about her emotional attachment to him.

The only thing she could do for now was let things move on as they will instead of being a control freak like a certain person. She smiled a little. Perhaps the sense of attachment to him would untangle over time. However, deep in her heart, she knew that that was not the result she wanted. But again, she felt that her emotional state was muddled and her current feelings could not be trusted.

Before Hu Lei could sink deeper into that strange loop of thoughts, she heard her phone ringing in the distance. It seemed that the last time she had seen it was yesterday. She followed the sound and found her purse placed on a hook in a cloak closet near the entry door.

Her hands quickly dug out the phone in case it was important. Unfortunately, she was in for disappointment; it was her mother. She grudgingly answered the call because she wanted to know what the woman wanted.

"Madam Murong, this is a surprise." She said directly.

"Xiao Lei, I am still your mother." The calm voice drifted through the phone irritating Hu Lei.

She could not help thinking that this person wanted something if she was breaking out the endearments.

"What do you want, mother?" She said with a hint of sarcasm.

"I do not want anything. I just wanted to invite you to a movie premiere. Murong Yue completed her first movie as a female lead, and I thought it was a good time for us to bond." She explained in her sweet and kind tone.

"With what identity are you inviting me?" Hu Lei spoke plainly.

There was a short pause.

"You know people cannot know that you are my daughter at this point. Things are a bit complicated with the family. Any careless action could cause a disaster." Her voice remained gentle.

"That is what I thought. In that case, we do not really have a connection. Would you invite an uninvolved person into your family affairs?" Her response was apathetic.

It was not like she wanted her mother to acknowledge her in public or anything like that. But her natural instinct just made her want to see whether Lu Liang held any maternal feelings for her.

"Hu Lei, I am trying here. Can't you meet me halfway?" she asked in a pitiful tone with a hint of rebuke.

Her daughter did not sympathise. In fact, her eyes became colder. Did she think that she could believe that she was trying? She knew for a fact that her mother knew when she had come back to Supreme City over four months ago. Her father had informed her before she had even boarded a plane.

During that period, she had not gotten in touch. Though Hu Lei had been cold towards her, she had promised her father and herself that if the woman made an effort to form a relationship, she would not shut her down.

But, this did not mean that she was a pushover who would take scraps that fell out of their perfect Murong table. Moreover, she had a nagging sense that Lu Liang wanted something from her. She just could not figure it out.

When she was about to respond with a scathing remark, she noticed the beautiful figure of her boss. The eye candy made her anger reduce by half.

"I am sorry I cannot make to your family bonding thing. I am too busy. Bye."

She hung up the phone before she could hear more protests and smiled at the frowning Zhong Feng. She wondered if he heard much of what she said. Regrettably, his face gave nothing away.

"Your clothes are on the bed." He finally spoke.

Hu Lei had to admit that she was loving domestic Zhong Feng.