Chapter 132

Shen Nian disagreed: "The big ones are definitely better, sweeter."

Lu Lingchuan retorted, equally unwilling to back down: "The small ones. More concentrated essence means sweeter."

The two started bickering at the vegetable market, debating whether large or small pumpkins were better.

The vegetable vendor Aunt, having witnessed their lovey-dovey exchange, thought both had a point and quietly suggested: "How about... you hear my opinion?"

Lu Lingchuan and Shen Nian turned to look at her simultaneously.

The Aunt patiently asked, "Are you buying for a large family?"

Shen Nian: "No, just for two."

Aunt: "How many meals?"

Lu Lingchuan: "Just one."

The Aunt decisively picked out a smaller pumpkin, patting it, "There's only two of you, and it's just for one meal. Buying a big one would be wasteful. This small one will do."

After weighing it and quoting a price, she looked up at Shen Nian and paused, lost in thought. Suddenly, her eyes lit up with recognition.

"Oh! Aren't you that young lady from before?"

Shen Nian looked puzzled: "Hm?"

The Aunt was clearly excited: "Don't you remember Aunt? You bought vegetables from me before, and we chatted a bit. Have you forgotten?" (Referring to Chapter 26, for those who need a refresher)

Shen Nian thought for a moment, seeming to recall something, and smiled gently: "Hello, Aunt."

"Good girl." The Aunt beamed, then glanced at Lu Lingchuan beside her, her eyes brightening again: "Is this... your boyfriend?"

"He's..."

Before Shen Nian could finish, Lu Lingchuan naturally put his arm around her waist and nodded to the Aunt: "Hello, Aunt."

This gesture spoke volumes.

The Aunt was delighted: "Wonderful, wonderful! You two look perfect together. What else do you need? I'll give you a discount!"

Shen Nian smiled: "Thank you, Aunt."

Shen Nian had bought from this Aunt before and found her produce to be quite good, so she picked out a few more items.

She grabbed seven or eight potatoes, a lot of lettuce, bean sprouts, mushrooms, baby cabbage...

Seeing the young couple tossing vegetables into their bag as if money were no object, the Aunt hesitated: "It's just the two of you eating, do you need to make so many dishes?"

After hotpot, they both smelled strongly of the meal.

Lu Lingchuan took the bowls and chopsticks to the kitchen, while Shen Nian went to the bedroom.

Hearing the "bang" of the closing door, Lu Lingchuan paused, then bent down to open the dishwasher and put the dishes inside.

He grabbed a cloth for wiping the table, dampened it, and took it out to clean.

About three minutes later, Lu Lingchuan suddenly stopped wiping. He pulled out some paper towels to dry his hands, then walked towards the bedroom and turned the doorknob.

Shen Nian was in the shower; the sound of running water could be heard from the bathroom.

Lu Lingchuan's steps were light, his slippers making no sound on the carpet.

He gently closed the door behind him and went first to the chest of drawers, searching from the top drawer to the bottom.

Each drawer contained everyday items, nothing unusual.

Not satisfied, he searched through the other cabinets and drawers, again finding nothing.

He turned his head and noticed Shen Nian's bedside table. After a moment's consideration, he strode over to it.

He opened the top drawer – nothing out of the ordinary.

When he tried to open the bottom drawer, he found it was locked.

He paused, his gaze sharpening.

Logically, there should be a spare key hidden nearby in case the main key was misplaced.

He opened the top drawer again and searched through it carefully. Sure enough, he found a key.

Lu Lingchuan used the key to unlock the drawer and opened it...

The first thing he saw was a flash of white. He held his breath.

When he saw a stack of documents inside, he was taken aback.

He took everything out. On top were some important company documents. Underneath were two property deeds, and some graduation certificates and other papers.

Shen Nian owned two houses: the one she currently lived in and the one belonging to the Shen family.

Besides these, she had nothing else.

Lu Lingchuan massaged his aching head.

Could it be... that his suspicions were wrong? That actually, nothing was amiss?

The fact that he hadn't found anything so far seemed to indicate that everything was normal, and all his perceived abnormalities were merely unfounded suspicions lacking evidence or logic.