My Dearest General: It Has Always Been You

Shi Nian's brows raised in surprise.

[Then...]

Before Shi Nian could ask further, Xu Binchen interjected. "We have arrived."

They had walked across the street, turned into two corners and arrived in a new area that Shi Nian had never stepped onto before. It was a two story building which had a wall full of glass. The light was turned on brightly and she could directly see the interior of the building. Food stalls lined up neatly, people were eating and chatting and the atmosphere was exceedingly lively and boisterous.

Even though Shi Nian had already eaten a bit, her stomach still growled as she sniffed the delicious fragrant food.

"You don't have to worry. All of the people that usually eat here are the district's residents. Our people patrol here often so it's very safe." Xu Binchen pushed open the door and let her go in first. Warm air blasted into her face, bringing with it the liveliness that was contrasted with her desolate dinner just now.

"What do you want to eat?" The man asked.

Shi Nian looked around and settled with a meal set of ramen and meat dumplings. It had both vegetables and meat in it so Xu Binchen wouldn't have a chance to complain about it. The man pointed at the empty corner near the window as he himself walked into the line of the stall that Shi Nian pointed to.

Shi Nian had no choice but to wait for Xu Binchen while the man lined up for food. His tall, handsome and suave features set off waves upon waves of discussion in the cafeteria. Shi Nian could hear the conversation of the housewives beside her table.

"Oh my god, who is that man?"

"Who?"

"There, the one that's lining up in Jing Shu's stall."

"Oh wow, you're right. He's very handsome ah. Whose child is it? Why haven't I seen him before?"

"Is he a new tenant? Should I strike up a conversation? Maybe I can introduce my niece to him…"

"Shush, I want to introduce my daughter to him first!"

"Line up, will you?!"

Shi Nian suppressed a smile. Amidst the crowd of aunties and uncles, there was only one or two tables that were filled with young people, mainly women and they were all stealing discreet glances toward Xu Binchen but sadly the man didn't realize it at all.

As she expected, Xu Binchen was the kind of person who would attract attention no matter where he went. His icy temperament, high index in look and the way he carried himself made him stand out of the crowd.

Shi Nian felt kind of embarrassed. She didn't know what kind of reaction people would have when they saw Xu Binchen with her later on. She checked her clothes and to her dismay, found a conspicuous stain on her yellow shirt—egg yolk stain—which she didn't realize before.

Compared to Xu Binchen, she looked like a scrawny child…

"What are you thinking about?" Xu Binchen approached with a large tray and put Shi Nian's ramen bowl and meat dumpling in front of her. He himself had ordered a large plate of curry fried rice. It was such a huge portion that the rice seemed like a small mountain.

Xu Binchen didn't notice her speechlessness or the glances people gave them. He sat down opposite her and started to dig into his fried rice. He looked famished. It hadn't even been one minute yet but Shi Nian felt like the rice had disappeared significantly…

The problem was…no matter how large of a bite Xu Binchen took, his gait was flawless, elegant and leisurely as if he was dining in a high class French restaurant!

Shi Nian felt indignant and tried to eat her ramen slowly. But because of how slow she chewed, when Shi Nian finished half of her portion, Xu Binchen had already put down his spoon. The plate had been cleaned thoroughly with not even a grain of rice remaining.

Xu Binchen raised a brow. "Not delicious?"

Shi Nian shook her head and slurped loudly but because of it, the soup splashed into her eyes and she squeezed her eyes in pain!

She dropped her chopstick and wanted to rub her eyes but before she could do that, Xu Binchen grabbed her wrist. "Wait a moment. Are you a dog? How can you be so clumsy when eating?" He wetted the napkin with ice water, his fingers pinched her chin as he instructed. "Open your eyes and let me see."

Shi Nian craned her neck up to accommodate him as a cold, gentle touch fell upon her eyes. She blinked due to the spiciness, her long eyelashes fluttered with droplets of water hanging onto it, tears blurred her vision. Xu Binchen's dark eyes were staring intently at her from a close distance. Faint concern reflected within them.

His movement was so gentle, careful and considerate...

The event was witnessed by the melon seed eating housewives and a bunch of women who gossiped passionately.

Unfortunately, Shi Nian didn't realize it as she was currently drowning in shame. How could she show such a bad eating manner in front of people? She was so mortified that she wished there was a hole for her to hide.

She tapped on Xu Binchen's wrist and grabbed the napkin from his hands.

Xu Binchen didn't insist and let her do it herself. "Does it still hurt?"

Shi Nian slowly shook her head while wiping her damp eyes. Because of Xu Binchen's timely treatment, the spiciness soon receded. Only the rims of her eyes were still reddened, looking as if she had just cried. Coupled with her red nose, flushed cheeks and oily lips, she looked quite hilarious.

Xu Binchen cupped his cheek with his palm, enjoying her distressed look. His eternal sour face was nowhere to be seen and his features softened considerably.

"I told you! She must be his girlfriend!"

"Shut it, you must have watched too many soap operas! Look at them, they are obviously siblings!"

"Nonsense. My children fought all day long that my hair almost went bald because of them! Where can you find such a gentle elder brother?!"

All of a sudden, a loud voice cut through the hubbub in the cafeteria. "Xiao Chen?! Is it Xiao Chen?!"

The corner of Xu Binchen's lips that almost curled upward flattened abruptly and his eyes chilled down. He turned his head to find an old granny with white hair, supported by a young woman. The woman had a cheerful appearance, her eyes were naturally curved so it's very easy to gain goodwill just by looking at her. As she caught sight of Xu Binchen, her eyes lit up in an instant.

The old granny exclaimed excitedly after she had gotten a good look at Xu Binchen. "It's actually you! You've returned? Why didn't you tell me? Don't tell me you have forgotten this old grandmother ah!"

The old granny's voice was so loud and piercing that the whole cafeteria's attention was drawn to them. People's eyes lit up as they smelled the scent of gossip. Especially the group of housewives by their side. They looked at each other and sensed the excitement of the long lost gossip in the apartment district.

"Aiyoh!" One of them yelled out. "Granny Zhang, so you know who this man is!"

Xu Binchen stood up and bowed to the old granny, his attitude was perfect and polite. Yet the coldness and alienation was clearly reflected on his eyes. "Granny Zhang.. It's been a long time."