CHAPTER 382: CHAPTER 382: BACK-TO-SCHOOL GIFT

In the elevator, An Yin looked up at the silent man beside her.

The man stood under the white light, and from her angle, a faint white light spilled down from the top of his head, making him seem like a deity descended to earth, exuding an air of noble elegance.

After watching for a few seconds, An Yin’s heart seemed like it was going to burst out of her chest, uncontrollably. She quickly lowered her head and stammered, "Just now, that car was pretty good, why did you want to change, change it?"

An Yin truly could not understand.

"Too small." Bao Shaojin turned his head slightly and glanced at her.

Small?

An Yin thought for a moment, imagining the man sitting in the car.

For him, the car did seem a bit cramped. So obediently, she didn’t ask further questions.

The two rode the elevator to the top floor, and when the man entered his fingerprint on the door lock, he didn’t rush to open the door.

"Raise your hand."

The man’s voice was cool and clear.

An Yin, puzzled, looked at the man, raising both hands.

Seeing her innocent and lovable manner, the man’s stern face gradually softened, "Press here with one finger."

The man indicated where.

An Yin complied.

After everything was done, An Yin realized.

Was the man recording her fingerprint?

"Okay, use your fingerprint to unlock it," Bao Shaojin watched the girl’s realization with a slight smile.

An Yin dumbly extended her hand; the fingerprint lock chimed "ding dong," and the door slowly opened.

Bao Shaojin, seeing this, took the lead and walked inside.

"Follow me."

With the man’s cool voice, An Yin, after being stunned, hastily followed behind him.

At the entrance, the man had already changed shoes, and at the moment, he was bending over, taking out a pair of brand-new pink cotton slippers from the shoe cabinet, "Put them on."

An Yin was like a puppet on strings; whatever the man said, she would do.

At this moment, holding her anxious heart, she followed the man into the living room.

In the center, there was an off-white sofa; the man sat prominently in the middle, while An Yin stood beside it, a trace of confusion on her face. She looked around and found that the overall layout of this house was completely different in style from the man’s previous home.

The man’s previous residence was primarily black and gray, with a minimalist interior layout, and no unnecessary decorations.

However, the house she was in now exuded freshness and vitality everywhere; the curtains were even covered with cartoon characters, instantly making the entire living room lively and full of warmth.

This was truly unlike the man’s style.

"Do you like it?"

Bao Shaojin leaned back against the sofa chair, his sharp gaze piercing the girl’s pure and fair face.

"Wha-what?" An Yin withdrew her gaze and blankly faced the man’s deep eyes.

"Do you like this house?" Bao Shaojin reiterated.

An Yin thought the man was simply asking her opinion, so she didn’t think much and blurted out, "It’s quite beautiful."

Bao Shaojin looked at her deeply and said no more.

Compared to the man’s reticence, An Yin’s mind was full of questions. She paced over to him, "Why did we come here?"

"You’ll know in a while." Bao Shaojin glanced toward the corridor.

An Yin’s bright eyes focused intently on the man, trying to glean some clue from his face, but his face was indifferent, showing no emotional change.

Deflated, An Yin lowered her head, at which point she seemed to smell a scent of herbal medicine. She sniffed, only feeling the smell growing stronger.

She looked toward the man, "Did you smell something strange?"

The girl pulled a slight face, clearly showing she didn’t like the smell.

"No." Bao Shaojin outright denied it.

Seeing the man’s calm expression, An Yin thought she might have been overthinking and began to ignore it, but the scent continued to drift faintly to her nose.

Bao Shaojin, noticing her constant fidgeting, spoke again to divert her attention, "There’s a back-to-school gift on the coffee table."

"A back-to-school gift?" After he spoke, her eyes naturally moved to the coffee table.

On it was a black plastic bag, like the ones used by the shops along the roadside where she usually bought things.

Upon seeing the plastic bag, An Yin felt a sense of incongruity because it came from the man.

She was about to refuse the man’s gift, but when she saw the bag, the words of refusal stuck in her throat. She came to the coffee table, squatted down slowly, and easily untied the bag, revealing a pristine white bag. An Yin’s eyes lit up.

The bag was small and lacked any logo. An Yin touched the surface, finding it smooth and glossy.

"I happened to see them selling bags by the roadside before picking you up, so I bought one casually." Bao Shaojin’s calm gaze swept over the girl’s profile.

"How much?" An Yin asked habitually.

"Sixty." Bao Shaojin’s dark eyes deepened. In the past, he had never been this restless, even when making the toughest decisions in the business world.

Thinking of the girl’s frugal nature, he could only lower the price.

Sixty?

Looking at the exquisite small bag, An Yin felt it didn’t look like something worth just a few tens of dollars, but did the man need to lie to her?

"Thank you," An Yin murmured softly.

After hesitating, she decided to accept the man’s kind gesture.

Remembering the New Year gift the man gave her last time, she figured she owed him a return gift, so next time she’d choose something a bit more expensive.

Seeing her accept, a gleam shone in Bao Shaojin’s dark pupils.

"Mr. Bao, the medicine is ready."

In the quiet living room, a gentle voice echoed.

An Yin hastily stood up, looked towards the source of the voice, and saw a middle-aged woman not far away, holding a bowl of something.

From what she said earlier, did she mention medicine?

An Yin turned clumsily to look at the man.

"Put it here," Bao Shaojin instructed.

"Okay." The woman steadily walked to the coffee table, gently placed it down, and when she lifted her head, she saw the figure that had been squatting now standing next to Mr. Bao. The girl possessed a stunning appearance, and the pure innocence exuding from her made one feel joyful. The woman gave her a gentle smile.

"This is An Yin."

Hearing Mr. Bao’s formal introduction, the woman’s face froze for a moment and then nodded, "Hello, Miss An."

"H-Hello," An Yin stammered in reply.

At this moment, her eyes were entirely on the bowl of medicine on the coffee table. Previously, she had smelled a pungent odor and asked the man, who denied it.

Now, she was sure that the stench came from this bowl of medicine.