CHAPTER 274: CHAPTER 274: I WON’T PAMPER YOU

The patent fee looks promising!

With eyes beaming with spirit light, Zhu Haomiao’s enthusiasm surged immediately. He listened intently to the lecturer, fearing he’d miss a single word.

On the other hand, Zhao Nuo quietly observed the mysterious youth’s side profile, eyebrows knitted in suspicion.

Yesterday she reviewed the current intelligence on the [Pingyang Earl], and it was filled with almost nothing but disdainful comments.

Useless spender, coward, weak and fragile...

This was completely different from the invincible, towering figure that dominated the Martial Arts Arena yesterday, filling her with despair and leaving a severe psychological shadow.

Blinking her eyes, the curious young girl fixed her gaze on the youth’s side profile, her little head brimming with questions.

Why is he hiding his strength?

Is someone trying to harm him?

And why did he suddenly reveal himself?

Zhao Nuo entertained these vague thoughts, and before she knew it, the morning’s theoretical lessons concluded. She saw the youth beside her stand up without hesitation and rush outside in haste.

Dismissively brushing off the fawning classmates who approached to butter him up, Zhao Nuo cautiously followed behind Zhu Haomiao, sneaking around and peeking curiously.

Along the way, they arrived at the Scripture Pavilion. Once again obtaining yesterday’s Horizontal Training Technique, Zhu Haomiao opened it and read carefully. The previously obscure and cryptic text suddenly became clear, as if illumination dawned in his mind.

So that’s how it is...

The extraordinary power extracted from this section of the cultivation technique can seemingly be integrated into the [Iron Cloth Shirt]...

Wait, this part aligns somewhat with [Heavenly Gang Power]...

As if he could see an infinite patent fee beckoning him, Zhu Haomiao’s eyes were filled with excitement, his heart surging with limitless motivation, voraciously devouring the secret manual in his hand.

Unconsciously, the youth became deeply engrossed until a growling stomach pulled his attention from the sea of knowledge.

Casually pulling out a food box from the exquisite little pouch at his waist, Zhu Haomiao layered sumptuous dishes on the table, enjoying them with the manual in hand.

On the other side, Zhao Nuo, secretly observing, widened her watery eyes, fixated on the pouch at the youth’s waist.

Qiankun Bag?!

Such a rare treasure is scarcely seen in the world, why does an obscure earl possess such a precious divine artifact?

Watching Zhu Haomiao with indignation, she soon caught a trace of delicate fragrance wafting to her nose, compelling her to stretch her neck and swallow her saliva.

So fragrant, it looks so delicious, those dishes seem to be glowing...

Pressing her lips together, Zhao Nuo’s burning gaze, filled with appetite, immediately caught Zhu Haomiao’s attention, who turned back in surprise.

Turning his head, he saw the young girl staring longingly at his food box, and Zhu Haomiao was stunned for a few seconds before smiling wryly.

"Come over."

Hearing the youth call for her, Zhao Nuo snapped back to reality, quickly putting on a mature front as she walked over slowly.

"Mr. Li, what do you summon me for?"

"..."

Seeing the young girl standing no higher than himself while seated, Zhu Haomiao couldn’t help but ruffle her hair vigorously.

"Such a precocious child!"

"???"

As Zhao Nuo looked on in disbelief, the youth rubbed her head, chuckling and chiding, splitting half of the rice from the food box and handing her a small silver spoon.

"There’s only one pair of chopsticks, make do with the spoon, serve yourself what you want to eat."

Grasping the spoon tightly in her small fist, Zhao Nuo was stunned for several seconds, her face flushing with embarrassment and anger.

"Imp... Imp... Impudent!"

However, her "authoritative" rebuke only earned her a light, playful flick on the forehead, scaring Zhao Nuo into crouching defensively, holding her head.

"If you want to eat, just eat. Don’t put on royal airs; I won’t indulge you."

With a faint smile, Zhu Haomiao pinched the young girl’s chubby cheek, then turned away to read, eating elegantly in between.

Zhao Nuo: "..."

After a few seconds of silence, staring at the mysterious youth before her, Zhao Nuo’s small brows slowly furrowed.

From a young age, she could sense the emotions of those around her. Except for a very few who showed genuine sincerity, others displayed flattery, ingratiation, jealousy, hostility, or even desires that frightened her.

But this person before her was different; he genuinely didn’t care about her.

He wasn’t pretending to be indifferent to gain her attention; he truly didn’t care about her from the bottom of his heart.

It was as if the one crouching beside him wasn’t the most noble and beautiful Princess Jinglan of [Da Zhen], but just a cute and harmless little puppy.

He’d pat its head when in the mood and let it frolic around his feet when not...

Is her charm not even on par with the crude Horizontal Training Technique in his hand?!

With that thought, a hint of anger rose in Zhao Nuo’s heart, but an unprecedented lightness also emerged, as if a tremendous burden had been lifted.

Because she knew he truly didn’t care about her...

Didn’t care about her identity, her power, nor her looks...

Before this person, she didn’t need to be on edge, guarding against the constant hidden threats.

Letting go of the mask of feigned maturity, Zhao Nuo’s attention was instantly captured by the spirit-light glowing dishes on the table, her eight-year-old’s instinct for gluttony and curiosity taking over her mind.

Gulp~

Swallowing her saliva, the young girl glanced once at Zhu Haomiao, hesitated for a moment, and finally climbed onto the seat opposite him, tentatively dipping her spoon into a piece of sweet and sour sparerib and putting it into her mouth.

"Mmm~~"

In an instant, incomparable flavors exploded in her mouth, with savory and sweet juices flowing on her tongue. An unprecedented feeling of bliss filled her heart, bringing tears of joy to her eyes.

So delicious, a thousand times better than the food made by the Imperial Chef in the palace!

Vaguely, Zhao Nuo sensed that the food made by the youth transcended mere material enjoyment and had been elevated to a new realm.

It could fill the void within one’s heart, bringing happiness and satisfaction that touched the very soul.

Unconsciously cupping her cheeks, the young girl chewed and swallowed, eventually regretting as she licked the flavorless bone clean.

"Squeak!!!"

Just then, an aggrieved and pitiable shriek echoed in her ears. Zhao Nuo saw a fluffy white head pop out from the youth’s pouch and scurried onto the table in distress.

"What’s all the fuss? Isn’t it just a piece of sweet and sour sparerib someone else ate?"

With a vexed laugh, Zhu Haomiao chided, grabbing its favorite sweet and sour sparerib and stuffing it into its mouth to halt its whimpering.

On the other side, watching the small creature stand on its back legs, happily eating the rib, Zhao Nuo gazed at Zhu Haomiao with shining eyes.

"Mr. Li, what is this?"

"She’s Diao Chan, my pet."

"Can I pet her?"

"Sure, she doesn’t bite."

Cautiously reaching out to stroke Diao Chan’s silky white fur, Zhao Nuo’s eyes curved into crescent moons, revealing an angelic, charming smile.