"Have a seat and I’ll tell you."
He tells her everything about how Mia pretended to be sick. After Karin hears it, her eyebrows are still
knitting in a frown.
"Even if she has been cured, the death of her parents has something to do with your family after all.
Will you really not feel guilty for her anymore?"
Troy nods, "Don’t worry, I know what you are afraid of. I guarantee you that I will not make Mia your
trouble."
"For real?"
"For real!"
"Great, you’d better be. Or you will be dead!"
Seeing her smile, Troy’s mood turns bright right away, "Let’s go for night snack then. I’m a little hungry."
"Are we going down the mountain this late?"
"Or what else can we eat? Yuma is already asleep."
Karin pats him on the shoulder, "Although Yuma is asleep, you still have me, don't forget, my family run
a snack bar."
Are you saying that you will cook for me?"
"Of course."
"What will you make me then?"
"What do you want?"
He thinks for a while and says decisively, "Dumplings."
"Dumplings…"
"What’s the problem?"
"Nothing, but it’s a little bit complicated. I have to chop stuffing, knead the dough, and wrap it with
hands. Probably when it’s done, it’s already dawn, and you are starved to death."
"It’s okay, I can wait."
"Do you really want to eat dumplings?"
"Yep…"
Karin rolls her eyes and says, "… Fine." She asks for it. Just going out to eat will save a lot of troubles.
After entering the kitchen, she puts on an apron, pours flour into the basin, and begins to skillfully
knead the dough.
"Do you need a hand?"
Troy walks in with a pleasant smile on his face.
"I’ll be fine. You can just eat."
"What kind of stuffing are you making then?"
"Human flesh with celery."
What? He opens his eyes wide in horror, and then approaches her flirtatiously, "Is it your flesh? I'll eat it
if it's yours. I've long wanted to have a taste of you."
As he says it, he starts to take action, biting her ears, biting her neck, which makes her giggle, "Alright,
stop playing, I won't make you food if you keep playing like this."
"Then I will take a shower first."
"Go."
Making dumplings is really not an easy task, even though she is already very quick, it still takes her a
lot of efforts to roll out the crust and chop the stuffing.
After taking a shower, Troy goes downstairs, and stands in front of her refreshingly, "Not done yet?"
"It’s still dark outside, what’s the hurry?"
He raises his eyebrows, "You are not waiting for the dawn, are you?"
"Do you think it is easy? Have a try yourself."
He leans his palm against his brows and sighs, "Alright. I can only do the eating part."
He sits next to her, watching her dexterous fingers squeeze out beautiful dumplings within three
pinches, and he asks with interest, "You are skilled. Did your father teach you this?"
"No, my dad wouldn’t teach me. He has been dealing with dumplings for a lifetime. He doesn’t want me
to inherit my ancestral business anymore, so he saved money for me to go to college and study
abroad, just hoping that I could have a more promising future than his."
"So you learned it secretly by yourself?"
Karin glances at him irritably, "I said my dad had been dealing with dumplings for a lifetime. If you grew
up in a family where dumplings are all around, then you don’t need to be taught, and you don’t have to
learn it secretly. You can learn without a teacher just by watching."
Troy realizes it all of a sudden, "Oh, so it turns out to be like this."
He squeezes his chin with one hand, thoughtfully, "What if I didn’t say I wanted to eat dumplings, what
are you going to make for me?"
"Gnocchi."
"Gnocchi? What are gnocchi?"
"You just sprinkle a little water on the flour, stir it into a paste, then throw it into the pot and you can eat
it."
"That easy?"
"Yes, it's much easier than making dumplings."
"How does it taste?"
"It has no taste, just like eating flour. What does flour taste like?"
"Eating flour…" words fail Troy.
He has been waiting so long that the dumplings are finally done. Smelling the savory scent, Troy is
glad that he is far-sighted. Luckily, he insists on having dumplings, or he will be eating flour right now.
"Tastes good?"
Karin asks nervously, this is the first time she cooks wholeheartedly for a man.
"It’s delicious." Troy nods heavily and says clearly, "I haven't eaten such delicious food for a long time."
"Eat more if you like it."
"Sure!"
After eating half of the dumplings, he suddenly lifts up his head, "Oh right, I’ll go on a business trip the
day after tomorrow."
"Where?"
"Russia."
"The day after tomorrow?" She raises her eyebrows wonderingly, "Does it have to be that day?"
"Yeah, why?"
She shakes her head dejectedly, "Nothing, how long will you go then?"
"About a week."
"So long…" She really feels frustrated. It’s her birthday the day after tomorrow.
But if he doesn’t remember this important date, she will not remind him. When she was dating Barry, he
didn’t remember her birthday either. So, in fact, she gets used to it.
"It’s for an important project this time. I will come back as soon as possible."
"Hm, it’s okay, go."
She smiles bitterly. It seems that she will have to celebrate her 25th birthday alone again.
The next day afternoon, when she finishes her class, she is standing at the school gate waiting for the
driver to pick her up. A car stops in front of her, and a strange face pops out of the window, "You are
Miss Karin, right?"
She stuns for a while and nods, "Yes, what’s wrong?"
"My host wants to invite you to his house. I wonder if you are available."
"Who is your host?"
"The second uncle of Mr. Troy, Emmanuel Charlie."
Karin’s heart trembles for a bit, and she asks politely, "Why is Mr. Emmanuel asking for me?"
"I don’t know about that. You’ll know when you get there."
She hesitates for a bit, and gets in the car eventually. What must be must be.
The car draws for ten minutes and stops in front of a luxurious villa with guards standing on either side
of the door. The aura is quite powerful.
"Miss Karin, please come in."
The driver leads her into the magnificent living room. On the sofa sits a middle-aged man of about fifty
years old. His eyes are piercing, with a delicate cigar between his fingers and his legs crossed, exuding
an aura of majestic king.
How strange. Didn't all the elders of the Charles family go to the Ziteng Garden last time? Why does
she have no impression of this second uncle?
Karin thinks suspiciously.
"Miss, have a seat."
Emmanuel gets up and points at the sofa kindly.
She feels flattered right away. Maybe because she has seen how Troy’s eldest uncle was, she naturally
classifies his second uncle as the same kind. But she is a little confused when she hears him call her
"miss" in such a friendly manner...
"Mr. Emmanuel, why do you invite me here?"
"Don’t call me Mr. Emmanuel, you can just call me uncle." He smiles and looks at her, "You look really
nice. No wonder my nephew would turn against us for you."
Karin feels disappointed suddenly. She thought he was more sensible than the eldest uncle. But it
seems like he’s not.
No matter who it is, as long as he prevents or opposes her relationship with Troy, he’s bad.
"If you intend to say something to satirize me, it’s not necessary. I’m not staying here to be humiliated."
"Ha-ha."
Emmanuel laughs out loud, ashes the cigar and says, "Don’t get me wrong. I didn't invite you here to
humiliate you, but just to get acquainted with you. I have heard from my daughter that my elder brother
went for you. I was not in Zurich that day, so I can only know what happened from what they said to
me. I heard you made my elder brother so angry and fierce. I respect you and I’m also curious. You
know, in the whole family, except for Troy, there has never been anyone who dares to confront him."
Karin calmly corrects him, "I didn’t confront him. I just think that all men are equal. If he didn’t respect
me, I didn’t need to respect him."
"Miss, have a seat."
Emmanuel gets up and points at the sofa kindly.
She feels flattered right away. Maybe because she has seen how Troy’s eldest uncle was, she naturally
classifies his second uncle as the same kind. But she is a little confused when she hears him call her
"miss" in such a friendly manner...
"Mr. Emmanuel, why do you invite me here?"
"Don't call me Mr. Emmanuel, you can just call me uncle." He smiles and looks at her, "You look really
nice. No wonder my nephew would turn against us for you."
Karin feels disappointed suddenly. She thought he was more sensible than the eldest uncle. But it
seems like he’s not.
No matter who it is, as long as he prevents or opposes her relationship with Troy, he’s bad.
"If you intend to say something to satirize me, it's not necessary. I’m not staying here to be humiliated."
"Ha-ha."
Emmanuel laughs out loud, ashes the cigar and says, "Don’t get me wrong. | didn't invite you here to
humiliate you, but just to get acquainted with you. | have heard from my daughter that my elder brother
went for you. | was not in Zurich that day, so | can only know what happened from what they said to
me. | heard you made my elder brother so angry and fierce. | respect you and I’m also curious. You
know, in the whole family, except for Troy, there has never been anyone who dares to confront him."
Karin calmly corrects him, "I didn’t confront him. | just think that all men are equal. If he didn’t respect
me, | didn’t need to respect him."
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