After Jane Lang headed downstairs, she was just in time for dinner. Coincidentally, Alexander Westwood's seat across from her was empty again. Just as she thought about sitting down, she heard his calm voice say, "Sit over there."

“……” Did he really need to be this guarded against her?

Jane pouted and chose to sit across from Ding Yuan instead.

Ding Yuan seemed to be lost in her thoughts but managed to force a smile at Jane, placing a piece of sweet and sour pork rib into her bowl. “Xiao Ye… I heard Aunt Chen say this is your favorite dish. You should try it!”

“Of course.” Aunt Chen chimed in while serving soup, “Yuan Yuan, you don’t know this, but Wei Yan once specifically asked me to learn this dish because Xiao Ye loves it.”

Ding Yuan’s breath hitched slightly, but she still maintained a forced smile.

“Wei Yan… Really treats Xiao Ye well.”

She couldn't show her dislike for Jane directly, so she had to come up with ways to flatter her, hoping to get closer to Alexander.

Jane flashed her a bright smile, her sparkling eyes seemingly piercing right through her, “Yuan Yuan, you're so nice to me!”

Aunt Chen laughed and added, “Yuan Yuan being nice to you is only natural. Who knows, maybe she’ll end up being your sister-in-law someday!”

The Xu and Ding families both seemed to have that in mind; it was only a matter of time.

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Ding Yuan instantly blushed at the suggestion.

“It… It’s just to be expected.”

Alexander had been quietly observing the scene, his expression unreadable, until he intervened just before Jane could speak again. “Let’s keep the chatter to a minimum during dinner.”

His tone held a commanding authority, reminiscent of his days training soldiers.

Jane instinctively straightened her back and fell silent.

The dinner passed uneasily, and as it concluded, Alexander rolled up his sleeves to reveal his muscular arms. Just as he reached for a pair of chopsticks, Aunt Chen snatched them away. “You go take care of your work. We can handle this.”

Ding Yuan had never seen this side of him and found herself momentarily mesmerized before quickly realizing she needed to play it cool. “Wei Yan, you should go rest.”

In the future, if they got married, she would see the domestic side of Alexander—there was no need to rush.

Jane licked her lips and noticed Alexander walking toward the sofa in the living room, so she obediently began to clean up.

“Hey, Xiao Ye, what happened to your chest?”

Aunt Chen's curious gaze landed on her. “Did a mosquito bite you?”

Ding Yuan turned to look as well; Jane was wearing a casual white shirt, and with just one button fastened, there were faint marks visible at her collarbone.

Those were… hickeys!

Jane adjusted her collar and blinked innocently. “Yeah, just a mosquito bite.”

Aunt Chen didn’t sense anything amiss and frowned. “You really need to be careful. Get some medicine for that; the mosquitoes can be quite nasty this season, and their bites can take forever to heal.”

Jane’s smile quickly faded as she replied obediently, “I’ll keep that in mind, Aunt Chen.”

Ding Yuan’s face paled slightly. Once they retreated to the kitchen, she subconsciously glanced at the man seated in the living room. He hadn’t lifted his head once since earlier—this must be unrelated to him.

Good... that means Jane must already have a boyfriend.

Ding Yuan sighed in relief, feeling much lighter.

As she finished tidying up and prepared to leave, Aunt Chen commanded with authority, “Your dad wants you to come back home for a visit. Tomorrow is the weekend, so take Xiao Ye with you.”

As long as Xiao Ye was around, their father-son arguments would probably be mitigated.

Alexander merely responded with an uninterested “Hmm,” acknowledging the instruction.

Jane clung to Aunt Chen’s arm and pleaded, “Aunt Chen, why don’t you stay here with me tonight? It’s been so long since I’ve seen you; I really miss you!”

Aunt Chen teased her by gently tapping her nose. “If you missed me, you could have sought me out.”

Ding Yuan seized the moment, chiming in, “Xiao Ye, let’s exchange WeChat IDs? We could hang out together sometime.”

For some reason, Jane felt that Ding Yuan had suddenly become a lot friendlier.

“Sure!”

They exchanged contact information, and soon after, Aunt Chen and Ding Yuan drove away.

As the night settled into tranquility, Jane turned with a playful smile, emphasizing every word, “The mosquitoes this season are… so, big, and, venomous!”