CARROTS....

Looking at the petite woman shivering beside him, Ryan sighed softly before removed his windbreaker and placed it on her shoulder to prevent her from catching a cold.

Just as De Xi said she reached the bar in ten minutes and found a tall man leaning on the wall beside Eun Han Xin, the latter wrapped in a long windbreaker looking like a middle school student in her father's windbreaker.

"Mr. Spencer... You are apparently the Ryan Spencer, who is famous for his Oil Paintings. It is such a pleasant surprise to meet you here." De Xi said in surprise and slight amusement as she looked at her oblivious friend.

"President De, it is indeed a pleasant surprise to cross across you like this," Ryan said in an equally surprised tone.

"Thank you for looking after my friend and once again sorry for the trouble. May I know how could I return your windbreaker?" De Xi asked calmly as she looked towards the windbreaker protecting Eun Han Xin from the cold evening breeze.

"I am staying at the Emporium, you could just leave it at the reception, I will collect it," Ryan said with a calm smile.

"Will do. Then we will take our leave." De Xi said with a nod and dragged Eun Han Xin towards the car with slight difficulty.

After settling Eun Han Xin in the backseat, De Xi got behind the wheel and drove away.

Considering the kids at her place, she decided to bring Eun Han Xin back to her penthouse instead and had the latter settle into her room.

Asking the housekeeper to help Eun Han Xin change into something comfortable, De Xi quickly went to the kitchen and prepared porridge and hangover soup.

By the time De Xi was done with the two, Eun Han Xin had also changed into a pair of De Xi's comfortable night suit.

De Xi then helped Eun Han Xin eat some porridge and made her drink the hangover soup, before tugging the latter to bed and looking at her with a sigh.

"Good thing you did not puke your guts out in front of him, or else your first impression in front of your idol would be ruined for life and you would have bawled your eyes out for god-knows-how-long." De Xi said with a soft, motherly smile as she looked at Eun Han Xin tenderly.

////////// DE MANSION //////////

De Xi returned back after around two hours or so, right in time for an early dinner.

All of them were seated at the dining table, with De Xi at the head table, Lu Chao to her right and Natalia to her left, with Lu Bai to her other side.

"Don't be picky." De Xi chided Natalia sternly when the latter was fiddling around with her carrots, not knowing what to do with them.

"She and Brother are so similar, they both talk, in the same manner, and don't like eating carrots either." Lu Meng said in amusement with a bright smile on her face.

Using the opportunity when everyone was busy in conversation, Natalia tried to push the carrots off her plate to De Xi's plate but the latter blocked it and instead placed even more carrots on Natalia's plate from her plate.

"Mom!" Natalia whined in protest gaining everyone's attention towards the duo.

De Xi gave her a look full of disdain and continued eating her dinner, while Natalia was left sulking with her carrots.

"If you low-key don't like me, then I highly don't care. So stop glaring at me and start eating." De Xi said calmly as she sipped on her water and then gave Natalia a cold look who was glaring at her resentfully.

"Sister, let her off-hook this once, please?" De Xiu finally could not bear to see her cute little niece getting bullied by her unreasonably stone-hearted older sister and decided to interfere.

"When she falls sick because of her weak immune, are you going to plead the bacterias and viruses as well?" De Xi asked calmly, her tone casual and nonchalant.

"This..." De Xiu was rendered speechless by her older sister.

Whereas the people who regularly witnessed Natalia's drama and De Xi's heartlessness continued eating, not the least bit bothered by the conversation happening.

"Mom..." James who just entered the dining room, called out softly while nodding towards everyone lightly as a form of greeting.

"James, come join us for dinner." De Xi motioned him to take a seat beside Liam and other kids, as the maid there quickly pulled out a chair for him and flipped over the plate to serve food for him.

"I already had my dinner Mom... Please continue with your dinner, I will be in my room." James said with a gentle smile.

"Brother James..." Natalia whined cutely as she looked at him with her adorable puppy eyes.

"What is it, Little Princess?" James asked gently in a doting tone.

Natalia pouted aggrievedly as she looked at the carrots on her plate and then towards James in a pleading manner.

"I..." James looked at the carrots and was in a fix, he looked at De Xi hesitantly who shook her head denying his silent request to help Natalia out.

"Mom... how about..." James began to convince De Xi but was interrupted by her in between.

"No. She will eat all of those on her own. And James if you came here to ask me to change your entry piece, it is also a No." De Xi said sternly, leaving no room for arguments.

Seeing how stern De Xi was Natalia as well as James knew she was in a very bad mood, or else she won't be so serious no matter how big of trouble they create for her.

"Yes, Mom." James said lightly with a defeated smile and left the dining area without any more arguments.

Even Natalia sighed in defeat and started eating her carrots with a constipated look on her face as if at any moment she is going to throw up.