Chapter 18: Repaying Kindness!

Looking at Nora's peaceful sleeping posture, Arlo licked his lips.

"Ms. Marsh, I will do my best!" he whispered softly before leaving the room.

Hurrying along, he managed to arrive just before the bar opened.

He changed into his uniform and began his work for the day.

Perhaps because it was a weekday, business at the bar tonight wasn't very good.

But Arlo was just fine with the leisurely pace, chatting with Kian as they worked.

It was almost time to finish for the night, and Arlo was helping the cleaner tidy up the private rooms when Kian suddenly came in saying someone was looking for him.

He went out to see, and it was Lydia who had come.

When Arlo saw the lunchbox Lydia was carrying, he understood why she was here.

"Did you come all this way just to bring me food?" he asked as Lydia blushed under Kian and the others' ambiguous gazes, handing over the lunchbox. "I calculated the time, and you should be getting off work around this time, so I came over."

Arlo glanced at the time; it was already past two in the morning.

Putting aside the fact that a young girl had come all this way in the middle of the night to bring him food, just Lydia cooking for him late at night was enough to touch Arlo's heart.

Apart from his mother, Lydia was the first woman who had been so kind to him.

Thinking about the ambiguous moments with Nora at the café, Arlo suddenly felt a sense of guilt.

He didn't even dare to reach out to take the lunchbox Lydia handed him, afraid that if he touched it, he would tarnish Lydia's pure feelings.

Seeing Arlo hesitating to take the lunchbox from her, Lydia's heart grew uneasy.

She lowered her head, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, and pursed her lips. "Do... do you not want to eat the food I made?"

Hearing Lydia's voice trembling, Arlo took a deep breath, took the lunchbox, and held her slender hand. "Why would I not? I just didn't expect you to come and bring me food so late. I was moved and didn't know what to say for a moment."

Pausing, he smiled again. "Besides, your cooking is so delicious. How could I bear not to eat it?"

Lydia looked up, both surprised and delighted. "Really?"

"Really, more real than gold," Arlo nodded.

The overcast sky instantly turned into a bright sunny day, and Lydia, with her eyebrows and eyes curved, blushed on her cheeks, incredibly cute. "Then... then you should eat quickly. I'll wait for you to finish work together."

"Okay."

Opening the lunchbox revealed two dishes and a soup.

The dishes were simple, shredded pork with green peppers and stir-fried bean sprouts. The soup was also simple, just ordinary seaweed egg soup.

Yet Arlo felt a sense of motherly comfort, something he hadn't felt in a long time since their family fell into debt.

His nose tingled, and after swallowing the food in his mouth, he said to Lydia, "Lydia..."

"Hmm?" Lydia instinctively looked at him, noticing his unusual mood. She quickly said, "Is my cooking not good? Maybe... maybe you shouldn't eat it."

"It's very delicious," Arlo looked at her with gentle eyes and said softly, "From now on, don't come to bring me food at night. I worry when you go out alone so late."

Lydia's mood instantly plummeted. She bit her lip lightly and nodded obediently. "I... I understand."

Arlo felt his heart melting. He reached out and pinched her nose, smiling, "Why are you starting to cry? What I mean is, you can come to my place and wait for me to finish work, and then we can eat together."

Lydia was taken aback, "That... that means living together? Cohabitation?"

As soon as the words came out, the girl's cheeks turned red as if they were about to bleed.

"Do you want to live with me?" Arlo gently stroked her soft hair. Her hair was very good, black and smooth.

Lydia thought seriously for a moment, then nodded, "I do!"

"Then let's live together!"

Lydia quickly shook her head, "No, we can't. My grandmother said we shouldn't live together before marriage, or we'll be looked down upon by the in-laws."

Arlo chuckled and couldn't help but pull Lydia into his arms, "Silly girl, after I finish eating, I'll take you back. Isn't that fine?"

"Huh? Can... can we do that?" Lydia looked at him foolishly, her big eyes full of confusion.

Arlo nodded, closing the empty lunchbox. "Of course, that's settled then. Let's go, we're going home."

Smelling the masculine scent emanating from Arlo, Lydia was dizzy as he pulled her into a taxi.

It wasn't until halfway through the journey that she realized and exclaimed, "Why are we taking a taxi? Taxis are so expensive!"

Arlo felt both bitter and amused. He hugged Lydia's soft body tightly and said, "I'll make a lot of money in the future, and then you can be a wealthy lady. How about that?"

Lydia leaned her head against his shoulder, gently shaking it, "I don't want to be a wealthy lady, I just want you to be healthy and safe, that's enough."

Her response caught Arlo off guard. How could he let go of such a simple and virtuous woman?

"Then I'll make lots and lots of money while staying healthy and safe."

"Deal!"

After dropping Lydia off at home, Arlo returned to his rented house.

When he turned on the lights, he found the messy room surprisingly tidy.

Clothes he wore yesterday hung by the window, even the dirty underwear he left in the bathroom was washed and hung up.

The floor was spotless, and the bed was neatly made.

He also noticed Lydia had bought him a small table, with a thermos and teacups on it.

These items must have cost at least a hundred bucks.

There were even a few pairs of new underwear placed at the foot of the bed, obviously all arranged by Lydia.

Thinking about how the girl who even found taxis too expensive quietly bought him so many things, he was touched for a moment.

"This girl, she's really cute in her foolishness!"

After taking a shower and lying down, smelling the scent of sunshine on the sheets, Arlo felt a sense of peace.

As the afternoon approached, Arlo was awakened by a frantic ringing of his phone.

Rubbing his eyes, he picked up the phone to find it was Nora calling.

Answering the call, Nora's lazy voice came through, "Arlo, are you awake?"

Glancing at the time, realizing it was ten minutes before noon, he asked in confusion, "Ms. Marsh, is something wrong?"

"Hurry up and come out. Have you forgotten what you promised me last night?"

Arlo frowned, suddenly remembering, "To pretend to be your boyfriend?"

"Exactly, hurry up and get ready. I'm waiting for you at the intersection of Urban Village."