Niania kept looking outside the window as Thomas drove the car. He turned to look at her before slowly stopping at the traffic.

''Am I that ugly?'' Thomas asked and Niania turned to look at him.

​​

''No. You are handsome!'' she said and flushed. Niania turned away again and her phone vibrated.

''I have to answer this call'' she said to Thomas before answering the call.

''Hello, Maa. Dad's leg pains started again? Did you go to the hospital?''

Thomas turned his attention towards her as she spoke on the phone.

''Maa, I will let brother Henry bring you the medicine to you, I will pay him back when I take my salary next month. If you use the money I sent you this month I won't be able to send you anything because I already used it to pay for my fees and my rentals. Tell dad, I will call him later. I'm in a car and it's not convenient to talk.

''Mm, bye bye'' Niania hung up and turned to look at Thomas. He shifted his gaze towards the road and started driving again.

''I'm sorry, that was my mother'' Niania said. She clenched her phone tightly, suddenly feeling nervous. She was sure he had heard her conversation because her phone's speaker was a little loud.

''Give me your phone'' Thomas said and stretched his hand towards her.

''Huh?''

''You…'' he wanted to say something but stopped.

Niania removed the phone from her bag and asked, ''why do you need my phone?''

Thomas took the phone and asked, ''don't you put a passcode on your phone?''

''I always forget about it so I don't use it anymore''

''Is that so?'' he finished with the phone and handed it back to her. ''My number is in there. Call me when you are ready to treat me''

''Treat… treat you? Are you sick?''

Thomas chuckled and turned to look at her. Niania flushed and her face turned red.

''Treat me to a meal. Didn't you say you would treat me to a meal? I already saved you twice, today making it three times. One for each so you have to treat me to three meals''

''Huh? Three meals? Do you want me to go bankrupt? I don't have money to treat a man like you three times''

''But I saved you three times? Are you always ungrateful to the people who help you in life?''

''No… but you are…''

''No buts. You owe me three meals and that's it. Call me when you are ready to treat me to my first meal. I happen to be free this weekend, so let's make it then''

Niania looked at him and frowned. What kind of wrong timing was this? She had just paid her fees and sent some money to her parents. She was lucky that Alice gave her a bonus and a raise this month so she had enough to disburse but now he actually wanted her to treat him this weekend. She had already made her budget and bought all the things she would be needing for the money. If it wasn't something extremely necessary, she wouldn't go shopping for this month.

Niania sighed deeply.

''Am I… bothering you?'' Thomas asked her. When Niania turned and saw his expression she instantly felt bad.

''No. You are not bothering me. You did save me a few times. Treating you to a meal is a must'' Niania smiled and turned her face away. She felt like crying.

''Niania, you don't even have money and you are trying to save your face. You will need at less a thousand dollars to be able to treat a man with expensive taste like Mr. Sun'

''My dear ancestors, is this how you will welcome me to the afterlife?'

A lot of thoughts ran through her mind. she started calculating the amount she needed in order to prepare a good homemade meal for Thomas.

The prices of the ingredients started flying before her face. She didn't even realise that Thomas had gotten to her apartment.

Thomas pulled over and looked at her face. He could tell what was going on in her head. he knew her family situation very well.

''Niania, we are here'' Thomas said to her. Niania came back to her senses. She looked outside and saw her apartment.

''We are here already. Then… I will get down''

''Mm, good night'' Thomas flashed a rare smile. It was gently and filled with warmth. It made Niania's heart skip a beat.

''Bye, bye'' Niania got out of the car and hurriedly went to her apartment.

Thomas took his phone and opened his online banking services.

A while later.

''$2000 dollars have been sent to Gu Nian'

A message popped up.

Thomas smiled and drove the car away.

….

Niania walked out of her bedroom wearing a pair of short sleepwear. It was a pair of shorts and top. She slumped into her couch and turned her TV on. She felt her phone vibrate so she took it out.

The phone fell out of her hands to the floor. Her mouth opened and closed for a few times like a fish in water.

Niania's hands quivered when she squatted to pick up the phone. She shakenly took the phone to check the message again. She wanted to be sure she was seeing the right thing.

After confirming in her accounts, Niania stood up and picked her keys. She locked the door and ran out of her apartment.

It was about thirty minutes from her place to the Sun family house if one were to walk but because she was running, she didn't know the time she spent but before she realised she was already in front of the Sun family house, knocking at the door while calling Thomas' name.

''Mr. Sun… Mr. Sun open the door'' she pressed the doorbell while panting for breath.

Thomas had just finished bathing and was in his bathrobe when the butler informed of that someone was at the door looking for him. He tied the robe carefully before going out of his room.

At the hall, he checked the intercom and saw Niania. He was surprised. Thomas opened the door and stood in front of her.

''Niania?'' he looked at her.

''Mr…'' Niania tried to catch her breath before speaking, 'Mr. Sun…''

Thomas looked at her and frowned. She was wearing slippers. Her tiny body covered in the shorts and top didn't stop her from looking alluring in his eyes. She was panting for breath and looked very tired.

Thomas looked at the guards and workers that were watching her. They all disappeared silently, leaving them alone.

''Come in first'' Thomas said to her.

''Oo'' Niania placed her hands on her waist as she walked into the house.

Thomas got her a glass of water and sat across her, patiently waiting for her to calm down.

Niania placed the glass down and looked at him. she flushed when she saw him on the bathrobe. She looked away.

''Don't worry, I am not naked under there'' Thomas lifted the robe, revealing a blue shorts pants.

''Oo'' Niania sighed.

''So, tell me. What are you doing in my house?''

''Oh, right'' Niania took her phone and showed him the message, ''what is the meaning of this?''

''I asked you for a meal. Did you think I was planning to freeload on you? That is for the ingredients you will need to prepare the food''

''But, this is too much. The ingredients I need to prepare a simple meal isn't this expensive''

''I have expensive taste, Gu Nian''

Niania became speechless when he mentioned her full name. This was the first time someone was calling her by her full name. she flushed.

Thomas stood up and walked closer to her. He placed his two hands on both sides of the sofa, where she sat and trapped her.

''Just because of some little money, you ran all the way from your apartment to my house to ask me why I sent you that amount? Do you know how much I spend on my breakfast alone each morning? I am someone who is extremely careful about what I eat and where I eat. I am only appreciating the efforts of the one who is going to prepare me a meal. That money is for the three meals''

''Still, it's too much'' Niania started.

''Gu Nian, so you came here, dressed like this just to tell me that I've crossed the line? Do you know that your actions have gone overboard? I am a single man living alone''

''You live with your mother''

''She is not here right now. She comes here only on weekends. Right now, I am the only person in this house''

''But, your workers are around, right?'' Niania leaned against the sofa and couldn't move anymore because Thomas was standing so close to her. She could even inhale his breath at this point.

''Didn't you see that they all retired back to their quarters? Right now… it is just you and me. You are dressed like this. Gu Nian, you think too highly of me''