Chapter 372


    Savoring his coffee, Han relished the tranquility of the moment while the sounds of Reign’s culinary


    prowess filled the kitchen. The absence of chaos, bullets, and gunfire brought him a sense of


    contentment.


    He imagined that his life would be fulfilled with the presence of a loving wife and a child by his side.


    “I wonder what the old man is thinking. It’s been almost a month, and he still hasn’t assigned me a


    mission.”


    Lost in his musings, he reached for his phone, trying to contact his master.


    However, his master was still unreachable/


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    Helpless, he had no choice but to end the call and absentmindedly browse through Instagram.


    Reign was cooking, and it would be impolite for him to leave at this time. Thus, he could go home only


    after she had finished cooking and they had eaten together.


    Besides, she was a pleasant person to eat a meal with. Therefore, he did not have the urge to leave


    immediately.


    While scrolling through his Instagram feed, he did note across anything noteworthy. It was just


    posts from his siblings, Lydia, Mia, Yvonne, and others.


    After some thought, he finally opened his long-neglected Facebook ount.


    Over the years, he kept his status “unavable” and had not contacted anyone.


    Still, many of his old ssinates were on the tform.


    When he opened Facebook, as expected, he found countless feeds.


    He was patient, scrolling through them one by one.


    After finishing, he felt a wave of emotion.


    It was because eight years had brought about tremendous changes!


    Among his ssmates, there were those who had sessfullypleted high school, pursued higher


    education, and were still immersed in their studies.


    Others had recently graduated from university and were navigating the job market, searching for


    employment opportunities.


    A few had embarked on entrepreneurial endeavors, only to face setbacks, overwhelming pressure, and


    even thoughts of self-harm


    Meanwhile, there were those ssmates who, immediately after finishing their SAT exams, hastily


    entered the workforce, got married, started families, and found themselves confronted with the


    hardships and responsibilities of adult life.


    The majority of his ssmates, those who did not attend the recent reunion, remained distant figures in


    his life.


    Seeing their updates on social media, he could not help but feel a pang of helplessness. Many of them


    now had children, happily sharing family photos with their little ones.


    “How time flies.”


    After eight years, everything changed.


    The sight of his ssmates, weathered and aged, struck him deeply, as they appeared so starkly


    different from the vibrant and youthful peers he remembered from his memories.


    In a chance encounter, he would fail to recognize them, for they had transformed so significantly over


    time.


    “Time has wrought such profound changes. It seems the years have worn away their youthful


    arrogance. Those once fervent and hopeful youths now find themselves grappling with the hardships of


    life. Perhaps, they have even forgotten the dreams they once held so dear,” he mused, a tinge of


    mncholy in his voice.


    He was filled with mixed emotions.


    As he scrolled through the updates, he came across numerous posts from ssmates who were


    constantlymenting their financial struggles. Some had even reached out to him, sharing their


    thoughts of despair and contemting suicide when the burden became unbearable. Others expressed


    frustration over soaring prices, while some bemoaned their inability to afford a home.


    The tform showcased a plethora of life experiences in a very vivid manner.


    Yet, he was aware that not everyone feltfortable sharing their internal emotions openly. Those who


    chose to keep their struggles hidden remained unseen on Instagram, leaving him uncertain about their


    well-being.


    “My friend, if you ever find yourself in need of assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’m here to


    lend a helping


    Bob, I might not be able to help you buy a house, but I should be able to help your child with studies.


    Call me as soon as possible.”


    Jenny, it’s been so long since west met. You’re still as beautiful as ever. I can help with your


    husband’s business, so call me if you need anything.”


    After some thought, driven by empathy, he leftments on the feeds of those who had a hard life.


    Back in high school, he, Noah, and Perry were best buddies. Meanwhile, he was not particrly close


    to the others.


    However, now that he had achieved sess, he was willing to give a helping help to his former


    ssmates.


    After all, a benefit for others was a benefit to one.


    “Mr. Jaber, the food is ready.”


    At this moment, Reign walked out of the kitchen with a te of food.


    This was a te of fragrant pork stew, which was neatly disyed and appetizing.


    She ced the pork in front of him and said, “Go ahead, try it.”


    With that, she handed him a fork.


    Without hesitation, he picked up a piece of meat using the fork and savored it carefully


    “How is it?” She looked at him, her eyes filled with anticipation, like a child who hadpleted their


    homework and was waiting for praise from the teacher.


    Little did he expect that she, themanding CEO overseeing a vast workforce, possessed such an


    endearing demeanor. The realization made his heart skip a beat.


    Wearing an apron, she asked him forments on her cooking. At this moment, she looked beautiful


    and sweet, capturing his heart as she reminded him of a virtuous wife.


    As he ate, he wondered. “Why didn’t I notice this side of her when we were abroad?”


    With each bite of the meat, he expressed his admiration. “This is tender and not at all greasy. It’s light


    and vorful, and the aroma is exceptional. I never expected you to be such a talented cook. It’s


    absolutely delicious!”


    “Really?”


    “Really!”


    Setting down his fork, he nodded earnestly and remarked, “This dish you prepared is even tastier than


    my mother’s.”


    “Thank you so much!”


    Hearing this, she was overjoyed.


    After all, when ites to one’s culinary skills, there was no betterment than this one.


    She eximed cheerfully. Tll bring you some roasted potatoester. I’m also preparing seared scallops


    and boiled cauliflower. They’ll be done soon.”


    After saying that, she set aside the used fork and brought out a te of roasted potatoes, apanied


    by a fresh fork. She ced them in front of him with a stnile.


    Then she quickly returned to the kitchen to resume cooking.


    While preparing the seared scallops, she absentmindedly grabbed a fork and took a bite of the dish.


    Suddenly, she froze.


    It dawned on her that the fork she had just used was the same one he had used earlier. Inadvertently,


    she had indirectly shared a kiss with him through the fork.


    At the thought of this, she was so shy that her face turned red and her heart thumped wildly.


    As she continued cooking, she took deep breaths topose herself and regain her To distract herself,


    she even multitasked, using two pans to cook two different dishes. After about fifteen minutes, she


    brought the two dishes over and ced them in front of him, smiling. “Mr. Jaber, are three dishes


    enough?”


    “More than enough. Please sit down and eat with me,” he hurriedly replied.


    In fact, he definitely could not finish it alone. After all, there were three dishes, and the portion of pork


    stew was quiterge


    “Wait a minute. I forgot that soup is necessary for a meal in Lightdom City. Well, let me make a cream


    of mushroom soup she said.


    With that, she went into the kitchen again to make soup.


    Ten minutester, she brought the soup in arge porcin bowl and ced it in front of him. She


    served herself some potatoes, sat across from him, and began to eat.


    “Ms. Labenz, have some.”


    He picked up a piece of pork and ced it on her te.


    “Thank you.”


    When she saw his fork, she recalled the indirect kiss, blushing slightly. Regardless, she still received


    the food, cing it in her


    mouth.


    “You’re such a great cook. You should cook more often in the future so that your home will be more


    lively. You know, it will be more like a home,” he said while eating.


    When she heard this, her eyes turned slightly red.


    She also wanted a lively, warm home. However, her mother had passed away, her father was missing,


    and her brother was critically ill abroad, hanging by a thread.


    For so many years, she had been all alone. It was worth noting that no one had ever brought food to


    her te like he did.


    At the thought of this, sadness overwhelmed her, and tears uncontrobly streamed down her face.


    The warm tears streaked across her cheeks, falling into her te.


    “What’s wrong? Did I say something wrong?” He was dumbfounded.


    “No, nothing. I just remembered some unpleasant things. I’m sorry, Mr. Jaber. I’ve embarrassed myself”


    Since she was skilled at managing her emotions, she quickly suppressed her sadness, wiping away


    her tears, and continued to eat while choking back sobs.


    Seeing her like this, he felt a little guilty and uneasy.


    If he had known, he would not have made that remark earlier.


    While he wrestled with thoughts of how to console her, abrupt darkness enveloped the vi as the lights


    flickered off, casting the entire living room into obscurity.


    “Who’s there?”


    Outside the door, Landon’s angry roar came.


    Immediately after, gunshots rang out, apanied by shouts and yells. It was evident that Landon


    was fighting with


    someone outside.


    “Quick! Seal all the doors and windows. Protect Ms. Labenz!”


    “Ms. Labenz, run!”


    Landon’s roar sounded.


    However, before he could utter another word, a punch struck his chest, abruptly silencing him. What


    followed was the sickening sound of blood spewing and a body plunging into the water.


    “Huh?” Han’s eyes turned cold.


    He wondered if someone hade to attack.


    “Mr. Katz.”


    Hearing this, she snapped back to attention, no longer allowing herself to drown in sadness. At this


    point, her eyes were filled with concern and vignce as she looked toward the window.


    Bang!


    Just at that moment, a bullet shattered the ss and swiftly aimed for her forehead, approaching like


    lightning.