"Old Mr. Louis, are you asleep?"
I knock on his door at nine o'clock in the evening,
"Not yet. What's the matter?"
I hear his loud voice, and then the door opens from the inside.
"I just want to ask if you are in the mood for some night snack. I can cook some noodles or dumplings
for you." I smile kindly at him, trying not to make myself look different than usual.
The old man shakes his head and says, "I don't like those food. You can make hot and sour noodles for
me. Make sure the taste isn’t too blend."
I don’t expect him to be someone who likes spicy food. But making a bowl of hot and sour noodles
doesn’t beat me.
"Okay. Wait for a second. It'll be ready soon."
I nod and leave the room immediately.
This is one step closer to please Mr. Louis.
Twenty minutes later, I bring the noodles upstairs and knock on the door again.
But nothing happens after knocking for a long time.
Mr. Louis falls asleep in such a short time?
Now that is embarrassing.
I try not to eat anything at night to lose weight. And I don’t want to eat anything too spicy to upset my
stomach.
But throwing it away would be a waste.
Just then, I see that the door of Frances’ room is still open, so I knock on the door and walk in.
The lamp in the study is on, and I walk in with the noodles in my hand.
Frances sits at the desk and has his back to me. He seems to be fascinated by something he is
reading. He is so intrigued that he can’t even hear the knock on the door, let alone not noticing me
coming in his room.
"Are you hungry, Frances?"
Frances jumps when my voice breaks the silence.
He quickly hides what he is holding in his hands under a pile of documents. "What are you doing in
here? Don't you know you should knock on the door first?!" He asks me with a straight face while
turning around.
"I knocked, but you can’t hear it." I answer aggrievedly.
"Don’t come in unless I answer next time." He says after a pause.
I also know it is my fault that I enter his room like that. I hand him the noodles after nodding, “This is the
night snack I made for you. Eat it while it's still warm."
"Made for me?" Frances has a meaningful smile. "You really think I can’t hear the conversation you had
with my grandpa?"
When the lie is exposed all at once, I am truly embarrassed. "It was originally for Mr. Louis. but he
didn't answer the knock on the door. I assume he is asleep, so I brought it to you." I tell him with a
smile.
Without saying anything, Frances takes the bowl from my hand, says while frowning. "Only Mr. Louis
can stand something this spicy."
Despite the slight complaint, he slowly starts eating.
He frowns right after one bite.
Maybe he can’t really stand the spiciness, even the tip of his nose is covered with sweat.
"Stop eating if it's that spicy. I can’t afford to upset your precious stomach." I pout quietly.
Frances lowers his head, ignores me and keeps eating.
The noodles are almost eaten by him.
While he was eating, I scan around the place where he just hides something. Only to see an exposed
corner.
It looks like a photo.
What kind of photos does he need to hide discreetly like this?
Ever since I start to care about Frances, I am genuinely concerned by all his gestures.
Therefore, I can’t help but speak up.
"What were you reading just now, Frances?"
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