After the person left, Xie Ci simply continued tidying up and did not go inside to continue the discussion with Cheng Zi.
Cheng Zi waited and waited, but he still didn’t come in. “Xie Ci.”
There was still a rustling sound outside.
“Xie Ci, come here.”
“Xie Ci, my head hurts~”
Xie Ci’s tall figure appeared at the doorway.
Cheng Zi immediately got into position, clutching her chest with a pitiful little face.
“You’re in the wrong place.”
“Huh?” Cheng Zi didn’t understand what he meant.
A faint smile appeared on Xie Ci’s perpetually icy face. “When your head hurts, you should hold your head. You’re holding the wrong place.”
Cheng Zi: “……”
“Nothing’s wrong then, I’ll go back to work.”
“I’m so angry at you my heart hurts too!!”
Xie Ci gave her a deep look, then turned and left.
“Hey, hey, hey!”
Cheng Zi got out of bed to chase after him. “Don’t blame me for not giving you a chance. Your behavior is already hurting me—you’re going to end up without a wife like this.”
Xie Ci stopped and turned around. Seeing her barefoot again and still talking nonstop, he simply reached out, scooped her up around the waist, and in two strides placed her back on the bed, leaning forward over her.
Cheng Zi was completely stunned. They were too close—his faint soap scent even brushed against her nose.
Her face instantly turned bright red.
She tried to push him away.
He gently pinned her hands down on the bed.
She tried to kick him.
Her legs were held in place.
“What are you doing?”
Her beautiful peach-blossom eyes were filled with embarrassment, her face flushed red. Xie Ci stared at her a little blankly. “Don’t say strange things all the time in the future.”
Cheng Zi was very good at taking advantage of the situation. Seeing him even blaming her now, she refused to accept it. “That old flame of yours already came looking for you, and you still won’t let me be angry?”
“She’s not an old flame.”
“She said she understands your feelings for her.”
“I rejected her.”
“I don’t care, you were mean to me!”
Xie Ci was a little caught off guard by her unreasonable behavior and didn’t know how to handle it.
“Stop making trouble.”
“You’re calling me troublesome again!”
Cheng Zi wriggled, and Xie Ci stiffened slightly.
“Don’t move.”
“Let me go, you’re pressing too hard.”
Xie Ci pressed his lips together, then softened slightly. “Just live properly. Stop overthinking things.”
“Depends on your behavior.”
Their positions had strangely reversed. Xie Ci found himself both amused and helpless. “Mm.”
This was the first time he had seen her like this—completely unreasonable, yet… so annoying.
That was what he thought, but his gaze softened little by little as he finally let her go.
“I’ll go tidy up. The delivery will arrive later, and we still need to arrange things.”
“Mm.”
As soon as he left, Cheng Zi pressed a hand to her chest—her heart was pounding hard.
That damn handsome face!!
The matter with Li Leilei was considered settled, but it also made Cheng Zi take notice of her. She was clearly not someone harmless—no better than Li Qianqian.
What a coincidence. The two Li sisters were both targeting the original owner’s man. Interesting.
All the newly purchased items were arranged by Xie Ci, so lunch was naturally cooked by Cheng Zi, who intended to show off her skills properly.
“Time to eat.”
Chestnut braised ribs, spicy golden egg dish, celery with squid, dry-fried hand-torn cabbage, and kelp pork soup.
As soon as the dishes were served, the entire room was filled with fragrance.
Xie Ci stared at the table full of dishes in a daze.
After the age of ten, he had not eaten a proper home-cooked meal again.
“What are you looking at? Why aren’t you eating?”
Cheng Zi wished she could hang herself on the fan from the heat.
“It’s really hot.”
“I’ll buy you an air conditioner later.”
“Air conditioner?”
“Mm.”
Cheng Zi did not continue the topic. Today she had seen one—it was an old-style unit costing over ten thousand yuan…
“Hurry and try it. See if it suits your taste.”
“I’m not picky.”
Xie Ci ate very neatly, but quite fast.
Because of the heat and just finishing cooking, Cheng Zi barely ate a few bites before she was full.
Xie Ci truly wasn’t picky—he quickly finished everything on the table.
Cheng Zi was a little stunned. She had cooked enough for two meals…
But it was fine—eating well is a blessing!
The refrigerator and sewing machine were delivered at 5 p.m., right when the courtyard was lively.
That day, Xie Ci even rode Cheng Zi on the front seat of his bicycle. The gesture was extremely intimate, and all the neighbors in the compound saw it.
Now that the two large items were brought into the Xie household, many people gathered to watch the excitement.
In the 1990s, refrigerators were rare luxuries. Sewing machines were cheaper than before, but still cost about a month’s salary for an ordinary worker. Buying both at once was uncommon.
When the refrigerator was placed down, Cheng Zi was momentarily dazed. It felt like just yesterday she had been choosing a fridge for a new home—and in the blink of an eye, everything had changed.
“Is it okay here?” Xie Ci asked again.
Seeing her staring at the refrigerator, he assumed she was happy.
“Mm, it’s fine. Arrange it as you like.”
After everything was set, the movers left. Immediately after, several older women entered.
“Oh my, impressive indeed. The Xie family boy really has potential.”
No one needed to invite them in—they looked around freely, examining everything.
“This sewing machine is nice. Can we borrow it later?”
Xie Ci said nothing and looked at Cheng Zi.
Cheng Zi, unlike the original owner, did not show any attitude. She politely responded, “It’s nothing special. Just small items. When I have money later, I’ll get a big TV and an air conditioner too.”
The women’s smiles stiffened slightly.
“What capability indeed. Xie Ci is such a good boy.”
Seeing Aunt Chen also among them, and unsure how much she had spread that morning, Cheng Zi added fuel to the fire.
“Xie Ci’s salary isn’t much. I don’t want him to work too hard. I plan to rely on myself.”
Xie Ci naturally didn’t understand her deeper meaning and only felt warmth in his heart, thinking she was caring about him.
A nearby aunt glanced at Aunt Chen and spoke up, “How is Cheng Zi so capable? I heard your monthly salary is only 500 yuan. Air conditioners are very expensive.”
Cheng Zi pretended she had misspoken. “Ah, I was just saying casually. An air conditioner costs over ten thousand…”
“Young people should stay on the right path. If you can’t afford it, that’s fine, but you mustn’t do anything immoral.”
A plump woman said this while looking at Xie Ci, as if she wanted to lecture him thoroughly.
Cheng Zi quickly stepped forward to usher them out. “Aunties, you all still need to cook dinner, right? I also need to prepare dinner, so I won’t keep you.”
She practically drove them out like a shepherd dog herding sheep.
The women, all perceptive enough, rolled their eyes and left one after another.
Cheng Zi only wanted to lay the groundwork, but even she didn’t expect things to spread far beyond her imagination. Among her old classmates, everyone already knew she and Gu Yechen were working together—trying to scam a mayor’s daughter and cheat the Li family out of money.