As soon as Fu Chengyan stepped into the entryway, he caught a whiff of a savory aroma. He glanced sideways at Xu Zhizhi, curiosity stirring within him.
“What delicious thing did you make?”
Xu Zhizhi pursed her lips, her eyes darting around aimlessly. “It’s a very bountiful meal.”
Fu Chengyan chuckled softly. “I’m looking forward to it.”
The bountiful dinner was served. The young girl earnestly piled eggs, fish balls, shrimp, bacon, and other ingredients into Fu Chengyan’s bowl.
She placed the vibrant green vegetables into her own bowl.
Fu Chengyan raised an eyebrow, a lazy smile playing on his lips. “Quite a rich meal indeed.”
With meat, eggs, and vegetables, it was nutritionally balanced.
Watching intently as the girl served the rice, Fu Chengyan quickly spoke up, “No need to give me too much. You should eat more—you’re still growing.”
Even if she ate a lot of nutritious food, she probably wouldn’t grow much taller now, right?
Wasn’t it said that after eighteen, height becomes difficult to increase? At this point, she could likely only gain weight.
Xu Zhizhi felt an inexplicable sense of shame, as if inviting someone to dinner with such simple fare was a bit too plain.
But this was all she knew how to make. Anything else she attempted turned out bitter and inedible.
Lin Xitang and the others had said that her cooking was even worse than traditional Chinese medicine.
Yet Fu Chengyan seemed to enjoy it. This was the first time he had tasted a meal made by the girl.
With meat, vegetables, and a staple food, it was simple and convenient. The girl was clever indeed.
Xu Zhizhi looked at the somewhat humble dinner before her, her mind racing. “How about… I make you a cold cucumber and wood ear salad?”
Fu Chengyan waved his hand dismissively. “No need, this is more than enough.”
The tomato soup base was tangy and appetizing.
Fu Chengyan didn’t actually let the girl eat only vegetables. He shared the other side dishes with her. He didn’t need to grow anymore, but the young girl certainly did.
After taking a bite, Fu Chengyan transformed into a praise enthusiast, complimenting everything from the soup base to the noodles, the side dishes, and the overall flavor.
His praise didn’t feel forced, as if he genuinely meant every word.
Xu Zhizhi was overjoyed by his compliments, her eyes and brows brimming with delight, though she tried to maintain a reserved demeanor as she popped a fish ball into her mouth.
Fu Chengyan’s words were so pleasing to hear, even more so than what Lin Xitang and the others had said.
Xu Zhizhi thought to herself that she always finished the instant noodles she made, and to her, they truly tasted delicious. So Fu Chengyan must be telling the truth.
“Then I’ll make it again tomorrow,” Xu Zhizhi said with eager excitement.
(o∩)
She could make it for several meals and even choose different flavors.
Fu Chengyan paused. “No need. You type every day—that’s tiring enough. I’ll handle the cooking.”
“I’m not tired.”
“You are. Your wrists will ache, so when you rest, you shouldn’t do anything else.” Fu Chengyan tried to scare her. “If you don’t pay attention now, you might develop conditions like tenosynovitis later, which are very difficult to treat.”
Startled, Xu Zhizhi unconsciously flexed her wrists a couple of times.
Fortunately, they didn’t feel sore yet.
Seeing that she was taking it seriously, Fu Chengyan pressed on, “You shouldn’t type too much now either. These conditions develop over time, and you never know when they might catch up to you.”
Xu Zhizhi stiffly flexed her wrists again. “But if I don’t type, I don’t know what else to do.”
Back in school, she could attend classes, spend time in the library, or work on projects. Now, aside from writing novels, she seemed to have nothing to do.
“Do you have anything you’d like to do?” Fu Chengyan asked softly, seeing her little face scrunched up in thought.
“I don’t know,” Xu Zhizhi said. “Seems like not really.”
“Flower arranging, chess, musical instruments, horseback riding, and so on—is there anything that interests you?”
Xu Zhizhi’s eyes lit up. “I can ride horses too? But doesn’t that mean going to the vast grasslands?”
Her expression quickly dimmed. It was too far, and there would be many people she didn’t know.
Xu Zhizhi quickly shook her head. “I’d rather just sleep. It’s good for the skin.”
“…” Fu Chengyan pinched the bridge of his nose and spoke earnestly, “Sleeping too much can give you a headache.”
“Then I’ll just daydream.”
Fu Chengyan: “…”
Daydreaming didn’t seem much better either.
“I have a ranch. If you’re interested, I can take you there tomorrow,” Fu Chengyan said. “If you’re afraid of strangers, I’ll have the manager clear the place. No one will disturb you.”
Xu Zhizhi still shook her head. “No, I can’t interfere with your business.”
Having a ranch sounded very impressive, and clearing it would probably mean losing a lot of money, right?
Even brothers keep clear accounts, and she and Fu Chengyan had just become friends. She couldn’t always let him give so much.
That wouldn’t be right.
Fu Chengyan smiled at her simplicity, finding her silly and adorable.
He absolutely had to coax her home and pamper her.
He couldn’t let anyone else discover her.
“I have a private riding area, separate from the customers’. It’s very quiet and no one will be there. Would you like to go and have some fun?”
The ranch was large. Fu Chengyan hadn’t had much time to ride since he turned eighteen, but his private area was still maintained. His brothers and friends would go there to have fun whenever they had time.
Xu Zhizhi was a little tempted. “Well… I’ll have to think about it.”
Fu Chengyan knew this meant there was a chance, but the girl was timid and full of fear toward the outside world, so she needed time to mentally prepare.
He wasn’t in a hurry. They could take it slow.
After a while, the meal was finished, and the dishes were washed. Only then did Fu Chengyan hear the girl whisper, “Then I have to pay you.”
“Sure,” Fu Chengyan didn’t refuse. He knew that if he said it was free, Xu Zhizhi definitely wouldn’t go.
The two of them came out of the kitchen, and Fu Chengyan led her to the living room. He opened the two cardboard boxes. “A cleaning robot. This is a new generation that hasn’t been released yet. Could you help test it out and see if it works well? Observe it and give me some feedback.”
He joked, “That way, we can make improvements later. Otherwise, if it doesn’t work well, the return rate will be high, and I’ll lose a fortune.”
Xu Zhizhi fiddled with her fingers, waiting for Fu Chengyan to turn it on.
“Once you plug the base into the power, you don’t have to worry about it. It’ll charge itself.”
Xu Zhizhi’s beautiful eyes flickered. After it was plugged in, the cleaning robot began its work according to the room’s layout. She followed it around curiously.
Fu Chengyan chuckled. “You don’t have to follow it all the time. Come back here.”
Xu Zhizhi kept a straight face and reluctantly walked back. “I just wanted to see if it would bump into the walls.”
She refused to admit she was just a curious little thing.
“It won’t. It’s already recorded the layout and arrangement of your apartment. It’ll avoid obstacles on its own.”
Xu Zhizhi nodded. “So advanced.”
“It has other functions too. It’ll remind you to drink water, eat fruit, and go to bed early at set times,” Fu Chengyan said. “I had the staff input the data before I came. It’ll also remind you not to sit for too long.”
“Really? That’s amazing.”
She had only seen such amazing robots in novels.
So they existed in real life too.
(＞＜)
Fu Chengyan chuckled and placed the manual on the coffee table. “There are many more small features waiting for you to discover.”
Xu Zhizhi blinked. How magical.