The girl was wearing a pink loungewear set today.
The top was a little loose-fitting, and the bottoms were a pair of tulip-shaped shorts.
Her two fair, lovely legs looked like the pistil of a flower, and the backs of her heels were even tinged with pink.
Her girlish charm was maxed out.
The pink outfit made her skin look so fair it seemed to glow, like a freshly peeled egg.
Her soft hair was casually draped over her shoulders.
She first gave the camera a standard sweet smile, then aimed the lens at the rice congee in the pot.
"Ta-da! Tonight’s dinner is preserved egg and pork congee. Now I’m going to start chopping the preserved eggs and pork. But since someone is working, I have to keep my voice down~"
Yan Xici’s voice was lovely to listen to—crisp with a hint of softness.
Now that she had lowered her volume, that soft quality became even more pronounced, bringing to mind the image of a sweet young Korean wife cooking for her husband.
It was the kind of voice that made you want to just grab her and take her home to cook for you right away.
After she finished speaking, she used her slender, fair hands to hold the preserved egg she had just peeled steady on the cutting board. She started by cutting it into crescent shapes, then finally chopped it into tiny pieces with her knife.
Next, she took out a small piece of lean pork and chopped it up just as finely.
Her hands were quite beautiful—fair-skinned with long, slender fingers. Her fingertips were rounded, and her full nails were neatly trimmed.
You had to admit, even the sight of such a pair of hands chopping vegetables was a beautiful scene.
Once all this was done, the girl finally looked up, smiling radiantly at the screen.
"Now, I’ll put all of this into the pot, and in a little while, we’ll have delicious preserved egg and pork congee~"
She carefully placed the ingredients into the pot.
The camera clearly recorded the steam slowly rising from the small stainless steel pot, as well as the bubbling, soft, white rice congee.
The girl once again brought her face close to the camera. "I’ll be cooking a lot more often recently. Let’s learn how to cook together. I hope everyone can become a master chef~"
She finished with another bright, sunny smile.
Yan Xici had a very distinctive smile. When she smiled, her pink lips curved up into a particularly natural and pretty arc, revealing eight perfectly neat little white teeth.
Her large eyes would crinkle into crescents, shimmering with flecks of starlight, and with her long, curled eyelashes, she couldn’t look more girlish.
A single glance at her smile felt wonderfully warm and brilliant, like the warmest winter sun, easily chasing away the cold.
After she finished recording, the girl sat comfortably on the sofa with her phone, casually crossing her long, slender legs.
She gave the video a quick look-over, saw no problems, and opened up Little Broken Station. Then, she logged into her account and hit "Publish."
After publishing, the girl didn’t forget about her congee.
She returned to the kitchen and picked up a ladle to stir. As she stirred gently, the unique aroma of the preserved egg and pork congee wafted out of the pot.
The girl subconsciously sniffed with her delicate little nose. "Mmm, smells so good~"
She added a pinch of salt, then sprinkled a handful of chopped green onions on top before taking it off the heat.
After carefully ladling the congee into bowls, she carried them to the dining table.
The girl then walked to the study door. After gently turning the lock, she carefully poked her head inside. A stray lock of long hair fell forward, making her look incredibly gentle.
She gave Xiao Ran a sweet smile. "The congee is ready. It’s time to eat."
Hearing her, Xiao Ran’s hands, which had been furiously tapping away at the keyboard, paused.
It wasn’t that he was angry about being suddenly interrupted and losing his inspiration. Rather, in all the years he had been in this home, this was the first time someone had specifically come to call him for a meal.
’He couldn’t help but feel surprised. So this is what it feels like to be called for a meal.’
’How should I put it? It’s like someone is waiting just for you.’
’It gives you a sense that you’re important, too. This is probably what a home feels like.’
It was strange. He was clearly divorced now, yet in the two days since the divorce, that feeling of home had only grown stronger in his heart.
How to describe it? It was a real, tangible warmth, a beautiful and reassuring feeling.
Seeing Xiao Ran pause, the girl thought she had disturbed her brother-in-law’s inspiration.
She didn’t know anything about writing books, only that inspiration was very important for an author.
Thinking she had bothered her brother-in-law, the girl shrank back like a child who had done something wrong and stuck out her little tongue apologetically.
"Um, actually, there’s no rush. If you’re not hungry, you can eat later."
"Who said I’m not hungry?" Xiao Ran said, stretching lazily before standing up.
He had been busy all day; he really was hungry now.
He walked out of the study and saw two simple bowls of preserved egg and pork congee on the table. They walked over together and sat down facing each other.
The white congee was sprinkled with a bit of vibrant green onion, making it look very appetizing.
Xiao Ran picked up his spoon and took a bite.
’Mmm, it tastes great.’ ’To be honest, he was starting to suspect that Yan Xici had known how to cook all along.’
Her cooking was genuinely good, even better than the food he made himself, and he’d been cooking for several years.
Xiao Ran took another bite and couldn’t help but exclaim, "I’ve discovered you have a real talent for cooking."
’This isn’t "not knowing how to cook" at all. With skills like these, she could easily make a living for herself, okay?’
"Really?" Hearing the praise, the girl’s eyes narrowed, and her expression was like a cat that had just gotten a dried fish treat, her tail practically about to stick up in delight.
’It’s such a happy thing when the food you’ve made with care receives praise.’
Seeing her delighted expression, Xiao Ran couldn’t resist teasing her. "Nah, it’s fake. It’s terrible."
Hearing this, the girl pouted and let out a soft huff.
’No way. Brother-in-law is lying. He was just praising me a moment ago.’
’I’ll have to try it myself!’
Just as she picked up her spoon, her phone vibrated. It was a notification that her short video had received a tip.
She had a habit of leaving a thank-you message in the comments section every time someone tipped her, even if it was just ten cents. In her eyes, it wasn’t just about the money; it was a sign of their love for her work.
She would sincerely thank anyone who showed appreciation for her work.
The girl deliberately turned her phone’s volume down very low before tapping on the video.
The next second, she saw a flood of bullet comments flying across the screen.
I Love Fish: I so want to know who Cici is cooking for. I’m so jealous.
NoGossip: Is Cici about to make it official? She’s putting in so much effort, it must be for her boyfriend. I’m green with envy.
Not Xiaobai: I’ve lost my wife! Who stole my Cici’s heart?
It’sNotMe: Day N of wanting to be Cici’s boyfriend.
Looking at the screen full of bullet comments, the modest girl felt a little shy.
’Hmph. These people, all they think about is romance and "wife" this, "wife" that. How boring. I’m not in a relationship!!!’
Seeing that she wasn’t eating, Xiao Ran couldn’t help but get curious. "What are you looking at? I think I heard you say something just now."
Hearing him, the girl jumped, her body stiffening as she said nervously, "N-nothing."
’I can’t let my brother-in-law find out about this. If he finds out, and misunderstands that I told my fans I want to marry him and be his wife or something, I’ll die of social embarrassment on the spot!’
Xiao Ran’s brow twitched.
’Hm?’
’Would she have that expression if it was "nothing"?’
Instinct told Xiao Ran she was definitely lying.
’If it was nothing, why be so nervous?’
"Really?" he asked.
The girl gulped, hurriedly stuffed her phone into her pocket, and said, feigning composure, "Of course it’s nothing. I was just watching a video."
’There’s no way I’m letting him find out.’
"A video you filmed?" Xiao Ran asked.