Assistant Little Tang said he had other things to attend to, and then hurriedly made arrangements to leave.
Jing Xun saw him to the door and even enthusiastically helped him call the elevator. Once the person was gone, he turned around and found that Shen Yijin had actually followed him out and was standing right behind him.
Jing Xun tilted his head slightly. “Sir?”
He didn’t understand why Shen Yijin had come out as well. However, Shen Yijin didn’t offer an explanation. Seeing that Little Tang had left, he turned back into the house and said to Jing Xun, “What would you like to eat, Xiao Xun? For the main dish, I can make pork ribs or steak.”
There were far too many things Jing Xun wanted to eat. After returning inside, he glanced at the vegetables and meat Little Tang had bought and said, “Let’s do pork ribs, and maybe a soup to go with it?”
“Alright.” With that, Shen Yijin put on an apron and walked into the kitchen.
Jing Xun had never dreamed he would ever see the “villainous Sir” in such a… relatable light. Like anyone else, Shen Yijin was imposing even while wearing an apron; his handsome, symmetrical face remained stoic and solemn. However, the loungewear and the domestic atmosphere undeniably cast a soft glow around him, as if the world’s strongest and warmest qualities had merged. The “cold blade” was sheathed, making the man working in the kitchen still someone whose gaze one couldn’t tear away from.
Jing Xun asked, “Sir, do you need any help?”
Although he couldn’t cook, Jing Xun felt he could at least handle tasks like washing vegetables. But Shen Yijin replied, “No need.”
“Go play, Xiao Xun. I’ll call you when it’s ready.”
“Oh,” Jing Xun replied.
Even so, he didn’t go play but obediently stood to the side, watching Shen Yijin work.
There was no denying it: the “long-legged Sir” was truly methodical. Jing Xun watched him put the vegetables into the washing machine to clean them, and in the interim, he went to rinse the rice and start it cooking. Once the vegetables were washed, he pulled them out to chop, then put the meat in the washer.
The meat was washed for a bit longer, apparently for an acid-removal process. During that time, Shen Yijin chopped all the vegetables into the shapes he needed. He stood there, his usually straight, slender back slightly bent, which did nothing to diminish the aura he possessed as a CEO.
He held a chef’s knife with long, slender fingers, his gaze focused and his movements practiced it was clear he hadn’t spent much time away from the kitchen.
Jing Xun couldn’t help but recall what Little Tang had said: Shen Yijin had gone abroad to study at a very young age. Living away from home meant he had to be self-reliant.
Just how young was “very young”? Wasn’t he the eldest young master of the Shen family? Did he have to cook for himself even when he was away?
Because of his competitive robotics background, Jing Xun had come into contact with many students studying abroad and knew something about their lives. While the vast majority of students studying abroad took care of themselves, knowing the pomp and circumstance with which Shen Bohan traveled, Jing Xun didn’t think the Shen family lacked the financial means to hire someone or find a good host family for Shen Yijin.
But why…
And then there was Shen Yijin’s illness. When did he get it? Did his family know…
Looking back at the plot, Jing Xun realized that aside from knowing Shen Yijin and Shen Bohan were half-brothers and that the current Mrs. Shen was Shen Yijin’s father’s second wife, he knew almost nothing…
“Xiao Xun?”
“Mm?”
“What are you thinking about?”
Jing Xun realized he had zoned out again. He quickly said, “It’s nothing.”
Shen Yijin asked, “Why aren’t you playing your game?”
“Ah…”
Jing Xun shifted his body slightly, attempting to hide behind the pillar next to the kitchen to prevent Shen Yijin from feeling distracted by his presence.
He said, “I just wanted to see… if there was anything you needed help with.”
Shen Yijin looked back at him, seeing the young man hiding his body behind the corner, leaving only a handsome face exposed… The habitually tight lip line couldn’t help but curve into an arc. He said, “Then come over and help me tie the strap at the back.”
“Okay!”
He quickly entered the kitchen, where Jing Xun found that the strap at the back of Shen Yijin’s apron had indeed come loose. Perhaps it hadn’t been tied properly in the first place. Shen Yijin was currently handling the pork ribs he had just washed, and his hands were covered in grease. Furthermore, it was inconvenient to touch anything else while handling ingredients… Jing Xun didn’t think too much about it and reached out straight to tie it back up for him.
But as luck would have it, a cliché scene unfolded: Jing Xun’s fingers happened to brush against the knot Shen Yijin had made, and the strap, which hadn’t been fully secure to begin with, came undone completely at his touch.
The two long straps dangled down, and with them, the apron separated from Shen Yijin’s body…
“Ahhh, sorry, Sir…”
It was bad enough that he was a kitchen klutz, but he couldn’t even tie a simple knot. Jing Xun didn’t care about anything else at that moment and immediately bent forward to grab the two straps. He failed to notice that his front was nearly pressed against Shen Yijin’s lower back; their posture looked as if he had snuck up from behind to give Shen Yijin a bear hug.
The sound of chopping stopped completely. For a moment, Shen Yijin seemed to halt every movement he was making. It was only after Jing Xun retrieved the two straps that he finally realized the distance between him and the Sir was perhaps a little too close.
Ahhh.
Jing Xun couldn’t say what kind of mood he was in while tying those two straps for Shen Yijin. But when he looked up again, his face was already burning. Looking up, all he could see was Shen Yijin’s tall, broad back, the mountain-like, steady reliability washing over him a reliability… that made one want to bury their head into it.
“Xiao Xun.”
Accompanied by the resumed sound of chopping, Shen Yijin called him again. Perhaps because it was the first time standing so close behind Shen Yijin, Jing Xun felt his voice sounded inexplicably, dangerously deep and sexy.
Jing Xun: “…Mm?”
“Go play,” Shen Yijin said.
“Oh… okay.”
He didn’t dare linger after being told to leave, so he obediently went back to continue fiddling with the game console.
The console had both single and two-player games; Jing Xun decided to try them all out to see which one was suitable for two people. Hmm, thinking about the calm, stoic “villainous Sir” playing games with him… Jing Xun felt that the image was quite acceptable.
About another hour or so passed, and the aroma from the kitchen had been filling the living room for a while when Jing Xun heard Shen Yijin call him for dinner.
Shen Yijin had made sweet and sour pork ribs, beef and radish soup, and had also stir-fried some greens. Jing Xun stood obediently to the side, waiting for the other man to scoop the dishes out of the pot. He took responsibility for carrying them to the table, and once everything was ready, he sat at the dining table waiting for Shen Yijin.
Shen Yijin took off his apron, hung it neatly in its original place, washed his hands, and only then sat down opposite Jing Xun. Seeing Jing Xun still looking up at him, he couldn’t help but say, “Give my cooking a try.”
As he spoke, he was the first to pick up a pair of clean chopsticks to place a piece of rib on Jing Xun’s plate, then scooped him a bowl of soup.
The ribs were stewed until they were tender and flavorful. Jing Xun didn’t know how he had managed it in such a short amount of time, but it was genuinely delicious; he couldn’t help but give Shen Yijin a thumbs up.
“Sir, you’re amazing—you can do everything!”
Shen Yijin had heard flattery often, but this time, he slightly raised the corners of his lips and said, “Eat more if you like it.”
“Okay,” Jing Xun said, then tried the soup; he couldn’t stop himself, revealing an even more shocked expression. The flavor of the beef had been completely stewed into the radish and the soup, and the meat wasn’t tough at all.
Jing Xun, who frequently ate in the school cafeteria, saw this dish often, but this was the first time he had tasted it so flavorful and delicious. Jing Xun was truly convinced this time; he hadn’t expected Shen Yijin to have such talents.
But Shen Yijin said, “I was a bit rushed this time, the heat wasn’t quite right. You can tell me in advance what you want to eat next time.”
Jing Xun asked, “…Sir, can you cook for me all the time?”
“Mm.” Shen Yijin said, “Of course.”
His tone was completely matter-of-fact. …Although he knew the other man was saying this because he was his fiancé, Jing Xun still smiled. For him, this was already enough. He smiled and said, “Alright, I’ll keep that in mind.”
Perhaps because they had been living here for two days and had more interaction, or perhaps because of the situation last night… Jing Xun always felt that he and Shen Yijin were much less stiff than before. At the very least, it wasn’t like the last time they had eaten Western food together, where they had been afraid to speak or move a muscle.
He now dared to ask questions while eating: “Sir, can you make everything? Are you better at Chinese or Western food?”
Jing Xun hadn’t forgotten that the other party had asked him earlier whether he wanted ribs or steak.
Shen Yijin answered his questions one by one, very earnestly, just as always: “I can’t make everything; I only know a little of each. I’m probably better at fast food.”
Jing Xun: “?”
Shen Yijin: “Like sandwiches.”
Jing Xun: “…”
Well, if anyone else had said that, it would likely be considered a cold joke. But Shen Yijin… the Sir didn’t tell jokes.
Jing Xun suddenly felt a little heavy-hearted… being good at sandwiches meant eating fast food most often. It was hard to imagine what it was like for someone as cold and fastidious as Shen Yijin to be eating fast food every single day…
He asked Shen Yijin again: “So how long did you spend abroad, Sir?”
Unexpectedly, Shen Yijin suddenly looked up at him upon hearing this.
…At the sudden contact with those indifferent peach-blossom eyes, Jing Xun couldn’t help but feel a start, fearing it was a question he shouldn’t have asked.
But Shen Yijin still answered him quickly. Only this time, it wasn’t a very precise answer.
Shen Yijin said, “I don’t remember very clearly.”
“It should have been about ten years or so.”
Jing Xun: “…Oh.”
His expression remained calm, but in his heart, his thoughts were Oh??
Shen Yijin was only twenty-six this year, and he had returned two years ago, so he was twenty-four before returning. If you push that back another ten years… didn’t that mean he had been living abroad since he was a teenager??
And for a long period after that, he had likely been all by himself???
No wonder the “big brother” was always in such a state of “no strangers allowed,” appearing so cold. Living abroad as a teenager in a foreign land, dealing with the cold and warmth all by himself, and with his own health condition being poor…
What else could one expect him to be like!
Jing Xun couldn’t help but feel curious again: did his family know about the Sir’s situation?
But fearing Shen Yijin might see something amiss—after all, as an orphan, Jing Xun was naturally sensitive to family-related topics. Fearing that Shen Yijin’s family wasn’t that harmonious, to avoid any unpleasant topics, Jing Xun didn’t ask anything else about the other party’s past for the remainder of the meal.
He continued to eat, chatting and laughing. Without realizing it, the topic returned to the field of technology that both were very interested in.
This meal actually lasted for a very long time.
After the meal, Shen Yijin started clearing the table. Jing Xun hurriedly got up to help him. There was a large dishwasher in the kitchen; pots and dishes could be put inside, so there was no need for them to wash them by hand. However, the table and the stove that had been used still needed a simple wipe-down.
Shen Yijin said, “Go play, Xiao Xun; I’ll handle this.”
“No, no, no.” Jing Xun was determined not to leave this time. Even if he couldn’t cook, he knew how to clear a table. Furthermore…
Taking advantage of the time Shen Yijin was rinsing the rag, Jing Xun grabbed another one and went over to clean with him. The kitchen was large, and the sink was wide enough to allow two people to work together. Jing Xun stood right next to Shen Yijin, turned on the faucet, and as the stream of water poured out, he spoke softly, saying, “I’ll keep you company.”
Feeling the other man looking down at him, Jing Xun raised his head naturally.
Meeting those deep, obsidian eyes, Jing Xun’s eyebrows were soft, his gaze firm.
He smiled gently: “I’ll keep you company, Sir.”