The next day, Monday, early morning.
Gu Qing, who hadn’t slept well all night, got up with dark circles under her eyes. After brushing her teeth and washing her face, she put on a pair of jeans paired with a tube-top long-sleeve top and headed out to the steamed bun shop across the street for breakfast.
Then she took a taxi to drop her younger male cousin Langlang off at school before returning to the supermarket to buy groceries.
After a whole night of deep thought, Gu Qing decided to use the enemy’s own tactics to defeat them.
Meng Yue cooked.
She would cook too.
Wasn’t there a saying online that to win a man’s heart, you first had to win his stomach?
So Gu Qing decided to cook for Chen Luo. She remembered that Chen Luo liked braised beef brisket, so she planned to make that dish for lunch today.
She went to the supermarket and bought five potatoes, two jin of beef brisket, along with cilantro, star anise, and other seasonings, then went home and started watching teaching videos.
…
At 9:36 AM.
Chen Luo, who had slept until he woke up naturally, slowly opened his eyes in bed. He picked up his phone to check the time, then played on it for a while in bed before getting up comfortably.
He opened the window.
Stretching lazily toward the outdoors and watching the rising sun outside the window, Chen Luo couldn’t help but feel cheerful.
Mondays were busy for Meng Yue, so he could finally relax a bit.
No more being caught in a pincer attack from both sides.
After washing up.
Chen Luo then went out to the breakfast shop across the street for breakfast.
After that, he returned to the small courtyard.
Seeing the rare, warm sunshine of autumn, Chen Luo decided to bask on the balcony and enjoy the leisurely life he had returned to in Jiangcheng.
So.
Chen Luo went back inside and brought out a chair… one that had come with the rental apartment… a recliner just as brand new as Gu Qing’s.
Sometimes.
Chen Luo couldn’t help but think that this landlord was truly too considerate.
All kinds of furniture were fully provided.
If Hua Country were to hold a Best Landlord competition, Chen Luo would truly cast a vote for his landlord, because this landlord was simply too conscientious.
So conscientious that sometimes Chen Luo couldn’t even sleep peacefully, wondering if someone had died in this apartment. But at 500 yuan a month in rent, Chen Luo felt he could accept it even if it were a haunted house.
Having brought out the recliner.
Chen Luo also squeezed himself a glass of orange juice. As for where the oranges came from… naturally, they were the ones Gu Qing had given Meng Yue last night.
After finishing the hot pot last night.
Meng Yue had told him to take Gu Qing’s oranges back and eat them too.
Chen Luo didn’t stand on ceremony.
Having squeezed the oranges.
Chen Luo grabbed a cushion, headed to the balcony, unfolded the recliner, placed the cushion on it, and lay down comfortably.
Taking a sip of orange juice,
Chen Luo then opened up best bro Xu Anping’s masterpiece and began to enjoy it.
He had to read Teacher Xu’s work every day.
After finishing reading.
Chen Luo had also finished the last sip of orange juice, then went back inside. He had killed time until almost 11 o’clock.
About time to cook.
Chen Luo was getting ready to head out to the supermarket for groceries, and just then, Gu Qing appeared at his doorstep, still wearing a white apron.
Her long hair was coiled on top of her head, held in place by a simple wooden hairpin. It had to be said… Gu Qing like this was actually quite pretty.
It rather resembled what Chen Luo imagined Gu Qing would look like after they were married.
Simple, unadorned, and purely beautiful.
So Chen Luo accidentally stared a little too intently.
“Chen Luo, are you heading out to buy groceries?” Gu Qing asked.
Her tone was somewhat shy.
“Yeah.”
Chen Luo nodded and replied.
“Come to my place for lunch today. I saw the beef was on sale at the supermarket, so I bought a bit extra. I probably can’t finish it all by myself.”
Gu Qing said.
“If you can’t finish it, put it in the fridge for next time.”
Chen Luo replied without thinking much… perhaps because of last night’s events, he felt a bit guilty and was afraid Gu Qing might stir up trouble again at home.
Hearing those words.
The expression on Gu Qing’s face instantly turned cold. Her eyes locked onto Chen Luo as if auto-aim had been activated, and she spoke in a somewhat agitated tone.
“Chen Luo, when Teacher Meng says she cooked too much and invites you to eat, you go. When I cook too much and invite you to eat, you say to put it in the fridge? Teacher Meng and I are both your neighbors. You can’t treat me differently just because I’m your ex-girlfriend, can you?”
“It’s really unfair to me when you do this!”
Hearing Gu Qing’s string of reasoning, Chen Luo… who was usually invincible in verbal sparring… was at a loss for words for a moment.
The key point was.
Gu Qing wasn’t just employing verbal sparring right now; after saying all that, her eyes were also brimming with tears, as if the moment Chen Luo dared to say a word.
Gu Qing would immediately burst into tears in front of him.
Fine!
Even after all these years and meeting again, Chen Luo still couldn’t bear to see Gu Qing cry. No matter how many harsh things other women said, it couldn’t hurt Chen Luo.
But Gu Qing’s tears alone made Chen Luo feel deeply guilty when he saw them.
“Eat it!”
Chen Luo replied, as if comforting her.
Hearing those words.
Gu Qing immediately wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes, then pouted and said haughtily.
“Bad guy!”
“You only agree when I shed tears. I won’t ever cry in front of you again!”
Chen Luo didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when he heard that.
In the few years apart, Gu Qing really had improved a lot… she even knew how to use the sympathy card now? It seemed she really wasn’t as naive as she used to be.
That was fine too.
If Gu Qing were still as naive as before, Chen Luo would actually be a bit worried about her future.
Following Gu Qing into her home.
This was the first time Chen Luo had entered Gu Qing’s home since moving here.
The decor was very simple.
But very cozy.
There were many paintings on the walls that Gu Qing had painted herself. As fellow graduates from the art academy, comparing his and Gu Qing’s painting skills.
One was in the heavens, the other underground.
To put it this way.
Gu Qing could sell her artwork online right after graduating from college.
Each piece ranged from several hundred to over a thousand yuan.
While he could only find work at some company, doing menial tasks like pouring tea and fetching water.
“Time to eat!”
Gu Qing brought out a basin of braised beef brisket from the kitchen, speaking with a tone full of anticipation.
“Try it!”
“Gu Qing, why does this braised beef brisket look so black?”
Chen Luo asked with a frown.
The braised beef brisket before him was coated in a layer of dark sauce, mixed with potatoes that had been boiled until nearly mushy. Just looking at it made one’s stomach uncomfortable.
“When I was adding soy sauce, I accidentally used dark soy sauce instead of regular soy sauce.”
Gu Qing said dismissively, “But the taste shouldn’t be bad. I followed all the other steps from the teaching video.”
“Have you eaten any yourself?”
After hearing all that, Chen Luo only asked one question.
“Not yet.”
Gu Qing shook her head and said, “I wanted you to taste the first bite.”
“…”
Chen Luo was speechless.
He then gathered his courage, picked up his chopsticks, picked up a piece of beef brisket coated in black sauce, opened his mouth, and put it in.
After a couple of chews.
The expression on Chen Luo’s face instantly twisted into the “Nine-Turn Intestine” meme.
“What’s wrong? Does it not taste good?”
Seeing Chen Luo’s expression, Gu Qing asked in an anxious tone.
“You did a great job. Don’t ever make it again.”
Chen Luo replied after swallowing a piece with tears in his eyes.
Hands born for painting.
Should never step into a kitchen.