After bringing Shu Qian home, Yang Luo saw that Ye Zhihan still hadn’t returned and couldn’t help wondering to himself, “What’s going on? Didn’t she say she’d be back after her morning meeting? It’s already past one. Why hasn’t she come home yet?”
As soon as Shu Qian entered the house, she casually tossed her backpack aside. Like a ball that had been deflated, she dropped heavily onto the living room sofa and immediately complained, “I’m hungry! I want something to eat.”
Yang Luo glanced at Shu Qian and said, “I told you to eat something at the airport earlier, but you wouldn’t listen. Now you’re hungry, aren’t you? How about I go buy you some instant noodles to tide you over?”
“No. Instant noodles have no nutritional value.” Shu Qian furrowed her brows, her face full of disdain.
“Then I’ll go pick up some fast food for you,” Yang Luo offered.
“No, fast food tastes awful.” Shu Qian was still dissatisfied, her lips pouting.
“All right, then. I’ll take you to a restaurant.”
“Food outside isn’t sanitary. I’m not going.”
Yang Luo was growing impatient. “Then what exactly do you want?”
“Cook for me.”
“Cook?”
“What? You have a guest over. Did you not prepare anything at all?”
An inexplicable anger flared in Yang Luo’s heart. Given his usual temper, he wouldn’t have bothered with someone as picky as Shu Qian; she could eat or go hungry for all he cared. But then he remembered that Shu Qian was Ye Zhihan’s younger female cousin, and this was her first time visiting. There was nothing he could do, so Yang Luo suppressed his anger and reluctantly gave in. “Fine, fine, fine. I’ll go downstairs and buy some groceries. Just sit tight for a while.”
“You haven’t even bought the groceries yet! By the time you finish cooking, I’ll have starved to death.”
“It’ll be ready soon. Just trust me!” Yang Luo said, then headed out without waiting for Shu Qian to reply or caring whether she agreed.
Yang Luo knew full well that if he kept arguing with her, they’d never get anywhere. He might as well use the time to go downstairs, buy some groceries, and throw together a meal to placate her.
About ten minutes later, Yang Luo hurried back into the house, carrying several bulging plastic bags. They appeared to be filled with ingredients for lunch.
Seeing how quickly Yang Luo had returned, Shu Qian looked a little surprised. “That was fast! You didn’t just buy a few random things to fob me off, did you?”
“Wait a little longer. It’ll be ready soon.” As he spoke, Yang Luo strode into the kitchen.
Since moving into this house, they had hardly ever used the kitchen, so all the utensils inside were practically brand-new. Yang Luo took out all the dishes, pots, pans, and other cookware, then carefully sterilized everything with boiling water.
About twenty minutes later, three dishes and a soup were neatly laid out on the dining table. Their mouthwatering aroma spread throughout the room.
“All right, come eat!”
“You really can cook?” Shu Qian asked, staring at Yang Luo in astonishment.
“Go ahead.” As he spoke, Yang Luo served Shu Qian a bowl of rice, then served himself one and started eating first.
Half-skeptically, Shu Qian picked up a piece of meat and put it in her mouth. In an instant, its rich aroma filled her mouth. She couldn’t help chewing quickly. Even after she swallowed, a lingering, unforgettable aftertaste remained.
“Well?” Yang Luo asked, looking at Shu Qian.
“It’s all right. Passable, I guess.” Though that was what Shu Qian said, she was secretly marveling at how delicious his cooking was. Still, she simply refused to admit it.
Yang Luo found it amusing. He knew his own cooking skills like the back of his hand. He was better than most people, and in some respects, even the chefs at five-star hotels couldn’t match him. Though it had been a long time since he’d cooked, his food was certainly more than just passable.
They were halfway through their meal when they heard a key turn in the lock outside. A moment later, Ye Zhihan opened the door and walked in.
A rich, tempting aroma immediately wafted over. Ye Zhihan instinctively looked toward the dining table and saw three dishes and a soup neatly arranged there. Their appetizing colors alone were enough to whet her appetite.
She also noticed her younger female cousin, Shu Qian, eating with obvious relish. The look of satisfaction on her face seemed to say that the food tasted quite good. Ye Zhihan noticed, too, that the dishes were served on plates, not in takeout containers. Clearly, this hadn’t been ordered in. She couldn’t help wondering if her cousin had cooked it. When had that girl learned to cook?
“Cousin, you’re back.” Shu Qian spoke around a mouthful of food.
Ye Zhihan smiled and asked, “Mm. When did you get here, cousin?”
“Just a little while ago. But your husband is quite something—he actually came to pick me up on that beat-up motorcycle… At least your husband has some conscience. He cooked me a meal, too.” As she spoke, Shu Qian began reporting her grievances to Ye Zhihan, her tone carrying a hint of playful complaint.
Shu Qian kept calling him “your husband” this and “your husband” that, until Ye Zhihan’s cheeks turned faintly red. But when she heard that Yang Luo had cooked the meal, she was surprised.
Ye Zhihan had never imagined that Yang Luo could cook. They had been together for more than half a year, and she had never once seen him cook. At the thought, she felt a little disappointed. As his wife, she had never even eaten a meal he’d cooked. It was rather sad when she thought about it.
However, Ye Zhihan forgot that she had never thought much of Yang Luo from the very beginning. The two of them had always been at odds, quarreling whenever they met.
Yang Luo ignored Shu Qian’s complaints, letting them go in one ear and out the other. Turning to Ye Zhihan, he asked with concern, “Have you eaten?”
“I had a bowl of noodles.”
“Want some more?”
Ye Zhihan had meant to refuse outright, but the enticing aroma was too tempting. She gave a slight nod. “All right. Serve me a small bowl. Since this is my cousin’s first time visiting, I’ll join you for a little.”
To avoid giving herself away in front of her cousin, Ye Zhihan tried to make her tone as gentle as possible. Even so, her words still sounded somewhat stiff and formal.
Ye Zhihan took the rice Yang Luo served her, carefully picked up a small piece of meat, and took a delicate bite. She chewed slowly. At once, the rich aroma filled her mouth.
To her surprise, the stir-fried meat was exceptionally well prepared. It was tender and succulent, juicy and flavorful. Even the fatty pieces were rich without being greasy, with an excellent texture.
Although she thought the food was unbelievably delicious, Ye Zhihan kept her expression calm and showed no hint of praise.
Yang Luo was confident in his cooking. Seeing the two cousins’ reactions, he couldn’t help finding it amusing. As expected of close cousins—their expressions were exactly alike, and neither meant what she said.
Was it really so hard to admit someone was good at something?
After the meal, Yang Luo began clearing the dishes without a second thought. Then he went straight into the kitchen and washed them in an orderly fashion. He wasn’t doing it to show off how considerate or hardworking he was. He simply knew that Ye Zhihan was the City Mayor, and given her status, it was almost impossible to imagine her lowering herself to wash dishes.
After all, she was busy with work every day and dealt with all kinds of important matters. A trivial chore like washing dishes simply didn’t fit her status or daily routine.
Then there was Shu Qian, a bold and fiery girl who exuded the air of an Eldest Miss. She was used to being waited on, and clearly seemed like the type who had never set foot in a kitchen or lifted a finger around the house. She probably didn’t even know which way the kitchen door opened, let alone volunteer to wash dishes. From her words and actions, it was obvious that she knew nothing about housework.
Yang Luo had only taken the morning off. Once he had washed the dishes clean, he checked the time and saw that it was almost time to head to work.
Ye Zhihan was a workaholic. Although she was supposed to have the afternoon off, shortly after Yang Luo left, she sat down nearby and focused on sorting through some documents. She never let her dedication to work slacken, even during her time off, as if work were an indispensable part of her life.
Meanwhile, Shu Qian lounged lazily on the living room sofa, her long, straight legs crossed casually. She kept clicking her tongue in admiration. “I didn’t expect your husband to be such a good cook. Cousin, you’re so lucky!”
As Shu Qian spoke, her face was alight with satisfaction, as if she were still savoring Yang Luo’s cooking.
At her words, Ye Zhihan paused, and her hands stopped sorting the documents. Thinking back on how she and Yang Luo usually clashed like flint and steel, she couldn’t help feeling a complicated mix of emotions.
Ye Zhihan slowly raised her head and forced a somewhat strained smile. “Most of the time, we eat at work. We hardly ever get the chance to eat at home.”
As soon as she heard this, Shu Qian stood up and walked over to Ye Zhihan. She plopped down beside her, leaned closer, and said with a grin, “Cousin, why do you always eat at work? You have a husband who’s this good at cooking. It’d be such a waste not to enjoy it!”
Ye Zhihan sighed softly, set down the documents she was sorting, and rubbed her slightly aching temples. A trace of weariness showed in her eyes as she said, “Qianqian, you’re still young. There are things you don’t understand. As Mayor, I bear a heavy responsibility. There are countless matters to handle every day, so much work that it piles up like a mountain. I’m busy from morning to night, hardly getting a moment to rest. How could I find the time to come home for a meal?”
Shu Qian pursed her lips in disapproval. “No matter how busy you are, you still need to eat properly. You can’t just grab something at work every day. Your husband is such a good cook—it’s a real waste not to eat at home.”
Ye Zhihan smiled, a trace of helplessness in her eyes, then explained, “We’re both working hard for our respective careers. Besides, when you’re in my position, a lot of things are beyond your control. There are some social engagements and work dinners you simply can’t turn down. You have to attend them.”
Ye Zhihan seemed unwilling to continue discussing the subject, so she changed the topic. “Qianqian, tell me about how things are going at school…”
Shu Qian’s arrival was like a stone dropped into a calm lake, disrupting Yang Luo and Ye Zhihan’s relatively peaceful routine. Fortunately, she would only be staying for two days. This brief interruption might become a special experience in their lives.
Just before the end of his workday, Yang Luo received a message from Ye Zhihan. She explicitly told him to buy groceries and cook dinner at home, and specifically reminded him not to let anything slip that evening. After dinner, he was to rest in her room.
Yang Luo furrowed his brows slightly, a wry smile forming at the corners of his mouth. He thought to himself that he still had to keep up the act. Then he gave a helpless smile and replied to Ye Zhihan with a single “Okay.” Though he felt somewhat helpless, he could only go along with Ye Zhihan’s arrangements.
After work, Yang Luo followed her instructions and carefully picked out some fresh ingredients at the vegetable market before heading home.
Naturally, Yang Luo was the one who cooked. He worked methodically in the kitchen by himself, washing and cooking the rice, washing and chopping the vegetables, and stir-frying the dishes. His practiced movements showed off his solid cooking skills.
After dinner, the three of them sat together in the living room and chatted idly for a while. Then, as Ye Zhihan had instructed, Yang Luo went with her to her room.
This was Yang Luo’s first time entering Ye Zhihan’s room. As soon as he opened the door, a faint fragrance lingered in the air. The room was simply but tastefully furnished, every detail reflecting its owner’s unique taste.
Beneath its cozy appearance, however, the room held an unmistakable chill, much like the impression Ye Zhihan usually gave. Its decor and layout seemed to silently tell the story of her personality and attitude toward life.
Yang Luo stood there, looking a little awkward. His eyes quickly swept around the room before he pointed to a corner and said, “I’ll sleep on the floor over there tonight.”
Ye Zhihan gave a slight nod. A trace of panic flashed across her eyes, but she quickly composed herself and returned to her usual calm.
After all, this was the first time she had shared her bedroom with a man. The unprecedented situation inevitably stirred something within her. There was no way she could sleep in the same bed as Yang Luo. She simply couldn’t get past that in her mind.
So when Yang Luo suggested sleeping on the floor, she agreed without hesitation.
Then Ye Zhihan took a quilt from the wardrobe and handed it to Yang Luo. He accepted it and made a simple bed in the corner. After they lay down, silence filled the room. Neither of them spoke, each lost in their own tangled thoughts.
The silence enveloped the room, as if time itself had stopped. Ye Zhihan suddenly realized that she couldn’t fall asleep. She was used to the quiet of being alone. Tonight, the familiar yet unfamiliar man beside her stirred a strange feeling within her. Her thoughts drifted in all directions, leaving her conflicted and confused.
For no clear reason, Ye Zhihan felt restless. She turned over, trying to calm herself, but her jumbled thoughts wound around her like vines and refused to let go. She tried to shake them off but found she couldn’t.
The room was so quiet that they could hear each other breathing. The stillness seemed to slow time itself. Yang Luo disliked the somewhat awkward situation too, but he didn’t try to start a conversation with Ye Zhihan.
He knew Ye Zhihan had let him into her room only because she had no choice. After all, she despised him in her usual day-to-day life. If she hadn’t needed to keep up appearances in front of Shu Qian, she probably wouldn’t even have looked him in the eye. Yang Luo knew exactly where he stood in Ye Zhihan’s heart, and understood that this awkward situation was only temporary.
So Yang Luo naturally didn’t want to provoke Ye Zhihan and cause unnecessary unpleasantness. He knew their relationship, though they maintained a facade of harmony, was ultimately headed for its end. Perhaps that was for the best. They were going to break up sooner or later anyway, so why make trouble for himself?
Fortunately, Yang Luo was far better than most people at adjusting and adapting. Despite the delicate circumstances, he soon fell into a deep, undisturbed sleep.
Ye Zhihan, by contrast, seemed trapped in a tangled web. Lying in bed, her thoughts galloped in every direction, and her heart was filled with complicated emotions. Yang Luo’s even breathing sounded especially clear in the quiet night, making it even harder for her to fall asleep.
She tossed and turned for who knew how long before finally drifting off amid exhaustion and inner turmoil.
Ye Zhihan’s night was filled with unease and struggle. In her dreams, perhaps she too was searching for a way to escape.