Chen Yan had been staying at the Yunqi Villa for a full week.
Over the course of that week, he had completely figured out every one of Su Qingyuan’s living habits:
She absolutely could not get out of bed in the morning and needed at least three wake-up calls.
She never made breakfast for herself, but if food was placed directly in front of her, she would eat it.
She ate lunch at the company cafeteria, but she often took only two bites before throwing the rest away.
Her return time in the evenings was completely unpredictable. Some days she came home at seven, other days not until eleven.
The first thing she did after entering the house was toss her designer handbag aside and collapse onto the sofa, staring blankly into space for exactly ten minutes.
She had no idea how to use a washing machine and would casually leave her clothes scattered across the floor of her walk-in closet.
She never paid attention to utility bills, allowing a thick pile of invoices to accumulate on the entryway table.
She was terrified of the dark and needed every light in the entire three-story villa switched on before she went to sleep. Only after sunrise would she allow them to be turned off.
And so on.
Chen Yan dealt with each problem one by one.
Every morning he woke her up and prepared breakfast. During the day, he cleaned the villa, did the laundry, and handled the household bills. In the evenings, he waited for her return and cooked dinner. Once she went upstairs to sleep, he would turn off the lights throughout the house, leaving only the one outside her bedroom door on.
Life settled into a comfortable rhythm.
Occasionally, the two exchanged a few words, but most of the time they coexisted in peaceful silence. Whenever Su Qingyuan was home, the villa remained quiet, interrupted only by the rustling of documents or the crisp tapping of her keyboard.
Chen Yan found the arrangement quite satisfactory.
He had no desire to interfere with her corporate affairs, and she showed no interest in digging into his past.
Living this way was perfectly fine.
At least, until the weekend arrived.
On Saturday morning, while Chen Yan was in the kitchen preparing breakfast, the sound of a car engine drifted in from outside.
Walking over to the window, he saw a sleek pink sports car pull up in front of the villa.
The driver’s door swung open, and a young woman in a floral sundress stepped out.
She looked to be around twenty years old. Her hair was tied into a high ponytail, and a bright smile lit up her face. She practically skipped toward the front door before suddenly remembering something. Pausing, she smoothed down her skirt and then pressed the doorbell.
Chen Yan opened the door.
The moment the young woman saw him, she froze.
Chen Yan looked at her.
She looked back at him.
The two stared at each other for three seconds.
Then her eyes lit up with excitement.
“Who are you?” she asked curiously.
“I’m President Su’s personal assistant.”
“Assistant?” Her eyes widened. “A male assistant? And you live here?”
“Yes.”
She immediately peeked past him into the villa before lowering her voice conspiratorially.
“What exactly is your relationship with my sister?”
Chen Yan blinked.
My sister?
“And you are…?”
“I’m her little sister!” she declared before squeezing past him and charging into the villa. “Sis! Sis! I’m back!”
From upstairs came Su Qingyuan’s voice, carrying an unusual note of surprise.
“Qingyue?”
Chen Yan stood by the entrance and watched as the girl raced upstairs like a whirlwind.
Su Qingyue.
He remembered Manager Wang mentioning that President Su had a younger sister who studied at a university in another city and only came home during vacations.
Turning around, he returned to the kitchen to continue making breakfast.
Soon, the voices of two women drifted down from upstairs. One was calm and cool, the other lively and energetic. Their conversation was punctuated by occasional laughter and playful arguments.
A few minutes later, footsteps descended the stairs.
Su Qingyuan came down first, already wearing her usual composed expression. Su Qingyue followed behind, her eyes fixed firmly on Chen Yan.
The three of them sat down at the dining table.
Chen Yan served breakfast: fried eggs, bacon, toast, and fresh milk.
Su Qingyue looked at the meal, then at Chen Yan, and finally at her sister.
“Sis,” she began, “when did you hire an assistant? How come I never heard about it?”
“Last week.”
“A male assistant?”
“Is there a problem?”
Su Qingyue chuckled.
“No problem at all. None whatsoever.”
She lowered her head and took a bite of her fried egg before looking back at Chen Yan.
“This is delicious! It’s way better than anything you cook, Sis.”
Su Qingyuan ignored her.
Still eating, Su Qingyue kept glancing back and forth between Chen Yan and her sister.
Chen Yan noticed but maintained a calm expression, focusing entirely on his meal.
After breakfast, Su Qingyuan went upstairs to change clothes before heading out.
The moment she was gone, Su Qingyue immediately slid over beside Chen Yan and lowered her voice.
“What’s your name?”
“Chen Yan.”
“Chen Yan…” she repeated thoughtfully. “Which room do you stay in?”
“The guest room on the first floor.”
“And my sister’s room is on the second floor?”
“Yes.”
Her eyes instantly sparkled.
“So that means every morning you have to go upstairs and wake her up?”
Chen Yan looked at her.
She was grinning like a fox that had just stolen a chicken.
“Qingyue!”
Su Qingyuan’s voice rang out from the staircase.
“Stop causing trouble.”
Sticking out her tongue, Su Qingyue quickly scampered upstairs.
Ten minutes later, the sisters left together.
Su Qingyuan drove away in her black Porsche, while Su Qingyue sped off in her pink sports car.
Left alone, Chen Yan resumed his usual routine around the villa.
At three in the afternoon, Su Qingyue returned.
The moment she stepped through the door, she marched directly toward him.
“Where’s my sister?”
“She hasn’t come back yet.”
“Perfect.”
Before he could react, she grabbed his arm and dragged him toward the sofa.
“Come on. Sit down. We need to talk.”
A moment later, Chen Yan found himself seated on the couch.
Su Qingyue sat opposite him, propping her chin on her hands while staring at him with sparkling eyes.
“So tell me, what’s really going on between you and my sister?”
“I’m her assistant.”
“Liar.”
She pointed directly at him.
“My sister has never allowed a man to stay in this house. Even when Dad comes over, he stays in a hotel. So how did you manage to move in?”
Chen Yan considered the question.
“Maybe because I can cook.”
Su Qingyue blinked.
Then she burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! You’re too funny!”
After laughing for a while, she wiped away tears from the corners of her eyes.
“Fine then. Tell me, what’s my sister really like at home?”
Chen Yan remained silent.
“Come on! Tell me! I promise I won’t tell her.”
After a moment, he answered.
“She’s the same as she is outside.”
Su Qingyue immediately looked disappointed.
“Liar. I don’t believe you. She’s an iceberg outside, so she must be an iceberg at home too. But when ice melts, it turns into water. Soft, gentle water.”
Chen Yan looked at her.
His thoughts drifted back to that rainy night when Su Qingyuan had stood outside his bedroom holding a pillow.
That wasn’t soft, gentle water.
That had been a frightened little girl afraid of the dark.
“What are you thinking about?” Su Qingyue asked.
“Nothing.”
“You were definitely thinking about my sister!”
She pointed triumphantly.
“I knew it! You totally like her!”
Chen Yan stood up.
“I need to start making dinner.”
Su Qingyue immediately followed him into the kitchen.
“What do you like about her? Her face? Her figure? Or her huge bank account?”
Ignoring her questions, Chen Yan opened the refrigerator and took out ingredients.
Leaning over the kitchen counter, Su Qingyue watched him chop vegetables.
“Has my sister ever dated anyone before?”
His knife continued moving steadily.
“Definitely not,” she answered herself. “With her personality, who would dare? Sure, plenty of men pursued her, but she scared every one of them away.”
Chen Yan continued preparing dinner.
“You know,” she whispered conspiratorially, “there was once a rich heir who came to the company carrying a giant bouquet of roses.”
Chen Yan remained silent.
“Right in front of everyone, my sister threw the bouquet into the trash.”
“What did she say?” Su Qingyue continued dramatically.
Without waiting for a response, she imitated Su Qingyuan’s cold expression.
“‘I hate roses. Bring lilies next time.'”
She burst out laughing.
“That guy’s face turned green!”
This time, even Chen Yan couldn’t help smiling.
Su Qingyue immediately pointed at him.
“You smiled! You definitely like my sister!”
“I don’t.”
“Then why did you smile?”
“I was laughing at the rich heir.”
She stared at him for several seconds.
“You’re a terrible liar.”
Chen Yan chose not to respond.
At seven in the evening, Su Qingyuan returned.
The moment she entered, she saw Su Qingyue sitting on the sofa, staring at her with bright eyes.
“What is it?” Su Qingyuan asked.
“Nothing at all.”
Su Qingyue smiled sweetly.
“Sis, have you eaten yet?”
“No.”
“Then hurry over. Chen Yan made lots of delicious food.”
Su Qingyuan glanced toward the dining table, where Chen Yan was setting down the final dishes.
The three sat down together.
Halfway through the meal, Su Qingyue suddenly asked,
“Sis, do you think Chen Yan’s cooking is good?”
“It’s passable.”
“Passable?”
Su Qingyue clutched her chest dramatically.
“Your standards are insane!”
Su Qingyuan ignored her.
Immediately, Su Qingyue turned toward Chen Yan.
“What do you think of my sister?”
Chen Yan looked up.
Su Qingyuan happened to be looking at him as well.
Their eyes met briefly.
“She’s quite good,” he said.
Su Qingyue nearly jumped out of her chair.
“He said you’re quite good! Sis, did you hear that?”
“I heard.”
Su Qingyuan calmly picked up some vegetables.
“Finish your dinner.”
Trying desperately not to laugh, Su Qingyue lowered her head and continued eating.
After dinner, she dragged Su Qingyuan upstairs for what she called a “sisterly conversation.”
While Chen Yan washed dishes in the kitchen, laughter drifted down from upstairs, mixed with occasional scoldings from Su Qingyuan.
A while later, Su Qingyue came downstairs alone.
Poking her head into the kitchen, she called out,
“Chen Yan, my sister wants to know what you’d like for breakfast tomorrow.”
Chen Yan turned around.
“She asked me?”
“Yep!”
Su Qingyue blinked innocently.
“She’s never asked for my opinion before. She always decides everything herself. But now she’s asking what you want? Very interesting.”
After thinking briefly, Chen Yan replied,
“Whatever.”
Su Qingyue immediately burst into laughter.
“You two are a perfect match! One says ‘passable’ and the other says ‘whatever’!”
Still giggling, she ran upstairs.
Chen Yan watched her leave before shaking his head and returning to the dishes.
A perfect match?
The next morning, he prepared an exceptionally lavish breakfast.
When Su Qingyuan came downstairs and saw the table overflowing with food, she stopped in her tracks.
“Why is there so much?”
“Miss Su informed me that you wanted more variety.”
Su Qingyuan immediately shot a look at Su Qingyue.
Already eating, Su Qingyue kept her head lowered.
“I didn’t say anything. He made it all himself.”
Su Qingyuan looked at Chen Yan.
His expression remained perfectly neutral.
“Please eat. It won’t taste as good once it gets cold.”
The three sat down together.
As she ate, Su Qingyue quietly observed the two of them.
Before long, she noticed something fascinating.
Whenever her sister reached for a dish, she would unconsciously glance at Chen Yan first.
Whenever Chen Yan poured water, he always filled Su Qingyuan’s glass before his own.
Neither of them spoke from beginning to end, yet they seemed perfectly in sync.
Biting lightly on her chopsticks, Su Qingyue’s eyes grew brighter and brighter.
After breakfast, Su Qingyuan prepared to leave for work.
Once she was gone, Su Qingyue immediately rushed back inside and grabbed Chen Yan’s arm.
“Chen Yan! Tell me honestly, are you secretly dating my sister?”
“No.”
“Liar!”
She pointed dramatically toward the kitchen.
“I saw everything! Whenever my sister looks at you, her icy expression disappears. And the way you look at her isn’t normal either!”
Chen Yan thought for a moment.
“What does it look like?”
Su Qingyue froze.
After struggling for a long time, she finally huffed.
“It’s just… that kind of look! I can’t explain it, but it’s definitely not normal!”
A faint smile appeared on Chen Yan’s face as he began clearing the table.
“What are you smiling at?” she demanded. “Feeling guilty?”
He didn’t answer.
Over the next several days, Su Qingyue transformed herself into an amateur detective.
She relentlessly gathered what she called “evidence.”
Her sister needed Chen Yan to wake her up every morning.
Far too intimate.
Her sister looked for Chen Yan the moment she came home every evening.
Far too dependent.
Her sister secretly watched Chen Yan while eating.
Far too suspicious.
She even discovered that Chen Yan separated Su Qingyuan’s delicate stockings and washed them by hand.
Far too attentive.
Every night, she carefully recorded her findings in a small notebook before reviewing them and giggling to herself.
Eventually, she couldn’t hold back any longer.
One evening, she marched to Chen Yan’s room and knocked firmly on the door.
When he opened it, she stood there with an unusually serious expression.
“What’s wrong?”
Holding up her notebook, she declared,
“Chen Yan, we need to have a serious conversation.”
He looked at her.
“Come in.”
She entered and sat down, opening the notebook.
“Let me ask you directly.”
Looking straight into his eyes, she asked,
“Do you like my sister?”
Chen Yan remained silent for two seconds.
“No.”
She tapped the notebook.
“Then explain why you wake her up every morning.”
“That’s part of my job.”
“Then why do you wait for her every night?”
“That’s part of my job.”
“Then why do you hand-wash her stockings?”
“That is…”
“Is that part of your job too?”
She interrupted immediately.
“My sister’s stockings are supposed to go to a professional cleaner. Why wash them yourself? Because they’re her personal belongings and you don’t want anyone else touching them!”
Chen Yan calmly stared at her.
She grinned triumphantly.
“I got it right, didn’t I?”
After a brief silence, he replied,
“You have a very vivid imagination.”
“This isn’t imagination.”
She stood up proudly.
“This is a professional deduction. Do you know what my major is?”
Chen Yan already had a bad feeling.
“Criminal Investigation.”
Chen Yan: “…”
She continued enthusiastically.
“And every night, my sister leaves the hallway light on. You’re the one doing that, aren’t you? You know she’s afraid of the dark, so you make sure she feels safe.”
Chen Yan said nothing.
Her grin widened.
“Caught red-handed.”
Looking at her, Chen Yan suddenly asked,
“Does your sister know how much of a gossip you are?”
Su Qingyue froze.
Then she burst out laughing.
“Gossip? I’m protecting my sister’s love life!”
The laughter gradually faded.
She looked at him seriously.
“Chen Yan, my sister might seem cold, but she’s actually very soft-hearted. She just doesn’t know how to express herself.”
After a pause, she added,
“If you really like her, take the initiative. She doesn’t dislike you.”
Silence filled the room.
Finally, Chen Yan said,
“I don’t like her.”
Su Qingyue stared into his eyes for several long seconds before sighing.
“Fine. Keep denying it.”
She walked to the door and paused.
Turning back over her shoulder, she said,
“Then let me tell you one thing.”
“Every night before going to sleep, my sister stands by her bedroom window.”
Chen Yan remained silent.
“Do you know what she’s looking at?”
Still, he said nothing.
“She’s looking at your bedroom window.”
With those words, Su Qingyue opened the door and left.
Chen Yan stood motionless.
Looking at my window?
Moonlight poured in through the glass.
Walking over to the window, he lifted his gaze toward the second floor.
The light in Su Qingyuan’s bedroom had already gone out.