“Her possessiveness is a bit too strong?” Zhou Ruomu raised her tone, clearly incredulous. “You think her possessiveness toward you is just a bit strong?”
Yueyi gazed deeply toward the living room, where light and shadow passed through the sliding glass door, casting irregular shapes across the junction of the balcony and the living room.
“Otherwise?” Yueyi rested her arm on the railing behind her waist.
“Fine. Take good care of yourself, let’s talk another time.” Zhou Ruomu was momentarily at a loss for words. After bidding Yueyi farewell, she hung up the phone.
Yueyi stared at the black screen of her phone, lost in a daze. After a moment, she closed her eyes, the unidentified emotions surging in the depths of her gaze being covered over. When she opened them again, they were once more a pair of gentle and peaceful eyes.
Yan Nianyi stood guard by the stove in the kitchen, the spareribs soup emitting a bubbling sound as the aroma of meat filled the air.
The sliced zucchini shreds were placed on one side of the frying pan, waiting to go in for cooking.
She gripped the handle of the spatula, trying it out, though she decided her cooking skills had not quite reached that level yet.
She released the spatula, grabbed the gray dishcloth hanging on the wall, and wiped away the water stains overflowing from the sink.
The kitchen door behind her was pushed open, and a cool breeze swept in.
“Elder Sister,” Yan Nianyi called out while holding the damp dishcloth.
Then, of her own accord, she squeezed dish soap onto the cloth to clean it.
“Nianyi, take a bowl out from the cabinet below.” Yueyi turned off the heat and lifted the lid of the soup pot, where steam rose from the milky-white liquid, blurring one’s vision.
“Is it in this cabinet?” Yan Nianyi bent down and pointed to one of the cabinets as she asked.
“The one next to it.” Yueyi glanced over and said.
Yan Nianyi opened the cabinet, took a bowl out from the left side, and handed it over.
Without turning back, Yueyi received it with her backhand. She reached out and selected a soup ladle from the hanging kitchen utensils, washing it under the faucet.
She turned her face slightly to avoid the rising hot water, her finger bones gripping the soup ladle with a slight exertion of force as she scooped out a bowl of soup.
“Want to try some?” Yueyi turned around, drew a small spoon from the chopstick holder, and placed it into the bowl.
“Okay.” Yan Nianyi reached out to take it.
“Wait a moment.” Yueyi stopped her, shifting her position slightly. “Don’t get burned.”
“Mm.” Yan Nianyi watched Yueyi’s actions, her heart overflowing with a bittersweet sensation.
Elder Sister has always been so attentive.
She cupped the bowl, her head lowered slightly, a few tiny bits of chopped green onion floating on the surface of the soup.
The steam hit her glasses, forming a layer of moisture that obstructed her vision.
Yan Nianyi blinked, wanting to free up a hand to take off her glasses. However, before she could make a move, the woman standing in front of her raised her hand first.
“You can’t even see through that, why haven’t you taken them off yet? I remember your myopia isn’t that severe.” Yueyi smiled as she folded the glasses, looked at them left and right, and pulled out a tissue from the counter to wipe the lenses.
“I was just about to take them off.” Yan Nianyi smiled faintly.
Yueyi smiled without a word, placing the glasses on the cabinet behind them.
Yan Nianyi watched her every move, the curve of her lips lifting slightly higher, her stunning face taking on an even more innocent air.
She picked up the spoon, scooped up the milky-white liquid, blew on it lightly, and took it into her mouth.
“It’s very good,” she praised. “Better than any soup I’ve had before.”
“That sounds a bit fake.” Yueyi smiled and shook her head, turning on the fire and pouring oil to start cooking.
Seeing that Yueyi didn’t believe her, Yan Nianyi didn’t offer any further explanation.
In her eyes, everything Yueyi did was good.
Leaning leisurely against the counter, she spooned the soup into her mouth one spoonful at a time, the piping-hot liquid gradually turning lukewarm.
After finishing it, she consciously washed the bowl and placed it aside.
“Go sit in the living room for a bit, it’ll be ready soon.” Yueyi urged her to leave the kitchen once more.
“It’s boring by myself, I can stay here and keep Elder Sister company while she talks.” Yan Nianyi didn’t move.
She stood on the opposite side of Yueyi, careful not to disrupt the rhythm of the other’s cooking.
About half an hour later, all the dishes were done. Yan Nianyi picked up a plate of food and carried it toward the dining table.
Yueyi put on specialized thick kitchen gloves and carried the soup pot to the dining table.
“Just make do with this for now.” Yueyi dished out a bowl of rice and handed it over.
She hadn’t cooked many dishes.
“Three dishes and a soup, that’s already plenty for two people.” Yan Nianyi said.
She picked up a chopstickful of stir-fried zucchini with meat and placed it into her bowl, the spiciness lingering in the air stabbing straight toward the base of her nose.
Such a spicy sensation. Yan Nianyi narrowed her eyes, the fingers holding her chopsticks twitching as her peripheral vision drifted toward the person sitting across from her.
She rubbed the zucchini against her rice to neutralize some of the heat.
Yan Nianyi first took a mouthful of rice into her mouth, then picked up a few strands of zucchini shreds to chew along with it.
Even so, the spiciness of the dish still exceeded her acceptable limit.
Her oral cavity, along with her entire face, felt as though it was burning.
She lowered her head even further, not daring to utter a single word for fear that Yueyi would notice anything unusual.
Taking a deep breath, she stared at the remaining zucchini shreds in her bowl, her eyelids fluttering.
With her eyes closed, she shoveled the rest of it all into her mouth, chewed roughly a couple of times, and swallowed.
Then she hurriedly shoveled large mouthfuls of rice.
“What’s wrong?” Seeing that she wasn’t really eating her food, Yueyi used serving chopsticks to give her some more, only to notice that the other person’s expression looked a bit off. “Why is your face so red?”
“It’s nothing, just a bit warm.” Yan Nianyi made a show of wiping non-existent sweat from her forehead.
“Warm?” Yueyi was puzzled.
“Mm.” Yan Nianyi composed herself, her tongue sliding continuously against her lower teeth.
Yueyi didn’t ask any further. Using her serving chopsticks, she gave Yan Nianyi another helping of the stir-fried zucchini and pork shreds along with some small green vegetables.
Yan Nianyi’s eyebrows twitched frantically.
“Eat more.” Yueyi put down the serving chopsticks.
“Okay.” Yan Nianyi slowed her breathing down considerably, holding her chopsticks with nowhere to start.
And of all things, these were all items Yueyi had picked out for her. She swallowed hard, carefully picking up a single strand and stuffing it into her mouth along with a large mouthful of rice.
A wave of intense heat washed over her.
She wasn’t entirely incapable of handling spice, and mild spice was her upper limit of tolerance, but what she considered mild was practically non-existent to Yueyi.
Previously, when dining alone with Yueyi, even though a table full of spicy dishes would be ordered, there would always be one or two non-spicy options among them.
Because Yan Nianyi would always eat a little bit of everything each time, Yueyi had gradually assumed that Yan Nianyi could also handle spicy food.
So she hadn’t asked today.
Yet seeing that the other person’s face had turned this red after eating only a few strands of zucchini, she belatedly realized what had happened.
“I’ll go make you something else.” Yueyi turned around and headed toward the kitchen.
“There’s no need, Elder Sister, I can just drink the spareribs soup, that one isn’t spicy.” Yan Nianyi hurried to stand up and say.
“Sit nicely and behave.” Yueyi said.
Yan Nianyi opened her mouth, then sat back down in silence.
From now on, Elder Sister probably won’t come out to eat alone with her anymore. This thought popped into Yan Nianyi’s head.
She tilted her head up slightly, pressing her back against the back of the chair.
Roughly a dozen minutes later, Yueyi returned carrying two dishes.
“There are no extra dishes left, you really have to make do this time.” Yueyi joked. “See if this suits your palate; if not, I’ll order delivery for you.”
“If it doesn’t suit your taste, you must say so.” Yueyi sat down and added.
A fresh bowl of rice had been set before Yan Nianyi, while her original bowl had been placed by Yueyi next to her own seat.
“Okay.” Yan Nianyi nodded.
The two newly prepared dishes were shredded potatoes with green peppers and stir-fried tomatoes with scrambled eggs.
The green peppers served a decorative purpose and carried no heat.
Under Yueyi’s watchful gaze, Yan Nianyi picked up a chopstickful of potato shreds and placed them into her mouth, chewing carefully.
Seeing that she showed no signs of discomfort, Yueyi picked up her chopsticks and resumed eating.
As she ate, Yan Nianyi lifted her head to look at the person opposite her, whose face remained calm without any excess expression.
“Elder Sister, are you angry?” Yan Nianyi asked in a muffled voice.
“Hm?” Yueyi paused with her chopsticks, looking puzzled. “Why would I be angry?”
Yan Nianyi stared at her without speaking.
“Well.” Yueyi thought for a moment, then gave a soft laugh. “You don’t need to pay so much attention to my mood that you neglect your own feelings.”
Yan Nianyi still didn’t speak, keeping her head down in complete silence.
“What’s wrong?” Yueyi asked softly.
“It’s nothing.” Yan Nianyi mumbled.
“Alright now, don’t be so gloomy. If you have any dietary restrictions next time we eat, make sure to mention them.” Yueyi said.
“Next time?” Yan Nianyi looked up.
“Of course, why not?” Yueyi intentionally lowered her voice, making it sound soft and ticklish, tinged with a hint of grievance. “Or did you plan never to eat with me again after this?”
“No.” Yan Nianyi replied quickly.
“Then that settles it, eat up.” Yueyi pushed the two less spicy dishes closer to Yan Nianyi. “Drink some soup after you finish eating.”
“Okay.” Yan Nianyi’s mood improved considerably.
After finishing the meal, Yueyi went to the kitchen to wash the dishes while Yan Nianyi took charge of wiping the table.
She placed a plate of sliced fruit with two small forks stuck into them onto the coffee table in the living room, then began scrolling through her phone.
In the large group chat, someone mentioned the scheduled date for the Xue family banquet.
It was set for somewhere in mid-May.
Yan Nianyi’s thoughts shifted as she rolled her eyes upward, her gaze landing on the woman’s exquisite and perfect profile.