RITM - 39

“What—what are you doing!” This unexpected burst of affection made her blush uncontrollably. “Stop it! I’m hungry. Go make me breakfast.”

“Alright. What does my baby want to eat?”

“French pancakes, milk, and eggs.”

Though her feelings for him weren’t particularly strong, she loved the way he called her with such affectionate terms. After sending him off with a few casual words, she returned to her group of friends. Glancing at Su Jiannian’s retreating figure, one of the girls asked: “Xinqi, don’t you have a chef at home? Why do you ask Su Jiannian to cook?”

“Can the food made by a boyfriend be the same as food made by a chef? When he cooks, it feels more like home.”

“So, do you cook for him too?”

Xie Xinqi smiled calmly: “I only learned the other day that you need to rinse rice before cooking. Thanks for reminding me.”

“Oh dear, it still feels unfair. He’s a famous pianist, and the insurance on his hands alone costs tens of millions. Is it really okay for you to treat him like this?”

Xie Xinqi yawned: “What does that matter? If he loves me, he should spoil me. He’s been behaving well lately, and in a couple of days, he’s even going to accompany me to Bianchi’s jewelry exhibition.”

“This boyfriend is the most perfect one I’ve ever seen. Xinqi, you’re so lucky.”

Amidst the chorus of envy and praise, Xie Xinqi glanced at Su Jiannian’s back. When the word “perfect” came up, she fell silent. Just as there are no flawless paintings in the world, there are no perfect people either. She and Su Jiannian had been together for a long time, yet he truly could be described as “perfect.” She had spent considerable effort trying to find his flaws, but he remained consistently kind, thoughtful, and without any apparent personality defects. This occasionally made her feel insecure and as though she didn’t fully understand him. Once, she had naively asked him why he had no flaws. After thinking for a moment, he replied: “My flaw might be that I overthink things.” Could that really be considered a flaw?

She mulled over it for a while and eventually concluded that perhaps it was she herself who was overthinking.

Meanwhile, Luo Wei was in the kitchen on the 45th floor of Zhenji Royal City. After taking stock of the large pile of ingredients she and Chang Feng and Lu Xiren had purchased before seven in the morning, she rolled up her sleeves and got to work. Spiced beef would take some time. She boiled the beef in water, added spices, soy sauce, and seasonings, and let it simmer on low heat. Then she began preparing the next dish: stir-fried pork with chili. The fresh red chilies were cut into pieces, their spicy aroma wafting through the air. Just then, the doorbell rang. She set down what she was holding and rushed to the door. As expected, the person who arrived with clockwork precision was He Yingze. He had just returned from a meeting at He Cheng Group and was still wearing his suit. He looked her up and down: “What’s with this outfit?”

She glanced down at herself—apron, ponytail, and sleeve covers. It was just a typical homely look. Wasn’t it normal? She smiled brightly: “I don’t have much time. I need to get back to work. Wait for me in the living room.” She quickly dashed back to the kitchen and started chopping the chilies rapidly on the cutting board, setting them aside. Then she fried the pork belly in oil until it turned golden brown, adding cooking wine and stir-frying it quickly. After just a couple of stirs, a head popped out from beside her, peering into the pot. Startled, she nearly dropped the pan: “Ah! What are you doing here?”

“Nothing. You go ahead and keep busy.”

She acknowledged him with a sound, scooped out the pork belly, rinsed the pot clean, then poured oil into it again, adding whole garlic cloves until their aroma burst forth. Suddenly, he said: “Why are you treating me to a meal?”

Was he truly unaware, or was he pretending? Or was he so self-assured that he failed to realize just how much he was losing in this situation? Society had always judged men and women by different standards. An unmarried woman who had been with ten men was often less favored than a divorced woman who had remained chaste; whereas an unmarried man who had been with ten women was still preferred over a divorced man who had stayed pure—some women even liked experienced playboys, and Lu Xiren’s existence was living proof of that. He Yingze’s marriage, whether it was his first or not, was something countless women could only dream of. Yet here he was, offering her his most valuable “first time” so casually for the sake of camaraderie...

If she were more cunning, she could have easily extorted a large sum of money from him during the divorce proceedings. Was this really the same He Yingze who schemed and manipulated others in the business world? How could he be so naive? But since he was protecting her like this, she certainly wouldn’t do anything to betray him. On the contrary, she would be even more cautious than before, making sure not to cause him any trouble.

She had been deeply moved these past few days, but at this moment, she still laughed carefree: “Because you’ve been good to me. And since I happen to love experimenting with cooking, I wanted to make you a delicious meal.” She tossed the chopped chilies into the pan and stir-fried them. Before long, the sharp smell of chili and garlic filled the air. Feeling He Yingze’s gaze lingering on her, she turned her head uneasily: “You should probably go out... This smell isn’t pleasant.” Finally, he left.

After bringing out the finished dishes, he sat at the dining table with his arms crossed, looking at her thoughtfully for a moment, but said nothing. He accepted the chopsticks and rice she handed him and prepared to eat. She removed her apron, rested her chin on her hand, and observed the changes in his expression. Her smile carried a hint of calmness. He took a bite of the food, and as expected, his expression remained completely neutral. Instead, he looked up at her: “Why are you staring at me? Aren’t you going to eat?”

“Oh, okay.” What was this? Everyone who had tasted her cooking praised her as a master chef, yet He Yingze showed no reaction at all. Then again, the chefs at Zhenji Royal City served him the finest cuisine daily. The fact that he didn’t put down his chopsticks and declare the food inedible was already a form of approval, right? She consoled herself with this thought as she picked up her bowl and chopsticks and quietly ate alongside him. She had always known that tall men tended to have big appetites, but she hadn’t expected He Yingze’s appetite to be this enormous. By the time she had finished one bowl of rice, he had already eaten three bowls, finishing all the meat without touching the vegetables. Truly a carnivore—how terrifying... After the meal, she cleaned up the dishes and returned to the kitchen to wash them and tidy up. Midway through, He Yingze entered and handed her his phone: “Talk to him.”

“Who?”

“My head chef. Tell him how to make those two dishes.”

This was absurd. The head chefs at Zhenji Royal City were all top ten chefs featured in international gourmet magazines. No matter how confident she was, she couldn’t bring herself to show off in front of such experts. She waved her hand and refused to take the call: “They’re just ordinary spiced beef, stir-fried pork with chili, and seaweed egg drop soup. I didn’t add anything special. Anyone with a bit of culinary skill can make them.”

He Yingze didn’t insist further. After finishing the meal and exchanging a few casual words, he allowed her to leave. However, the next afternoon, while she was working in the studio, he called again: “The chef is here. I’ve put him on speakerphone—you tell him.”

“Hello, Miss Luo. Could you please explain the specific steps for the two dishes you made?” came the chef’s voice.

She spent over ten minutes explaining: “...Yes, after stir-frying the pork belly, add soy sauce and season with white sugar. Just before removing it from the heat, add two or three drops of ten-year-old vinegar. This kind of vinegar can’t be bought in supermarkets—it’s only available at the old shop on Nandao Island that I mentioned earlier. Adding the vinegar enhances the aroma, and then you can serve it... Yes, yes, the spiced beef needs to be stewed for a long time until the broth infuses the meat, which should become very tender, ensuring the broth penetrates every fiber of the meat...”

“Did you understand everything?” He Yingze likely didn’t understand a word, but he still spoke into the phone with unwavering confidence: “Go make it again.”

This wasn’t the end of it. Another day passed, and He Yingze summoned her directly, asking her to teach the head chef step-by-step how to make the two dishes. The pressure was overwhelming, more than an ordinary person could bear. But no matter how hard the chef tried to learn, He Yingze remained unsatisfied, claiming the taste was still off and preparing to fire the chef. Seeing the chef’s thunderstruck expression, she quickly intervened, saying, “If you want to eat it, I’ll make it for you—don’t make things difficult for others.” At the time, she never imagined that what started as a simple gesture of gratitude would lead to such trouble for herself. On the night she cooked for him a third time on the 45th floor, he suddenly dropped a bombshell: “I’ve decided to move back to my own place.”

“Your home isn’t here?”

“Of course not. I’ve been staying here for convenience, but now I plan to move back.” He quickly finished the last of his rice. “You should move in with me to cook for me. I’ll pay you a salary.”

When he said those last words, she thought she must have misheard and asked him to repeat them. Whether he was indifferent or simply unaware of how sensitive the matter was, he calmly repeated himself. What kind of joke was this? He was asking her to live with him. But putting herself in his shoes, she suddenly realized his line of thinking wasn’t so hard to understand. In fact, it was quite straightforward: to him, everyone under his jurisdiction was his possession. Moving one of his belongings into his home didn’t require the consent of the object itself. She asked for some time to think it over and went home to ponder it all night. What was the current situation? She had gone from being an old classmate to a subordinate dependent on his charity, then to a divorced woman he felt responsible for, and now she was essentially becoming a live-in chef or maid? But upon further reflection, he had sacrificed so much for her—even if he might not realize it. Serving as his chef or maid wasn’t entirely unreasonable.

“Alright, I accept,” she said, bowing slightly and mimicking Chang Feng and Lu Xiren’s tone. “Sixth Brother, I just have one question! Will I have my own room?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, I want to attend a spring jewelry exhibition in a couple of days. Can I start working after I get back?”

“Sure. If you run into anyone you know at the exhibition, don’t worry—I’ll have people there to protect you.”

If there was ever a moment when a man appeared most attractive, this was probably it. Luo Wei was so moved that she felt tears welling up: “You’ve finally come to your senses, Sixth Brother! You’re my god! I’m clinging to your leg! I’m prostrating myself before you!”

Terms like “god,” “clinging to your leg,” and “prostrating” were internet slang popular on Weibo, but clearly, He Yingze didn’t spend much time browsing social media. He frowned slightly, seemingly confused: “What did you say?”

“I said you’re my god.”

“And the part after that?”

“Clinging to your leg, prostrating?”

There was a long silence between them. Then, He Yingze slowly nodded twice, silently smiling for a few seconds before lowering his head to check the stock market on his phone. Luo Wei was somewhat baffled and tilted her head to study his expression: “Why are you smiling?”

He looked up at her again and smiled, his voice slightly deeper than usual: “Alright.”