YJDNY - 32

Xiang Ge fell silent.

After a moment, she tilted her head and asked, “How am I tempting you?”

Zhou Hangyan pressed his lips together, saying nothing.

“How exactly am I tempting you?” She smirked, repeating the question.

Zhou Hangyan frowned again, hissing softly. His jaw tightened for a brief second before relaxing, his expression suggesting he wanted to give her a good beating.

Finally unable to hold it in, Xiang Ge leaned back into the passenger seat and burst into laughter.

After examining her ankle for a while and confirming she was fine, Zhou Hangyan didn’t let her walk anymore. Instead, he went to the supermarket himself.

The underground parking lot was chilly, so Zhou Hangyan pulled a coat from the back and draped it over her legs, covering the expanse of exposed pale skin.

“I’m not cold,” Xiang Ge said, trying to wriggle free, but Zhou Hangyan firmly pressed the edge of the coat down on her legs.

Girls’ legs shouldn’t be exposed to the cold, especially since she was naturally prone to feeling cold.

“Cover up,” he said decisively.

Xiang Ge let him bundle her legs tightly, raising an eyebrow and nodding slightly. “So this way, I won’t be able to tempt you anymore.”

Zhou Hangyan: “...”

Xiang Ge dryly remarked, “What a pity.”

Zhou Hangyan ignored her, closing the passenger door with an impassive face and turning to leave.

He returned quickly, less than twenty minutes later, carrying two bags. He walked over, opened the car door, placed the bags in the back, and then handed her something.

Xiang Ge turned her head to take it—it was the same box he had been holding when they met outside the café earlier.

She opened it to find a delicate and beautiful little cake inside.

Zhou Hangyan was already in the car, starting the engine. “It’ll still be a while before dinner is ready. If you’re hungry, eat this to tide you over.”

Xiang Ge pulled out a small fork from the box, tore open the packaging, and casually asked, “Where did you buy this?”

“Just across from the café where you were spacing out.”

Xiang Ge nodded, tilting the fork slightly to cut off a small piece of cake and popping it into her mouth.

The chocolate cake was soft and smooth, slightly bitter, with a creamy hazelnut filling that was sweet.

“What were you doing there today?” she asked again.

Zhou Hangyan drove out of the underground parking lot, warm daylight flooding back in.

“Meeting a friend.”

Oh, meeting a friend.

This friend had even pursued him back in high school, and now they were just... friends.

Alright then.

Whatever you say.

Xiang Ge sighed, letting out a low “Hmph,” lowering her eyes. The fork in her hand stabbed directly into the small cake on her lap. “Dr. Zhou sure has a lot of female friends around him.”

Dr. Zhou didn’t miss the sarcasm in her tone and glanced at her.

Xiang Ge started counting on her fingers. “First, there was your junior Lin Ran, and now another ‘friend’ today—”

Before she could continue, Zhou Hangyan chuckled.

Xiang Ge tilted her head. “You seem so happy.”

Zhou Hangyan shook his head. “What makes you think it’s a woman?”

“...”

Xiang Ge paused, speechless.

Zhou Hangyan smirked, glancing at her as he turned the steering wheel. “Did you see them?”

Xiang Ge quickly recovered, maintaining a straight face. “Sometimes, a woman’s intuition and sixth sense are more reliable than her eyes.”

She calmly looked at him. “I was just speaking casually, but it turns out it really is a woman.”

“It seems Dr. Zhou has quite a few flowers and grasses around him.”

“Your social life must be very colorful, right?”

Zhou Hangyan: “...”

Zhou Hangyan had bought a large amount of groceries, clearly planning to cook dinner himself. Several bags were piled in the back, but for some reason, Xiang Ge didn’t intend to help him.

As soon as the car stopped, Xiang Ge lifted the coat from her legs, opened the car door, and jumped out. Wearing her high heels, she clacked away without looking back.

The sky was still bright, and the security door hadn’t been fully closed. Xiang Ge pulled it open, then slammed it shut with a loud “bang” right in front of Zhou Hangyan.

Zhou Hangyan stood there, hands full of bags, helpless. He placed one bag on the ground, fished out his keys, and opened the door.

When he got upstairs in the elevator, he saw a woman crouched in front of his door.

At the sound of his approach, Xiang Ge raised her head, looking aggrieved.

Zhou Hangyan feigned surprise. “Why didn’t you go in? Why were you waiting for me outside?”

Xiang Ge: “...”

In the end, she took one of the bags from him, and Zhou Hangyan unlocked the door.

He usually showered as soon as he got home from the hospital. Xiang Ge, who had eaten an entire cake in the car, wasn’t particularly hungry yet, so Zhou Hangyan quickly took a shower and changed into fresh clothes.

The man wore a white long-sleeved shirt made of soft, comfortable fabric, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He walked into the kitchen and, tilting his head slightly, asked her, “Are you hungry?”

He had dried his hair this time, and his black hair looked neat and obedient. Dressed in light-colored, casual home clothes, his entire demeanor seemed softer.

The question “Are you hungry?” seemed to have become the most frequently asked one in all their conversations.

Xiang Ge sat in the living room, shook her head, stood up, and went into her room.

While Zhou Hangyan worked in the kitchen, she took a shower and then went back to her room to sort through her things.

Gong Mo had packed as if preparing for her to move house, bringing a huge pile of clothing and daily necessities. The large suitcase was stuffed full, and tucked away in the mesh compartments was her script.

Xiang Ge froze, unzipping the compartment and pulling it out.

The day to report to the film set was fast approaching.

This was her first real acting job after graduation.

Since she had already decided to take it on and resolved not to run away, she should treat it with utmost seriousness. She should read every word carefully, memorize the script inside and out, and meticulously analyze her own role as well as the psychology of every character she would interact with.

But she couldn’t do it.

She had only skimmed through the entire script once.

Even though she told herself this wasn’t acceptable and tried her hardest to restrain herself, there was an overwhelming aversion she couldn’t ignore.

She didn’t want to.

She didn’t want to open it, didn’t want to act.

The world on the other side of that clear boundary line was one she no longer wanted to look at, even for a second.

Xiang Ge sat on the edge of the bed, eyes lowered.

After a long while, she quietly turned over, slid the script under her pillow, and walked out of the room.

In the kitchen, Zhou Hangyan had finished cooking. The aroma of rice wafted through the air, mingling with the tangy, sour scent of beef brisket and tomato soup. Xiang Ge’s appetite was immediately piqued. She walked over, leaning against the counter and curiously watching his movements.

Zhou Hangyan was ladling the soup into bowls, not looking at her but tilting his head slightly. “Go get the rice.”

Xiang Ge obediently responded with an “Oh,” picked up two clean white porcelain bowls, and walked over to the rice cooker.

As soon as she opened it, hot steam rushed out, and Xiang Ge instinctively leaned back.

Zhou Hangyan had just placed the tomato beef brisket soup on the dining table. Seeing this from across the counter, he clicked his tongue. “What else can you do?”

Xiang Ge bristled, her tongue flicking against her cheek. Without thinking, she blurted out, “Plenty.”

After saying it, she froze, instinctively lifting her head to look at Zhou Hangyan.

The man’s eyes narrowed. Between them, faint wisps of steam rose from the rice cooker, making his gaze hazy and difficult to discern, yet giving her the sensation of being pinned in place.

“I’m sorry,” Xiang Ge quickly realized, sounding genuinely apologetic. Casually and unhurriedly, she added, “Did I tempt you again?”

Zhou Hangyan: “...”

Back in high school, Young Master Zhou was the kind of person who would set an alarm on his phone just to boil an egg. After their reunion, Xiang Ge’s impression of his cooking skills was limited to breakfast sandwiches and ginger tea so spicy it nearly brought tears to her eyes.

So this dinner was, in a true sense, the first meal he had cooked for her in years.

Unexpectedly, the taste was surprisingly good.

Light and delicious, the beef was tender, the bamboo shoots and bok choy crisp and refreshing, and the steamed sea bass fresh and delicate.

Xiang Ge finished her meal with great satisfaction, completely charmed by the food. Even the slight irritation from earlier in the afternoon dissipated somewhat.

After dinner, Zhou Hangyan washed fruit in the kitchen, while Xiang Ge sat in the living room. After some thought, she pulled out a few magazines to read.

Instead of sitting on the sofa, she sat cross-legged on the carpet by the window. No sooner had she settled down than Zhou Hangyan called out, “Don’t sit right after eating. Come help wash the dishes.”

Despite his clear, clean voice, his words sounded like those of an old father.

Xiang Ge pouted, responding with an “Oh,” and slowly prepared to stand up. However, her palm pressed down on something.

It felt like the edge of a book, thick and neatly edged, pressing uncomfortably under her hand.

Xiang Ge glanced down. Most of the book was hidden under the sofa, white with only a small part visible, almost blending in with the carpet. If it hadn’t been pressed under her hand, she wouldn’t have noticed it.

She reached out, pinching the edge of the book and pulling it out.

At a glance, she froze.

It was a script—brand new, with a white cover and a large, bold black character on it, glaringly clear.

For a moment, she even thought of rushing into her room to check if the one she had hidden under her pillow was still there.

Her fingers stiffened as she flipped it open, scanning the first page line by line. Her grip on the paper tightened.

Her blood seemed to freeze, drop by drop, and then began rushing back rapidly. For several seconds, her mind went blank, and her fingertips grew cold.

Suddenly, she remembered how his attitude had shifted after Xiang Lin came to see her.

Now it all made sense.

He was incredibly intelligent.

There was no way he couldn’t have guessed.

So that’s why he started treating her well?

Yes, because of this.

Zhou Hangyan walked over from the kitchen, carrying a tray of fruit. He bent down to place it on the coffee table, then frowned and approached her, about to speak.

His gaze dropped to what she held in her hands, and he stopped.

After a long silence, Xiang Ge suddenly spoke.

“Why do you have this?”

She sat on the floor, head bowed, not looking at him, her voice low.

Zhou Hangyan said nothing.

Her body was rigid, her hoarse voice trembling as she repeated,

“Why do you have this?”