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Wen Siyu thought that in the long journey of life, it was truly a blessing to have a best friend who would always reply to your messages instantly.
Especially when that best friend’s responses could always satisfy some strange and twisted part of your psyche.
Enjoying the other person’s barrage of question marks with a sense of satisfaction, she sent over an emoji saying, “I’m the coolest.”
Gu Yao paused for a moment, as if finally catching on, before responding with a string of ellipses.
[Cold Person: What’s going on with Jiang Xu?]
[Siling: ?]
[Cold Person: He’s actually seducing fans?!]
Wen Siyu: “….”
The person on the other end seemed utterly indignant, sending a flurry of messages one after another at lightning speed.
[Cold Person: I never imagined he’d be this kind of person.]
[Cold Person: But fine, even if he’s seducing fans.]
[Cold Person: How can he like flat-chested girls??]
Wen Siyu: “???”
The girl was not pleased—when it came to cup sizes, there was no room for compromise. This was practically the last bastion of female dignity.
[Siling: Excuse me, I’m not flat!!]
Gu Yao was unimpressed.
[Cold Person: With your tiny B-cup chest? Sister could take on two of you without breaking a sweat.]
Wen Siyu: “….”
Speechless, she watched the train of ridicule derail further. Hastily steering the conversation back on track, she briefly described how things had unfolded. Gu Yao stopped joking and expressed genuine amazement at Wen Siyu’s efficiency, her admiration practically oozing through the screen.
[Cold Person: You’ve only been in the crew for three days and already have close contact with your idol.]
Wen Siyu paused mid-action.
Indeed, Jiang Xu had been so naturally relaxed around her that she had perhaps let herself get carried away a bit too much.
[Siling: I definitely wouldn’t have imagined this scenario three days ago.]
[Cold Person: Once you’ve opened the door to your idol’s room, how far is it to opening the front door of his heart? I believe in you—keep it up.]
[Cold Person: And then he really did seduce a fan, hahaha.]
Wen Siyu nearly choked on her own saliva.
[Siling: I think we should stop talking—you’re vulgar and shallow.]
[Cold Person: Isn’t this exactly what you secretly desire most in your heart?]
Wen Siyu: “….”
Deciding to ignore this person who kept veering into inappropriate topics, Wen Siyu tossed her phone into her bag and headed to the kitchen to help Zhou Yi.
When she walked in, she saw the little nanny holding a pot in one hand and a spatula in the other. The oil-braised shrimp inside gleamed enticingly, its aroma wafting through the air. She leaned over to watch as he skillfully flipped the contents of the pan, the sauce evenly coating each shrimp.
Wen Siyu stared, mesmerized, drool practically pooling in her mouth: “Do all managers need to take cooking certification exams?”
This compliment hit the mark, and Zhou Yi immediately puffed up with pride: “Not all managers, but anyone managing Jiang Xu does.” He plated the shrimp with a sniff. “Jiang Xu’s manager also needs to know how to do laundry, clean windows…”
“And unclog toilets,” a lazy voice chimed in from behind them.
Wen Siyu turned around to see Jiang Xu leaning casually against the kitchen doorway, clad in a gray knitted sweater and black pants.
There was no sign of the pajama-clad Jiang Xu she had imagined. Suppressing a faint sense of disappointment, she almost blurted out, “Your manager also has to dig swimming pools, huh?” but remembered her conversation with Gu Yao and felt oddly guilty.
Biting her lip, she swallowed her words and obediently went to the sink to help Zhou Yi wash the kailan.
Her delicate, pale hands carefully unwrapped the bundle of green vegetables, rinsing each leaf under the faucet with focused precision.
The man behind her raised an eyebrow, feeling ignored.
With Zhou Yi’s expertise and Wen Siyu’s assistance, the dishes were quickly served: oil-braised shrimp, pepper-salted ribs, sweet-and-sour mandarin fish, stir-fried kailan, and a bowl of winter melon rib soup.
In the sakura-patterned white porcelain bowl, the slices of winter melon were thin and translucent, the ribs tender from being pressure-cooked, and the broth a creamy white with a thin layer of oil floating on top.
Wen Siyu, ever the master of flattery, showered Zhou Yi with praise until he was beaming. Then she devoted herself entirely to eating, determined to block out everything else and focus solely on the food in front of her.
Out of the corner of her eye, she stole a few glances at Jiang Xu. He ate quietly, his movements slow and unhurried, his expression calm and slightly aloof.
Why did he look good doing everything—even eating?
The girl silently lamented as she shoveled rice into her mouth.
The soft clink of porcelain against wood interrupted her thoughts. Wen Siyu glanced up to see a plate of vibrant green vegetables pushed in front of her—the only vegetarian dish on the table, stir-fried kailan.
Jiang Xu nudged the plate closer, his fingers long and fair-skinned.
Wen Siyu blinked, looking up at him.
His expression remained placid, his deep brown eyes calm as he said simply: “It helps you grow taller.”
Wen Siyu: “….”
Zhou Yi: “….”
Zhou Yi was seriously about to lose it.
Wen Siyu thanked him politely, nibbled on a couple of leaves symbolically, and then resumed shoveling rice at an even faster pace.
Once she finished her rice, she stood up, holding her bowl and bowing slightly: “Thank you for the meal today, Teacher Jiang and Brother Zhou Yi. Everything was delicious.”
With that, she pushed her chair back, stepped into the kitchen, and turned on the tap. After a moment, she emerged, grabbed her bag, politely bid them farewell, and left.
“….”
Three seconds of silence passed before Jiang Xu abruptly pushed his chair back, stood up, and entered the kitchen.
A quick glance at the sink revealed that the girl had washed her dishes and neatly placed them on the rack.
The man returned to the dining area, his face impassive as he sat back down. After a moment of contemplation over the winter melon rib soup, he turned to Zhou Yi: “Did I do something wrong?”
Zhou Yi snorted, chuckling sarcastically.
“What are you smirking at?”
“Nothing.”
“You’re implying I’m an idiot, aren’t you,” Jiang Xu stated matter-of-factly.
“Why use such a euphemism?” Zhou Yi declared boldly. “Be confident—you are an idiot.”
“What did I do wrong?” the man asked again.
Zhou Yi set down his chopsticks and looked at him with newfound curiosity: “Have you honestly never been in a relationship?”
Jiang Xu fell silent.
Zhou Yi: “….”
“Never dated?”
“Not once?”
“No crushes?”
“No heart-fluttering moments?”
“At least an ideal type?”
Jiang Xu’s brow twitched, a crack forming in his otherwise calm expression: “Are you done pestering me?”
Zhou Yi stared wide-eyed: “…You’ve seriously never had a girlfriend?”
Finally irritated by the questioning, the man snapped: “Why do I have to have dated someone?”
Zhou Yi popped a piece of pepper-salted rib into his mouth, shaking his head: “Out of all the meat dishes, you push a plate of greens toward her. Are you really that dumb?”
Jiang Xu frowned: “I didn’t think that much about it. At the time, I was a bit…”
“A bit?”
“Nervous.”
“Holy crap…”
Zhou Yi couldn’t help but swear, his hand slipping and dropping the rib onto the table.
“Are you secretly 17 years old or something?”
Jiang Xu paused: “Didn’t you say it helps with calcium and growth?”
“There’s calcium in shrimp shells too!” Zhou Yi rolled his eyes dramatically. “Why didn’t you peel a shrimp and toss the shell into her bowl?”
The man pondered this for two seconds before nodding slowly: “Should I have peeled a shrimp for her?”
Then he shook his head, rejecting the idea: “No, that would’ve been too fast.”
Zhou Yi’s jaw nearly hit the floor: “What’s going on here? Is the aging virgin finally experiencing spring? Twilight romance for the shadow emperor? Weren’t you smooth in the supermarket? ‘Buy this,’ ‘Buy that,’ ‘Buy more,’ ‘Whatever you say.’” Zhou Yi mocked in a singsong tone. “I thought you were a pro, Teacher Jiang. Your acting skills are impressive.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m saying your inconsistent flirting skills are all thanks to your acting.”
“I’m not relying on acting, and I’m not flirting.”
“Right, you weren’t flirting. All those actions tonight were just gas.”
Jiang Xu sighed deeply, his gaze heavy: “She’s my idol.”
Zhou Yi didn’t catch on: “…What?”
“I’m her fan.”
Zhou Yi: “…???”
…
As soon as Wen Siyu returned to her room, she leaned against the doorframe and began taking deep breaths.
She had just eaten dinner at the same table as her idol.
Her idol had even pushed a dish toward her, encouraging her to eat more.
From the start of the evening, the man’s demeanor had been relaxed and friendly, gradually putting her at ease. For a fleeting moment, she had even felt that the distance between them wasn’t as insurmountable as she had always imagined.
He had even sat next to her while eating cheese sticks.
Wen Siyu decided she must’ve eaten too many cheese sticks to feel this way—it was clearly an illusion.
This person was her idol.
Her idol.
The person whose mere words or smile could make her tear up and love him forever.
And yet, tonight, they had shared a meal together. She recalled his elegant hands pushing the plate toward her, his neatly trimmed nails, and the slight prominence of his knuckles.
He was so wonderful—so gentle and considerate, even toward an insignificant staff member like her.
Perhaps this was the closest she would ever get to him in her life.
Back in her hotel room, the girl sprawled out on the plush bed in the shape of a starfish, staring blankly at the pristine ceiling.
One must learn to be content and recognize their place. Overstepping boundaries was unacceptable.
Wen Siyu reflected.
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