Chapter 31

At 12:30, Ruan Xinyi carefully placed the finished dishes on the dining table one by one.

As she returned to the kitchen to fetch bowls and chopsticks, Ruan Su craned her neck to glance at the dishes. She couldn’t quite make out what they were—just three dishes, fewer than the night before.

Seated calmly on the sofa, Ruan Su maintained her composure as she replied to Wen Xihan’s message: [Dinner’s ready.]

At that moment, Ruan Xinyi came out carrying bowls and chopsticks. “Mom, dinner’s ready~”

Ruan Su, her expression unchanged, set her phone aside. She responded softly with an “Mm” and walked unhurriedly to the dining table before sitting down.

The meal consisted of three simple home-cooked dishes—one meat, one vegetable, and one soup—all presented with a touch of care. While not elaborate, they looked appetizing. Ruan Su thought the taste likely wouldn’t be bad either.

“Ahem.” Ruan Xinyi cleared her throat and introduced the dishes one by one. “This is Three-Cup Chicken, stir-fried shredded potatoes with green peppers, and tomato egg soup. I followed an online tutorial.”

Ruan Su nodded and, under Xinyi’s expectant gaze, slowly picked up a piece of chicken with her chopsticks and tasted it. She offered her verdict: “Not bad.” It was, in fact, better than she had expected.

Ruan Xinyi breathed a sigh of relief and smiled gently. “This is my first time making Three-Cup Chicken.” She made a mental note to try making it for Wen Xihan in a couple of days.

Ruan Su raised her eyebrows slightly in surprise, looked at Xinyi, and said warmly, “For your first time, it’s quite good.”

She glanced at the table and asked, “Is there rice?”

Xinyi smacked her forehead and laughed. “Yes, I forgot to bring it out. I’ll get it.”

As Xinyi turned back to the kitchen, Ruan Su picked up her phone and quickly snapped a photo to share with Wen Xihan.

Wen Xihan replied with exasperation: [Sister, aren’t you being childish?]

Childish?

Ruan Su, of course, wouldn’t admit to it: [How am I childish?]

Wen Xihan: [You’re acting childish right now.]

Ruan Su emphasized: [This is the first time I’ve eaten a meal cooked by Xinyi.]

Wen Xihan casually added, cutting deep: [I’ve been eating her breakfasts for the past few days.]

Ruan Su’s eyes widened in shock: [?!]

But on second thought, it made sense. Not only were the two neighbors, but they also had a boss-subordinate relationship. Some interaction was perfectly normal.

“Mom?” When Ruan Xinyi returned with the rice cooker, she saw Ruan Su clutching her phone with an indescribable expression.

Ruan Su gritted her teeth slightly before setting her phone face-down on the table. She composed herself and said in a neutral tone, “Let’s eat first.”

“Mm, okay.” Xinyi didn’t overthink it, assuming Ruan Su’s mood stemmed from work-related stress.

To Ruan Su’s surprise, Xinyi’s cooking was better than she had imagined. The dishes suited her taste well, especially when paired with the soft, perfectly cooked rice. Before she knew it, her bowl of rice was nearly empty.

Comparing the meal to the photos Wen Xihan had shared yesterday, Ruan Su realized she was greedy. Not only did she want to try Xinyi’s dinner from the night before, but she was also curious about her breakfast.

Suppressing the urge to get a second helping, Ruan Su poured herself a bowl of tomato egg soup. Casually, she asked, “Xinyi, when did you learn to cook?”

“Emmm…” Xinyi hesitated before answering honestly, “Probably during my sophomore year in college. I had a lot of free time back then, so I took on many part-time jobs and gradually learned to cook.”

Ruan Su was momentarily stunned. She lowered her eyes, a faint trace of self-mockery curling at her lips. Taking a sip of soup, she didn’t speak again for a while. When she did, her voice was subdued. “That’s great.”

“When I was in school, my only hobby was drawing.” A flicker of emotion crossed her gaze. She continued, “But your grandfather didn’t approve, so he changed my major. Back then, I would secretly draw at school… and I met someone quite interesting.”

Xinyi listened quietly, her curiosity piqued. “Mom, do you still keep in touch with them?”

Ruan Su stared at Xinyi for a few seconds, then silently finished her soup. Her voice was light and distant. “Have you ever seen me draw again?”

“…” Xinyi fell silent. Ever since she could remember, she had never seen Ruan Su draw. Their home didn’t even have a studio. If not for Ruan Su mentioning it today, Xinyi wouldn’t have known she could draw at all.

Setting down her bowl and chopsticks, Ruan Su pulled out her chair and stood. Her tone cooled noticeably. “I’m done. Xinyi, take your time eating.”

Xinyi belatedly nodded. “Okay.”

After leaving the dining room, Ruan Su slowly made her way to the backyard.

Uncle Cheng followed behind her, his posture slightly hunched. He sighed and remarked, “The roses are blooming beautifully this year.”

Hearing this, Ruan Su paused. Ignoring the fact that her dark coat brushed against the ground, she crouched down and gently ran her finger along the stem of a vibrant red rose. Her fingertip pressed lightly against the stem, and she snapped off the flower.

She traced the dew-laden petals with her fingers and murmured softly, “Indeed, they’re blooming beautifully.”

"Just like that year."

Dew clung to her fingertips. Ruan Su gently wiped it away, twirling a flower as she strolled leisurely through the backyard before returning to the living room.

The dining table had already been cleared. Aunt Zhou had refused to let Ruan Xinyi, who had “never lifted a finger for housework,” wash the dishes. Mimicking Ruan Xinyi’s earlier actions, she shooed her out of the kitchen and even locked the door.

When Ruan Su returned, she saw Ruan Xinyi sitting on the sofa, a small knife beside her, intently peeling a ruby grapefruit.

Ruan Su stood behind her for a moment and noticed how, in her idleness, Ruan Xinyi had not only peeled the entire grapefruit but had also painstakingly removed the white membranes and veins from each segment. She carefully placed the intact segments back into the hollowed-out grapefruit peel.

Though it was a tedious process, it did make eating the grapefruit more convenient.

Holding a rose, Ruan Su walked to the coffee table and leaned forward to place the flower in the vase.

The lisianthus flowers in the vase were slightly wilted, but the vibrant rose stood out boldly.

Hearing the movement, Ruan Xinyi looked up. Noticing the newly added rose, she smiled and said, “We could buy a fresh bouquet to replace these.”

Ruan Su sat on the sofa, crossed her legs, and casually asked, “Another convenient excuse?”

“???” Catching the implication, a faint blush crept up Ruan Xinyi’s ears. She muttered softly, “She might not even accept my flowers…”

But then again, who knew? Last night, Ruan Xinyi had clearly sensed a slight softening in Wen Xihan’s attitude. If she delivered flowers today, there was a decent chance they’d be accepted, right?

Ruan Su: “…”

Ruan Su shot her an exasperated glance, muttering something akin to “hopeless,” before turning on the TV to watch financial news.

Meanwhile, Ruan Xinyi hesitated about whether to deliver the flowers. Once she made up her mind, she sped up her grapefruit peeling.

After arranging the segments back into the peel, she perfectly reassembled the grapefruit by sealing it with the other half of the rind.

From the outside, it looked like an untouched grapefruit, with no hint of the prepared segments inside.

Casting a glance at Ruan Su, who was watching TV, Ruan Xinyi cleared her throat and politely asked, “Mom, would you like some grapefruit?”

Ruan Su’s eyes instinctively flickered to the “intact” grapefruit in Ruan Xinyi’s hands, and she nodded almost imperceptibly.

Thus, Ruan Xinyi placed the “intact” grapefruit aside, picked up another one from the coffee table, carved decorative patterns into it with her small knife, and handed over a piece of fruit still covered in its white membrane to Ruan Su.

Ruan Su: “???”

Oblivious to the confusion, Ruan Xinyi picked up the pre-peeled grapefruit, grabbed her bag, and hurriedly said, “Mom, I’m off to buy flowers!” before dashing out.

After she left, Ruan Su stared at the grapefruit in her hand, lost in thought.

Uncle Cheng, watching with a kindly expression, remarked nostalgically, “Ah, youth is wonderful.”

Ruan Su chuckled, putting the grapefruit onto the coffee table, and cursed lightly, “This ungrateful child.”

But after a few seconds, she picked it back up and began peeling away the white membrane, carefully separating the juicy segments.

---

Leaving the villa, Ruan Xinyi declined the bodyguard’s offer to drive her back to her apartment. She hailed a taxi and gave the address of a flower shop near her office.

At this hour, the flower shop was nearly empty. When Ruan Xinyi entered with the grapefruit in her arms, the shop owner was lounging in a chair, resting.

The sound of wind chimes jingling stirred the shop owner, who opened her eyes and asked softly, “Here to buy flowers?”

“Mm,” Ruan Xinyi nodded, scanning the shop before speaking shyly, “I want to give them to someone.”

The shop owner smiled knowingly and gestured toward an array of flowers. “These are all available.”

The selection was vast, especially the roses, which came in various colors. Freshly delivered that morning, they were vibrant with dew and fragrant.

Bending down, Ruan Xinyi plucked a white rose and brought it to her nose. “This one.”

The shop owner opened a nearby glass cabinet and asked gently, “For someone special?”

“Yes,” Ruan Xinyi admitted. Just thinking of Wen Xihan made her smile, a soft expression she didn’t even realize she had. “White roses suit her.”

“She must be beautiful,” the shop owner said while deftly trimming the rose stems. “How about a bouquet of twenty-one roses?”

“Sure.” Watching the shop owner skillfully arrange the bouquet, Ruan Xinyi hesitated briefly before asking, “Can you… deliver it for me?”

The shop owner chuckled. “Of course.”

“Would you like to include a card?”

“A card?” Ruan Xinyi mulled over the suggestion before shaking her head. “No, I wouldn’t even know what to write…”

Before she finished, she chuckled to herself.

The shop owner, unfazed, smiled faintly.

While the shop owner was wrapping the bouquet, Ruan Xinyi purchased another bunch of lisianthus flowers. She paid and wrote her apartment address on a sticky note.

The shop owner glanced at the note and estimated the delivery time. “It should arrive in about an hour.”

“Thank you.” After chatting for a while, Ruan Xinyi left the shop with the grapefruit and lisianthus flowers in her arms.

She found a nearby café and waited for an hour, assuming that the flowers would have reached Wen Xihan by then. Finally, she slowly flagged down a taxi and headed back to her apartment.

Coincidentally, just as she arrived, she ran into Wen Xihan, who was about to leave.

With a bright smile, she greeted, “What a coincidence, sister~.”

Wen Xihan was dressed casually. Her long legs and graceful figure were complemented by her pale wrist peeking out from beneath her sleeve, dazzlingly pristine. Holding a parasol in one hand, she looked at Ruan Xinyi with her peach blossom eyes, her expression unreadable. “Were those flowers from you?”

Considering there were only a few people who knew her address, and even fewer who would send her flowers, Wen Xihan deduced that the sender was likely Ruan Xinyi.

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Ruan Xinyi admitted straightforwardly, “Yes, I sent them.”

With a hint of anticipation, they asked, "Sister, do you like it?"

Wen Xihan’s eyes flickered with a touch of reluctance. She parted her lips and replied, “I don’t like it.”

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