Chapter 44.1

Her beautiful figure glided around the kitchen as the aroma wafted in the air and the small kitchen slowly filled with steam.

Complex thoughts were surging beneath his black pupils. 

He really wanted to hug her from behind. 

She took the initiative to care about him, kiss him, and now she was even cooking for him.

She does like him, right?

It was such an obvious and apparent answer, but it always lacked to give him a sense of security.  

“If I remembered correctly, you don’t eat green onion and coriander?”

Her figure suddenly stiffened. A pair of arms wrapped around her waist and a clean scent surrounded her. 

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Her lips moved, but in the end, she did not know what to say.

This was all her own doing. Who asked her to commit such a sin? 

“The noodles are ready. Go out and take a seat.” 

“En.”

There was only Grandma and her staying in the house. Hence, they only had a small simple square table, paired with some plastic stools. It was completely different from the exquisitely decorated Gu family villa.

As a tall and strapping individual, he looked very cramped seated at that small dining table. However, there was no expression of discomfort or dislike on his face. When he saw her approaching with the bowl, his eyes lit up.

After the bowl was placed in front of him, he spotted a poached egg floating on top of the noodles. There were also two small heads of crispy bok choy. Although it looked simply ordinary, the aroma whiffing from the kitchen just now nearly made him drool. Her culinary skills were unexpectedly good.

He used a pair of chopsticks to pick up the noodles. After giving it a couple of puffs, he delivered them into his mouth. He consumed it in big mouthfuls, it looked rushed but not crude. 

In less than five minutes, he had completely polished the bowl of noodles, and even the soup was all finished. It seemed that he was truly hungry.

“Do you want more?”

“There’s more?” He raised his head. His voice was filled with expectation.

“There’s a little left.” 

He immediately lifted the bowl towards her, like a little puppy begging for food. If he had a tail, it would be wagging in anticipation. 

Onto his second bowl, he did not polish it off as quickly. He ate it in an elegant manner, as he slowly savored his food. 

“I’ve never realized that you liked noodles.” Sitting beside him, Tao Yi Xi was surprised by his large appetite.

“You cooked it.” He drank the last mouthful of broth.

Tao Yi Xi froze for a moment. He was calm when he said it as if he did not realize how jaw-dropping his words were. 

Was this person planning to let himself go completely?

In the past, he was extremely aloof and did not know how to speak ‘human words’, but at least, he knew how to restrain himself. Now, he gave hugs whenever he felt like it and could smoothly utter words of affection off the tip of his head. 

Tao Yi Xi supported her head, as she felt a headache welling up from his change of attitude. She decided to avoid this topic.

“Ge-ge, when are you going back?”   

The relaxed atmosphere disappeared with her words. 

The corners of his mouth twitch, “I just arrived and you’re already driving me away? Why? Am I disrupting your date with that neighboring Ge-ge?”  

After he finished speaking, he immediately regretted it as he lowered his eyes to avoid meeting her gaze.

It sounded so sour…

Yet, he could not control his emotions and had taken a jab reflexively at her. 

Tao Yi Xi said helplessly, “Ji Ge-ge and I are just ordinary friends. But if you insist on thinking so, then I’ll just make it into a reality.” 

“I forbid it!” Gu Jing Yuan’s heart jumped to his throat. His sudden shout caused her grandmother to come out to investigate.

“What’s forbidden?”

“Nothing…” Gu Jing Yuan lowered his head, trying to suppress his temper.

Grandma smiled kindly and asked him, “Is Jing Yuan full?”

“Yes.”

“Sleep here tonight. I’ll prepare a room for you. Is that okay?”

“Alright, then I’ll have to trouble Grandma,” Gu Jing Yuan obediently replied.

The more Grandma looked at him, the more she liked him. Turns out, this child was not as horrid as her daughter previously claimed.   

“It’s too late to sun the quilt now. You can use one of the quilts in Xiao Xi’s room first.”

“Alright, thank you, Grandma.”

As there was an elder at home, going to bed early was only natural. 

After that episode and the two parted on unhappy terms, Gu Jing Yuan did not manage to get another chance to be alone with her.  

**

The bedboard was very hard and uncomfortable, it made it difficult for him to fall asleep. 

He pulled the quilt up to the edge of his nose. The faint scent drifted into his nose as he took a deep breath, the fragrance surrounded him.

He closed his eyes, imagining that he was currently being embraced by her.

The sensation was soft and gentle. Unable to hold himself back, he picked up his phone and sent her a message.

[Sorry, I didn’t mean to say that just now.]

He could not help himself as he added another sentence: [But I still have to say, your neighbor is just average. He’s not as tall as me, nor as handsome.]

It was only upon receiving Gu Jing Yuan’s current messages then did Tao Yi Xi noticed the long string of messages he sent earlier.

In the afternoon, she was busily helping Grandma pickle some vegetables and had left her phone to one side. By the time she remembered about her phone, she was already on the way back from the supermarket and had already bumped into him. 

Through the text messages, one could sense his agitation. Just because he caught the voice of another male through the call, he had disregarded everything despite it being New Year and had booked the next ticket to come to her.

His affections were wide open for all to see and words could not completely encompass his feelings. 

Tao Yi Xi texted back: [Rest early. Tomorrow, shall we go out together?]

They needed to have a good talk.

[Okay.]

Gu Jing Yuan happily hugged the quilt. He thought to himself that the willow trees made the shade and the flowers gave the light¹At one’s darkest hour, they spot a glimmer of hope. Or light at the end of the tunnel, it was something worth being happy about.  

Early the following day, he spotted Grandma making mandarin flower rolls.

Hearing some movement, Grandma looked up from what she was doing and was surprised to see him. 

“Good morning, Grandma.”

“Jing Yuan, you’re up early! Do you want to go back and rest some more?”

Gu Jing Yuan shook his head and looked around, “She’s not awake yet?”

Speaking of her granddaughter, Grandma smiled dotingly and replied, “When on her vacation, Xiao Xi acts just like a lazy little pig.”

Gu Jing Yuan was momentarily taken aback. In his impression, the word ‘lazy’ could never be associated with her, she was more like a well-disciplined robot.

Grandma could probably guess what was going through his mind and she sighed, “Xiao Xi always tries to maintain a strong front when she’s outside.”

“She’s amazing.” Gu Jing Yuan informed her in a serious manner. “When she came to our school, she immediately scored well and obtained second place. She then subsequently even overtook the top position.”

He could not help but feel proud of her. “Now, all the teachers can’t wait to treasure her in the palms of their hands.”

Hearing that her granddaughter was doing well outside, Grandma smiled until her wrinkles became more defined. However, the worry did not fade from between her brows.  

“Xiao Xi has always been hardworking in her studies and never needed adult supervision. All the teachers in her old school also liked her. What about classmates? Does she get along well with them?” 

“Everyone really likes her. Previously, our class was ranked last in the cohort, but ever since she came, our overall class ranking had improved significantly. She’s also very helpful and patient when answering classmates’ inquiries, resulting in their improvement in grades as well. Nowadays, they always hang around her to ask questions.”

“That’s good, that’s good…” Grandma finally looked more relieved.

Gu Jing Yuan was astute as he sensed something amiss. “In her old school, did she not get along with her classmates?” 

Perceiving Gu Jing Yuan’s kind intentions, Grandma seemed to have found someone to confide in as she steadily explained, “She was young when she lost her father and her mother was rarely around as well. This caused a lot of rumors and speculations about her to spread around. Originally, I had dismissed it, thinking that mouths belonged to others and that what they say isn’t something we can control. But I didn’t expect that because of this, she had suffered quite a bit of grievance.” 

The more she narrated, the more choked up Grandma became, “She never spoke of it, if I hadn’t discovered the injuries, I might’ve still been kept in the dark about others bullying her.” 

Gu Jing Yuan’s pupils shrank and he sucked in a deep breath, “Grandma is saying that she sustained injuries?”

Grandma nodded heavily. When she looked at him again, her eyes showed affection and gratitude, “Afterwards, I contacted her mother and fortunately, your family was kind-hearted and willing to take her in. So, thank you so much.”

Gu Jing Yuan lowered his head in shame and pursed his lips silently.

He recalled the first day she arrived at the Gu’s residence. He had stood arrogantly above as he sneered at her presence and made things difficult for her. His heart clenched and he hated that he could not give himself a tight slap. 

He had misunderstood her from the very beginning, he had tormented and hurt her.

The regret in his heart surged like turbulent waves, his emotions were in a mess. He shut his eyes tightly, not wanting Grandma to notice his abnormality.

“Grandma, let me help you after I wash my hands.” If one were to listen carefully, one would be able to hear his voice tremble slightly at the end. 

He hastily made his way to the kitchen. The icy tap water spread a chill to every corner of his being. Soon his fingers turned red. It acted as a punishment but it also helped him regain some sense of sobriety.

When he felt that he had managed to get better control of his emotions then did he make his way back to Grandma’s side and clumsily tried to help her.  

“Jing Yuan, why are your hands so red? You didn’t turn on the hot water setting?” Grandma inquired worriedly.

“It’s okay. I prefer using cold water to wash my hands. Grandma, how do you make these flower rolls?”  

Without any peculiarity displayed on his face, Grandma did not catch onto his complex mood as she sincerely instructed him step by step. 

“Xiao Xi,” Her nickname lingered in his mouth, “Does she like them?”

“She does. Sprinkle some sugar at the very end, and she can eat several of them.”

After learning that her granddaughter was doing well in school, Grandma felt more at ease. Her brows were no longer taunted and she shared many trivial bits of information about Tao Yi Xi. Seated by her side, Gu Jing Yuan listened attentively. 

It turned out that she also enjoyed sleeping in, eating sweets, and acting coquettishly.