The sounds in the kitchen were very faint.
The bubbling of steam, the gentle and prolonged hum of the range hood, a man in a light gray T-shirt and a green floral apron, holding a small spoon to season the soup simmering in a clay pot.
Qi Sui lazily wore a nightgown, hugging a round, plush pillow as she aimlessly clicked through TV channels.
As soon as she got home, she wanted to collapse on the bed and sleep, but unfortunately, less than twenty minutes after closing her eyes, a certain man rang the doorbell carrying large bags, looking at her with those slightly curved eyes.
Like a plea mixed with calm desire: "Did I wake you?"
Qi Sui felt helpless.
She simply pressed his finger on the new fingerprint lock, granting it a second owner on the spot.
Only then did he relent.
Qi Sui sniffed.
Fragrant clam soup, the scent of asparagus—probably stir-fried asparagus with meat...
On the shoe cabinet at the entrance was an exquisite small wooden box. Its exterior even featured hollowed-out line carvings, with gold threads woven into the wood grain, looking very luxurious.
Qi Sui usually didn't open other people's belongings casually. But since this item was now in her home, on her shoe cabinet, she was curious.
So she called out, "Can I open this to take a look?"
Xiang Yu looked up and replied, "Go ahead, it's not state secrets."
This man was frighteningly vindictive.
So Qi Sui opened the wooden box with ease. Inside lay a jade bracelet so green it seemed almost fake.
She knew nothing about such luxury items, only occasionally hearing about them from colleagues—
A jade bracelet, especially one made of jadeite, looks the more fake, the more real it is, and the higher its value.
This jade bracelet was indeed fake to a certain degree.
Footsteps approached from behind, and a warm, elastic body pressed against her back. The man's hand reached over, deftly took out the jade bracelet, grasped her wrist, and gently slipped it on. Then he raised her hand to admire it under the light.
"This is..." Qi Sui asked knowingly.
Xiang Yu held her small, pale, thin hand in his palm and said flatly, "A gift for you."
The always pragmatic Director Xiang was finally starting to look the part of a CEO.
Qi Sui marveled at the bracelet, which sparkled brilliantly under the light, and then blurted out, "This must be very expensive, right?"
Xiang Yu snorted.
"Money can't buy it."
One would need an auction invitation, sufficient cash flow, a personal agent, and the time and willingness to go to auction.
Of course, there was no need to say all that. The final result—Qi Sui liking it—was enough.
The expression on Xiang Yu's face seemed quite proud.
This was another aspect of his that could be called cute.
For some reason, in a short time, Xiang Yu's image in Qi Sui's eyes had become doubly "cute."
It was really tricky.
The man was wearing a cute little apron, his chest muscles tightly bound, the lines plump and crowded, very pleasing to the eyes.
Qi Sui restrained herself this time and didn't stare too long, because she was very hungry.
In fact, Xiang Yu's cooking skills were just average. He didn't have that exaggerated chef-like skill, nor could he handle very difficult cuisines. Ordinary home cooking was his domain.
But who wouldn't want to experience a life where everything was taken care of?
Qi Sui's eyes curved into crescent moons as she said sweetly, "Director Xiang, you're so virtuous. Whoever marries you will be very lucky."
Xiang Yu handled her glib compliments with ease, merely nodding lightly in response.
"Thank you for your affirmation."
The food was good. The man was handsome.
The rice was white. The chest muscles were white.
Qi Sui was happy. Xiang Yu was smug.
This was a war without smoke.
But even if the food was served, the dishes still had to be washed.
She and Xiang Yu squeezed into the tiny kitchen. The kitchen was so small that when Xiang Yu stood inside, a slight turn would bring him up against Qi Sui, who was scrubbing the dishes.
Qi Sui focused intently on scrubbing, while Xiang Yu took a wet paper towel and carefully wiped every bit of oil from the gas stove.
Throughout this process, his arm kept brushing against Qi Sui's waist intentionally or unintentionally, and she kept moving aside step by step.
Until she finally found herself cornered with no room to retreat, she looked up in dismay.
"Are you trying to squeeze me to death?"
Xiang Yu paused, frozen in embarrassment at this woman's utter lack of romance.