Lin Xi poured Wang Yu a cup of tea, and then the two sat on the sofa, chatting about the room issue.
There wasn't actually much to discuss; the matter was essentially about the rent. Lin Xi said she didn't want it, taking it as repayment for Wang Yu saving her life, but Wang Yu insisted on paying, saying he wouldn't stay if she didn't take the rent.
The two went back and forth for quite a while until Lin Xi finally compromised, but it was just a symbolic amount of two hundred yuan a month. At this price, it wasn't just renting a room in Shen City that would be impossible, but even a bed space.
By the time the two had reached an agreement, the clock hands were pointing to nine o'clock in the evening. Lin Xi called out to Wang Yu and then returned to her bedroom, took a change of clothes, and went into the bathroom.
Meanwhile, Wang Yu entered the room he was about to move into, took another look around, and ultimately laid down on the bed, looking up at the ceiling lost in thought, and somehow drifted off to sleep, falling into a deep slumber. This state was unprecedented for him.
Under normal circumstances, Wang Yu wouldn't allow himself to relax so much, sleeping with one eye open, so to speak. As an assassin with many enemies, sleeping too soundly could result in being killed in his sleep.
But today was different. Perhaps it was because Lin Xi's home was so warmly decorated, it made Wang Yu feel that long-lost warmth, which led him to let down all his guards and fall into a deep sleep.
After Lin Xi had showered and washed her clothes, she left the bathroom and noticed Wang Yu wasn't in the living room. She went to the small room and saw Wang Yu lying on the bed in the shape of a "big" character, already asleep.
Seeing Wang Yu's sleeping posture, Lin Xi smiled amiably, turned off the light of the small room, and left. She then went to the balcony to hang up the freshly washed clothes.
On her way back to the bedroom, Lin Xi suddenly remembered that Wang Yu seemed to not have a blanket on, so she went back to Wang Yu's room. Not wanting to wake him, she didn't turn on the light and moved in darkness, pulling up the blanket and gently covering Wang Yu.
Wang Yu, who was deeply asleep, suddenly felt a weight on his body and was startled awake, immediate opening his eyes to see a shadow standing beside him.
Out of assassin instinct, he had no time to think and grabbed onto the shadow's shoulder, leaped off the bed with a rollover, slammed the shadow to the ground, and then pressed down, his left hand clutching the shadow's neck.
"Hmm? Why does it feel soft?"
Suddenly, Wang Yu came to his senses and scrambled to his feet in a panic, fumbled for the light switch, and saw Lin Xi lying on the ground, her eyes brimming with tears and fear as she looked at him, her face flushed red.
"Sorry, sorry, I didn't know it was you, I didn't do it on purpose, it was purely an instinctual reaction,"
Wang Yu repeatedly apologized to Lin Xi, his face flushed to his neck, wishing he could immediately find a hole to crawl into.
Lin Xi stared at Wang Yu for a few seconds, then quickly got up from the ground, covered her mouth, and dashed out of the room, followed by the sound of a door slamming shut.
Wang Yu thought to himself that it was over, Lin Xi had misunderstood.
What Wang Yu said was the truth. It was purely out of instinct as an assassin; when he saw a figure in the dark, his first reaction was that someone was out to get him. Without thinking, he reacted defensively and forgot that he was in Lin Xi's home.
But Lin Xi wouldn't see it that way. This was Lin Xi's home, and Lin Xi lived alone. How could she believe Wang Yu's explanation that he didn't know it was her?
Rubbing his forehead, Wang Yu sat down on the sofa and lit a cigarette, smoking morosely.
He knew that Lin Xi must have her own subjective understanding of the situation. Explaining now not only wouldn't help but might even worsen their conflict. It would be better to wait until Lin Xi calmed down to talk. If Lin Xi still didn't believe him by then and thought he was a pervert, there was nothing he could do.
As the saying goes, the innocent clear themselves, and the guilty reveal themselves; what others think is their business, being free from guilt is enough for oneself.
As for Lin Xi, after returning to her room and locking the door, she leaned against the door and patted her chest while inwardly cursing Wang Yu fiercely.
"Turtle, I was so kind to let you stay at my place, and I can't believe you took advantage of me, you deserve to die! Disgusting pervert, dead lecher!"
After calming her rattled heart, Lin Xi lay on the bed and began to think, feeling that something wasn't quite right.
Wang Yu's flushed face earlier didn't seem feigned. If that scoundrel had done it on purpose, he wouldn't have shown such a reaction. Could it be true, as he said, that it was all instinct? And why was he so alert? Did he have many enemies? Moreover, he seemed to be very skilled. What was his profession?
The more Lin Xi thought about it, the less sense it made, so she decided not to dwell on it and resolved to ask Wang Yu directly the next day, saving herself from wasting more brain cells.
The night passed without words.
The next morning, Wang Yu woke up and prepared to slip away, but after thinking it over, he decided to stay. If he left, he would practically be admitting to being a pervert. A man should act honorably. Even if he left, he had to clear up the misunderstanding first.
Though he felt no guilt, Wang Yu still found it difficult to face Lin Xi, especially after grabbing her breast the night before. As he was wondering how to clear up the misunderstanding with Lin Xi, he caught sight of the kitchen and suddenly had a bright idea.
"That's it, I'll let my awesome cooking skills conquer your taste buds and thus earn your forgiveness for my mistake."
Having made up his mind, Wang Yu scurried into the kitchen and, after rummaging through cabinets for a while, he ended up with two eggs and a handful of noodles in his hands.
He turned on the stove, added oil to the pan, and said with a sinister grin to the eggs, "Eggs, oh eggs, don't blame me. To clear my name, I have no choice but to fry you." After speaking, he cracked the eggs on the edge of the pan with a flourish and tossed them in.
The eggs hit the pan with a sizzle and then went silent.
Wang Yu paused and blinked a few times at the eggs, then bent down to check the bottom of the pan and realized the fire had gone out. After a careful inspection, he discovered the gas canister was empty.
"Damn it! What a piece of crap, playing tricks on me like this? Was I just trying to clear my reputation? Do you really have to sabotage me like that? You think you can oppose me? Believe it or not, I'll punch you to pieces?"
Wang Yu squatted in front of the gas canister, muttering and cursing while threading in some threats. After punching the canister, he stood up, smirking, and started to think of an alternative solution.
When his eyes inadvertently swept over the heater in the corner, Wang Yu had an epiphany, and an idea took shape.
He fetched the heater, laid it flat on the ground, plugged it in, and placed the pan on top of the heater. Before long, the eggs in the pan resumed their cheerful "sizzle and sizzle."
Soon, the kitchen was filled with a delightful aroma. Wang Yu smacked his lips at the pot of noodles, closed the lid contently, put everything back in its place, then walked out of the kitchen to the balcony where he lit a cigarette against the morning glow.
"Hmm..."
Lin Xi stretched lazily in bed, rubbed her eyes after waking up, and sat up. She tossed aside the covers, got off the bed, and looked at herself in the mirror. The bright red fingerprint on her face had vanished overnight.
Suddenly, a delicious smell wafted into Lin Xi's nostrils. She greedily sniffed the air, then furrowed her brows and walked out of her room, following the aroma to the kitchen. Lifting the lid of the pot, she froze. Inside was a mound of mushy noodles with two eggs lying on top.
Seeing the mess of noodles, Lin Xi burst out laughing, easily guessing who the chef was. Besides herself, there was only him in the house.
"Hey you, come here." Even though Lin Xi couldn't help but smile, she still managed to keep a straight face when calling for Wang Yu.
Upon hearing her, Wang Yu immediately entered the kitchen and said with a slight smile, "Miss Lin, good morning! Did you sleep well last night?"
At the mention of "last night," Lin Xi immediately remembered him grabbing her chest and gave him a fierce glare, asking irritably, "Is this the breakfast you made?"
After speaking, Lin Xi lowered her head, avoiding Wang Yu's gaze as her face turned red. After all, girls tend to be shy.
"Exactly! It's indeed my masterpiece, guaranteed to be perfect in color, aroma, and taste," Wang Yu said, his face brimming with pride. He then glanced at the pot and his smile vanished instantly, replaced by a look of embarrassment.
"Well, you see, I made it to treat you, but you got up a bit late, and the broth dried up, so it turned out like this," said Wang Yu, who then chuckled sheepishly and retreated to the living room.
Watching his retreating figure, Lin Xi felt amused in her heart. This guy was quite entertaining.
"Why did you make breakfast for me? Tell me, what are you up to?" Lin Xi followed him to the living room and stood beside Wang Yu, though she looked elsewhere.
"It's really nothing much; I just wanted to apologize for last night..."
"Alright, stop, I know you're not that kind of person," Lin Xi quickly interrupted, already knowing what he was going to say. In fact, she had known since last night that the chest-grabbing incident was a misunderstanding. If Wang Yu really were a lecher, he wouldn't have taken off his clothes to give to her in the cemetery.
Seeing the misunderstanding was cleared, Wang Yu felt an immediate relief and said to Lin Xi, "Thanks for trusting me so much! Although the noodles don't look very good, they should taste pretty decent. Have some for breakfast; I'll be on my way now."
"Huh? Leaving? Where are you going?"
Lin Xi furrowed her brows, puzzled at his remark. She hadn't blamed him, much less driven him out. What did he mean by this?
"My stuff is still at the hotel, so of course, I'm heading there! You don't expect me to borrow clothes, do you?"
After saying this, Wang Yu turned and walked away, shaking his head. He had thought this girl was quite clever, but now it seemed she was the real goofball.
Watching Wang Yu's back, Lin Xi blinked a few times and then realized she had been overthinking.
After Wang Yu had left, Lin Xi got washed, changed into a new outfit, and went into the kitchen. She lifted the lid of the pot and, after a long internal debate and guided by her principle against wasting food, she dished herself a bowl of the noodles. On her first bite, she chewed thoughtfully. While the noodles didn't look much, they actually tasted quite good.
"It looks like I'm in for a treat from now on," she thought, and couldn't help but let out a few wicked snickers.