In fairy tales, whenever the prince and the princess have a secret rendezvous, there's always an old witch who comes to disturb them. Song Yun felt that Li Shishi was playing this role right now.
Before Song Yun could press his advantage and tease Xiao Qing some more, Li Shishi cleared her throat twice at the door.
"I haven't disrupted your little date, have I?" Li Shishi swaggered in, someone might think she was the landlord here to collect the rent.
At the sound of her voice, Xiao Qing hurriedly lifted her head and shyly waved her hands as she stepped back, "We're not on a date."
"Oh? That's right, I guess no one could possibly fancy this scum," said Li Shishi without mincing her words. "Little sister, don't be fooled by the person in front of you, he is a downright social reject."
"Senior Brother Song isn't like that," Xiao Qing replied firmly, locking eyes with Li Shishi, "He is a good person."
"If he's a good person, then there are no good people left in the world," Li Shishi sneered, "You're still young, you can't tell good from bad. Just don't live to regret it and then realize, oh, so that's what he's really like."
"Senior Brother Song isn't like that, he… he…" Xiao Qing was so anxious that her eyes began to redden. She said word by word, "This morning, Senior Brother Song risked his life to rescue people from a car accident; from this, it's clear that he's not a bad person."
"Heh, your Senior Brother isn't as great as you say," Song Yun said, scratching the back of his head with a naive smile, "but what you said is more or less accurate."
"Scum, degenerate, hmph," Li Shishi, seeing Song Yun's self-satisfied look, immediately flared up, "Where's my room?"
"That room over there is empty; you can stay inside," Song Yun said quickly, pointing to a cleared-out room nearby, unable to provoke this imposing figure.
Initially, he thought Li Shishi had come alone, but then she clapped her hands, and five or six men in black suits, each carrying cooking pots and pans, surged in. It looked as if they were moving in.
"Senior Brother Song, who are they?" Xiao Qing, who had been on edge all day since the morning incident, grew a bit frightened and shrank behind Song Yun at the sight of so many strangers.
"Li Shishi, these people you've brought aren't going to live with you, are they? You may not pay rent, but if they're moving in, each person has to pay up every month."
"Don't worry, they're just here to help move things," Li Shishi's voice came from inside the room.
"Senior Brother Song, who is that sister? She seems fierce," Xiao Qing muttered softly.
"Her? She's a tigress, and the man-eating kind," Song Yun said with a grin, "but don't worry, with me here, dragons coil and tigers crouch. Xiaoqing, you live alone in the neighboring courtyard, looking so lonely. How about moving in with us?"
"There's no need to trouble you, Senior Brother. I live just fine by myself," Xiao Qing waved her hands and said quickly, "I won't bother you today then, Senior Brother. I'll visit another day."
No sooner had Xiao Qing left than the bodyguards had also arranged everything neatly. Whatever Li Shishi told them, they left without giving Song Yun an amiable look. Especially their glares, as if they wanted to see right through Song Yun, they looked ready to burst out with a threat like, 'If you dare sneak into my boss' room in the middle of the night, I'll break your legs!'
"What's for dinner? I'm in a good mood today, and could show off my cooking skills," Song Yun called out from the courtyard.
"I'm not eating; I'm dieting."
Well, that's what one would call a cold shoulder to a warm advance.
"Just suit yourself," Song Yun mumbled as he headed to the kitchen.
After bustling about in the kitchen, Song Yun made five or six dishes. He had been hoodwinked into cooking for an old man since he was young, and so he had been cooking ever since. Though he wouldn't claim the dishes to have perfect color, fragrance, and taste, the aroma was definitely appetizing.
Song Yun set the table with bowls and chopsticks and sat down, joyfully alternating between bites of food and mouthfuls of dishes.
"Ah, life is good nowadays, this food is delicious. If it's accompanied by two taels of liquor, mmm, heavenly."
"Mm, this rice isn't bad either, fragrant and sticky. I should really buy a few more pounds next time."
"Ah, I'd fall in love with myself if I were a woman; this food is just too delicious."
Li Shishi, sitting inside at her desk looking over documents, kept hearing Song Yun's continuous shouts, which stirred her originally not-so-hungry stomach to rumble with hunger.
"Can't you eat without yapping? Haven't you heard of silence while eating?" Li Shishi finally couldn't contain herself and quickly stepped out to stand before the dining table and yell at Song Yun.
But her imposing momentum didn't last two seconds before her own stomach betrayed her.
Hearing the growling sound, Li Shishi wished she could find a crack in the floor to crawl into.
"The bowls and cutlery are in the cupboard. If you want to eat, get them yourself," Song Yun said unclearly, mouth full of food.
"A good woman doesn't fight with men, a good woman doesn't fight with men," Li Shishi comforted herself in her mind, and on top of that, she was genuinely hungry. She took out a bowl and chopsticks and sat opposite Song Yun.
After a few bites, Li Shishi's eyes brightened. She didn't expect this rascal to cook so well, a notch above even those executive chefs at hotels, so her pace at grabbing food increased.
"Eat slower, no one's competing with you," Song Yun said lazily.
"It's not because it tastes good that I'm eating so fast; it's just that I'm hungry," Li Shishi retorted haughtily.
"Yeah, yeah, you're always right. But, you know, man is iron and food is steel, go without a meal and you'll know how that feels. Nowadays, many girls are always crying 'diet, diet,' when they're not even thin to begin with. Losing more weight can really harm the body, so you should still eat on time. If you really want to diet, just exercise more."
Li Shishi idly played with the last grains of rice in her bowl, stealing glances at Song Yun as she pondered, "Who exactly is this man? Not only could he rescue me from those mercenaries, but he can also cook such delicious meals."
What shocked her most was that Song Yun now kept on nagging like an old mother, urging her to eat more. What an oddball.
"Li Shishi?"
Lost in thought as she stared at Song Yun, Li Shishi jumped when he suddenly called her name, almost spilling her bowl of rice on the table. She quickly looked away, attempting to casually continue eating, but soon realized the bowl was already empty.
"Why aren't you eating properly? What's on your mind? Could it be that you've fallen for my dashing charm and can't get me out of your head?" Song Yun teased, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.
"Who... who could fall for a big thug like you?" Li Shishi huffed, "Serve me another bowl of rice."
"Gee, with an appetite like that, who's ever going to afford to keep you?" Song Yun pretended to lament, but quickly filled another brimming bowl of rice and placed it before Li Shishi.