Peony Court is a relatively high-end apartment complex. Of course, in Shanghai, where people from all walks of life converge, many outsiders also rent apartments here.
The Building 6 where Ruan Xihe lives consists of small-sized apartments, while Building 8 where Qi Si resides is composed of large-sized ones, mostly over 130 square meters.
After feeding the ham, she jingled her keys and headed for the community supermarket.
She had classes in the morning tomorrow and needed to buy some bread to avoid a hasty start in the morning.
There wasn't much milk left in the fridge. She bent down to pick up the pure milk. She lingered in the snack section for a long time. When she turned around, she almost bumped into someone. A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes as she looked up.
"Good evening, Teacher Qi. Are you also here to do some shopping?" She greeted with a smile.
Qi Si felt that he was a bit abnormal today. He wasn't a sociable person, nor was he overly kind. But when he saw her on the road today, he inexplicably stopped the car and offered her a ride. Just now, seeing her feeding the cats downstairs, he subconsciously thought of taking a walk in the community. Finally, he strangely followed her to the supermarket...
"Yes. I'm out of salt at home."
"Teacher Qi usually cooks by himself?" Ruan Xihe appropriately showed her astonishment.
"Yes." He was truly a man of few words.
Ruan Xihe pursed her lips and carefully chose her words: "Then I'll go pay the bill first?"
"Okay." He replied and walked towards the food section.
Ruan Xihe stood at the cashier, waiting to pay.
"Hello. The total is forty-five yuan and eighty cents."
"Okay." She had just taken out her phone and was about to scan the code when a red hundred-yuan bill and a pack of salt were handed from behind.
"Let's pay together." Qi Si's voice came from behind.
After leaving the supermarket, Ruan Xihe said to Qi Si: "I'll transfer the money to your WeChat."
"No need."
Qi Si looked down at her.
"Is it heavy?"
Ruan Xihe shook the bag: "It's not heavy. I usually buy like this."
Qi Si slightly bent down, and in an instant, his presence was closer. He took the snack bag from Ruan Xihe's hand: "I think it's quite heavy."
After saying that, he walked forward with the things.
Ruan Xihe raised her eyebrows behind Qi Si, feeling as if she had been flirted with by the target of her conquest.
She caught up and walked beside Qi Si. This man was really tall. Fei Ye, who was 188 centimeters, was already quite tall, but Qi Si seemed almost 190 centimeters. The moment he bent down just now, it was particularly imposing.
She was 168 centimeters tall, which was not short among girls. But standing beside Qi Si, it still made her look especially delicate and charming.
"Teacher Qi is very experienced." She teased.
"It's a matter of courtesy."
"Teacher Qi's profile picture is a ragdoll. Does the teacher have a cat at home?" Qi Si had a cold personality, so she had to take the initiative to start a conversation.
"Yes. Do you like cats?" He looked down at her.
Ruan Xihe looked up, and her beautiful eyes were misty and indescribably charming: "I really like these little creatures. The ragdoll that the teacher has is very beautiful."
"Would you like to go up and have a look?" Qi Si regretted saying this as soon as he said it. He had always disliked others staying in his territory. And he was also a bit worried that she would refuse. In the end, he didn't even know if he really wanted Ruan Xihe to go up or not.
"Really? Is it okay?" Her expression showed some delight.
Qi Si's mood suddenly became lighter.
"Yes."
Ruan Xihe followed Qi Si upstairs. As soon as he opened the door, a furry white ball stuck to them. Previously, it was always attached to Qi Si. But now...
She crouched down and stroked its little head. The ragdoll purred contentedly. Soon, it lay on the ground and showed its belly, which was a sign of showing goodwill to Ruan Xihe.
Qi Si was a bit astonished. He knew his own cat. It was usually extremely aloof and only close to him. It basically ignored others. But today, it was so close to Ruan Xihe as soon as it saw her. It was a bit unexpected.
"Nai Tang likes you very much." Qi Si closed the door. The warm yellow spotlight in the entrance hall shone down, softening his aloof temperament. For a moment, he looked especially gentle.
Ruan Xihe smiled: "It's very cute."
The ragdoll seemed to understand that Ruan Xihe was praising it. It meowed, got up from the ground, and licked her finger.
The barbs on the cat's tongue actually scratched her a bit, but she still gently picked up the little cat. Well, this little thing was quite heavy to hold.
Qi Si's apartment had a cold-toned decoration style, which clearly showed that it was a single man's residence. There was hardly any sense of life.
The living room was quite large. She casually glanced and saw that one of the rooms had been converted into a cat's playground, with cat trees and cat slides arranged in an orderly manner. A cat living like this could be considered a winner in the feline world.
"Have you had dinner?" At this time, Qi Si should ask this question anyway.
"Not yet."
"Do you have any dietary restrictions?"
"I don't eat spicy food."
"Okay."
Qi Si was really good at cooking. Even a simple dish of scrambled eggs with tomatoes was presented in a perfect combination of color, aroma and taste, not to mention the braised fish.
Coupled with a chicken broth with bamboo shoots, it was simply amazing.
She hadn't tasted it yet, but the appearance was really impeccable.
"Wow, Teacher Qi, you're so amazing." She was never stingy with her praise, especially when the other person was her target.
When someone liked the food he cooked, it gave a great sense of accomplishment. The corners of his mouth curved up a bit. He handed the chopsticks to Ruan Xihe: "Have a taste."
"It's delicious, Teacher." She looked at Qi Si with bright eyes, without any trace of exaggeration.
"Eat more if you like it." He had a solitary personality and usually didn't like to have dinner parties. But at this moment, he suddenly felt that it was nice to have someone sitting beside him for a meal.
Nai Tang immediately jumped onto the chair beside Ruan Xihe, meowed twice and nestled beside her.
After dinner, she offered to clean up. Qi Si didn't let her. But as a guest, Ruan Xihe couldn't just eat and do nothing. So she still stayed and washed the dishes with Qi Si.
She finished washing and put down the plate in her hand. She reached for the last plate in the sink. Coincidentally, Qi Si also reached out.
Their hands touched.
It was nothing serious at first. But Ruan Xihe quickly withdrew her hand. The involuntary blush on her cheeks made Qi Si's heart flutter in an instant. The skin that had just touched hers also had a strange, burning sensation.
He pretended to be natural and picked up the last plate in the sink, rinsed it and placed it on the rack.
After cleaning up, Ruan Xihe also said that she was leaving.
"Teacher Qi, then I'll go back first." She said goodbye politely.
"I'll walk you back." It was dark. It was really not appropriate for her to go back alone.
Ruan Xihe naturally wouldn't refuse. As a girl, she should have a sense of safety.
The two walked side by side. Building 6 and Building 8 were only separated by one building. They arrived quickly. The man on the sixth floor happened to come down to throw rubbish. The three of them met. Qi Si frowned. There was something about this man that made him uncomfortable. Especially the way he looked at Ruan Xihe.
Ruan Xihe didn't expect to meet this man again either. She thought for a moment and moved closer to Qi Si.
He had originally only planned to walk her downstairs. But in this situation, it was really not reassuring to let her take the elevator up with this man alone.
"I'll walk you upstairs."
"Okay." Ruan Xihe smiled gratefully at Qi Si.
Seeing the panic and helplessness in her eyes that she didn't have time to hide, Qi Si's heart inexplicably softened. He had a sudden urge to protect her all the time.
With a man beside Ruan Xihe, that man didn't dare to look at her as freely as in the afternoon. But through the mirror in the elevator, his eyes still fell on Ruan Xihe intentionally or unintentionally.
Qi Si frowned deeply and took a step forward, blocking Ruan Xihe behind him and cutting off that man's uncomfortable gaze.
There were three apartments on each floor. Ruan Xihe lived in the east apartment, 5001.
Qi Si watched her close the door before going downstairs.
Ruan Xihe closed the door, and the delicate and pitiful look on her face disappeared instantly, replaced by a calm indifference.
Since she was left at the entrance of the orphanage by her mother at the age of seven, the little princess in the ivory tower had already died. The Ruan Xihe who was alive now had no heart. Given the body type of that middle-aged man, she wasn't really afraid. After all, those years of boxing training weren't for nothing.
Sometimes, when a girl was extremely beautiful, it was easy to attract unwanted attention. She started taking boxing lessons at the age of eight and had 坚持到现在已经 10 年了. Her boxing teacher even suggested that she participate in professional competitions. It was a pity that Ruan Xihe only wanted to be a delicate fairy, not a fierce and powerful Barbie.
She opened WeChat and sent a message to Qi Si.
He Suo Dong Nuan: Thank you, Teacher Qi, for tonight.
Qi Si didn't reply until more than half an hour later. It was unknown whether he didn't look at his phone or something else.
s: Okay.
Ruan Xihe thought that Qi Si was really a straight man. The conversation was really dead. But it was good to have some difficulty. If he could be conquered so easily, he wouldn't be a four-star task target.
The next morning.
As soon as she went downstairs, she saw Fei Ye leaning against a motorcycle.
The two looked at each other, and neither of them spoke first.
It was quite interesting. During the three months they were dating, Fei Ye had never been here. Basically, it was Ruan Xihe who accommodated him. But after the breakup, somehow he found out where she lived and came over.
She was used to being cold and heartless to her ex-boyfriends. So when she saw him, she was very calm. She walked over and greeted him naturally: "Good morning." She smiled gently, as if nothing had changed from when they were dating.
But it was only a greeting. She didn't stop walking and walked straight forward. But Fei Ye grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.
"Ruan Xihe, stop fooling around. I can pretend that nothing happened before." He still couldn't believe it. They were so good before and there was no problem. Why did she suddenly want to break up?
Before, when his ex-girlfriend sent her a photo of him drinking in a bar with his ex-girlfriend, he casually explained it, and she forgave him. She should have liked him a lot. How could she just let go like this?
Ruan Xihe lowered her eyes. After a few seconds, she suddenly smiled. Her long eyelashes fluttered slightly, and her misty eyes looked at Fei Ye.
His heart instantly softened.
"Fei Ye, I'm not fooling around. We're over."
Suddenly, he felt as if his blood was flowing backwards. It was a hot morning, but he felt cold all over.
Ruan Xihe gently broke free from his hand and walked forward without looking back.
Fei Ye suddenly rushed forward and hugged her from behind. His eyes were slightly red, and his voice was hoarse: "I don't agree. Ruan Xihe, I tell you, I don't agree."