When she left, a sense of loss surged densely from the bottom of her heart and spread out.
Ruan Xihe had already started preparing the ingredients. He walked over and took the vegetables from her hand to rinse them under the faucet.
Her knife skills were truly remarkable, attracting Qi Si's attention. Most young girls nowadays are pampered and grow up. Very few of them can cook, and those who can cook deliciously are even rarer. She was so proficient that it made him feel a bit heartbroken for some reason. Her fingers holding the knife were slender, fair and tender. They shouldn't be holding a kitchen knife.
"Your knife skills are excellent." He praised.
The smile on Ruan Xihe's face paused for a moment. She said in a casual tone: "Since there's no one to cook for me, I have to learn to feed myself."
"Where are your parents? Don't they usually cook?" Qi Si had found it strange long ago. Being able to afford an apartment here, her family background should be good. However, her parents and family members never seemed to appear, and she never mentioned her family in her words.
"Do you have a bad relationship with your family?"
Ruan Xihe suddenly tilted her head and looked at Qi Si: "I don't have parents. I grew up in an orphanage."
Qi Si saw her calm eyes. She was so gentle that it didn't seem like she was talking about her own affairs. That tingling feeling in his heart emerged again: "I'm sorry."
"It's nothing."
The more she didn't care and was so nonchalant, the more his heart ached.
For the first time in his life, he was so eager to understand a person.
The dishes cooked by Ruan Xihe were really delicious. The presentation was comparable to that of a Michelin chef. She could carve a red carp out of a carrot in just a few strokes.
Two dishes and a soup. There weren't many things, but Qi Si ate almost twice as much as usual.
Once you've tasted the food she cooked, you'll want to have it again. Once is not enough, you'll want it again. This is probably what the older generation said, if you want to win a man's heart, you have to win his stomach.
However, a good man would be reluctant to let you slave over a hot stove for him and reluctant to let your delicate self be tainted by the smell of daily life.
After dinner, Qi Si took the initiative to wash the dishes and didn't let Ruan Xihe touch the water again.
She leaned against the counter and watched him: "Teacher Qi is so nice. I don't think any girl would reject a man like you."
In the former, she used the word "girl", and in the latter, she used the word "man". Reserved people are mostly sensitive.
The conversation at this time always carried a somewhat affectionate undertone.
He almost blurted out: What about you?
But he still chose to remain silent. He didn't know what to say.
After arranging all the plates neatly and washing his hands with hand sanitizer, she took a small white towel and carefully wiped the tiny water droplets remaining on his hands. The gentleness of her lowering her head and the fine itch on his palm all stimulated a certain emotion in his heart. In such a situation, that impulse was magnified countless times.
"All done." She looked up and smiled at him. The alluring charm in her misty eyes reached straight to his heart.
"Ruan Xihe." He grasped her wrist. His voice was a bit hoarse and low, with a sense of danger.
She looked up innocently. His reflection filled her eyes.
"Teacher Qi?"
He looked down at her. A sense of oppression hit her face. Unnamed emotions were churning in his dark pupils: "Do you like me?"
Ruan Xihe was best at this part. Her affectionate eyes dodged his gaze, naturally showing a shy and charming look. A blush spread on her face, with a faint pink hue.
She didn't speak, but everything was left unsaid.
"Be with me. I'll take care of you from now on." After saying this sentence, strangely, the gloom in his heart dissipated a lot. The inexplicable anxiety that had accumulated over the past week or so settled down at this moment.
He did care. That's why he went for a walk in the community at that time every day, just to catch a glimpse of her. It seemed not just that. To see if she was still with that boy. It seemed not entirely that either. He himself didn't even know why.
But one thing was certain. He cared about her, in a romantic way.
Actually, many girls don't know that most men only have the strongest sense of nervousness and concern when they confess to you for the first time. The second, third, and fourth times all have a tinge of the desire to conquer.
At the moment of the first confession, it is the moment when he likes you the most.
Of course, this rule doesn't apply to playboys.
"What do you think, hmm?"
Ruan Xihe found that Qi Si was really charming when he talked like this. So men of each age group have their own charm. As she thought, once a cold and aloof man falls in love, it's really hard to resist.
He took a few steps closer. He supported his hands on the counter. She was trapped between Qi Si's arms.
Her long eyelashes fluttered slightly, looking a bit nervous. Her fingers clutched the countertop tightly. Her body leaned back slightly.
"Okay?" His voice was really nice when he lowered it, like the low notes of a cello, with a textured depth and allure.
"Mm." He lowered his voice a bit more. Ruan Xihe closed her eyes nervously and replied in a barely audible voice.
It was like the joy of finally getting a gift that one had coveted for a long time. The corners of his lips rose unconsciously. He wrapped his long arm around her and sighed with a smile.
"Ding. Completed mandatory task 1. Receive Qi Si's active confession and establish a romantic relationship within one month." The voice broadcast of 044 rang in the consciousness sea.
Ruan Xihe leaned against Qi Si's arms, smiling even more gently and sweetly.
"Ruan Ruan." He called her softly.
Ruan Xihe tugged at the front of his shirt, still with a shy look on her face: "Qi Si."
"Do you have to call me that in private too?" There was a bit of teasing in his eyes.
She bit her lip with her white teeth: "Qi Si."
Her voice was sweet and soft, with a rising tone at the end, extremely captivating.
Qi Si felt that something was wrong with himself. She just called his name, and he wanted to do something naughty to her.
The first time in 26 years.
When he was young, he had dated a girl too. At that time, he had never had such an impulse or such eagerness. He thought that love was just a slow and steady stream, plain and simple. Until he met her, he crossed the line, his mood fluctuated because of her, became greedy, overstepped boundaries, and became uncontrollable.
The newly minted boyfriend was a bit clingy.
On the three-seater sofa, he insisted on sitting next to her.
His iron arm encircled her waist. His presence was really strong.
Sure enough, when such a man became passionate, it was really a bit exciting.
The two watched a TV drama together. The emperor played by Ji Wu was really likable. Every time he appeared, he was so handsome that it made people's legs go weak.
Qi Si usually didn't watch TV dramas. But since his little girlfriend wanted to watch, he accompanied her. Ji Wu and he had been old friends for years. Who would have thought that the eldest son of the Ji family, instead of inheriting the family business, went into the entertainment industry and became famous overnight. Now he was extremely popular. But it wasn't really a surprise. After all, he had been interested in this since he was a child.
It was almost ten o'clock. Qi Si didn't seem to have any intention of leaving.
She seldom stayed up late. After all, a healthy lifestyle is also part of beauty. So she seldom stayed up late.
"Qi Si, it's getting late." She said.
Qi Si didn't have any other thoughts. He just simply liked being with her. Moreover, now that they had a relationship, it was okay to be a bit more intimate. When he saw the time was almost ten o'clock, he understood that the girl was shy. So he got up and walked towards the door.
Ruan Xihe followed him, ready to see him off at the door.
The two lived close by and could see each other at any time. They had also been together just now, but Qi Si was a bit reluctant to leave. However, his good family upbringing and self-cultivation made him never show it.
"I'll drive you to school tomorrow morning."
"Okay."
Qi Si stood still and just stared at her.
"What's wrong?" Ruan Xihe asked.
Qi Si leaned down and kissed her lips, pressed gently and then parted immediately.
She was obviously a bit dazed. It made his heart melt.
He tucked the loose strands of her hair behind her ear and said in a gentle voice: "A goodnight kiss. Go to bed early."
After the door closed, she turned and walked towards the bedroom. The shy look with a hint of spring in her eyes just now disappeared completely. She was as gentle and calm as usual, without a ripple.
The phone rang abruptly. She glanced at it and saw it was an unfamiliar number. So she let it ring and didn't answer.
But the person was quite persistent and kept calling.
She frowned slightly and tapped the answer button. Unexpectedly, the other person's voice was very nice, a very clean voice, and even a bit familiar: "Is this Ruan Xihe?"
"Mm." Her reply was really not enthusiastic.
"Your friend is drunk. She said her name is Feng Yu. Come and pick her up."