"You're taking in stray cats and dogs?"
Han Chenyu was surprised and looked at her with newfound respect. He hadn't expected her to have such a compassionate side.
Cold Xiaoyao proudly replied, "Of course! Those cats and dogs were either abandoned by their owners or disabled, so I brought them home."
"Dear Miss Angel, can you take me to see their little home?"
"Sure!"
Cold Xiaoyao led Han Chenyu to the small shelter specially prepared for the stray animals. As they walked, she introduced him to each one. "This is a cat I rescued last year. I named it Xiaobai. Isn't it very white? And this dog was rescued the year before; it was abandoned by its owner. So sad..."
Han Chenyu quietly followed her, observing how she interacted with the animals, petting them gently. At that moment, he seemed to see a bright, shining light radiating from her.
After dinner, Mrs. Cold ushered them into Cold Xiaoyao's bedroom under the pretext of cultivating their relationship.
"This is your room?"
Han Chenyu looked around, taking in the cozy decor—a soothing blue color, adorable plush toys, and surprisingly, a bookshelf filled with books on jewelry design. "You can design jewelry?"
"Of course! My dream is to create the most beautiful and dazzling jewelry in the world!"
"You really are impressive."
"Of course! By the way, how did you know I was preparing for my graduate exams? I never told you!"
Just as Cold Xiaoyao was about to head into the bathroom to wash up, she suddenly remembered that he had mentioned her preparing for the exams when he helped her out of an awkward situation. But she was sure she had never mentioned it to him.
"Idiot."
"Hey, who are you calling an idiot?!"
"You. You should know that with a little thinking."
Cold Xiaoyao realized he was right—after all, once you finish college, the next step is usually graduate school.
"But you can't just call me an idiot!"
"Okay, I take it back. How about 'little idiot'? Is that better?"
"You!"
Pouting, Cold Xiaoyao crawled under the covers, sulking. After washing up, Han Chenyu noticed her pitiful yet stubborn expression and felt a twinge of guilt. Had he gone too far?
"Alright, don't be angry. How about you just yell back at me?"
Seeing Cold Xiaoyao ignore him, Han Chenyu felt a bit uncomfortable. A dignified CEO like himself had always been the one to make others feel miserable—when did it become the little woman's turn to make him feel this way? Besides, he had already apologized; if she wanted to ignore him, so be it.
So, Han Chenyu simply decided to ignore her too. They both lay in bed, completely unaware of how much they resembled a couple having a little spat.
After returning from the Cold family home, Cold Xiaoyao adhered to her principle of not speaking until she received an apology. She resolutely ignored Han Chenyu. The lively atmosphere of their home had turned quiet, and as she refused to say a word, Han Chenyu felt a sense of frustration as if an important person was neglecting him. After some contemplation, he decided to surrender to Cold Xiaoyao.
"Xiaoyao, I was wrong. I shouldn't have called you an idiot. I'm sorry."
Wow, he had admitted he was wrong twice in such a short time since meeting this little woman. What was happening?
"You finally acknowledged your mistake."
"Yeah."
"Good. Now you need to cook me something delicious to soothe my wounded heart."
What? Was she trying to extort him?
"Fine. What do you want?"
"Sweet and sour ribs, steamed bass, cola chicken wings, and more."
Han Chenyu was speechless. Was she expecting him to make every single dish?
Well, he had offended her, so he had to bear the consequences.
"There are no ingredients in the fridge. You have to come with me to buy some."
"I have to go too?"
Cold Xiaoyao was surprised, pointing at herself. She had only planned to eat, not to buy anything!
"If you want to eat, come with me."
"Okay."
In the end, unable to resist the allure of delicious food, Cold Xiaoyao gritted her teeth, changed her clothes, and followed him to the supermarket.
"This, this, and that one too!"
"Miss, the cart is already overflowing."
"Ah? But I want to buy more!"
Cold Xiaoyao looked regretfully at the cart. It was such a pity; there were still many delicious ingredients she wanted to buy!