"Chen Qin!"
To prevent her from entering the room, Ye Shuang, who was in the kitchen, suddenly raised his voice and called out.
"What's wrong?" Chen Qin stopped in her tracks and looked toward the kitchen, seemingly puzzled by Ye Shuang's sudden shout.
Ye Shuang immediately smiled and said, "We're out of oyster sauce at home. Since you're free, could you run downstairs and buy some?"
"More stairs to climb?"
"You could always jump off the balcony—that wouldn’t be tiring."
"Hmph." Chen Qin let out a soft snort, slipped back into her high heels, and headed out.
With a click of the door closing, Bai Yuyou, who had been helping in the kitchen, noticed something and tugged at Ye Shuang’s sleeve. "Ye Shuang, oyster sauce."
"Buying an extra bottle won’t hurt," Ye Shuang replied without looking up.
"Oh."
Since Chen Qin wasn’t familiar with the area, it took her a while to return. By the time she knocked on the door, Ye Shuang had already finished most of the cooking—aside from the soup simmering on low heat, there was no need to step back into the kitchen.
"Here, the oyster sauce." Chen Qin handed over the bottle she had bought.
But then she noticed the dishes already on the table and tilted her head slightly, tapping her chin with a finger. "Didn’t you already finish cooking?"
"Yeah."
"Then why did you make me buy oyster sauce?"
"You looked bored sitting around." Ye Shuang grinned.
"Oh, you—!" Chen Qin suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled him close, her lips curling into a smirk. "I flew all the way back here without even resting, and this is how you treat me?!"
"Go on, how do you want to die?"
His arm pressed against the soft, bouncy "slime," Ye Shuang’s lips twitched. "Next time, I’ll buy the oyster sauce for you?"
"This young lady doesn’t cook."
"Then next time, I’ll cook for you again," Ye Shuang offered.
"Fine, you said it." Chen Qin released him, her mood instantly lifting. "Actually, my old man hasn’t seen you in ages. Next time, you can cook at my place."
"..." Ye Shuang paused. "Your place?"
"Problem?"
"Alright." Ye Shuang couldn’t really refuse, especially since it had been a long time since he’d visited her parents, so he agreed.
What he didn’t know was the little scheme Chen Qin had in mind—she intended to use this opportunity to settle their marriage plans, confident that her parents’ persuasion would seal the deal.
As for why she wasn’t suggesting they date first, her father would surely say, "We’re practically family already—getting married first and dating later is no issue."
Thinking of this, a smile unconsciously spread across Chen Qin’s beautiful face.
"What’s she grinning about?" Ye Shuang gave her a puzzled glance before heading to the kitchen to bring out the soup.
Drink soup before eating, a bowl before and after the meal, and another before bed—Mom would be thrilled.
"The flavor should be decent, even if it didn’t simmer long enough." Ye Shuang hadn’t had time to prepare a slow-cooked broth. If Chen Qin had mentioned this earlier, he would’ve bought the ingredients in advance.
"As long as it’s made by you, it’s fine."
Chen Qin took small sips from her spoon, her slender gemstone earrings swaying gently with each movement, accentuating her fair, delicate profile.
Ye Shuang found himself watching her for a moment longer.
Could there really be something between them?
He had been pondering this, but the scars from his last relationship ran deep, making him more cautious about matters of the heart.
In that past relationship, Ye Shuang had always been the one diminished—not quite to the point of being manipulated, but his self-esteem had taken a beating, leaving him anxious and unlike himself.
Chen Qin was undeniably a flawless partner, but he wasn’t—
Right now, he was just an unemployed drifter.
"Whatever, let it happen naturally." Ye Shuang sipped his soup, thoughts drifting.
The three of them quickly polished off the meal, with Bai Yuyou devouring nearly half of everything except the leftover soup. Chen Qin couldn’t help but stare at her. "You eat this much?"
"She’s got a slightly bigger appetite than most," Ye Shuang said, smiling at Bai Yuyou.
Under their gazes, Bai Yuyou blinked innocently, a smear of sauce still lingering at the corner of her lips.
"Wipe your mouth." Ye Shuang pulled a few tissues from the box on the table and gently cleaned the braised sauce from the girl’s face, his movements tender.
The action was so practiced that Ye Shuang didn’t even register anything odd about it afterward.
Chen Qin’s expression turned peculiar at the sight, but she said nothing, silently refilling her bowl with more soup.
"I’ll wash the dishes," Chen Qin declared.
"No need. You’ve never washed a dish in your life," Ye Shuang refused, knowing full well that Chen Qin had grown up in luxury, with two maids at home—cooking and cleaning had never been her responsibilities.
Chen Qin immediately argued, "I can do it. Ye Shuang, you wash with me. Let Bai Yuyou rest."
"Fine."
Ye Shuang relented and told Bai Yuyou to go relax on the sofa. The girl nodded obediently and sat down, locking eyes with Yīwàn.
"Meow?" Yīwàn stretched out a furry paw, as if to say, "I haven’t eaten yet."
"Meow?" Bai Yuyou tilted her head.
......
In the kitchen, Ye Shuang gathered all the food scraps into a bag and placed the dishes in the sink for a preliminary rinse.
Standing beside him, Chen Qin hesitated before reaching toward the greasy plates.
"You don’t have to help. Just keep me company," Ye Shuang said with a smile.
Chen Qin suggested, "What about buying a dishwasher?"
"No point wasting money. Unless it can also clean the table, it’s not worth it."
After a brief silence, Chen Qin asked again, "How long do you plan to stay here?"
Ye Shuang hadn’t expected her to bring this up once more. "Until Bai Yuyou can live independently. Once that happens, I’ll..."
For some reason, he found himself unable to say the words "leave," even though he’d made up his mind long ago.
"Then how about this, Ye Shuang—I’ll hire a maid, someone who can take care of her for life. You come back to the company with me," Chen Qin pressed on.
"As for a place to stay, I have two villas. If you’re uncomfortable living with me, you can take the other one."
Ye Shuang looked at her deeply. "Chen Qin, you’re not acting like yourself anymore."
"And you’re not acting like you," Chen Qin clenched her fists, emotions swirling inside her. After a long pause, she finally whispered,
"Ye Shuang, I’ve liked you... for fifteen years. Back then, I never had a chance—you were devoted to that woman. But now..."
"Do I... still have a chance?"
The usually cold and assertive Chen Qin from the office was nowhere to be seen. In front of Ye Shuang, she had shed all her pride.
"I’m terrified."
"Even if you’ve forgotten her...
I’m afraid you still won’t be mine."