Nighttime.
Past nine o'clock.
The rain had stopped by now, and beneath the night sky, Flame City appeared exceptionally vibrant, with an endless stream of cars and brightly lit streets.
In the villa district.
"The brown sugar ginger tea is finally done!"
Mrs. William, bustling about the kitchen like a proper housewife, didn’t find the task tedious in the slightest. On the contrary, seeing Cornelia beside her, so earnest and eager to learn, filled her with even more joy.
Why was Cornelia so diligent?
Simply because she had explained that someone like Su Cheng, who had gotten caught in the rain, was highly likely to catch a cold—and this so-called ginger tea could both treat and prevent colds, even having a soothing effect to aid sleep.
"Let me tell you, someone like Su Cheng, who doesn’t take care of himself, needs nothing more than a devoted wife to look after him. So once you’ve mastered making ginger tea, you’ll be one step closer to becoming that perfect wife~"
Mrs. William gazed at Cornelia, her tone brimming with pride, as if she were a kind elder imparting wisdom to her own daughter.
This feeling also allowed her to rediscover the happiness of being a mother.
Her thoughts were simple.
She wanted to be a proper mother, devoting all her energy to her child, ensuring she grew up healthy and happy.
Unfortunately, due to her busy life early on, she had never managed to be that ideal mother. Even if she wanted to now, she felt powerless to change the situation.
Some things weren’t as easy as they seemed.
Her child had already grown rebellious, beyond proper discipline or restraint—even holding a proper conversation had become difficult.
But fortunately, not long ago, she had stumbled upon an unexpected solution to mend their strained relationship: an outsider!
And that outsider was none other than Su Cheng!
"Mom, what nonsense are you spouting?!"
Hearing words like "perfect wife," Cornelia’s face instantly flushed red, her head bowing low as even her ears burned with embarrassment. Still, she diligently took notes on the steps for making ginger tea.
"How is it nonsense? Let me tell you, someone with Su Cheng’s family background needs nothing more than a gentle, caring wife to look after him."
Mrs. William paid no mind to Cornelia’s flustered state and instead continued her enthusiastic lecture.
"Enough! I’m going to bring him the ginger tea now."
Unable to take it anymore, Cornelia grabbed the clay pot and hurried off—though not before turning back to call out to Mrs. William.
"Be careful, it’s hot! Also… I’m coming with you!"
Mrs. William quickly untied her apron and chased after her.
"Why are you tagging along?"
"To return the umbrella."
Cornelia rolled her eyes at this and sighed. "You could’ve just let me handle this alone…"
"A young girl visiting a high school boy’s home by herself? How improper!"
Mrs. William declared with righteous seriousness. "Besides, your mother can help assess what kind of man he really is. Just stepping into his home will tell me everything I need to know."
Cornelia’s cheeks burned even hotter at this, her hands trembling as she clutched the small clay pot. Eventually, she turned around, resigned. "Fine, do whatever you want… But you’d better not say anything weird!"
"Of course, of course. Let’s go."
Mrs. William smiled cheerfully, and the two walked side by side toward Su Cheng’s apartment.
"Does he live alone?"
"Yes."
As they chatted, they entered the building’s hallway.
Soon, they arrived at Su Cheng’s door.
Cornelia took a deep breath, handed the pot to her mother, straightened her posture, and lightly pressed the doorbell with her white-stockinged foot before standing back to wait.
Click~
The door opened, revealing Su Cheng’s puzzled face as he looked at the two of them.
"Forgive us for dropping by unannounced."
Mrs. William gave a slight bow, her expression polite and apologetic. She carried herself with grace, dressed in an elegant long dress that exuded sophistication.
"You got soaked in the rain earlier, so Mom and I made ginger tea. We’re returning your umbrella and bringing this to help ward off the chill."
Cornelia cut straight to the point, taking the small pot from her mother and handing it to Su Cheng. "Here~ Mom’s ginger tea. Give it a try."
"Ah, you really didn’t have to go through all this trouble for me."
Su Cheng looked at Mrs. William and Cornelia, unsure of what else to say, and quickly accepted the pot with gratitude.
"It’s no trouble at all."
Mrs. William shook her head gently. "After all, you lent us your umbrella and ended up getting drenched because of it. We just wanted to do something in return."
"Thank you…"
Su Cheng expressed his gratitude again, deeply moved. He then warmly invited them in. "Please, come inside and rest for a bit. Have some water before you go."
"Then I’ll take you up on that offer."
Mrs. William nodded with a smile, smoothing her dress before linking arms with Cornelia and stepping inside.
Upon entering, Mrs. William got her first glimpse of a high school boy’s home—no unpleasant odors, clean floors that clearly saw regular upkeep, and fresh air that spoke of the homeowner’s good habits. It was all quite comfortable.
But this wasn’t her true objective.
Her real target was Su Cheng’s bedroom.
Why are there so many slippers?
Just then, her peripheral vision caught the shoe rack, which was filled entirely with slippers—none of which showed any signs of male use.
If men had worn them, they’d have been stretched or misshapen, but these were in pristine condition, practically brand new.
Clearly, their owners were women with small feet.
And they didn’t visit often.
From this, she deduced that Su Cheng didn’t have the bad habit of throwing wild parties with male friends.
After all, there were no traces of male guests.
Seems he’s quite popular with the ladies.
Wait—except for one pair.
One pair of slippers was noticeably worn, even washed, and bore signs of having been caught in the rain. Though clean, they looked almost comically ragged. One could only imagine what their owner was like…
Just as she was musing over this, her beloved daughter reached out, placed the slippers on the floor, kicked off her own shoes, and stepped right into them.
Mrs. William: "…………"
………………
Meanwhile, Su Cheng was utterly surprised by Cornelia and Mrs. William’s visit at this hour.
Still, the ginger tea truly warmed his heart, and their kindness left him feeling touched. After all, who could dislike such thoughtful care?
After setting the pot and umbrella aside, he hurried back to the entrance, where Cornelia had already slipped into the slippers while Mrs. William stood by, smiling at her.
He quickly fetched a fresh pair from the shoe rack—his home wasn’t lacking in new slippers.
He had bought over thirty pairs in bulk at one point.
And these weren’t just cheap, generic ones—they were high-quality, comfortable slippers with a stylish design.
"Thank you for your trouble."
Mrs. William expressed her gratitude warmly, while Su Cheng simply waved it off with a smile.
"No trouble at all."
After saying that, Su Cheng quickly motioned and said, "I'll go prepare the tea set first. You can sit anywhere."
Without waiting for Mrs. William to say another word, she immediately turned around and went into the house to prepare the tea set.
"Put on your shoes quickly."
Seeing that her mother was looking around but refused to change her shoes, Cornelia couldn't help but urge her.
"Oh."
Only then did Mrs. William come to her senses. Then she took off her shoes, and immediately a pair of small and delicate feet wrapped in skin-colored silk stockings were exposed to the air. She put on slippers and slowly walked inside. Cornelia was beside her.
Su Cheng's house was very spacious. The furniture looked very new, and it was obvious that it was often wiped. There were sofas, a TV, a refrigerator, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a living room, all in good order and very tidy.
It could be seen that Su Cheng was a careful, diligent, self - disciplined and delicate boy.
Mrs. William's eyes kept scanning the house, and finally fixed her gaze on a bedroom with a half - open door.
This was her target.
The living room and the bedroom were like a person's appearance and inner self.
She began to think about how to get in and also about the preventive measures.
The two walked to the sofa in the living room. Cornelia directly pulled her mother's hand and made her sit next to her.
"So, Mom, what did you notice?"
Cornelia asked in a low voice.
"Delicate and careful, but without much charm. He is a boy who is not good at expressing love," Mrs. William observed and whispered, while her eyes were constantly observing the surroundings, trying to find any details to supplement her judgment.
"Not good at expressing love?"
Hearing this, Cornelia's pupils widened involuntarily, and she quickly echoed, "Yes, yes. How did you figure it out?"
"Look, although the room is clean and tidy, the overall color of the living room is white and there are no decorations at all. It looks very rigid and shows that he has no hobbies. It also proves that this boy doesn't know how to be romantic and enjoy life."
Mrs. William explained and pointed to the coffee table where there was only a TV remote control and nothing else, indicating that it was too monotonous.
"You're right. He seems to be such a person."
Cornelia nodded quickly, and her face was also very surprised. Obviously, she was amazed that her mother could figure it out so easily.
"Yes."
Mrs. William spoke again and said, "Based on these, we can figure out his hobbies and personality."
"I see."
"However, these are just the appearance. I need to enter his bedroom to see his inner self."
"Ah, I've been in his bedroom."
Mrs. William was a little surprised to hear this, but she also knew that she didn't have to go in.
She could learn about it from her daughter when she got home. Just then, Su Cheng came out with the tea set. He directly gave Cornelia a bottle of drink and began to pour tea for Mrs. William.
"Thank you so much for your trouble."
After receiving the tea set, Mrs. William immediately thanked him.
"You're welcome."
Su Cheng waved his hand.
Saying that, Su Cheng also sat down beside them.
"This tea..."
Mrs. William took a sip of the tea and found that the fragrance and taste of the tea leaves were different. It was of the top - grade quality among certain top - level teas. The tea fragrance was mellow and rich, making people have endless aftertastes and can't help but want to drink more.
Using such expensive tea to entertain her, an ordinary woman...
She knew that the money spent on this kind of tea was beyond what an ordinary student could afford. It was a huge expense, but he took it out to entertain others without hesitation.
It could be seen that Su Cheng also attached great importance to her.
And having such precious tea at home also showed that he had put a lot of effort into entertaining guests and might have entertained many distinguished guests.
This really impressed Mrs. William.
However, although she was impressed, she didn't forget the purpose of today's visit. She continued, "Now seeing that you're in high spirits and didn't catch a cold because of getting caught in the rain, we can rest assured."
"Because I play archery, I have a good physique."
Su Cheng replied with a smile.
"You're really an excellent young man. But I don't know much about archery. Otherwise, I really want to have a chat with you," Mrs. William said with a smile. "After all, it's a great honor to talk with a champion."
Hearing this, Su Cheng modestly waved his hand and said, "Where, where. You're overpraising me. I just won the championship by chance. There's nothing worthy of praise. But Auntie, you're really well - maintained."
"You're also having ginger soup."
Just then, seeing the two of them complimenting each other politely, Cornelia couldn't help but interrupt.
"Then... I'll go to the kitchen to get a bowl."
Su Cheng got up again and walked towards the kitchen.
After a while, Su Cheng came back with a bowl, started to ladle the ginger soup, and under the gazes of the two, he ladled a bowl of ginger soup and drank it directly.
"Um."
After drinking it, he couldn't help but praise, "It tastes really good!"
"Really?"
"Yeah!"
Su Cheng nodded. But he still didn't forget to say thank you, "Thank you for the ginger soup."
"You're welcome. This is what we should do."
Mrs. William waved her hand.
After saying that, she took another sip of the tea and was about to get up to leave. She said, "It's getting late. We should go back."
"Then, let me see you downstairs."
Su Cheng also stood up and was going to see them off.
"No need."
Mrs. William quickly refused. At the same time, she reached out her hand and took Cornelia's arm and said, "Let's go!"
"Okay."
Cornelia obediently responded and was led away step by step by her mother.
Su Cheng watched the disappearing backs of the two at the door and let out a sigh of relief. After all, he still felt quite pressured when facing an elder, especially Cornelia's mother, who was a neighbor.
Originally, he thought there would be a clichéd plot in a novel, like being looked down upon by the aunt, being disliked because of his orphan status, and even being given a check to leave Cornelia!
Unexpectedly...
She was unexpectedly easy to get along with. She was completely different from Cornelia, generous, elegant, and polite. She even specially cooked ginger soup and brought it to him in person. This care and politeness made him feel a little flattered.
So, he subconsciously turned to look at the casserole on the table. The aroma of the ginger soup filled the living room. Although the mother - daughter pair had left, the warmth they left behind still remained.
Because of this, his mood also improved.
Su Cheng walked into the living room, drank up the ginger soup in one gulp, and then began to clean up the things on the table. Then he prepared a pot of flower tea and some delicate pastries and put them into the system space.
Well, he was going to enjoy them with Li Guanqi on the lawn tomorrow.
He also prepared a weighing scale to weigh Li Guanqi tomorrow. If she had gained weight, he would add more exercises to her physical education class tomorrow afternoon.
So, should he let her do push - ups or sit - ups?
Or maybe, a fancy gymnastics session?