Enemies Trapped Sitting Under the Kitchen Window

As evening fell, Su Cheng was discharged from the hospital after dinner.

At the hospital entrance, Ji Qingyi stood by the doors, casting him a cool glance. Her tone carried an air of unquestionable authority. "While I’ve agreed to your discharge, the doctor advised several more days of rest to avoid overexertion during recovery. You wouldn’t want lingering complications."

"I’m actually fully recovered—" Su Cheng began to explain, but under Ji Qingyi’s unflinching gaze, his words trailed off. Clearing his throat, he amended, "Then I’ll return to school on Tuesday."

"That would be for the best."

Her expression softened briefly before reverting to its usual aloofness. With a wave of her hand, she signaled the driver to take Su Cheng away.

"President," Su Cheng called out abruptly, watching her retreating figure.

Ji Qingyi paused and turned slightly to face him.

"Um…" Su Cheng hesitated, then finally spoke up. "I’d like to stop by the school first and bring the peony home."

"Unnecessary." Her voice was icy, leaving no room for argument. "To prevent complications, the flower will remain under my care. And let me remind you—if you truly wish for it to thrive, my conditions are far more suitable."

"How can that be?" Su Cheng frowned, insistent. "President, that peony represents our agreement."

"Once you’ve learned to take better care of yourself, we’ll discuss agreements." Her reply was measured, her eyes reflecting unyielding resolve. "For now, I’ll keep the peony."

"No way—"

Su Cheng stiffened, his expression darkening.

Ji Qingyi’s brows knitted together as she regarded him sternly. "We had an understanding, but you should know by now that the flower is safest with me. If you genuinely care about its survival, stop wasting time toying with it."

A struggle played out across Su Cheng’s face, while Ji Qingyi waited in silence, allowing him to deliberate.

"It’s not just about the agreement anymore."

Su Cheng lifted his gaze, inhaling deeply before speaking with quiet conviction. "I want to give you that peony—for no other reason than my own wish."

At first glance, the words seemed unchanged, but beneath them lay a newfound sincerity.

If saving the flower had once been about honoring their pact, now his motivation carried gratitude—perhaps even something more complex.

In short, he would have given her the flower regardless.

Ji Qingyi studied him for a long moment before finally arching a brow. "Very well. Its life or death is entirely your responsibility now. Don’t come crying to me if you bungle it—that would be pathetic."

"Thank you, President!" Su Cheng said earnestly.

As Su Cheng got into the car and drove off, Ji Qingyi remained standing, watching until his figure vanished into the distance. A rare, faint smile touched her lips as his words stirred something within her.

Inside the car, Su Cheng was surprised to find Liu Qingyue already seated there.

Initially, she behaved with perfect decorum, exchanging only a brief greeting. But as the car pulled away from the hospital, her true nature surfaced—soft, teasing laughter drifting close to his ear.

"Senior, please maintain some decorum."

Su Cheng kept his tone firm, attempting to put distance between them.

"You weren’t so stern when you were threatening me the other day," Liu Qingyue retorted, unfazed. Instead, she leaned closer, her voice laced with playful sweetness. "Did the method I taught you yesterday work?"

Her breath, warm and fragrant like blooming flowers, brushed against his ear, sending a jolt through him. Instinctively, he pressed himself against the car door.

"Yeah, it was… fine."

He knew she was referring to the "tanghulu incident" and forced a dry chuckle, hoping to deflect her attention to the passing scenery outside.

It didn’t work.

Liu Qingyue only seemed more amused, closing the distance until the thin fabric of their clothes barely separated them. The air thickened with an intoxicating scent.

"So, junior… does this mean you owe me another favor?" Her whisper sent a shiver down his spine, the sensation creeping from his ear straight to his heart.

"Senior…" Su Cheng bit his lip, speaking with deliberate seriousness. "We should keep our distance. You wouldn’t want the young mistress to misunderstand."

"Ah, threatening me again!"

Liu Qingyue feigned outrage, though her smirk never wavered. "I was just teasing, and here you are, pulling out the young mistress card!"

Su Cheng had no reply.

"Senior, I've just recovered from illness and need to go home to rest properly," Su Cheng said calmly, offering a reasonable excuse. "So please let me off the hook."

"Heh." Liu Qingyue snorted in dissatisfaction. "Then will you dare to threaten me again in the future?"

"Never again," Su Cheng quickly waved his hands, his expression earnest. "I’ll remember the favor I owe you, Senior. If you ever need anything, just say the word—I won’t refuse."

"That’s more like it." Only then did Liu Qingyue seem satisfied, sitting back down and crossing her legs before leaning against the seat, revealing her mission: "The young mistress sent me to escort you. Since you haven’t been home in days, I bet you’ve been up to no good again..."

She blinked her almond-shaped eyes, her gaze full of teasing. "So, feel free to order me around as you please~"

Su Cheng froze for a moment before immediately catching Liu Qingyue’s implication. He pressed his lips together, silent for a few seconds, then finally nodded in agreement.

"Then I won’t refuse the president’s kindness."

"Oh?" Liu Qingyue’s voice carried a hint of curiosity.

A few minutes later.

At the entrance of the prestigious Yan Cheng International Private School.

Su Cheng waited inside the car while Liu Qingyue carried a pot of peonies out from the school gate, carefully placing it inside the vehicle.

"You’re really treating me like a servant, huh?"

She set the flowerpot on the small counter beside the seat, pretending to sulk as she glanced at Su Cheng.

Su Cheng cleared his throat. "Senior, this is the young mistress’s order. If you’re tired or unwilling, you can always return to her side and say I don’t need your help."

Liu Qingyue’s expression instantly fell.

"Then I suppose I’ll have to endure it for now."

Su Cheng continued examining the peonies and noticed that, compared to a few days ago, they hadn’t changed much—except the roots at the center of the leaves had grown more vibrant, as if on the verge of a phoenix’s rebirth.

This discovery eased the tension in his brow.

"Since you’re making me help, shouldn’t I get a reward?" Liu Qingyue changed the subject, extending a slender finger to poke Su Cheng’s shoulder twice.

Su Cheng frowned, about to tell her to leave, when Liu Qingyue muttered again, "I volunteered for this, you know. The young mistress didn’t arrange it. So, isn’t it only natural for you to thank me with a little reward?"

"Fine." Su Cheng sighed. "What do you want?"

Liu Qingyue shook her head. "I don’t know. That’s for you to decide."

"Then I’ll take the initiative."

As he spoke, an idea had already formed in his mind.

………………

Night fell, stars dotting the sky.

The kitchen in Su Cheng’s home was brightly lit.

Liu Qingyue, an apron tied around her waist, her fair arms glistening, busied herself laying damp cheesecloth in a steamer and spreading soaked glutinous rice balls over it, poking a few holes with chopsticks.

Meanwhile, Su Cheng worked swiftly beside her, shaping more rice balls at an impressive speed—one or two every few seconds, his movements practiced and precise.

"Hey, junior, do you really need to make this many?"

Liu Qingyue couldn’t help but complain. "You’re making me feel like a breakfast vendor rushing to open shop."

Su Cheng had just bought glutinous rice, ingredients for the rice balls, a stack of workbooks, several gift food boxes, and a new flowerpot.

"Two classmates from our class were assigned to visit me," Su Cheng explained. "So, it’s only right that I thank them properly."

"Six boxes, huh?" Liu Qingyue asked curiously. "Who are the other four for?"

Su Cheng fell silent for a moment before meeting her gaze and nodding. "One is breakfast for you, Senior. The other three… are for the young mistress, Minister Gu from the Practical Affairs Department, and the last one is for myself."

"Now that’s exciting news!" Liu Qingyue cheered upon hearing she had a share. "I can already look forward to breakfast tomorrow~"

"But are you really going to give Minister Gu rice balls?" Liu Qingyue cautioned. "She never accepts anything in return. It’ll be a wasted effort, so you might as well drop the idea and save yourself the trouble."

"But she helped me a great deal." Su Cheng frowned, looking troubled. "I just feel that returning only a flowerpot would seem insincere."

"You’re overthinking it." Liu Qingyue shook her head. "Minister Gu is a good person. She helped you purely out of principle and experimental necessity—not for any reward. It’s common knowledge that she never accepts gratitude from anyone."

Hearing this, Su Cheng fell into deep thought, his brow furrowed with frustration.

"Besides, do you really think the esteemed Minister Gu would accept some ‘unverified homemade’ food from you?" Liu Qingyue continued. "She might not even acknowledge it. If you insist, she might even scold you."

Su Cheng found himself at a loss for words. "Alright, fine."

"Besides, your other two classmates are also from wealthy families. They wouldn’t casually accept gifts from others, let alone something that’s a ‘no-brand’ product. You’d only be putting them in an awkward position," Liu Qingyue said with a smile. "So, only the young lady and I would accept your handmade rice dumplings. Whether it’s Minister Gu or your classmates, they’d probably avoid such things at all costs."

Finally, Su Cheng stopped what he was doing and frowned slightly. "Then how should I express my gratitude?"

"Gifts in return are all about sincerity," Liu Qingyue pondered for a moment before her eyes suddenly lit up. "Give Xu Tianyi your old collection of mistakes from past exams. I guarantee she’ll find it incredibly valuable."

Su Cheng hesitated. "Are you sure that’ll work? I was originally planning to give her a workbook."

"I promise, it’ll be the best gift for her," Liu Qingyue said confidently.

"Alright, I’ll take your advice then."

Su Cheng ultimately decided to trust Liu Qingyue’s suggestion, then asked, "What about Li Guanqi? How should I thank him?"

A mischievous glint flashed in Liu Qingyue’s eyes. "Since you have the day off tomorrow, why not let me handle expressing your gratitude? I’ll make sure Li Guanqi feels happy and satisfied."

Su Cheng shook his head. "That won’t do. I have to do it myself—that’s the only way to show sincerity. Otherwise, wouldn’t it be too impolite?"

"Ugh, you’re so stubborn," Liu Qingyue pouted. "You’re now the son-in-law of the Ji family. If you insist on doing everything personally, you’ll only leave a bad impression. In front of them, you represent the Ji family."

"This has nothing to do with the Ji family. I’ll make that clear."

Su Cheng shook his head again, lowering his gaze as he continued shaping the rice dumplings. "I’ll think about it myself. No matter what, I’ll personally express my thanks."

"Fine. But at least put some effort into the appearance of these dumplings. The ones you’re making look no different from the plain ones sold at convenience stores. If you’re giving them to girls, they should at least look cute." Liu Qingyue pointed at the dumpling in his hand with a look of disdain.

"What can I do? This is the only kind I know how to make." Su Cheng thought for a moment before sighing helplessly.

"That’s easy. Let me show you."

With that, Liu Qingyue went outside to grab a few toothpicks and a spoon. She picked up one of the dumplings and, as if performing surgery, swiftly transformed it into the shape of Hello Kitty from Sanrio.

"See? Much cuter now."

She held the dumpling up to Su Cheng, signaling for him to replicate the design. But the intricate details only deepened his frown.

"Senior, isn’t this a bit too advanced? I don’t think I can learn it in one night."

"Don’t worry! I’ll teach you step by step. You’ll pick it up in no time~"

She placed the tools in front of Su Cheng, guiding him to hold them properly, then moved behind him, taking his hands to adjust his movements. The close proximity flustered him, and after much fumbling, the final product only resembled Liu Qingyue’s sample by about 60%.

"Not bad, not bad! Looks like I have a talent for teaching. Since you can always reshape the dumplings, just practice a few more times, and you’ll get the hang of it."

Liu Qingyue stepped back, nodding in satisfaction at her teaching results. Meanwhile, Su Cheng was left sweating profusely, feeling like the effort put into this single dumpling surpassed all his previous work combined.

The two divided tasks—Su Cheng prepared the glutinous rice dough while Liu Qingyue handled the steaming—and everything proceeded smoothly.

"We’d make a pretty good pair running a rural dumpling shop," Liu Qingyue suddenly remarked.

"Huh?" Su Cheng paused, giving her a puzzled look.

"Look at us now. Don’t we resemble a husband-and-wife breakfast stall?" She twirled around the kitchen, pointing at the dough in Su Cheng’s hands with a grin.

"What are you talking about?" Su Cheng chuckled. "A breakfast-only shop in the countryside would barely make ends meet. You’d probably earn more working in the city."

"Don’t take it so seriously," Liu Qingyue laughed. "I was just joking."

"The dumplings are almost done. I’ll cool them off." She lifted the steamer lid, releasing a cloud of steam, then quickly put on gloves to transfer the dumplings into a bowl.

Once Su Cheng finished his task, he handed her a glass of water. "Have some water and take a break."

"Sure~" She downed it in one gulp, stretching lazily. "Alright, next batch!"

Soon, all the dumplings were completed.

"Ah~"

Liu Qingyue opened her mouth, gesturing for Su Cheng to feed her.

Amused by her childish antics, Su Cheng skewered a freshly made dumpling with a toothpick and offered it to her. She took a bite, closing her eyes as she savored the taste.

"How is it? Does it taste good?"

Su Cheng leaned in, eagerly awaiting her response.

"The filling’s a bit off. Maybe don’t give this one to the young lady," Liu Qingyue critiqued bluntly.

"Ah?" Su Cheng was startled and quickly took a bite. The texture was soft and chewy, with a red bean filling that was sweet but not cloying. While not exactly extraordinary, it was certainly delicious.

"Is there something wrong with the filling?"

Su Cheng asked in confusion.

"You've misunderstood," Liu Qingyue said with a serious expression. "The young mistress doesn’t like red bean paste."

"Then why didn’t you say so earlier?"

Su Cheng couldn’t help but sigh.

"I thought it was sweet bean paste," Liu Qingyue shrugged, feigning innocence.