The car lights cut through the darkness of the residential complex, and the car came to a stop in front of the building. The car door opened, and Xu Zixi got out, carrying two drowsy kids in her arms. After setting them down on the ground, she stroked their hair and said,
"Alright, today is over. Kids, say goodbye to Daddy."
The two kids looked at Yan Yincheng, their faces full of reluctance, but they still obediently waved their little hands and said, "Goodbye, Daddy."
Xu Zixi nodded to Yan Yincheng and Wei Shu. "I'm leaving."
After saying that, she turned around and was about to leave when a voice suddenly came from behind. "Zixi."
She turned back. Under the streetlight, Yan Yincheng's figure looked a bit lonely. "Could you make me a bowl of scallion oil noodles?"
"Scallion oil noodles" held a very special meaning for the two of them. Whenever it was mentioned, it would stir up a lot of memories. Xu Zixi hesitated for a moment but still chose to decline gently. "It's too late."
Yan Yincheng said, "Please. I promise I'll leave right after I finish eating."
"You're really going too far." She scolded him playfully.
Yan Yincheng thought she still wasn't budging, but then he heard, "Then come up together."
When she opened the door, Mama Zhang, who had been waiting at home for a long time, got up from the sofa and let out a sigh of relief. "You're finally back... Mr. Yan?"
Yan Yincheng, who had followed the mother - and - son trio into the house, nodded in Mama Zhang's direction and said, "Good evening, Mama Zhang. I've come to beg for a bowl of noodles."
Mama Zhang's eyes darted back and forth between Xu Zixi and Yan Yincheng, then she nodded. "Okay, then I'll go do something else."
While Xu Zixi was cooking the noodles in the kitchen, Yan Yincheng was led by the two kids to wander around the house. They pointed at the furniture and introduced it to him. "This is the sofa... This is the coffee table... This is the TV... These were all given by Uncle Tiger!"
Yan Yincheng roughly simulated the layout of the house in his mind based on the route, and a thoughtful look appeared on his face.
After a while, the aroma of scallion oil wafted out from the kitchen. This long - missed smell whetted Yan Yincheng's appetite. He immediately gave up exploring and sat down expectantly at the dining table.
The two kids were taken downstairs by Mama Zhang to take a bath.
Yan Yincheng hadn't eaten much of the steak for dinner, and the cola and popcorn had already been digested. Now, the smell made his stomach growl with hunger.
The aroma grew stronger as it approached and finally stopped in front of him.
"Eat."
A pair of chopsticks was handed to him.
After making a bowl of scallion oil noodles, Xu Zixi didn't leave. Instead, she also sat down at the dining table. Yan Yincheng lowered his head and ate the noodles intently. He ate very slowly, as if he were savoring some rare delicacy in the world.
He still ate every single noodle in the bowl, and he seemed a bit reluctant to stop after finishing.
It had to be said that the feeling of having one's cooking appreciated and cherished could really bring a sense of pleasure and satisfaction. Especially since the difference in his attitude towards the food she made with her own hands and the food made by others was so obvious.
Leaning on her chin, she couldn't help but wonder: I wonder how the Xie Shi in Fengcheng compares to me?
Should she investigate this Xie Shi?
No, that wouldn't do. It would seem as if she cared too much about him. She definitely couldn't do such a thing.
"Didn't you tell me before that your grandfather liked the scallion oil noodles your grandmother made the most?" Yan Yincheng suddenly asked.
Xu Zixi snapped back to reality, and her heart skipped a beat.
The first time she made scallion oil noodles for him, she thought he was just a neighbor with no relation to her, so she casually mentioned the story of her grandparents from her past life. Why did he suddenly ask about it today? Did he discover something?
No, why was she panicking?
Even if he did discover something, so what? She had already told him her real name, right? If they really argued about it, she would still be in the right! She also wanted to see how he would react if he found out that she wasn't "Yuan Xi".
Xu Zixi said, "That's right. What's the problem?"
"I heard you mention it accidentally before and found that kind of relationship really enviable. So I'd like to hear their story."
"There... wasn't really any love between my father and mother. My father had two marriages. His first wife was his childhood sweetheart and first love. They had been married for twenty years and had always had a very good relationship. If she hadn't died of illness, my mother wouldn't have had the chance to enter the Yan family.
"Her marriage to my father was purely an accident. When she married into the Yan family, she was already a certain age, so no one welcomed her, and no one was optimistic about this marriage. After giving birth to me, because of my eye problem, her life in the Yan family became even more difficult. If I hadn't been able to stand on my own later and become someone the Yan family couldn't do without and didn't dare to let go, maybe she would have died of depression long ago."
He voluntarily brought up his family background. His tone was calm, and his emotions didn't fluctuate. It was as if he were talking about someone else's family affairs.
Xu Zixi remembered a long time ago, when the two of them sat down for the first time to have a calm conversation on the fire escape of the old - district house.
She remembered that at that time, he had said that his mother hoped he would be a useful person to the family, and he had been working in that direction all along, which was why he had become the way he was now.
So, was that why he wanted to hear the story of her grandparents?
With a bit of disappointment and a bit of self - interest, Xu Zixi said softly, "My grandparents... actually, their marriage wasn't voluntary either. I heard that before my grandmother married my grandfather, she also had a boyfriend she had secretly dated for a long time. But among big families, especially in that era, a marriage alliance was the only way out. My grandmother had no choice but to cut off her past and marry my grandfather. Later, my grandfather's upright character and strict personality gradually won my grandmother's heart, and their relationship became better and better. My grandmother also passed away early, allegedly due to an accident. At that time, my father was only ten years old. Different from your father, after my grandmother died, my grandfather never remarried."
It wasn't a heart - stopping story. It was just an ordinary couple.
After listening, Yan Yincheng didn't say anything. He nodded to Xu Zixi, got up, and said, "It's too late. I'll go back first. Thank you for the noodles."
Xu Zixi looked at him, wanting to say something but holding back. Finally, she silently accompanied him to the door. She watched him enter the elevator before closing the door.
Back inside the house, Xu Zixi put the bowls and chopsticks left by Yan Yincheng on the table into the sink and turned on the faucet. The clear water washed over the white porcelain bowls. Against the sound of the running water, she, whose drunkenness had completely faded, let out an almost inaudible sigh.
She had been naive. Who would ever think of such a ridiculous and absurd thing as "possession"? Yuan Xi's original family surname was Xu. She had taken advantage of the similar pronunciation of Xu and Xu to tell him her real name. It was normal that he wouldn't suspect anything.
She had finally mustered up the courage to be selfish for once while drunk, but his reaction made "Ostrich Xu Zixi" bury her head in the sand again.
Forget it. Since she was already "Yuan Xi", she shouldn't think about the past anymore.