Su Xianyu blushed when she saw the handsome man coming out of the shower in front of her. She quickly turned around.
She didn't expect Feng Lin, who looked gentle and slender, to have such smooth and well - defined muscles. His lean physique exuded a subtle sense of power.
"Uh, sorry!"
Feng Lin was stunned when he saw the girl outside the door. He quickly tightened his bathrobe.
"Sorry, I thought it was Chen Shui coming..."
When getting along with others, perhaps because he was used to being scolded and criticized before, his subconscious urged him to keep apologizing.
"It's okay!"
The blush on Su Xianyu's face hadn't faded yet. She interrupted his apology.
"I should have informed you in advance that I was coming to find you later."
"Moreover,"
She raised her head and looked directly into Feng Lin's eyes.
"We grew up together. Although your memory hasn't fully recovered yet."
"But we don't need to be so polite and distant. Am I not your friend, Brother Yunshen?"
Feng Lin finally relaxed. His eyes softened involuntarily.
"Of course. We are... good friends."
"Oops~ I almost forgot."
Su Xianyu lifted the plate in her hand.
"This is the cranberry cookie I just made. It's super~ delicious. How about you have a try?"
Looking at her expectant eyes, Feng Lin reached out and took a piece, chewing it slowly.
"Um, it's delicious."
The fruit aroma mixed with a cozy atmosphere made the sweetness, which he hadn't tasted for years, no longer hard to accept.
[Huh? Isn't Linbao not fond of sweet food?]
[Yes. Feng Lin was kidnapped when he was a kid. He had to rely on the candies in his pocket for several days. Since then, he's never been seen eating anything sweet.]
[Could it be because what Su Xianyu made is especially delicious?]
[It's possible. The cookies do look quite good.]
[I support this side character staying. I feel she can definitely take good care of our Linbao~ Reward x100]
"Wow~ Really? Do you think there's anything that needs improvement?"
Facing those caring and warm eyes, Feng Lin spoke softly.
"It's already perfect as it is."
"Okay okay. I've noted it down. I'll make it in the same proportion next time."
"Just like when I was a kid, I still like to try out new dishes. And my cooking skills have improved a lot."
Su Xianyu held the plate, looking eagerly.
"Brother Yunshen, just like before, will you continue to be my food - tester?"
"Sure."
"Besides celery, do you have any new food taboos over the years, Brother Yunshen?"
Feng Lin hesitated for a moment and shook his head.
Celery... Maybe he just didn't like it when he was a kid.
"Since we have some free time recently, how about trying a new dish for dinner every day? Brother Yunshen, don't be picky!"
"Okay..."
Looking at the two chatting happily upstairs, Aunt Liu went downstairs silently with a relieved look in her eyes.
It seemed that from now on, the young master would come down for dinner on time without her reminding.
The agreement for the two to have dinner together every day was unconsciously made.
The servants in the Feng Mansion gradually got used to Su Xianyu coming to the kitchen to show off her cooking skills every evening.
"To be honest, Miss Su is really good at cooking. Every new dish she makes looks really nice!"
"Nice as it is, the taste is just too strange. Last time I helped and took a bite first. It looked golden and crispy, but it numbed my tongue!"
"Was it the Sichuan - style spicy conch slices last time? I saw the young master ate quite a lot."
"You don't understand. Some people eat a lot of a dish not just because of the taste, but also because of who made it~"
Hearing everyone's teasing, Su Xianyu smiled at the corner of the stairs.
It seemed that everyone had gotten used to her presence these days.
But she didn't come to live in the Feng Mansion just to be a chef all the time.
There was a high - risk surgery in the hospital today, and Feng Lin was urgently needed to help. So he went out in the morning.
Calculating the time, the surgery might not be over by dinner. Then let her check the results of her recent efforts.
The weather in City A in summer was like a child's face, changing in an instant.
The night sky, which was just filled with a bright moon, was suddenly covered with dark clouds. Heavy rain poured down.
[It's raining so heavily. Why is Feng Lin in such a hurry to go back?]
[Exactly. After such a long - hour major surgery, Linbao should have a good rest first.]
[It's already so late. He should have had dinner before going back. Otherwise, Aunt Liu will have to cook again and it'll take some time.]
Feng Lin unconsciously rubbed the watch face.
It was already half past eleven at night. He didn't expect today's surgery to take so long.
He should have called in advance to tell Xiaoyu not to wait for him for dinner tonight.
Although he knew that everyone should be resting at this time, Feng Lin, who usually stayed in the hospital lounge, still drove back to the Feng Mansion in the rain.
After getting out of the car, he saw that the windows of the villa were all dark as expected.
"Beep—"
Feng Lin gently opened the door. What greeted his eyes was a warm yellow light.
A night - light was on beside the sofa in the living room.
When Su Xianyu saw him come back, she put down the book in her hand, lifted the blanket and stood up.
"Brother, you've worked hard. Welcome home~"
Feng Lin felt a tightness in his chest, as if it was filled with damp cotton, making it hard for him to speak.
After a few seconds, he finally managed to say something.
"You... Why aren't you asleep at this late hour?"
While pulling Feng Lin's arm and leading him to the dining table, Su Xianyu said,
"It's raining so heavily. I was worried about you."
She raised her head and looked directly into those eyes that didn't seem as cold as usual under the dim yellow light.
"Even though it's very late, I knew you would come back."
Looking at the cold dishes on the dining table, Su Xianyu picked up a plate of rice cakes.
"Aunt Liu and the others are old and have already gone to bed. You can have this to fill your stomach first. I'll go heat up the dishes."
Just as Su Xianyu leaned over, Feng Lin grabbed her hand.
After coming to his senses, he quickly let go, with a slight blush on his ears.
"No need."
"Huh?"
Feng Lin pointed at the plate of rice cakes. "This is enough. You go and rest."
"Don't worry. I'll go to rest after you finish eating."
"I haven't had the chance to watch someone eat my cooking for many years. I feel so happy."
Looking at his slightly confused eyes, Su Xianyu suddenly remembered.
"Ah, I forgot you're still recovering from your injury. When I was ten, something happened to my family, and I went to the orphanage. It was actually quite nice there. The dean mother even..."
She tried her best to use a cheerful tone to tell the hardships she had suffered over the years, as if they were nothing.
But the glint in the corner of her eye finally revealed the sadness deep in her heart.
Feng Lin held the pastry in his hand, lost in thought.
Had she... also lost her relatives?
Although his parents were rarely at home since he was a child, when he heard about the plane crash, he still felt dizzy.
He knew that from that moment on, he no longer had a home.
The Feng Mansion that was left was just a place to live.
He couldn't imagine how many tears Xiaoyu, who was just a ten - year - old girl back then, had shed.
Was her current lively and optimistic appearance a way of making the best of a bad situation that she had learned over the years?
A pang of pain shot through Feng Lin's heart. "Actually, you... still have family."