After looking at a few more photos of the wedding dress, she rubbed her eyes.
"I'm a bit hungry. Let's call it a day today. I'd like to have some noodles, noodles with soy bean paste."
She had been here for so many days, and there were hardly any times when she took the initiative to say she wanted to eat. So surprise and a smile flashed in Qi Ye's eyes.
"I'll make it for you."
He stood up and pulled her downstairs.
Actually, Xu Tingyu proposed to have noodles with soy bean paste for two reasons. One was that she didn't want to look at the wedding dresses anymore. The other was that she wanted to send Qi Ye away so that she could find a chance to see Chen Chunyao. But she didn't expect that he would pull her to the kitchen with him.
She knew that Qi Ye could cook. Putting aside his character, the men in the Qi family were indeed versatile. She couldn't refuse too obviously, because she could tell that her perfunctory attitude towards the wedding dresses had made this man a bit unhappy. The principle of "hitting someone with a slap and then giving them a sweet date" also applied to her current situation with this man. So she stood up and followed him downstairs.
However, the decision to make noodles with soy bean paste was so sudden that they just ran into Chen Chunyao. She had just taken a shower and changed her clothes. Seeing Qi Ye appear at the stairs, her eyes lit up and she was about to walk over. But then she saw Xu Tingyu behind him. The smile on her face faded immediately and she stopped in her tracks.
Qi Ye was wearing a white dress shirt and black dress pants. Two buttons at his collar were undone, and his sleeves were rolled up. He looked much more casual than usual. But there was no trace of sloppiness in his casualness. Instead, there was a kind of lazy and stylish charm. This was also why Zhang Wan had asked Chen Chunyao to change her clothes first - Qi Ye had a slight obsession with cleanliness and hated sloppiness the most.
And Xu Tingyu, who was following behind, was wearing a tracksuit, wrapped up tightly. If someone didn't know, they might think she was going out for a run. As a "friend" of many years, Chen Chunyao could immediately guess why she was dressed like this. However, what surprised her was that Qi Ye actually allowed it. She thought that after bringing Xu Tingyu here, Qi Ye would be eager to possess her. After all, he had been scheming for so many years. There was no need to be patient anymore. But judging from the state of the two of them, it was obvious that they hadn't had any intimate contact. Even Xu Tingyu was trying her best to avoid any suspicion.
She squinted her eyes and sneered in her heart. At this point, one of them was still pretending to be a gentleman, and the other still thought she could get away unscathed. They were both extremely ridiculous.
However, Chen Chunyao didn't show a hint of it on her face. Instead, she put away all her thoughts and only showed a humble and flattering smile.
"Tingyu, thank you for pleading for me."
She wasn't stupid. She knew that it must have been Xu Tingyu's doing that she was allowed in. This woman, no matter how cold she seemed on the surface, always couldn't bear it at the most critical moment.
Qi Ye gave a soft laugh, but there was no real smile in his eyes. "You're really worthy of being Tingyu's sister for so many years."
At least she really understood Xu Tingyu. He had already experienced this when she helped him with things before.
Xu Tingyu kept a straight face and didn't say a word. She wouldn't forgive Chen Chunyao. She pleaded for her just out of humanity. Even if she wanted to get Chen Chunyao on her side now, she couldn't show it too soon. So in the eyes of others, she was still angry. She walked past with a cold face, not looking sideways.
Qi Ye was happy to see her ignoring Chen Chunyao, so he didn't say anything else and walked into the kitchen excitedly. It was obvious that he didn't often cook. So when he said he would make noodles with soy bean paste himself, the butler and the others were on high alert. Especially Zhang Wan. She immediately said, "How about I do it? I've also learned. Boss, you..."
They all knew Xu Tingyu's preferences very well. Among the dishes she liked, there was a dish of noodles with soy bean paste. So when Qi Ye specifically went to learn how to make it, Zhang Wan also learned with him. But recently, Qi Ye's health hadn't been very good, and the process of making noodles with soy bean paste was very complicated. She still didn't want Qi Ye to get tired.
However, she didn't finish her sentence before she was interrupted.
"No need. You just help me prepare the ingredients."
Qi Ye's sleeves were already rolled up, and with the butler's help, he put on an apron. Even the ordinary apron looked expensive on him.
"Have some fruits first."
He actually started from kneading the dough to make hand - rolled noodles. Afraid that Xu Tingyu would get hungry while waiting, he also asked the butler to bring some fruits and snacks.
"But don't eat too much. Otherwise, you won't be able to eat the noodles later."
He affectionately admonished her while kneading the dough calmly, as if he had done it countless times.
Xu Tingyu sat down, with snacks and fruits in front of her. This scene was really homely, as if it was just an ordinary dinner preparation in an ordinary family. But they all knew that it wasn't ordinary. Because beside her stood the butler, on standby for her at any time. And not far from Qi Ye stood Zhang Wan, looking a bit nervous. She stared intently at Qi Ye, as if what he was kneading wasn't dough but a bomb that might hurt him if he wasn't careful. And a bit further away was Chen Chunyao, who had quietly followed over. She didn't dare to get too close, so she stood at the door and peeked inside carefully. There was still obvious infatuation in her eyes.
Xu Tingyu ate the fruits and quietly sized up everyone in the room. She felt like laughing. If she had to say who had the purest heart here, it was probably the butler. He stood beside Xu Tingyu, with a smile on his lips. He looked at Qi Ye and also paid attention to Xu Tingyu's needs at any time. He whole - heartedly served the two of them.
After Qi Ye kneaded the dough, he let it rest first and then turned to make the soy bean paste. He removed the fishy smell from the pork, minced it into small pieces, then heated up the oil in a pan and started to simmer the paste.
Xu Tingyu sat for a while and said, "Can I go and sit in the living room for a while? The cooking fumes are a bit strong. It makes me feel uncomfortable."
Actually, the cooking fumes weren't strong. The air purification system in the whole house was very good. But she didn't want to sit here and watch Qi Ye's performance, so she wanted to change places. Out of sight, out of mind.
Qi Ye was busy in full swing. He responded and told the butler to take good care of her. Of course, a person with all his limbs intact didn't need any special care. It was just to watch her. Xu Tingyu didn't expose it. She stood up and walked out of the kitchen without looking back.
Zhang Wan looked at her back with some dissatisfaction. Qi Ye was working so hard to cook for her. She should be full of gratitude and provide some emotional support beside him. Even just staying with him would be fine. But she was too lazy to even keep up the pretense. She left after sitting for just a moment. But Qi Ye was still so indulgent towards her.
"Qi Ye really loves you, Tingyu. You're still young. It's good to live a good life with a man who loves you so much."
Chen Chunyao looked at the kitchen reluctantly and then followed Xu Tingyu back to the living room. Qi Ye didn't drive her away and let her stay here. He must have wanted her to persuade Xu Tingyu again. She understood. For her own future, she would do her best.
Xu Tingyu glanced at her, rummaged through the snack plate the butler had brought over, and threw a few breads over.
"Take care of your own body first before worrying about others."