Jiang Zhirou picked up the bowl and took a sip.
The taste was faintly sweet. The temperature and sweetness were just right, neither too hot nor too cloying.
Her eyes flickered, and her hand holding the bowl tightened involuntarily. Seeing that Chi Yu didn't seem to be leaving, she hesitated for a moment and then raised her eyes to look at him.
"It's so late. Why aren't you asleep yet? Do you have trouble sleeping in a strange bed?"
Hearing this, Chi Yu's lips curved into a faint smile. "You're the same."
Jiang Zhirou was rendered speechless. Chi Yu surely knew why she couldn't fall asleep.
"Since we can't sleep anyway, how about going out for a walk together?" Chi Yu suggested.
"Sure." Jiang Zhirou didn't hesitate and readily agreed.
She had eaten those things cooked by Si Moshen in the afternoon and might have overeaten. Her stomach had been feeling uncomfortable, and a walk would help her digest the food.
"Give me the bowl."
Chi Yu reached out his hand to take the empty bowl from Jiang Zhirou.
But Jiang Zhirou took a step back and shook her head. "It's okay. I'll hold it myself."
Perhaps her backward step was too obvious, and Chi Yu's outstretched hand froze in mid - air.
Without thinking, Jiang Zhirou started to explain. "I mean, it's fine for me to hold it. The kitchen is just downstairs anyway."
Chi Yu still had the same expression as before. He just smiled and said "Okay".
When he stopped talking, Jiang Zhirou couldn't help but wonder if her previous action had made him misunderstand something. She wanted to explain again, but the words died on her lips as she felt it might be redundant.
After thinking for a while, Jiang Zhirou glanced at the bowl in her hand. "By the way, why did you get up to cook something in the middle of the night?"
It shouldn't be... cooked especially for her, right?
This thought suddenly flashed through Jiang Zhirou's mind.
The next second, Chi Yu's voice sounded beside her.
"I'm a bit under the weather. Seeing the light on in your room, I thought you might still be awake, so I brought you a bowl as well."
"Oh..."
Hearing Chi Yu's answer, Jiang Zhirou inexplicably felt a bit disappointed.
"If it doesn't taste good, you don't have to eat it. Why did you eat so much?"
Jiang Zhirou knew he was referring to lunch in the afternoon.
She looked at Chi Yu. "You probably don't have any other siblings, do you?"
Chi Yu didn't understand what she meant for a moment, and a hint of confusion flashed across his eyes.
"This was his first time cooking. Of course, I had to encourage him. Even if it tasted bad, it was his kind intention, and I definitely wouldn't dampen his spirits. Besides, it was just a bit unpalatable and wouldn't cause any problems."
"Aren't siblings and family members supposed to encourage each other instead of dampening each other's spirits no matter what?"
Jiang Zhirou didn't notice the look that flashed across Chi Yu's face when she said this.
"You and him... are siblings? If I remember correctly, I heard that President Si and you were engaged a long time ago."
Hearing this, Jiang Zhirou was shocked. Had Si Moshen even told him this?
Thinking of this, Jiang Zhirou quickly waved her hand. "Don't listen to those baseless rumors. Si Laosan and I are just like family. The engagement was just a joke between our two families before I was born. It doesn't count. Besides, Si Laosan doesn't like girls like me."
In Jiang Zhirou's heart, Si Moshen held the same position as Jiang Yuezhong. They were both indispensable family members to her.
She could probably guess why the engagement hadn't been annulled for so long.
But in her eyes, only family members would give without reservation. Love, to her, came later. It was uncontrollable, unreliable, and illusory, so she didn't want to be in a romantic relationship with Si Moshen.
The current situation was actually the best choice.
Hearing her say "it doesn't count", Chi Yu raised his eyebrows, and the corner of his lips involuntarily curved up.
"Don't keep talking about me. Tell me something about yourself."
Jiang Zhirou suddenly turned to look at him.
Chi Yu quickly controlled his expression and pretended to be nonchalant.
"Hmm? What about me? If you're curious about anything, you can ask. I can answer all your questions."
Jiang Zhirou was amused by his serious look. She deliberately elongated her voice. "Are you sure you can ~ answer ~ all of them?"
Chi Yu met her gaze. His amber eyes stared intently at the woman in front of him as he said softly but firmly, "All of them."
Jiang Zhirou had just been joking, but seeing his serious expression, she was momentarily distracted and quickly averted her gaze.
"I heard from Xia Xia that you're a physics professor."
"Yeah." Chi Yu nodded. "So? Are you interested in physics?"
Chi Yu had just been asking casually, but the next second, Jiang Zhirou suddenly stopped in her tracks and looked at him with bright eyes.
"Yes." She nodded vigorously and then began to explain. "But due to some special reasons, I've never really had the chance to get into this field. If you have time, could you teach me?"
Chi Yu knew what the special reasons she mentioned were. A flicker of pity flashed across his eyes.
In her short twenty - something years of life, she was the one who had been deprived of the most, yet he had lashed out at her without knowing the whole truth. Just thinking about it made Chi Yu regretful.
He wished he could tell her everything right now, apologize to her, and beg for her forgiveness.
Suddenly, Chi Yu seemed to remember something. His pupils dilated sharply, and his eyes looking at Jiang Zhirou were filled with surprise.
Seeing that Chi Yu kept staring at her without saying a word, Jiang Zhirou said in a disappointed voice, "It's okay. I was just joking. If you're busy, forget it. Don't take it to heart."
"I'm available." Chi Yu replied immediately. "How about tomorrow?"
So eager?
Jiang Zhirou was still a bit dazed as she nodded, seeing his ever - changing expressions.
"When did you start to be interested in physics?"
Chi Yu suddenly blurted out this question.
Jiang Zhirou subconsciously frowned. She didn't quite understand what he meant.
Would he refuse to teach her if she had only recently become interested?
Despite her thoughts, she still replied seriously, "I've liked it since I was a kid, but I've never had the chance to get in touch with it. You're not going to refuse to teach a complete novice like me, are you?"
Seeing Chi Yu's inexplicably serious expression, she tried to lighten the mood with a joke.
Who would have thought that Chi Yu would look at her and say out of the blue,
"… You're not a novice…"
This surprised Jiang Zhirou, and her eyes looking at Chi Yu were filled with curiosity.
To be precise, she wasn't a novice. She had self - taught a lot about physics and actually knew no less than professional students. But no one knew about this. She had never told anyone, not even Si Moshen.
But why... did Chi Yu... know this?