An Ruo calmly poured a glass of water, mixing it with plain boiled water to barely keep from spitting it out in front of her.
"Did you make these pastries yourself?"
"Of course." Zhou Mingyue smiled coquettishly. "It's A Chao's birthday in a few days. I wanted to give him something meaningful. After thinking it over, I decided to cook for him myself so he'd be touched. After eating it, he'll definitely feel I'm fit for the role of Mrs. Gu."
"..."
Whether she was fit for the role of Mrs. Gu, she didn't know. She only knew that after Gu Chao ate these "meaningful" treats, he'd be moved to tears!
Now she finally understood why Gu Chao had looked so disgusted earlier, refusing to take even a bite no matter how she coaxed and pleaded.
"Uh, let me ask you something." An Ruo smiled. "Can you tell the difference between salt and sugar?"
"What difference is there? Don't they look the same?"
Even if they looked alike, the taste should be different, right?
Sis, you mistook salt for sugar and sprinkled it in. Can those desserts even be edible?!
"Then... did you taste one after taking them out of the oven?"
Zhou Mingyue shook her head. "I thought, since it's my first time cooking, I wanted the first bite to go to the one I love. Who knew A Chao would be so clueless, refusing to even try one." She looked a bit dejected. "Is what I made really that bad?"
Her heart was full of love for Gu Chao, her eyes and thoughts all on him. Even if she saw a piece of clothing or a snack by the roadside, she'd think of him and then gush endlessly about this man.
So many people in the company knew she liked Gu Chao. This willful Miss Zhou, the most dazzling red rose in Shencheng, had actually lowered herself to follow Gu Chao around, doing things she wasn't good at just to please him.
Sometimes An Ruo watched Gu Chao reject her so blatantly, without considering her feelings at all, yet she still threw herself at him wholeheartedly. She felt it wasn't worth it for her.
An Ruo didn't want her to be sad. After all, this was her first time making desserts. She should at least give her some encouragement.
"It's not bad." She picked up another piece and took a small bite. "I think for a first attempt, this level is pretty good."
"Really?" Zhou Mingyue was tempted and picked up a piece to try. After just two chews, her face twisted into a salty expression. She quickly spat it into the trash, poured a glass of water, and downed several gulps. "So salty! Why didn't you say so earlier?"
An Ruo chewed calmly. "The first bite was pretty salty, but it got better after a while."
Zhou Mingyue felt a bit embarrassed. Watching her eat so happily, she frowned. "Do you have no taste buds? How can you eat something so awful and still enjoy it?!"
She angrily packed up the pastries. "Stop eating!"
An Ruo swallowed the last bite with difficulty and said softly, "When I was little, having even this much to eat made it taste incredibly sweet, no matter how bad it was."
When a person is starving to the extreme, just having something to eat feels like happiness. Who cares if it tastes good?
Zhou Mingyue glanced at her. "Were you a street beggar before? How can you think something like this tastes good?"
An Ruo nodded honestly. "Yeah."
Zhou Mingyue froze. She had meant it as a casual remark.
Actually, An Ruo gave her a different feeling from those delicate, sycophantic gold diggers. Though she also loved money, she never spent it on herself. When faced with unfairness or adversity, she didn't just submit. The resilience in her bones moved Zhou Mingyue.
She, Zhou Mingyue, admired people with backbone.
"You were really a beggar as a kid?"
"An orphan, more like." An Ruo smiled. "Beggars at least know their parents' names. As for me... since I can remember, I've been digging through trash cans for leftovers."
Every day she went hungry, freezing in winter, with a world so vast she had no place to call her own.
Zhou Mingyue hadn't expected her to have such a miserable past. She pursed her lips, unsure how to comfort her.
The proud and willful Miss Zhou wouldn't lower herself to console others.
"Hey..." Her tone was odd. "If you have no home to go to, come to mine. I won't promise much, but our Zhou family has plenty of money."
"..."
"So what if you have no parents? Having money to fill your stomach is better than anything."
An Ruo paused, slowly digesting her words. Understanding the meaning behind them, she smiled softly. "Thanks. But I have a family now. I have a husband."
Zhou Mingyue coughed lightly. "I forgot you're married."
She paused, then asked, "Is that man good to you? I know plenty of sons from prestigious families. If you ever divorce him..."
"No need. My husband and I have a great relationship." An Ruo's eyes glistened with moisture. "Thank you anyway."
At least one more person was looking out for her. Whether sincere or not, just hearing those words moved her deeply.
...
At five in the afternoon.
Shen Xingrou returned to the apartment and found no one there. She watched TV for a while, and when she looked up, it was half past six. The man still hadn't come back.
She dialed He Su's number. As soon as he answered, she launched into a torrent of scolding: "What time is it, and you're still not back? Are you trying to starve me to death?!"
On the other end, He Su took off his mask, having just finished a battle with death. Exhausted and without even a sip of water, he was met with this girl's bossy tirade.
How could he put up with that?
"I told you I get off work late. If you want to eat, figure it out yourself!"
"He Su, watch your tone. I'm your employer now, and you're my subordinate. If you want to eat and drink without worry for the rest of your life, get your ass back here and cook for me!"
"Damn you..." He Su started to curse, but she hung up on him as if she'd expected it.
This wasn't an employer-employee relationship; it was like he'd brought home a goddess to worship!
A nurse saw him packing up to leave. "Dr. He, there's food in the cafeteria. Don't you want to eat before you go?"
The man shoved his hands in his pockets, his face cold. "No, there's a goddess at home I need to get back to and burn incense for."
"A goddess?" The nurse laughed. "Is Dr. He in a relationship?"
Another nurse waved her hand. "With our Dr. He's fiery temper, what woman would be crazy enough to throw herself at him?"
"True..."
In the basement, He Su found his car, turned the wheel, and drove out of the hospital.
He had a car, but he rarely used it since work kept him busy and he seldom went home.
By the time he got home, it was half past seven. He was carrying a bag of groceries.
"Why so slow?" Shen Xingrou was starving and irritable. "Is your place that far from work?"
It took him an hour to drive?!
"The rent's cheaper here." He Su tossed out this cold remark and headed into the kitchen to start cooking.
"So poor." Shen Xingrou followed to the kitchen doorway, leaning against the frame as she watched him skillfully pick through vegetables. He didn't look like someone who couldn't cook at all.
"Get lost and do your homework."
"I'm a top student, already on the university admission list. Going to class every day is just killing time."
He Su sneered, his expression full of disdain.
She immediately flared up, frowning. "What's that supposed to mean? You don't believe me?"
"You kids these days don't even bother to draft your lies?"
"We young people are amazing. Unlike you old folks—old, no house, no car, and on top of that, alone and accomplished nothing. Tsk tsk tsk, the rest of your life is going to be miserable and bleak..."