It was obvious that the dishes Su Xiaoxiao had worked so hard to make didn’t receive a good evaluation, and were even criticized in a stern tone.
Wu.
She drooped her head, her mood sinking to rock bottom.
She tried her best to suppress the negative emotions in her heart.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know it would turn out like this. Next time, I won’t use fatty meat again.”
“Forget it next time. Ordering takeout is simpler.”
Yu Xueqin walked back in, probably about to grab her phone from the room.
“Alright…”
Su Xiaoxiao, still feeling a little warm, turned to face the kitchen from earlier, her head lowered.
“I’ll go to the bathroom. I’ll eat the food myself later. Sorry.”
She walked away unsteadily, reaching the bathroom that didn’t have any bad smell, closed the door, leaned against the wall, and couldn’t hold back her tears anymore.
“Ugh, I worked so hard on it…”
Su Xiaoxiao squatted down, burying her head between her knees.
Tears mixed with the sweat from earlier at the corners of her eyes.
Her eyes stung.
She didn’t know why, but she started crying again.
Maybe that’s just how girls are.
But once the tears were gone, nothing seemed to matter anymore.
“What’s wrong?”
A familiar voice came from outside.
Sister Yu’s tone was still as enchanting as ever.
“Nothing… Just using the bathroom. My stomach hurts.”
Su Xiaoxiao realized it was bad and tried to stop her crying immediately.
But once it started, how could it be that easy to stop?
“Wu…”
All she could do was lower her voice.
“Are you crying?”
The girl outside knocked on the door.
“Your cooking is pretty good. I tasted it just now. It’s delicious. Come out and eat together.”
“And, thank you for making dinner for me.”
Wu…
Curled up inside the bathroom, she slowly raised her head, staring at the door that was being knocked on.
She wanted to get up and open it, but then pulled her hand back.
“Why thank me? Weren’t you the one who didn’t want to eat?”
Su Xiaoxiao felt a little temper rise. She was too sad to open the door.
“I’ll just eat it myself. It’s disgusting anyway…”
“No.”
Yu Xueqin refuted her words and added,
“You spent almost an hour making it, didn’t you? How could it be disgusting?”
Her attitude now was a complete 180 from earlier in the living room.
The reason was that she lost a game in her room earlier and was in a bad mood, then saw the fatty meat that made her dizzy the day before and couldn’t help but say something harsh.
“You said it yourself…”
No matter what the girl outside said, Su Xiaoxiao didn’t intend to go out.
The tears she had been holding back threatened to burst out again.
“Yesterday, I saw your desk was full of takeout boxes… so I thought I’d make you dinner…”
Her voice, usually pleasant, now sounded hoarse.
“I was afraid you wouldn’t like it. I even looked up a lot of information.”
The kitchen was so hot, too.
But after all that effort, the result was just…
“Wu,”
Su Xiaoxiao said, her eyes growing wetter, her throat choked with sobs.
“Let me rest, Boss.”
“If you still need me, I’ll continue cleaning the room as usual later… If not…”
“…The room key you gave me is on the table.”
Su Xiaoxiao still forced herself to say it, her lips trembling.
She knew that saying this might mean sleeping on the street.
She knew her own unreasonable behavior would anger Yu Xueqin.
But she said it anyway.
Su Xiaoxiao felt so complicated now.
She just wanted to be alone for a while.
“……”
The person outside the door was silent.
It was very quiet now.
Only the faint sounds of crying from the bathroom could be heard.
“I understand.”
Yu Xueqin clenched her fist.
“I don’t need you anymore.”
Wu…
The crying girl in the bathroom shrank even further against the wall after hearing that.
As expected, her unreasonable behavior had finally made the Boss angry.
Time to sleep on the street.
Su Xiaoxiao wiped her eyes with her school uniform sleeve, but the tears just kept coming.
She had fallen in love at first sight, came to her house a few days later, did things for her.
It was all so unbelievable.
But in the end, it was just a coincidence.
“I don’t need you to clean anymore. From now on, just cook for me.”
“Okay?”
Was she being told to get out immediately? Fine, she’d leave right away.
Su Xiaoxiao felt miserable.
She didn’t catch the words from outside the door.
“From now on, just cook for me, okay?”
Yu Xueqin, seeing there was no reply, repeated herself.
Back in the living room earlier, she had seen the girl show that expression again.
Just like that night on the street.
Only then did Yu Xueqin understand why she had forced the girl home.
Because she didn’t want to see this white-haired girl looking so sad.
Su Xiaoxiao was still crying, not hearing anything nearby.
Did she say something again… Maybe she was being told to get lost.
She looked so pathetic now.
She didn’t want Sister Yu to see her like this at all.
No, they wouldn’t meet again after this…
So it didn’t matter.
No need to care.
“…Sorry, come out. If you’re upset, come hit me to vent.”
Yu Xueqin, seeing there was still no reply, grew anxious.
It was the first time she felt this way—guilty.
“Squeak…”
As Yu Xueqin finished speaking, the door opened.
A disheveled girl walked out.
Her once cute face was now a mess, but she made no effort to hide it.
“Fine, hit me.”
Yu Xueqin thought she had been forgiven.
But the girl walked right past her toward the living room.
Catching up, the trembling little thing picked up a key from the table and handed it to her.
It was the door key.
“What are you doing?”
Yu Xueqin realized something was wrong and frowned deeply.
She had said before—she was a selfish person.
So now, she wouldn’t allow this person to leave.
Yu Xueqin’s hand was bigger than the girl’s, so she gripped her tightly, shoving the key back.
“I don’t need this key. It was extra to begin with. Since I gave it to you, you keep it.”
“Keep coming to my house from now on, okay? Even if you don’t do anything, it’s fine.”
She could just use less money herself.
“Wu, huh?”
The little one below suddenly widened her eyes.
“You still want me to come?”
“Of course. Your cooking is delicious, and you clean well too.”
Seeing hope, she immediately squatted down and spoke gently.
“And your feelings mean the most to me.”
“After all, you’re my wife.”
Yu Xueqin said it with a teasing yet serious tone.
“Wow, don’t call me that!”
Hearing such embarrassing words, Su Xiaoxiao immediately turned back into her usual shy self, even pounding her arm hard.
“If you still need me, I’ll keep coming… But don’t just call me that. Aren’t we outside?!”
After hearing this, Yu Xueqin’s lips curled into a soft smile.
“Alright.”
She stood up slowly, took a tissue, and gently wiped the girl’s face.
Then she took Su Xiaoxiao’s hand.
“Come eat.”
The girl’s hand was so warm, like a hand-warmer, which only made Yu Xueqin feel even more guilty.
This won’t happen again.
If it does… she…
She’d stop touching electronic devices.
Yu Xueqin decided to play fewer games from now on and do more other things.
Also, despite looking weak, this little thing hit pretty hard—her hand was still numb.