Wah wah wah wah wah! What on earth did I just do!
After a brief hug, Ruan Zhixian immediately pulled away from Su Ling once she came back to her senses, shaking off those delicate little legs and running toward the door.
“Su Ling! Uh, uh! You haven’t eaten yet either, right? I’ll go make dinner first!”
The blonde girl’s cheeks flushed red as she quickly fled the scene.
“Mm, mm………….”
Su Ling stood frozen in place, still holding the small cake the two had forgotten about, a deep blush spreading across her cheeks.
Her originally cool features now wore a dreamy smile:
“Hehe, Zhixian actually hugged me first just now, hehehee……”
“Ta-da~ Ruan Zhixian’s masterpiece — Luxurious Nutritional Fried Rice!”
Though the fried rice on the table was named “Luxurious Nutritional Fried Rice of All Sorts,” at first glance it made one’s mouth water: each grain of rice was coated in golden egg, distinct and separate, dotted with tender white shrimp, vibrant green scallions, bright red ham, green peas, and orange-red carrots.
For a simple home-style fried rice, it was truly both nutritious and luxurious.
“Ta-da! And Ruan Zhixian’s special Osmanthus Rice Wine Sweet Dumplings~”
With the girl’s lively voice, two bowls of Osmanthus Rice Wine Sweet Dumplings were brought over, perfectly suited to quench the thirst from eating just fried rice.
“Mm! Zhixian, you should hurry up and sit down to eat too!”
Once Ruan Zhixian took her seat, Su Ling eagerly scooped a spoonful of fried rice into her mouth.
Immediately, her black eyes sparkled like stars.
“Mm, delicious!”
Su Ling let out a small exclamation, eyes squeezed shut with satisfaction, her cheeks puffed out slightly like a little black hamster.
After swallowing the fried rice, she eagerly took a spoonful of Osmanthus Rice Wine Sweet Dumplings.
“Mm! This is so good too!”
The warm rice wine carried the sweetness of osmanthus, comforting and sweet, while the soft, glutinous dumplings added a unique chewy texture that made this dessert even more delightful.
“Su Ling, it’s not as good as you say it is. Don’t flatter me.”
Across the table, Ruan Zhixian smiled as she ate the fried rice.
“But Zhixian, your cooking is really delicious! You’re a genius at cooking!”
Su Ling never hesitated to praise Ruan Zhixian.
Besides, Ruan Zhixian’s cooking truly was good.
Although today’s fried rice, the Osmanthus Rice Wine Sweet Dumplings, and the sandwich from a few days ago were all simple dishes, in the girl’s hands they each had a special flavor.
“Really?”
Ruan Zhixian stared blankly at Su Ling’s earnest expression, her mind full of thoughts.
Thinking back, in her previous life, she seemed to have always cooked for herself…
“Mm!”
Su Ling nodded firmly again to confirm Ruan Zhixian’s cooking talent, then resumed eating.
Watching the satisfied look on the girl’s face, a faint smile involuntarily lifted the corner of Ruan Zhixian’s lips.
Somewhere deep inside, a soft warmth kindled.
So, having someone appreciate the food you make is such a joyful thing…
“How can the salad at this place be so awful!”
***
Inside a private room of a high-end restaurant in C City, Tang Jin’er, dressed in a gorgeous red gown, frowned at the plate of salad full of purple cabbage and various raw vegetables on the table.
“Tang Miss, with all due respect, this restaurant specializes in green diet salads, so it’s normal for you to find the taste unpleasant.”
Sitting opposite, Wang Secretary ate the plate of green vegetables, which Tang Miss had just scorned, speaking calmly and methodically.
“Tch, it’s just grass for people to eat. What’s with the so-called diet meal?”
“Alright, alright. Order me a proper salad, one with fruit.”
Tang Miss scoffed and gave the order to the person beside her.
“So, how much longer will it take for the investigation into the Ruan Family to produce results?”
“Although the Ruan Family’s businesses are quite extensive publicly in C City, that also means their hidden dealings won’t be so easy to cover up.
Confirming their secret businesses and tracing the connections to find their enemies will probably take one to two weeks.”
“It’s not that complicated. The Tang Family can directly tell you what secret businesses the Ruan Family has, of course limited to what we know.”
“That’s fine. Confirming only part of it is enough to lock down our target.
Whoever dared to kidnap the Ruan Mother and Daughter must have significant conflicts with the Ruan Family’s interests.
In that case, Tang Miss, I estimate that with the combined strength of our Su and Tang families, we can identify the suspects within three to five days.”
Wang Secretary finished her salad, put down her knife and fork, wiped the corner of her mouth with a napkin, and adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses, which glinted faintly.
Three to five days is also enough time for us to pin this on the Gu Family…
“Three to five days, huh…”
Tang Jin’er’s fruit salad had just arrived.
She picked up a fresh piece of mango but had little heart to put it in her mouth.
Zhixian, Ruan Madam, you both must be safe…
Looking at the golden mango on her fork still coated with milky white dressing, a flicker of worry passed through Tang Miss’s beautiful apricot-shaped eyes.
Light.
“All right, time to see what kind of small cake Su Ling brought today!”
“Yay, it’s Mango Cheese Mille Crepe!”
After a short break from dinner, Ruan Zhixian eagerly unwrapped the delicately packaged cake box, her eyes sparkling as they gazed at the dessert inside.
“Zhixian, are you going to eat it now? You just finished dinner not long ago, right?”
At that moment, Su Ling on the nearby sofa expressed concern.
“It’s okay! I purposely saved room during dinner just for this small cake now!”
Ruan Zhixian hugged the cake box happily in response.
“By the way, Su Ling, do you want some too?”
“I think I’ll pass. I’m already full from the dinner Zhixian made.”
The black-haired girl reclined on the sofa, digesting and politely declining.
“Hehe, alright then, this little cake is all mine tonight~”
The blonde girl chirped cheerfully.
“By the way, Zhixian, do you know where Ruan Madam has been lately?”
Recalling the report Wang Secretary had just given her, Su Ling boldly asked the girl a question.
“Huh? Mom clearly handed me over to you, Su Ling, but she didn’t even tell you where she went?”
Ruan Zhixian looked at Su Ling in confusion, then buried herself back into the cake.
“Mm, actually I’m not really sure either. A while ago, Mom mysteriously told me she might disappear for some time to handle something. I don’t know the details either, mm.”
With her mouth full, the blonde girl answered Su Ling’s question while struggling to swallow the cake with her cherry-sized mouth.
Even Zhixian doesn’t know?
Ruan Madam, what on earth are you playing at…
Speaking of which, it was probably thanks to Ruan Madam’s long-planned disappearance that Zhixian was so easily locked up by me. Well, thanks, Ruan Madam.
But, one thing is clear: when it comes to the engagement, I absolutely will not yield, even if my opponent is you, Madam…
The girl lying sideways on the sofa buried most of her face in shadow, only her eyes — dark, shiny phoenix eyes — gleamed strikingly, flashing with a stubborn light in the darkness.