Chapter 4. "I'm sorry about what happened last time."

Bai Xiao strode back to his room and quickly closed the door. He leaned against the door, motionless for a long time, before gently wiping away the remaining tears from the corners of his eyes.

The scene from just now kept replaying in his mind.

A beam of light shone into the small room, and the boy sat on the piano bench facing the light, his ten fingers dancing gracefully on the black and white keys, and a soft melody flowed through him.

Everything was as beautiful as an oil painting, except for Bai Xiao, who was the out-of-place destroyer.

The room was deathly silent—except for the heart pounding wildly inside Bai Xiao's chest.

Even though Bai Xiao was extremely unwilling, he had to admit that he had lost control of his emotions once again. Since university, Bai Xiao had gradually taken over the family affairs, and in the past ten years, his decisiveness and composure in the business world had amazed countless people. However, what was unknown to others was that, in private, the CEO of the Bai Group, who was always calm and composed in public, also had his moments of losing control of his emotions—two of which involved his newlywed partner, Song Huai, whom he was not yet familiar with. One was on their wedding night, and the other was just now.

Bai Xiao really didn't know how to face Song Huai, but he also knew he couldn't keep running away. So, he finally mustered up the courage to go home. To his surprise, as soon as he entered the door, he heard heavenly music. At that moment, he felt as if his soul had been struck, and he couldn't help but slow his steps and come to the source of the music.

He was very familiar with this folk song; he had heard Song Boyu play it many times, and it was his favorite song. While Song Huai's playing was technically very similar to Song Boyu's, the underlying meaning was completely different. Song Huai's playing was softer and deeper, like a wise man who understood people's hearts, effortlessly reaching into their depths and resonating with them.

Bai Xiao recalled the past, when he and Song Boyu went to a concert. After the concert, the two chatted about the pieces they had just heard. Boyu suddenly mentioned Song Huai, her eyes sparkling and her spirits soaring: "My brother's piano playing is the best in the world!" These childlike words made Bai Xiao chuckle at the time, but only now did Bai Xiao realize that Song Boyu was absolutely right.

After Song Huai pressed the last note, Bai Xiao took a long time to come back to his senses. At that moment, he had an impulse to hear Song Huai continue playing. Unexpectedly, Song Huai noticed him and, as if he had done something wrong, carefully apologized to him.

Perhaps it was self-deception or burying one's head in the sand, but he ultimately uttered a sentence that was not what he truly meant.

Realizing she couldn't think about it anymore, Bai Xiao forcibly pulled her thoughts back to reality, turned on her computer, and started working.

Before I knew it, the sun had already set, painting the sky with a brilliant orange-red hue, like the blushing cheeks of a boy seeing his beloved.

That afternoon, Bai Xiao's brain seemed to have a bug. He had to read even the simplest sentence two or three times before he could understand it. The usually shrewd CEO's IQ suddenly dropped to the level of an elementary school student.

After reading the last word of the document, Bai Xiao finally couldn't take it anymore. He shut down his computer and prepared to go back to his apartment in the city to get ready for tonight's social event.

As he passed the kitchen, the aroma of food quietly wafted into Bai Xiao's nose. Suddenly, Bai Xiao felt his legs become incredibly heavy, and he could no longer walk. Since Song Boyu's death, he had been depressed and had long been tired of the delicacies served at business dinners. He also disliked strangers coming to his home, and he avoided hiring servants whenever possible. He also lacked the patience to cook for himself and would just whip up something quick and easy. In recent years, his only purpose in eating was to maintain his vital signs. Therefore, he had not had a meal with such a hearty, homely feel for a long time.

The aroma of rice stimulated Bai Xiao's taste buds. He took off the coat he had just put on, and his legs seemed to move on their own as he walked to the dining table, sat down, and quietly watched Song Huai tinkering in the kitchen.

Just as Song Huai was about to bring the freshly cooked scrambled eggs with tomatoes to the dining table, he saw Bai Xiao, who had been sitting at the table at some point and had already served herself rice.

Song Huai certainly wouldn't presume to think that the busy Bai Xiao would stay and have dinner with him. He only cooked his own meal, and the reason he cooked a little extra was that he could just reheat the leftovers the next day and not have to start cooking again. And right now, Song Huai's lunch for tomorrow is lying in Bai Xiao's bowl.

Song Huai: ?

Song Huai tentatively asked, "Bai Xiao, are you... going to have dinner here?"

Bai Xiao had already brought chopsticks and a spoon, placed them on the table, looked at Song Huai, nodded slightly, and looked completely at ease. Song Huai thought he must be imagining things; he felt that Bai Xiao was like a child who hadn't eaten for several meals, eagerly waiting for his parents to cook.

Song Huai was quite puzzled. Bai Xiao avoided him like the plague, so why would she want to stay and eat with him? He had originally only planned to cook a plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes, but now it seemed too meager for Bai Xiao to eat scrambled eggs with tomatoes and rice. Seeing this, he planned to add two more dishes. He asked, "Do you have any dietary restrictions?"

Bai Xiao replied without hesitation, "No."

Song Huaisui stir-fried a plate of hot and sour shredded potatoes and cooked a bowl of seaweed and egg soup. He had been cooking for himself for the past few days, buying only simple ingredients.

Although they were all home-style dishes, Song Huai's cooking skills were quite remarkable. In the past few years, he had been cooking for himself while living alone. In addition, Song Boyu would often come to him for meals. In order to satisfy his younger brother's appetite, Song Huai had studied cooking skills a lot.

When Song Huai brought out the last bowl of soup, Bai Xiao's eyes were fixed on the two dishes in front of her, as if she wanted to disappear into them. Only after Song Huai placed the seaweed and egg soup on the table did Bai Xiao finally begin to eat heartily.

The white rice is distinct, each grain glistening and translucent; the scrambled eggs with tomatoes are vibrant in color, the tomato juice blending perfectly with the tender golden eggs, the aroma of the eggs infusing into the tomatoes, creating a sweet and sour flavor; the potatoes are shredded into thin strips, garnished with a few bright red chilies, making them crisp and delicious.

Bai Xiao's appetite was instantly whetted. While maintaining good table manners, he devoured two bowls of rice in a flash. When he was about to get another bowl, he discovered that there was no rice left in the pot.

Song Huai looked at Bai Xiao, who was standing in front of the rice cooker with a puzzled expression, and said somewhat awkwardly, "I'm... sorry, I didn't cook enough rice today."

Bai Xiao: "It's okay." After saying that, he ladled out another bowl of soup and drank it in big gulps.

Song Huai was very puzzled. He had only prepared some simple food, so why did Bai Xiao act as if she hadn't eaten in eight lifetimes when she saw it?

After finishing his meal, Bai Xiao was about to leave. He lingered at the door for a while, then said casually, "Thank you for dinner." He paused, then added, "And about last time... I'm sorry."