Chapter 32 Dumplings

Once the water boils, the round dumplings that are dropped in will float to the surface after a while.

Pei Wu stirred the pot with a long spoon to prevent it from sticking. Waves of steam rose up and hit her face. Outside, people were constantly changing channels on the TV, from political dramas like "Your Majesty" to advertisements for baby skincare oil. This made Pei Wu's sense of unreality gradually become more real.

He still remembered that when he opened the door, Lu Xiwen was wearing a dark brown overcoat that went past his knees, and his expensive leather shoes were still covered in snow. They were tall enough to touch the old-fashioned door frame. The man had an aloof expression, with a hint of impatience between his brows, as if he was dissatisfied that Pei Wu had taken so long to open the door.

"Mr. Lu?"

“Hmm.” Lu Xiwen looked self-righteous, but there was a hint of forced stubbornness in his tone. “You’re alone? I’m alone too. As my personal assistant, I think you should be responsible for me on such a big day as New Year’s Eve.”

Pei Wu felt a hole being pierced in her suffocating inner self, accompanied by a slightly aching pain, followed by a gust of wind that blew in, making her soul feel as if it were floating.

With the weight off his body, Pei Wu regained his agility and moved aside, gesturing for Lu Xiwen to come in.

Of course, "gentleness" shines through in President Lu.

After closing the door, Lu Xiwen began to complain: "I had seen your information before and just glanced at it to remember the address. It wasn't intentional. I didn't recognize this neighborhood before, and it turned out to be a place that was hard to find. What era is this? There are still buildings without elevators? The security guard at the door looked at me like I was some prehistoric monster. To be honest, Pei Wu, when I entered the building, I had a feeling of time travel. The cobwebs in the corner and the piles of junk in the hallway made me wonder if a door would open at any moment and remind me to lift my foot."

Pei Wu: "..."

Pei Wu remained silent. He tidied the sofa and poured water for Lu Xiwen after he sat down, as Lu Xiwen was feeling a bit dizzy.

Pei Wu didn't have the prejudice of class distinctions, but that didn't prevent Lu Xiwen from having a strong sense of detachment from everything around him. This small house was indeed a waste for Lu Xiwen.

At this moment, Lu Xiwen was sitting on the sofa and had already touched everything on and under the table.

Pei Wu doesn't smoke much. The small fountain-shaped ashtray is basically just for decoration. There are two calligraphy practice books with more unrestrained and wild handwriting, as if they are a reflection of some deeply hidden spirit of its owner. There is also a lucky cat that nods when it sees light. The plastic cover is still on. Lu Xiwen picked it up and shook it. He put it back after the cat started nodding back and forth.

Lu Xiwen threw the rotten apple, its skin all wrinkled, into the trash can beside him. The Bodhi seed bracelet, which had been played with for a while, had already changed color. Lu Xiwen held it in his hand and, without any instruction, rubbed it between his thumb and forefinger, producing a "clattering" sound.

The remaining pills, instructions, and cleaning agents were examined one by one by Lu Xiwen.

Only after all the items have been examined is the matter considered closed.

But a large part of his heart was still missing. Lu Xiwen looked around and saw that Pei Wu was a clean person with few traces of his personal style.

After he finished examining the curtains and ceiling light, he turned to the kitchen and called out, "Is it ready yet?"

Pei Wu's voice came through: "Immediately."

Pei Wu's specially prepared dipping sauce for dumplings smelled delicious. Lu Xi, a tall man with his legs casually spread apart, made the sofa seem small. He lowered his head and sniffed it, satisfied.

Pei Wu handed over the chopsticks and said, "I didn't know you were coming, so I put scallions in the filling."

"It's alright," Lu Xiwen said. Under Pei Wu's culinary skills, his tolerance for scallions, ginger, and garlic had increased dramatically.

The dumplings were very fresh, even the wrappers were delicious. Lu Xiwen didn't have time to say anything, he ate them one after another until he finished the whole plate before putting down his chopsticks, and then looked directly at Pei Wu.

Pei Wu understood; this meant the food was delicious and she wanted more.

“It’s in the pot,” Pei Wu said. “You can try the dumpling soup later; it’s delicious too.”

“Mm.” Lu Xiwen nodded.

Pei Wu looked at his neatly put-on coat and asked, "Mr. Lu, are you going back after dinner?"

Lu Xiwen's eyes widened: "You want me to leave?"

"No..." Pei Wu was a little embarrassed: "Aren't you going back home? Aren't you going to tell your family?"

"What did you say?" Lu Xiwen continued, "My parents divorced a long time ago and are living separately abroad. I told you that when I came in. I'm all alone, but you didn't hear me at all."

Caught red-handed, Pei Wu gave an awkward smile: "The dumplings are almost ready, I'll go check on them."

Lu Xiwen ate a plate of dumplings in one go, drank two bowls of dumpling soup, and then calmly watched the New Year's Eve gala that had started playing on TV.

I didn't pay much attention to what they were performing; it was just a bunch of people dressed in brightly colored clothes dancing around. Lu Xiwen was listening intently to the sounds coming from the kitchen.

It's a lie to say that his personal assistant should be responsible for his meals. Lu Xiwen has never spent the New Year alone. On the contrary, from the age of twelve until now, he has always been alone, either reading documents or going out to play with Kuang Junmeng, Cao Guan and others. How can that not be considered spending the New Year alone?

But as soon as I opened my eyes this morning, my grumpiness soared to the heavens. I couldn't stand anything in the house, and I was so annoyed that I contacted a renovation company to renovate the house.

The person on the other end showed no displeasure at being disturbed during the Chinese New Year holiday, after all, Lu Xiwen's offer was very attractive. So, they cautiously asked, "What style would you like, Mr. Lu?"

What style?

It has Pei Wu's style...

Almost the instant the thought suddenly popped into his head, Lu Xiwen froze.

The sounds of the outside world vanished instantly, and he was immediately plunged into a profound state of self-reflection.

It was as if the part of his understanding of emotions that had been suppressed by his superior genes could no longer be restrained and rushed recklessly and irrationally into his limbs and brain. Lu Xiwen did not think deeply, but he clearly realized that his temper was so bad because Pei Wu was not there.

In other words, he wanted to see Pei Wu.

Lu Xiwen never wronged himself; he would see anyone he wanted. Pei Wu was his assistant, so what was wrong with seeing her?

As I sped from Yunlu Bay to here, I kept complaining, but it was all to mask my increasingly rapid heartbeat.

Pei Wu came out of the kitchen after tidying up and asked, "Is President Lu staying tonight?"

"The Shengxing matter? How come you're even more of a workaholic than me? Anyway, I have nothing better to do, so fine," Lu Xiwen replied.

Mei crossed her arms over her chest in a pose of absolute pleasure, but ultimately blamed Pei Wu for the outcome.

Pei Wu readily accepted: "Okay, Mr. Lu."

He walked to the built-in glass cabinet to the right of the television, where there was a bottle of fine tea that the supplier had given him years ago, which Pei Wu had never been willing to drink.

The tea had been sealed away for quite some time and had gradually been pushed to the back. Pei Wu stretched out his arm to reach deeper inside, and his fingertips just touched the body of the jar.

He was about to move a stool when Lu Xiweng's entire body and even his breath pressed against him.

"Which one do you want?" Lu Xi asked.