Chapter Fifteen: Spending the Night at the Chu Family Residence

"Pretty punctual, exactly twelve o'clock!" Chu Zhen sat at the entrance of the skewers restaurant, where some dishes had already been ordered.

"Aren't you cold sitting outside in the middle of winter?"

"I'd like to try out what kind of flavor you young ladies like, but this stuff does go really well with beer. Want a couple of glasses?"

"No, no, I'm afraid getting drunk will affect my work."

"Work? Who told you it was work?"

Isn't that so?

"Of course not, I invited you out for skewers. I've run into you here twice, and you seem to really like them. Here, have some!"

Enoki mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, king oyster mushrooms, seafood mushrooms... all kinds of mushrooms.

"Is this what you ordered?"

"Yes, is there a problem?"

Are you a vegetarian?

"Not really, it's just that I usually like to eat mushrooms, and I don't know what other good ones there are. See what you want to eat and get it for yourself!"

"Thank you, then I won't be polite~"

Hmph~ Judging from the dishes, Chu Zhen probably doesn't eat at these kinds of street food stalls. Well then, I'll teach you a lesson. You made me call you out in the middle of the night just to eat skewers with you. Do you know how long it took me to put on makeup?

Brains, kidneys, testicles, penis...

Are you sure you want to eat these?

Just as I expected, Chu Zhen's face was filled with disdain and question marks.

"It's delicious and very nutritious. I ordered some for you too!"

"Never mind, you can eat it yourself!"

"Then I'll put it in the pot~" As soon as I put my food in, the soup in the pot immediately rose.

"Boss, could you bring me another portion of seasoning, spicy, please?"

"Do you want it dipped in extra sauce?"

“Yeah, look at this street, there are quite a few skewers stalls, but this one is the only one with so many people. It’s because of the owner’s secret sauce, it’s really delicious. Do you want to try some?” I scooped up a little bit with a spoon and put it in Chu Zhen’s mouth. He didn’t reject it and actually ate it with a smile.

"Is it very spicy?" Seeing him quickly take a sip of beer, I knew it must be spicy. I usually don't dare to eat it all the time, and I thought he would refuse.

"Spicy, very spicy~" Chu Zhen's eyes were almost watering from the spiciness, and she quickly finished off a bottle of beer.

"Are you stupid? It looks spicy, and you still want to eat it!"

"That's what you fed me~" Chu Zhen said seemingly casually, but my heart skipped a beat. Because it was me who fed him, he didn't refuse. Was this a disguised confession?

"You can eat it; I ate some before you came."

I stopped talking and arguing with him. I ate quietly by myself, not daring to look up at his expression. I treated the beer like a soft drink. But this time, I didn't get drunk. I wonder if my alcohol tolerance has improved.

"Let me take you home!" Chu Zhen said after paying the bill.

"Do we really not need to do any interviews?"

"No need~"

"Oh~"

We walked in silence, with Chu Zhen right behind me. The cold night gave me a slight sense of warmth.

"I've arrived, you can go back now!"

"It's alright, I'll watch you go in before I leave!"

The key is correct, so why can't I open the door? Oh dear, I just remembered that I specifically told Yan Yan to lock it from the inside before we left.

I called, and it turned out to be a text message call. This guy has to turn off his phone before going to sleep. If I knocked on the door in the middle of the night, it would definitely disturb the neighbors. It's a rented house, so it would definitely have a bad impact.

"Is the lock broken?" Chu Zhen asked when he saw that I hadn't opened the door yet.

"It's locked from the inside."

"A girl should lock the door if she's home alone."

"That makes sense, but..."

"Let's go to my house!" Before I could finish speaking, Chu Zhen understood. Although I felt it was inappropriate, this was the only option at this time.

"Come in!" Chu Zhen called out when he saw me standing awkwardly at the door.

Last time I only got a general look at it. With all the lights on, the house is really spacious. The decor is modern and minimalist, but the furniture is all high-quality, and the decorations are exquisite. I didn't expect him to have such good taste. The huge floor-to-ceiling windows face the city's canal. A large apartment in this location is definitely not something someone like me can dream of.

"You can sleep in the master bedroom. I still have some things to organize, and I'll be in the study tonight."

"No, I'll just take a nap on the sofa."

“Working with me is quite demanding, and I want you to always be at your best, so getting enough rest is essential.”

"Then I'll sleep in the guest room!"

"I hardly ever get any visitors, so the guest room isn't made up."

"No problem, I'll make the bed. For someone who started boarding school in high school, making a bed is a piece of cake."

"There aren't any extra blankets~"

No blankets? Then why prepare a guest room? I muttered to myself.

"Sleeping in the master bedroom might be a bit inconvenient!"

"It's not like we haven't slept with them before."

"Last time, last time, I had no idea at all! If I had known it was the master bedroom, I definitely wouldn't have slept there!" I stammered for a moment.

"Just go to sleep when I tell you to, stop talking nonsense!" With a stern look and angry words, I knew that arguing any further would be pointless.

Okay~

I slipped into the bedroom. Although I had only been there once, this bedroom often appeared in my mind. Today, when I came in again, it was no different from last time. It was still a cool gray color scheme, with only the warm light on the bedside table making me feel a little cozy.

The blankets were so smooth I almost didn't dare sit on them, and there was a faint scent of jasmine. I'd never been in a single man's room before, and now I was sleeping in this one. Thinking about Chu Zhen's demeanor earlier—he seemed domineering and cold on the surface, but actually quite soft-hearted—at least he hadn't really made me sleep on the sofa. With that thought, I jumped onto the bed. Wow, what kind of mattress is this? It's so comfortable! With my clothes on and the smell of the sheets, I actually fell asleep.

The moment I opened my eyes, I knew I was doomed; I had overslept. The winter sunlight filtering through the gray curtains onto my face meant it was at least nine o'clock. I checked my phone: 9:30.

I got up and made the bed! Oh no, I didn't remove my makeup last night, and my lipstick is stained on the pillowcase.

"Get up!"

When I rushed into the living room, I found Chu Zhen sitting on the sofa, leisurely reading the newspaper and drinking tea.

"You didn't go to work?"

Today is Saturday.

"Oh right!" I suddenly remembered that today is Saturday. On days without classes, I really don't even remember what day of the week it is.

"What do you want for breakfast? Chinese food? Western food?"

"That's quite elaborate! What exactly are included?"

"Chinese food is just plain porridge with pickled vegetables, while Western food is just bread with milk."

"Then let's have Western food!" I was speechless; I thought he could actually come up with some kind of breakfast.

"If you're not going to work, I'll help you clean up!"

"No need, I have a cleaning lady come to clean here regularly."

"It's okay, I don't have anything to do today anyway." I just wanted an excuse to wash the sheets, and cleaning was a perfectly reasonable reason.