In Chapter 21, while cooking, she picked up a piece of fish skin with her chopsticks, and it broke. ...

The next day, having been through the previous day's ordeal, the entire Santen store was in high spirits and conducted business with even greater efficiency than the day before.

This autumn home improvement festival is determined to achieve the highest sales performance in recent years!

This reflects the sentiments of all staff members, and everyone truly needs a significant increase in income to make up for the financial pain of not making ends meet this year.

"For the money for baby formula!"

"For my beloved i-bean!"

"For my new refrigerator!"

"To get a new phone!"

"To treat my goddess to a trip!"

...As soon as the last slogan was shouted, everyone broke down in their tracks, teasing the man, "You're up to no good, aren't you?! Inviting the goddess on a trip, the kind with accommodations included?!"

Lu Feiteng's ears ached from the howling as he passed by.

He saw a ghost and wanted to avoid seeing it, so he took a sick leave to hide for a while. But his father ordered him not to run around during this time and to stay at the store to hone his skills.

He scoffed at his laughing and joking colleagues, then headed back to his office, his mood already ruined first thing in the morning.

On the way, we ran into Bai Yeke again.

Now Bai Yeke is being hailed as a star designer, and the store manager has given him special treatment. Even his father wants him to study and work hard during this period because of this surge in customers.

He wouldn't be so foolish as to seek out Bai Ye at this point; that would only cause trouble.

So, in Bai Yeke's eyes, Lu Feiteng, who had just been furious, suddenly adopted a pretentious attitude of not wanting to talk to her.

Bai Yeke: "?"

Lu Feiteng finally couldn't resist his sharp tongue, "Heh, you can only get some traffic these few days, keep showing off!"

Bai Yeke tried to recall when she had ever been so smug.

To be honest, Baiye was quite worried about her family, or more precisely, about her mother.

That night, her mother's expression was so grief-stricken and hopeless that it weighed heavily on her heart, making her feel suffocated whenever she thought about it.

It seems that she won't get any news from home from Lü Feiteng now.

Bai Ye was naturally even less inclined to care about Lü Feiteng's mental journey; if one path was blocked, he would find another.

She scanned through her contacts on WeChat and selected Wei Qiushi.

She really didn't have any close relatives or friends.

Bai Ye could enter Wei Qiushi's WeChat Moments, wanting to reluctantly give a like to one of his posts, but after looking through them, she found them all either childish or narcissistic, and she really couldn't bring herself to like any of them.

There was no other way for Baiye to go but fishing.

She posted a picture of a carp leaping over the dragon gate on her WeChat Moments, with the caption: "Miss Yi's data traffic is really useful."

Of course, this post on WeChat Moments was only visible to Wei Qiushi.

After delivering the coconuts, I was busy helping the sales team with the demonstrations.

She used to be a lone wolf, which made clients think she was too weak, but now they think she's reliable.

As the saying goes, "A ruthless person doesn't talk much," and another saying goes, "A capable person should have character."

After accompanying her around the exhibition, Bai Ye took out her phone; the fish had already taken the bait.

Autumn Night Brings Abundant Harvest: You actually did a design for her?

Coconut Cola: Yes.

Autumn nights yield abundant harvests: Ah!

Coconut Cola: What?

Wei Qiu was furious on the other end of the line. He had clearly warned her to be careful of that woman last time, but in the blink of an eye, she had already gone through with the scheme and even posted a thank-you message on her WeChat Moments!

Autumn nights bring abundant harvests: You really don't realize the danger even when you're about to die!

Bai Yeke: "..."

She used Yi Sheng to lure Wei Qiushi because she knew that Wei Qiushi harbored resentment towards Yi Sheng, but how deep was that resentment?

Bai Ye didn't have time to argue with him, so she quickly changed the subject and got straight to the point.

Coconut Cola: If it weren't for this wave of traffic, I would really have a hard time surviving.

Autumn nights bring abundant harvests: My dad has never mistreated you, has he?

Coconut Cola: No, but I moved out.

Autumn nights yield abundant harvests: ? ? ?

Bai Yeke briefly recounted what happened that night, omitting the beginning and end.

Autumn nights bring abundant harvests! I clearly told him not to play matchmaker!

Wei Qiushi told Bai Yeke to wait, then turned and went to find his stepfather.

Then he got a shocking scoop—Bai Yeke likes girls!

Wei Qiushi felt it was a complicated matter and went back to Bai Yeke for verification.

Coconut Cola: ...I don't know.

Autumn nights yield abundant harvests: You're talking nonsense?

Coconut Cola: Not really, maybe it's acceptable, I haven't thought about that.

It was just a fleeting thought of hers, and once she thought it, she said it.

To be honest, she doesn't seem to have liked any girls at all, from childhood to adulthood.

Wei Qiushi was furious when he heard her say that. He thought Bai Ye was just a silly girl who spoke recklessly in a moment of panic. He immediately concluded that it was Lu Feiteng, that troublemaker, who had angered his stepfather and caused the situation to escalate out of control.

That bastard, while he was away, he made a complete mess of the house!

Wei Qiushi immediately made a phone call to confront Lü Feiteng and demand an explanation.

Lu Feiteng's family is also wealthy; his father is the deputy general manager in charge of the Santian headquarters. However, their overall strength is still inferior to Wei Qiushi's family, and they are always considered inferior among relatives. Therefore, he often likes to go to his stepfather's house for meals.

After being bombarded with insults, Lü Feiteng gradually came to his senses and was on the verge of tears. He retorted, "You actually treat that blockhead like a sister?"

Wei Qiushi scoffed, "Of course not! She's a younger sister!"

Lu Feiteng was speechless, "Then you..."

Wei Qiushi launched another attack, "That's my family matter, after all. When did it become your place to stir things up?"

Whether she's a younger sister or not, that's something we talk about behind closed doors. Who are you to interfere in our family affairs?

Lu Feiteng immediately cowered, "Brother, Qiushi, I was wrong!"

He realized he had overstepped his bounds. What he did at the company didn't matter, but he had no right to cause trouble at Wei Qiushi's house.

Between men, it's all about who's stronger and who's more cunning.

Lu Feiteng was a bully who preyed on the weak and feared the strong; he could never hold his head high in front of Wei Qiushi.

He gritted his teeth and listened to Wei Qiushi's rage through tears, swallowing his pent-up frustration.

Separated by the office wall, Lu Feiteng, filled with resentment and barely suppressing his anger, gritted his teeth at Bai Yeke.

During her lunch break, Bai Ye went out and brought back some groceries. When it was time to leave work, she rushed out to catch the subway. After exiting the subway, she went straight to the supermarket and bought a mandarin fish that was both the right size and freshness.

When she got home, she glanced inside and saw that it was exactly the same as when she left in the morning—nothing had been touched.

Yi Sheng hasn't returned yet.

Bai Ye quickly prepared the ingredients.

When everything was ready and it was time to cook, Bai Ye hesitated a bit about whether to send Yi Sheng a WeChat message to ask when he would be back.

It was at this moment that there was finally movement in the entryway.

Smart lock notification sound.

Bai Ye went to the entrance to greet people, and among them were not only Yi Sheng, but also Xiao Yang.

For so long, apart from the first time she met him at the new house he designed, Bai Ye had never met her little apprentice in real life.

At first glance, Bai Ye seemed vaguely familiar, but he was hesitant to recognize her.

It was Xiao Yang who greeted him first, "Xiao Bai!"

"Are you Master Yang?"

"Just call me Xiao Yang!" Xiao Yang is as approachable and casual as he is online.

Bai Ye smiled and asked, "Are you coming to eat with us too?"

"No, no, no, I won't freeload." Xiao Yang looked Bai Yeke up and down with a lot of questions in his eyes.

Bai Yeke could clearly see the one super question that was—why are you at President Yi's house?!

But Xiao Yang was very restrained. She didn't ask any more questions, and simply explained, "I brought President Yi back, and I left as soon as I got him home."

Bai Ye was secretly alarmed from the moment she arrived.

Yi Sheng had told her the flight information. Yi Sheng also took an evening flight last night, so they didn't chat much last night. He told Yi Sheng to rest.

But she did chat with Xiao Yang. Before she went to bed, Xiao Yang told her that she had to submit a report to President Yi later.

Today, Yi Sheng should have been back to rest long ago, but she wasn't even back when I arrived, clearly she was dealing with things during the day.

In fact, looking at Yi Sheng at this moment, he still looks the same, with a cold expression and eyes, and his aura is still sharp.

But compared to the vibrant energy of Xiao Yang's perpetual motion machine, Yi Sheng's usual mental state suddenly appears fatigued.

Bai Ye pursed her lips and said softly to Yi Sheng, "It's good that you're back. Let's eat."

Yi Sheng's gaze fell on her. "Mm."

Xiao Yang blinked, looked at Yi Sheng, and then at Bai Yeke. She had so much to say to Bai Yeke, but this wasn't the time. At that moment, she just felt that the atmosphere was strange and that she should leave.

"I'm leaving now!" Xiao Yang said, slipping away as quickly as he finished speaking, and even responsibly closed the door behind him.

The entryway was quiet.

Yi Sheng stood there, half a head taller than Bai Yeke, looking at Bai Yeke.

Bai Yeke felt slightly uncomfortable.

On one hand, she was living in someone else's house, and now that the host had returned, she was beginning to truly feel like she was staying there. On the other hand, she felt a little sorry for Yi Sheng, who was showing signs of fatigue, and she felt a little vulnerable. She didn't know how to deal with her.

"Let's go."

In the end, Yi Sheng spoke first, and the two walked towards the kitchen and dining room one after the other.

"Please sit down for a while, it will be ready soon, I've prepared the dishes."

What dish did you make?

The two of them spoke almost simultaneously.

Bai Ye was a little nervous for a moment.

Didn't this person say she was indifferent to what she ate, acting like she didn't care? How come she's suddenly curious now that she can eat right away?

Bai Ye put the fish into the pot first, "Hmm, braised mandarin fish, stir-fried lettuce, and seaweed and egg soup."

"Um……"

These dishes are more than enough for the two of them. Bai Ye had calculated that, based on her and Yi Sheng's appetites, there would probably be some left over.

However, the ambiguous monosyllabic word "Yi Sheng" slightly distracted Bai Yeke. She turned to look at Yi Sheng's expression, afraid that her home-cooked meal might have offended Yi Sheng and made her unhappy.

The woman had already sat down at the table and wasn't looking at her anymore. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers, as if to relieve her fatigue.

Bai Yeke felt a moment of inexplicable tenderness.

As a result, in that slight distraction, when she turned back to deal with the fish, the fish skin stuck to the pan.

!!

Bai Ye quickly and carefully turned the fish over.

Ten minutes later, all the dishes were served.

"Try it, it should taste alright." Bai Ye handed the chopsticks to Yi Sheng.

Yi Sheng's first chopstick went straight for the mandarin fish. She always had the habit of eating the best parts of the food, so she poked directly into the fish's belly. With that poke, a piece of the fish skin was picked up by her chopsticks and broke.

Yi Sheng: "..."

Bai Yeke: "..."

The two looked at each other and smiled.

However, Bai Ye gave an awkward, dry laugh, while Yi Sheng's laugh had a hint of amusement.

They sat in silence throughout the meal.

However, Bai Ye noticed that Yi Sheng seemed to eat slightly more than he had eaten at the restaurant before. She wondered if it was because he liked the food or because he was tired.

Her cooking has always been well-regarded. After all, she comes from an ordinary family, and what she loves most are the home-cooked meals from her family. Since she came to her stepfather's house, she hasn't been able to eat them anymore, so she occasionally cooks for herself.

Finally, after putting down his chopsticks, Yi Sheng gave her his evaluation: "It's not bad."

Bai Ye could see Yi Sheng's expression. The woman's cool face had a faint smile on it. There was no more teasing. In addition to sincerity, there was also a bit of emotion that was hard to describe. Her weariness was mixed with tenderness.

The evaluation was simple, not particularly flattering, but Bai Yeke felt her face flush under Yi Sheng's gaze, feeling embarrassed.