Chapter 8.008. He truly felt it; raising a younger sister was more difficult than raising...
According to He Yan's rules of conduct, he would never enter a woman's room, especially at night.
But this rule seemed to automatically become invalid when it came to Wen Xue. He knew it was inappropriate, but when she cautiously extended an invitation, he couldn't refuse. Firstly, she seemed fragile and vulnerable to him right now, and secondly, he hoped that their relationship could become familiar as soon as possible, or at least become more natural in their interactions.
After he got out of the car, he took the plastic bag from her hand and followed her into the building.
He had never thought the stairwell was dark before; he was used to it and wouldn't trip even with his eyes closed. But this was Wen Xue's first time there. The light bulbs on the wall were covered with a thick layer of dust, making the light dim. If she wasn't careful, she could easily slip, fall, break a bone, and end up in the hospital.
He made a note of it and decided to remind Wang Yuan tomorrow that every floor should have new, high-wattage light bulbs to make the hallways as bright as day.
When we got to the third floor, some of the other rooms had their lights on, while others were still completely dark.
Reaching the end of the corridor, Wen Xue stopped, took out a key from her down jacket pocket, inserted it into the lock to open the door. The switch was on the wall; she fumbled for it and pressed it. He Yan stood behind her, his figure almost completely enveloping her.
Wen Xue was about to invite him to sit down when she realized there wasn't even a chair in the room.
He Yan: "..."
He was also helpless, "What do you need? Make a list for me."
After thinking for a moment, considering his limited understanding of her, he figured she probably wouldn't make a list, so he said, "I'll take you to the home furnishing mall after get off work tomorrow, and we can grab a bite to eat out while we're at it."
Wen Xue felt it was unnecessary.
Her winter break was only about a month long, but then she thought, this was his rented staff dormitory, and other people might move in later. Things she didn't need, others might. "Okay."
He Yan's brows relaxed.
Although it's not nice to say it like this, he really felt that raising a younger sister was more comfortable than raising a younger brother.
He Heng wasn't particularly mischievous when he was a child, but he was incredibly stubborn. How stubborn? If you told him to get lost, he would obediently roll in the direction you pointed, then squat in that spot and wouldn't move an inch even when it got dark, until you had to carry him home yourself.
As I grew up and became more sensible, I became straightforward and once I made up my mind, nothing could sway me.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have jumped into the water without hesitation to save the struggling child when others were watching.
Upon receiving the devastating news, he coughed up blood. More than once, looking at the portrait, he silently questioned himself, "Why? Why did you have to do it when no one else did? Wasn't your life a life too?!"
Perhaps out of utter bewilderment and profound grief, He Heng entered his dream on the seventh day after his death.
In the dream, he was dressed in a white shirt and black pants, looking neat and tidy, and said with a smile, "Brother, I've lived for twenty years, and that child is only eight years old."
…
The clanging and banging sounds interrupted He Yan's unpleasant memories.
Wen Xue found a small electric cooker. It was quick to heat up, but very small, and could only cook about one person's worth at a time. In reality, it was for two people, but... She glanced at He Yan's body out of the corner of her eye. They had eaten two meals together yesterday and today, and even if she didn't pay attention to the outside world, she could tell that he had a big appetite.
"Brother, sit here."
Wen Xue pointed to the suitcase on the ground.
He Yan looked down and decided against it; he was afraid that if he sat on it, the box would collapse.
The room wasn't big, with only a small sink. That's how the tenement buildings are designed; the kitchen, water room, and toilet are all shared. Wenxue filled the pot with some water, rinsed it, poured in the packaged chicken soup, and plugged in the power.
Soon, the soup began to boil, and a rich aroma filled the narrow room.
Wen Xue put down a bowl of noodles. Whether she was hungry or not, she did these things slowly and deliberately. He Yan watched for a while, and his mood became strangely calmer.
Once the small pot of chicken noodle soup was cooked, Wenxue was embarrassed to discover once again that she only had one bowl.
This bowl was a free gift when she bought a bag of instant noodles; she often uses it in her dorm.
He Yan: "..."
He increasingly felt that coming along was a mistake, but leaving now would be even worse, so he said, "You use the bowl."
"That?"
Wen Xue looked puzzled, then followed his gaze to the pot, and asked uncertainly, "You use a pot?"
He Yan coughed lightly and nodded.
For some reason, she was amused and laughed softly, her head lowered.
This was a rather messy dinner. Wenxue's chicken noodle soup was piled with chicken legs that she hadn't eaten at noon. He Yan's appetite was indeed quite large. She cooked a second pot full of it, and he ate it all. It was light and delicious, and his stomach felt warm and comfortable after eating, without the greasy feeling after a big meal.
Wen Xue was used to cleaning up after herself. After eating and drinking her fill, she would take the pots and pans to the kitchen to wash them.
He Yan stepped aside and extended his right hand, saying, "Give me your bowl, I'll go wash it."
"ah?"
"Water ice".
He uttered two words and, without saying another word, took the bowl from her hand, turned and walked out. He was very tall, and he subconsciously bowed his head when he came in and went out. The kitchen on this floor was not used much. Various seasonings were placed on the counter. After scanning around, it was relatively clean. He found a dishcloth and dish soap hanging there.
Wen Xue was a little worried and hesitantly followed.
She stopped at the kitchen doorway. The room was dimly lit by overhead lights, but it was pitch black outside. A tall man stood in front of the sink, the faucet running. His back was to her, and his right hand, hanging by his side, held a lit cigarette between his fingers.
He raised his hand and took a puff, as if sensing something. He turned around casually, exhaling smoke from his thin lips. Seeing that it was her, he paused, quickly extinguished the cigarette, and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"
"It's alright." Wen Xue's original intention was to wash him properly so that she could do it herself, but she had forgotten about that at the moment.
He Yan hummed in agreement. "Go back to your room if there's nothing else. It's cold here."
The kitchen range hoods were old-fashioned, the fan blades whirring and cold air blowing in, and the door wasn't closed, so it wasn't as warm as her room with the heater on.
"……oh."
Wen Xue turned around and walked straight into the room.
…
Several employees came back from outside, arm in arm. It was close to the New Year and cold, so not many people wanted to buy groceries, cook, and wash dishes. There was a night market nearby with all kinds of food. A bowl of fried noodles with an egg and wok hei (wok aroma) would cost no more than six yuan. After eating, they went back to their dormitories. If they were in the mood, they would play cards; if not, they would wash up, lie in bed, and play on their phones.
Upon reaching the third floor, they heard the sound of water coming from the kitchen. The group exchanged bewildered glances, wondering who was so diligent.
Someone peeked inside and was stunned, exclaiming, "Brother Yan?!"
There are two bosses in the company, He Yan and Wu Yuejiang. However, everyone is more used to calling him Brother Yan, while Wu Yuejiang is addressed as General Manager Wu. Judging from the way they address each other, they are indeed closer to He Yan.
He Yan turned his head and saw those few people crowding around the doorway without any decorum. He frowned and said, "We have long-distance tickets tomorrow, why aren't you getting some rest?"
They weren't scared at all, and shouted, "Brother, you're washing dishes? I'm not seeing things, am I?!"
He Yan remained silent.
The others found this scene too novel. After the initial shock, their first reaction was to take out their phones and snap photos, even though the resolution wasn't great. They had to take pictures, they had to remember it. Who knew if this was the only time in their lives they would ever see Brother Yan washing dishes?
He Yan, much like a celebrity facing a barrage of cameras, laughed and cursed, "Get lost."
Once everyone had taken enough pictures, they quickly ran off.
The kitchen was quiet again. He Yan washed the pots and bowls clean. He hadn't done this in a long time, but that didn't mean he wasn't good at it. When he was a child, he lived with his younger brother in a relative's house. Living under someone else's roof meant he had to learn to do certain things.
When He Yan arrived at Wen Xue's room with clean pots, pans, and chopsticks, he didn't go in. Instead, he stood at the door and knocked.
Wen Xue, who was filling a hot water bottle, rushed over to greet her.
"Are you going to take a shower later?" he asked.
Wen Xue has a habit of taking a bath every day, no matter how cold the weather is, she still takes a bath, not to mention that she went to quite a few places today. "Hmm."
Did Nana tell you where the restroom is?
"I said so."
Although the restrooms are public, they are separated for men and women. She had checked them and found them to be very clean with no strange smells.
“Okay.” He Yan nodded. “I’ll go down first. Call me if anything happens.”
"good."
After watching He Yan leave, Wen Xue gently closed the door, went inside, took out a change of clothes and pajamas from the wardrobe, and waited for the hot water bottle to be ready before tucking it into the quilt.
He Yan didn't go downstairs. He knocked on another door, and a short-haired woman who was eating an apple came out. She immediately said, "Reporting, Yan sir, we didn't play cards today!"
"I need your help with something." He Yan tilted his head, gesturing for her to come out, and nodded with his chin. "My sister lives on the far end. She's here to help out and temporarily take over Sister Cai's position. Could you look after her during the day? Is everything alright now?"
"My sister's here, that's wonderful!" The woman beamed, then added with a touch of complaint, "Sister Cai's maternity leave has been exhausting for me!"
“She’ll be taking a shower later.” He Yan said carefully. “If you have time, could you please stand guard outside the bathroom until she goes back to her room before you leave?”
"???"
The woman blinked, not understanding. "What do you mean?"
“My sister is timid,” he said. “Those men were loud and kept coming in and out, and I was afraid they would scare her.”
"I understand." The woman looked him up and down in surprise. "I didn't realize you were so thoughtful."
She used to think that her boss was good in every way, except for his bad temper. He would yell at men, which was one thing, but he was also fierce no matter how he disciplined them. He didn't know how to be gentle with women at all. Now she understood. It turned out that they weren't his sisters.
Yes, that's great.
He Yan neither agreed nor disagreed, and left after giving his instructions.
Wen Xue packed her change of clothes into a transparent bag and put them in a basin. In addition, there was a small bottle of shower gel, a towel, and a toothbrush. Before she even reached the bathroom door, she saw a short-haired woman wearing a pajama and headphones humming a song, blocking the doorway.
"You're the boss's sister, right?"
She made way for me, her face beaming with smiles. “Go in and take a shower. I’m telling you, now’s the perfect time. If you were an hour later, the water wouldn’t be as hot. Don’t worry, I’ll be right outside. Just call if you need anything!”
Wen Xuehua paused for a minute before she understood what she meant. She could roughly guess that it was He Yan who had instructed her, and said in a low voice, "Thank you."
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