Under Cui Ziqi's overbearing care, Xia Wan was unable to leave the apartment for several days in a row.
Su Meng booked a hotel and invited Xia Wan to the appointment, and Xia Wan readily agreed.
When it was almost time, Cui Ziqi refused to let her leave the house no matter what she said.
They call it "recovering from injury!"
"My injury has healed, and I just went out for a meal."
She had already changed her clothes, but Cui Ziqi insisted on dragging her to sit on the sofa.
"You can go out again when the scar on your head has disappeared."
"On what grounds?"
"Because you're mine now."
Xia Wan stared blankly at Cui Ziqi.
He sat on the single sofa next to him, wearing a black shirt with gold-trimmed sleeves rolled up at the elbows, revealing his well-defined and muscular forearms.
A slender, distinct hand was holding a thin hemp thread, clumsily threading it through a small bundle of mustard greens.
After saying those words without batting an eye, he acted as if nothing had happened.
Xia Wan, standing beside her, blushed slightly, her heart pounding with excitement.
'System, system, how much favorability does Cui Ziqi have towards me right now?'
The sound of electricity flashed through my mind, and half a second later, the mechanical voice of the system sounded.
[Host, the male supporting character's current favorability towards you is 10%.]
'Ten? That's so low? That shouldn't be the case. Judging from how much he cares about me now, it should be over fifty, right?'
[…Host, you forgot, his initial favorability towards you dropped from -30% to -50%, and it's already a miracle that it has risen to 10% in such a short time.]
Xia Wan remained silent.
A 60% increase is a passing grade, I suppose...
She sighed dejectedly.
Cui Ziqi's attitude towards her has changed significantly during this period, and he even took the initiative to kiss her, so why is her favorability rating still so low?
*Smack!*
The mustard greens fell to the floor.
Cui Ziqi's hands were gripping a thin hemp rope still covered in bright green mustard juice; he had failed to tie the mustard greens.
His handsome face was ashen, and he stared blankly at the mess on the ground, his eyes narrowed with impatience, his hands trembling slightly as if he were using great effort to suppress the anger that should have burst forth.
Seeing his appearance, Xia Wan couldn't help but sigh.
After apologizing to Su Meng and transferring money to her so she could go eat on her own, he got up and sat down next to Cui Ziqi.
He took the thin hemp rope from his hand, picked up a mustard green, skillfully threaded it through the root of the mustard green, and then threaded it through the root of the next mustard green.
"Hanging mustard greens like this makes them less likely to fall off."
She was skillful, and soon she neatly hung several mustard greens on the short hemp rope.
Cui Ziqi glanced at her, then picked up another hemp rope and began to tie the mustard greens, mimicking her movements.
He learned very quickly, and by the time he tied the second mustard green, he was already doing a pretty good job.
I sensed that his emotions had stabilized.
Xia Wan breathed a sigh of relief and continued with her work.
"Why did you suddenly decide to make sauerkraut? Aren't you very busy?"
I was leaving early and coming home late a while ago, but lately I've been staying home every day and even have time to make sauerkraut.
Moreover, does he like to make things that are close to everyday life when he's in the mood?
If so, this little weirdo's illness hasn't reached the point of being incurable.
Xia Wan looked at the long skewer of mustard greens that had unintentionally formed, and a hint of joy appeared between her brows.
After hearing her words, Cui Ziqi glanced at her briefly, her voice still cold.
"Didn't you keep saying you wanted to eat sauerkraut? Homemade sauerkraut might suit your taste better."
Xia Wan paused, looking at him in surprise, "When did I ask for sauerkraut?"
The man let out a mocking snort.
"I wonder who's dreaming about eating pickled cabbage."
Xia Wan sat there, stunned, her eyelashes blinking rapidly twice, asking incredulously:
"So, you've been cooking with pickled cabbage these past two days because I wanted to eat it?"
Cui Ziqi gave a faint "hmm," then frowned and glanced at Xia Wan as if he had thought of something.
"If you still don't eat the sauerkraut I personally pickled, you can just wait and see how you die."
Xia Wan took one bite of the pickled cabbage she bought these past two days, and that was the end of it.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have thought of making his own sauerkraut.
He searched for tutorials online for a long time and compared various methods before finally determining the marinating technique.
If Xia Wan still doesn't give him face, he will never care what she wants to eat again!
That's what he was thinking.
The woman beside him remained seated, neither answering nor continuing to tie the mustard greens.
Was I just scared by him?
Cui Ziqi turned his head to see her expression, but the next moment he was embraced tightly by the woman.
Now it was his turn to sit there blankly.
Holding a thin hemp rope and a mustard green in each hand, he raised his arms, letting Xia Wan hug his neck. The woman's warm breath brushed against his neck, and his earlobes instantly turned a blush.
Just as he was about to scold her for letting go, he heard her soft, sweet voice, tinged with a sob.
"Cui Ziqi, how can you be so kind..."
This was the first time in her life that someone had praised her, and Cui Ziqi felt a surge of joy, filled with the pleasure of being affirmed and needed.
He did not push Xia Wan away.
He glanced down at the fluffy head on his shoulder and asked bluntly, "Touched?"
Xia Wan nodded vigorously in his arms.
Just as Cui Ziqi was about to get cocky, she suddenly stood up, grabbed Cui Ziqi's shoulders, and brought her tear-streaked eyes, glistening with starlight, close to his face, looking at him sincerely and expectantly.
"Ziqi, tell me the truth, do you already like me?"
He only takes care of her when she's injured because he likes her.
Only someone who likes you will keep her sleep-talking words in their heart.
If you like someone, you'll even care about their favorite dish.
Ten percent, isn't that a big step towards a successful strategy?
Meeting Xia Wanying's bright and expectant gaze, Cui Ziqi's heart pounded, his hand unconsciously clenched the object in his palm, the veins on the back of his hand bulged, and the veins connecting to his heartbeat throbbed uncontrollably.
Do you like it?
If he didn't like her, would his heart beat this fast?
But if he liked her, his possessiveness would probably be even stronger.
"I……"
Just as he was about to answer, the doorbell rang abruptly throughout the living room.
As if he had been rescued, he pushed Xia Wan away and said, "I'll go open the door."
"Why!"
Still without an answer, Xia Wan watched Cui Ziqi's retreating figure as he walked towards the door, her eyes filled with resentment.
He rolled up his sleeves and walked towards the door.
She wanted to see who had ruined her plans!
"Young Master Cui, Minghuai and I have moved upstairs. We'll be neighbors from now on. I've come to say hello to you and my sister."
Before she even reached the door, Xia Wan heard Xia Zhizhi's gentle, smiling voice.
Her brows furrowed deeply.
She, the vicious supporting female character, had clearly avoided the female lead, so why does Xia Zhizhi seem to be haunting her?
Seeing her approach, Xia Zhizhi greeted her gently.
"Sister, Minghuai and I have prepared a sumptuous lunch. I'd like to invite you and Young Master Cui to our house for dinner. Is that alright?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
