Chapter Thirty: Returning to Familiar Places, Making a Sandwich
When Luo Yan emerged, wrapped in a bathrobe so large it could fit another one of her inside, Jiang Sui was pouring water by the island in the open kitchen. His hair was half-dry, hanging loosely and softly, and he looked relaxed and languid.
She wandered around the living room, looking around.
Last time he came, he was drunk. When he woke up, he was so focused on forcing Jiang to sign the contract that he didn't even bother to properly look at the house.
The nearly 200-square-meter four-bedroom, two-living-room apartment has two large six-meter balconies, one facing south and the other east, making it very bright and spacious. For a house of this quality in this location, the price should be even more astonishing than she imagined.
"The house is nice, Mr. Jiang..." Luo Yan said with a nonchalant smile, her eyes darting around every corner. "Don't you feel lonely living in such a big house all by yourself?"
Jiang Sui picked up her cup and took a sip. "I wasn't alone before."
Luo Yan was taken aback. She just wanted to find a topic to ease the awkward and tense atmosphere, but the first thing she did was hit the bullseye she least wanted to hit.
His ex-girlfriend, who was as beautiful as an angel...
That sour feeling welled up inside me again, but... the separation was really clean; there wasn't a trace of the woman's presence in the entire room.
"Oh, did you buy it or rent it?"
Luo Yan decisively changed the subject. She had absolutely no desire to know the details of Jiang Sui's life with his angelic ex-girlfriend. What else could an adult, handsome man and beautiful woman do while living together? She knew without even thinking that it would only annoy her.
"I bought it." Jiang Sui answered every question unexpectedly.
"That's so nice!" Luo Yan made no attempt to hide her envy. "I also want to live in such a nice house, but it's hopeless in this life. In my next life, I'll definitely work hard to earn money like you!"
"If you just ask, would Mr. Luo refuse to buy it for you?"
"I won't talk about money with Luo Muyang!"
Luo Yan said seriously, then chuckled, "I want to marry a man who lives in a house like this."
Jiang Sui: "..."
"Just kidding..."
Luo Yan was so annoyed that she wanted to slap herself. Why couldn't she get rid of this habit of her mouth being faster than her brain? She could only think about it in her mind, how could she say it out loud in front of Jiang Sui?
Oh no, what's that expression on his face?! Did he figure something out?!
Outside the window, the rain showed no sign of letting up, pattering loudly against the glass.
"Thank you for today." Luo Yan smoothed her still slightly damp hair. "I'll go back once my clothes are dry."
"No rush." Jiang Sui put down her water glass and glanced out the window. "This rain isn't going to stop anytime soon."
Just then, Luo Yan's stomach suddenly growled, which sounded particularly clear in the empty living room.
Jiang Sui raised an eyebrow at her, "Hungry? I remember you have low blood sugar, last time at Peach Blossom Pool..."
“You’re still holding on!” Luo Yan quickly interrupted him. “You haven’t had dinner either, so I’ll make you something to eat as a thank you.” She tried to make her tone sound like pure revolutionary friendship and mutual assistance. “But my cooking skills… you know, please forgive me.”
Jiang Sui pointed to the refrigerator: "I can count the number of times my family cooks in a year on one hand. Are you sure there's anything we can make?"
Luo Yan was immediately struck by the "cleanliness" of the double-door refrigerator when she opened it.
Top layer: two bottles of mineral water, a can of beer, and half a bottle of salad dressing that looks like a free gift; I don't know if it's expired.
Bottom layer: five eggs, two tomatoes, half a bag of toast.
The freezer compartment: a third of a bag of frozen dumplings lies there all alone.
Luo Yan fell into deep thought.
This level of barrenness... is seriously inconsistent with Jiang Sui's status; it's unnecessary to have such a high-end refrigerator.
"Mr. Jiang, is your refrigerator... designed with a 'bare walls' theme? What do you usually eat?"
"Takeout or...socializing."
"Alright... let's just make do with this meal."
Luo Yan rolled up her bathrobe sleeves. "Want a tomato and egg sandwich? I can guarantee it's cooked through and not poisonous."
Jiang Sui nodded: "Thank you for your trouble."
The kitchen was filled with the sizzling sound of frying eggs and the thud of chopping tomatoes.
Luo Yan moved swiftly, and despite wearing an ill-fitting bathrobe, she exuded an air of authority.
Jiang Sui leaned against the other side of the island counter, watching her busy herself, and suddenly said, "Her cooking skills are so-so, but her movements are quite skilled. Do you do this often?"
“Cooking skills are all about talent; actions are just for show.” Luo Yan didn’t even look up as she flipped the fried egg over. “Ms. Xu is my mother. My grandmother told me that she had some postpartum depression when I was born and wouldn’t breastfeed me. At that time, I was lactose intolerant and couldn’t drink milk. My grandmother fed me spoonful by spoonful of rice cereal. Later, Ms. Xu recovered from her postpartum depression, but she also developed a life motto: ‘A gentleman keeps away from the kitchen.’ So, I’ve been able to live to this age thanks to my iron stomach and my quick-thinking cooking skills.”
"Didn't Mr. Luo hire a nanny for you?"
"Sigh, don't even mention it." Luo Yan scooped out the fried eggs. "He wanted to, but Ms. Xu wouldn't allow it. When I reached school age, she sent me to a boarding school. From elementary school to university, I ate in all kinds of cafeterias. After graduation, I planned to take the civil service exam, but I was afraid of being reported for my extravagant lifestyle. Anyway, I'm used to doing everything myself, so I just gave up."
Jiang Sui chuckled: "Your level of awareness is unlike that of President Luo's daughter."
"If you have no choice, you can only accept reality." Luo Yan put a slice of tomato into the toasted bread and pouted self-deprecatingly. "Ms. Xu was only twenty years old when she gave birth to me. She was still a child herself. So I've known since I was a child that only I can rely on myself. No matter how rich Luo Muyang is, it's still his money. I can spend his money, but I can't expect his money to buy me dignity and security. It's still more practical to stick to the country and get a stable job!"
She spoke frankly, deftly cutting the sandwich in half, arranging it on a plate, and pushing it in front of Jiang Sui, saying, "Special supply from Luo's, limited ingredients but boundless sincerity."
Jiang Sui picked up half of it, took a bite, and nodded: "Not bad."
Luo Yan picked up the other half and started eating it, asking indistinctly, "How do people like you who never lift a finger manage to live your life?"
Jiang Sui slowed her chewing for a moment, her eyes darting around for a second before quickly regaining their composure: "I used to have a housekeeper who did housework regularly, but I've been busy lately and haven't had time to call her."
Luo Yan wisely refrained from pressing the matter further. Everyone has their own sensitive spots, just as she disliked others digging into her family's trivial matters.
After finishing the sandwich, the sound of rain outside the window seemed to subside a little.
"The rain has lessened." Jiang Sui glanced out the window. "I'll take you home."
Luo Yan declined, saying, "I can just take a taxi."
"It's getting late, it's not safe."
Jiang Sui didn't give her a chance to refuse; after speaking, he got up to get the car keys.
The neighborhood was completely dark, with only the beams of the property management's flashlights flickering around.
"What's going on?" Luo Yan asked the security guard as she rolled down her car window.
"It's raining heavily, there's a line fault, and the whole neighborhood is without power!" the security guard shouted at the top of his lungs. "They're working on it, but we don't know if the power will be back on tonight."
Luo Yan was dumbfounded. Climbing seven floors in the dark? Just thinking about it made her legs go weak.
"I'll take you up." Jiang Sui unbuckled her seatbelt and prepared to get out of the car.
"No need, I can just use my phone to light it."
Luo Yan firmly refused; it would be impolite to pester him so late. She opened the car door and rushed into the building using her phone's flashlight.
The dark stairwell was filled with a damp, musty smell. Luo Yan held onto the handrail and carefully climbed the steps one by one.
Suddenly, something furry darted past her feet, brushing against her ankle.
Luo Yan let out a shrill scream and instinctively jumped back. A piercing pain shot through her ankle. Her hand grazed the rough wall, and her phone flew out of her hand, the screen going out with a snap.
Just when she thought she was about to fall flat on her face, she unexpectedly stumbled into the arms of someone behind her, a minty scent mixed with the mist of rain.
"What's wrong?"
Jiang Sui's voice came from the darkness. He put one hand on her waist and picked up her phone with the other, turning it on.
“There are rats…” Luo Yan’s voice trembled, her ankle hurting so much that she grimaced, “My foot…my foot hurts.”
Jiang Sui took a picture of her ankle with her phone and saw that it was swollen.
"Can you still walk?"
Luo Yan tried to move, and gasped, "It hurts!" She looked at her palm and saw a bloody mark.
Jiang Sui looked at her silently, his eyes clearly saying, "See? I should have listened to me."
A few minutes later, Luo Yan got back into the car, her mind a jumbled mess of emotions.
Jiang took out a first-aid kit from the trunk, used iodine to clean the abrasions on her palms, applied a band-aid, and then took out a spray to treat her sprained ankle. The cold medicine sprayed on her skin made her shiver.
"I'm sorry, I've caused you trouble again." Luo Yan muttered softly, her lips pursed, her face burning like two balls of fire.
Jiang Sui didn't even look up. "Your tendency to cause trouble is truly unique."
Luo Yan: "..."
He's one of a kind, capable of making people furious with just a few words.
After finishing, Jiang started the car: "Your power is out... why don't you come to my place for the night? The guest room is yours."
Luo Yan did not refute further.
Circumstances are stronger than people; stubbornness can't withstand the harsh blows of reality.
It was late at night.
Luo Yan felt a dull ache in her ankles and palms, and her mind was in turmoil. She tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
Unable to stay in bed any longer, she got out of bed, hopped on one foot to the door while holding onto the wall, opened the door, and saw light shining through the crack in the study door.
It's past one o'clock, and Jiang Sui is still not asleep?
She remembered she had a packet of freeze-dried grapefruit tea, so she went to the kitchen, found the water dispenser, brewed the tea, and then slowly carried it along the wall to the study door, gently knocking.
Jiang Sui opened the door, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes behind her glasses.
"I... got up to use the restroom and saw the light was on. Were you still busy?"
Luo Yan handed over the cup and noticed several folders scattered haphazardly on the desk, with various data on the computer screen that she couldn't understand. "I made you a cup of grapefruit tea to calm your nerves."
"The guest rooms have bathrooms."
Jiang Sui took the cup, and their fingertips accidentally touched. Luo Yan quickly withdrew her hand, lowered her head in embarrassment, afraid that he would see her blushing face.
"Oh, well... you're busy, get some rest, I'm going to sleep."
As soon as I turned around, I heard Jiang Sui say softly, "Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Luo Yan didn't dare to look back at him and quickly walked away, brushing against the wall.
Jiang Sui watched her slightly flustered back as she leaned against the door frame, remaining motionless for a long time.
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