Beautiful Boss
The next day, Yu Ran was cutting his hair in front of the mirror. He suddenly felt that his once proud wolf tail looked like a mop, especially compared to Jiang Liu's black hair.
It was probably the side effect of the compliment I gave the other person yesterday, “You’re pretty.”
He held the scissors upright and nibbled his bangs bit by bit. The faint scar on his eyebrow divided his eyebrows into two parts. The short eyebrows represented his youth that he did not have time to enjoy, and the long eyebrows represented the haze that he could not get out of.
However, with careful dressing, scars that were originally considered flaws may become the highlight of the look, just like Jiang Liu's pearl earrings, dark green ribbon, and enamel ring.
Why do I always think about Jiang Liu...
Yu Ran was at a loss as to what to do with the long-lost throbbing. His eyes had the look of someone who had escaped from a cage, yet he still felt a little tired and uncomfortable.
In the mirror, he was wearing a lavender shirt, a thigh-length cardigan, jeans, and a golden brown snake-patterned belt wrapped around the sweater.
He looked around and was satisfied. It was almost time. The door had just opened a crack when his sister's words pried open his mind:
"Ouch~ The iron tree blossoms? Going on a date?"
Yu Lei crossed her legs on the chair and concentrated on her work in the living room. The princess cut completely blocked her sight. How could she see Yu Ran!
Yu Ran's scalp tingled. He didn't want to lie to her, nor did he need to tell her everything: "No, I was too bored, so I went out for a walk."
"Oh, you need to take a shower, get a haircut, change clothes and spray perfume before taking a walk, and even tie my belt. You are so pious."
She was very harsh in her words, so Yu Ran just let it go without saying anything and took a taxi to the address on the business card.
…
Jiang Liu woke up around 1:00 PM, an unusually early rise for him. He drank a cup of scented tea and headed out, skipping brunch. His kitchen was purely decorative: pots, pans, tiles, range hood, dishwasher, it was so shiny you could see a mirror in it. He wasn't incompetent; during his time abroad, taking care of his younger brother, he'd learned some basic "white food"—it wasn't delicious, but it filled his stomach. What he hated even more was the lingering smell of cooking fumes and the unpalatable results of all the fuss. Therefore, he never entered the kitchen unless absolutely necessary.
No need to worry about brunch, the cake shop he loved was next to his flower shop. He pushed the door open and walked in. The sweet smell of milk was perfect for the sunny afternoon. He looked around the counter.
"Hello, are you not done yet?"
The girl at the counter knew Jiang Liu, who would come to the store every afternoon at 2 p.m. to pick up a cinnamon apple caramel crepe. Of course, the first thing she recognized was not his taste, but his appearance.
When the little girl met him for the first time, she thought he was a girl and called him by the wrong gender. Jiang Liu was not angry, but used humor to ease her embarrassment.
"Sorry, Mr. Jiang, I'm already packing it up—here."
"Thank you..." Jiang Liu suddenly remembered that he had left home early today.
The little girl breathed a sigh of relief and was grateful for the little surprise of packing, which gave them an extra conversation.
…
Jiang Liu's shop is located in the heart of the city, in an affluent neighborhood. His floral studio, however, is quite low-key: a two-story building with a rooftop, featuring black-gold walls, matte-gray windows, and an orange-red glass door. There's no Chinese sign. A massive Boston fern dangles from the eaves, and the entrance is framed by ferns, palms, and vines, adorned with exotic flowers and plants. If his studio were personified, it would resemble a beautiful, hallucinogenic black witch deep in the jungle.
He turned on the ambient light at the tea table and ate his dessert while it was still hot. He subconsciously glanced outside the door, but there was no sign of Yu Ran.
He admitted that he was shocked when he heard Yu Ran say, "I am his boyfriend" outside the luxury store yesterday. He thought Yu Ran remembered something, but until their eyes met, he still felt a mixture of anticipation and fear.
As a result, Yu Ran was stunned, showing his true nature as a fool after losing his memory.
Jiang Liu knew that he shouldn't argue with the patient, but he still couldn't hide his disappointment and anger, so he kept dwelling on the ring.
Jiang Liu was also a little glad that he didn't recognize him, otherwise, what kind of expression would his ex have when they met?
Yu Lei asked herself that day, are you still planning to hide it from Yu Ran?
"What can I tell him? It always feels like he's taking advantage of someone else's misfortune. Besides, what's our current relationship like?"
The words are still fresh in my mind.
This sentence has a bitter connotation, but he said it very calmly. To outsiders, he probably looked like a man who could swallow a gulp of bitter melon juice without changing his expression.
Caught between a rock and a hard place, Jiang Liu could only approach Yu Lei frequently, so as to know the situation of her ex-boyfriend as soon as possible while keeping a safe distance.
I am just a bitch and can't forget my ex-boyfriend.
Yu Ran is also a bitch. She didn't die, but she forgot about her ex-boyfriend.
After thinking about some random things, Jiang Liu suddenly shrank back. It turned out that the apple filling in the crepe had dripped down. The soup was still quite hot and dripped onto his collar and front.
Jiang Liu turned around to clean the place. Wind chimes were jingling under the eaves, but it was not the bees and butterflies attracted by the fragrance of flowers.
Yu Ran has arrived!
"Mr. Jiang..." Yu Ran only saw Jiang Liu's back.
"Get out." Jiang Liu ordered sternly without even turning his head.
The intimidating power of these two words left Yu Ran no room for argument. He glanced at his phone. 2.29 points. Is this guy really that annoying?!
In the blink of an eye, time jumped to the agreed time of 2:30. Yu Ran simply took a step back, hiding in the shadows under the eaves.
Jiang Liu couldn't take off his shirt. He was wearing a sleeveless vest over the shirt and a waist belt under the vest. It wasn't cold today and he had been staying indoors, so he was too lazy to wear an extra coat. Now that his shirt was dirty, he had no way to change it or cover it up.
He had no choice but to wipe off the stain as best he could with a wet wipe, quickly taking off his two outer layers, unbuttoning his shirt, and then buttoning it up again. When he was done, the collar fabric collapsed, and thanks to the buttoning of the fabric underneath, it cleverly hid the stain...
After tidying up, he walked out as if nothing had happened, and Yu Ran actually sat down across from his crepe in a carefree manner.
"Didn't I ask you to get out?"
"I went out at 2:29 and came back at 2:30."
His logic was unmatched, and even a sharp tongue like Jiang Liu couldn't find fault with it. He quietly covered half of the crepe with the box. He only felt that the person opposite him lived up to his name, his eyes burning with desire. Finally, he heard him say:
"Mr. Jiang, are you awake?"
When asking this question, Yu Ran thought, it seems that the phrase "I can't get up" is not an exaggeration, but a realistic one.
Jiang Liu: “?”
Yu Ran pointed at his collar. He was embarrassed to point at the other person because Jiang Liu's collar was too open.
"Design." Jiang Liu quietly moved his buttocks to avoid leaning too far forward and attracting attention. "Let's get straight to the point."
"Mr. Jiang, you and my sister have a really good relationship, but what I want to ask today is, is our relationship based on her or around her?"
Yu Ran knew he had offended her, so he added, "Since Mr. Jiang knows my sister, he naturally knows about the incident where I hit my head. Please forgive me if I have forgotten our connection."
"Your sister and I are friends, but this interview is a collaboration. She paid for my time. As for you, we're just casual acquaintances. We've met once."
"Just an acquaintance" was the answer Jiang Liu had rehearsed thousands of times, but actually saying it out loud was equivalent to personally denying everything he had said before. He would also appear in Yu Ran's life with this new identity, which was really cruel.
Yu Ran was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Mr. Jiang, if we use cinnamon and apple as filling, will the flavors clash?"
Jiang Liu raised his eyebrows and followed his train of thought: "Yeah, but that's why it goes well with the sour and sweet taste of apples." He didn't understand Yu Ran's intention and just thought he was trying to find a topic.
For Jiang Liu, desserts are just an innate love for him, and he doesn’t know much about them, let alone try to make them. Once he tries, he ends up going back to the steps he doesn’t like.
Jiang Liu suddenly suspected that Yu Ran had a seizure and bit his cake.
"Mr. Jiang, it won't taste good if it gets cold. Am I delaying your afternoon tea?"
"Yeah." Jiang Liu was very rude, "But it's not afternoon tea. I didn't eat."
Yu Ran laughed. This man was just like a self-conceited and sharp-tongued nobleman.
His evaluation was correct, but the title of Mr. Jiang Liu should be supplemented with a few more prefixes:
Jiang Liu lives up to his name, money comes like flowing water. He has money, free time, a house, a car, a career, good looks and talent, and no one cares about him.
Yu Ran asked tentatively, "Mr. Jiang, would you like to try the delicious crepes I made? I'll just consider it my apology for bothering you..."
"?"
——It was the first time someone entered Jiang Liu’s kitchen… He was not curious at all. He was afraid of getting tainted by the smell, so he went to the bathroom to change his dirty shirt.
Soon, he smelled a familiar yet slightly different fragrance.
Although Yu Ran’s desserts are not as professional as those made in dessert shops, they still look great, with crispy crust, warm filling, and an orange halo.
Jiang Liu took a sip and rolled his Adam's apple. The taste was indeed different, but he could tentatively explain it as a problem of different material ratios and food processing methods.
But it is indeed more to his taste than the one in the dessert shop.
"I used cinnamon sticks instead of cinnamon powder, which makes the flavor milder. I added some brown sugar, which is similar in color, to enhance the flavor of the apples that have been cooked for a long time and become sour. It is more integrated than caramel."
"Thank you, you did a great job."
"If you like, I can do it for you every day..." As soon as he said this, Yu Ran's heart was boiling, his face flushed, and he knelt on the edge of the table. The words were so embarrassing.
Jiang Liu didn't understand. According to the concept he had instilled in Yu Ran, their previous relationship was just an acquaintance. Where did Yu Ran get the enthusiasm and courage to say such a thing?
"I don't think I'll have much time to see you. If you're alright, you can go."
"Mr. Jiang, can you give me a chance? Cooking is my hobby and specialty. After being discharged from the hospital, I have been studying recipes and cooking for my family."
Jiang Liu just buried his head and ate silently, his fork constantly touching the porcelain plate, filling the rhythm of the ticking second hand.
The atmosphere was freezing and the attitude was self-evident.
Yu Ran grabbed his coat and walked to the door. He didn't have the courage to push the door open and leave, but he mustered up a lot of courage and turned around and said:
"I've washed your shirt. Remember to take it in when the time comes. Wet clothes hanging out overnight will get very dirty."
Jiang Liu jumped up: "Is mine made of silk?!"
"I washed it by hand. I went to the bathroom just now and saw you put it on the sink." The door lock clicked shut, as if it was followed by a heavy sigh for these words.
A long while passed, and Jiang Liu stared at the door for a long while, his words chasing after Yu Ran's steps:
"How much salary do you want?"
One second, two seconds.
"Um... four... thousand?"
Yu Ran squeezed through the crack in the door, staring at the other person through the cage like a sick wolf cub in the zoo. He really didn't leave!
"You'll get double the amount. Lunch and dinner will be prepared to my taste, and I can't get up for breakfast, so you don't have to make it. My requirements are very strict, which means I'm just too busy."
Yu Ran's eyes couldn't contain his pupils. Even if he sold his life in this life or put it up for pre-sale in the next life, it wouldn't be worth this much.
"If you agree, come in and wash the dishes." Jiang Liu entered the room and soon heard the sound of water in the kitchen. He sighed.
A trickle of pain surrounded Jiang Liu.
Yu Ran thoughtfully prepared dinner before leaving. The moon and the night lights were all watching him excitedly.
Yu Ran would never believe the lie of "just an acquaintance". This meeting was just to test the other party's attitude.
Even if he didn't understand Jiang Liu or his past self, he could still infer the psychology of a writer.
No writer would use someone he has only met a few times as the prototype of the protagonist.
What if Jiang Liu is used as a supporting role? That's even more impossible, because he's so handsome that he could easily steal the limelight from the protagonist.
Isn't this just shooting oneself in the foot?
Wait! Yu Ran deduced again, and the parallel lines of thought miraculously intersected at one point!
There is only one possibility that both fits the description of "casual acquaintance" and justifies an author's obsession.
Jiang Liu, is he his former enemy?!
No wonder Jiang Liu was so rude to me. It turned out that he was feeling guilty and wanted to strike first.
After coming to this conclusion, Yu Ran felt really furious. Fortunately, he had successfully sneaked into Jiang Liu's side through some means.
As for the trick, he actually just took a bite of someone else's crepe while Jiang Liu was not around. He was confident that the ones in the dessert shop were not as delicious as the ones he made.
This just gave Yu Ran, who was good at cooking, an opportunity.
I just didn't expect the salary to be so high.
"Eight thousand..." Yu Ran pondered, "A lot of things..."
"If you have no appetite, I'll let you beat me to stimulate your appetite!"
This is indeed a very cowardly decision.
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