Chapter 2 Misunderstanding His voice was somewhat cold: "Don't come up to the third floor."...
Mu Tingyu stood firm and did not move again.
The man released her and turned on the light with a snap.
A dazzling white light suddenly shone, and Mu Tingyu couldn't help but squint.
Before she could adjust, the man spoke his second sentence, his tone utterly rude: "What are you doing on the third floor?"
Mu Tingyu blocked the light, opened her eyes, and saw what the person looked like.
The man had a high nose bridge, deep-set eyes, and short, spiky hair; he had a rebellious look and appeared somewhat fierce.
The only person who could be here and rightfully question her was the homeowner who was surfing at the beach that afternoon.
She recalled the feel of his firm chest muscles as she touched them, and couldn't help but think that his physique was indeed quite good...
Hey! What are you thinking about at a time like this?! Quickly get that yellow waste out of here!
She snapped out of her daze and touched her nose somewhat guiltily: "Sorry, I was looking at the scenery on the balcony for a while."
Xing Ze glanced at the pitch-black outside, his voice somewhat cold: "Didn't I tell you not to come up to the third floor?"
Mu Tingyu was taken aback, sensing the hidden anger in his tone.
She reacted quickly and apologized sincerely: "I'm sorry, it won't happen again."
Xing Ze stared at her, his voice somewhat deep: "Since you're staying here, you have to follow my rules. You can do whatever you want in other places, but I don't want to see you on the third floor again."
Mu Tingyu met his cold gaze and nodded: "Okay."
Sure enough, spending too much time out and about makes one complacent, she thought to herself, criticizing herself.
It seems that Xing Ze is a person with a strong sense of boundaries; he can't afford to strain his relationship with the landlord while living under someone else's roof.
Her tone carried a hint of reassurance and vulnerability, sounding very gentle: "Mr. Xing, I'm sorry to trouble you for the next few months. Let me pay your rent first."
Xing Ze lowered his eyes to look at her and uttered two words: "No need."
Mu Tingyu didn't want to owe anyone a favor, so she insisted, "I have to pay."
Xing Ze frowned and was about to speak when a bell rang in his pocket.
He answered the phone, and Xiao Ping's energetic voice came through the receiver: "Xing Ze! Have you seen Teacher Mu?! I can't get through to her on the phone!!"
He gave a faint "hmm".
"That's good! I'm still busy here and can't make it in time, so take her out for a meal!! I'll bring you a jar of wine next time!!"
Mu Tingyu stood quietly to the side, and seeing that Xing Ze's expression had softened, she hummed in agreement.
Xiao Ping then asked, "Oh right, she didn't come to your third floor, did she? I was so busy today that I forgot to tell her about it."
"......"
Xing Ze looked up at Mu Tingyu, who returned his smile with her eyes crinkling.
He said into the phone, "Okay, I'm hanging up."
"Sigh..." Before the other end could speak, the call was cut off.
Xing Ze put away his phone and looked at her: "Why didn't you explain just now?"
"Explain what?" Mu Tingyu tilted her head.
"......"
"Oh, you mean I'm not allowed to go up to the third floor?" Mu Tingyu seemed harmless and smiled, "It was my fault for offending you, so it's normal that you're unhappy. Besides, Sister Xiaoping is so busy and she still took care of so many things for me. The room is also very well-equipped. I'm very grateful to her, so there's no need to explain so much. Oh, and I'm also very grateful to Mr. Xing for kindly taking me in. I will try my best not to trouble you."
She believed that her words were impeccable, and there was not a single point to criticize.
Xing Ze's eyebrows seemed to lower slightly, but he didn't blame her again and turned to leave.
As he walked down the stairs, his voice came softly: "Come down for dinner in ten minutes."
Mu Tingyu responded. She originally wanted to go back to her room, but then felt bored, so she followed Xing Ze down to the first floor and saw him carrying a vegetable basket from the top of the stairs into the kitchen.
Mu Tingyu followed closely behind, standing at the door and curiously peeking out. She saw him take out a bag of pork, a bag of lively shrimp, a bag of noodles, and some vegetables she couldn't name from the vegetable basket.
The man had just been yelling at her, but she was completely unaffected and asked him curiously, "What kind of dish is that?"
She looked so different; she had never seen anyone like her before.
Xing Ze stood in front of the kitchen counter and answered without turning his head: "Pumpkin sprouts."
oh.
Her eyes lit up, and she stepped into the kitchen, standing two meters away from Xing Ze.
Xing Ze didn't look at her, focusing on preparing the ingredients in his hands.
Seeing that he didn't chase her away, Mu Tingyu moved closer, curiously looking at the shape of the vegetable leaves, and subconsciously reached for her phone to take a picture.
I found nothing.
She didn't want to go upstairs to get it, so she could only watch Xing Ze busy himself.
After watching for a short while, she asked, "Do you need me to help?"
Xing Ze glanced at her sideways.
Mu Tingyu tried to persuade her, "Shall I help you wash the vegetables?"
Xing Ze didn't say anything, and Mu Tingyu took it as a yes, rolled up her sleeves and took the vegetables to the sink.
The sound of rushing water filled the air.
Xing Ze placed the iron pot on the stove, lit the fire, and added a spoonful of lard.
Steam rose from the pot, and he glanced absently toward the pool.
The girl lowered her head, her neck as white as jade, her hair hanging softly by her ears, and her slender white hands stretched out under the water, carefully and gently rubbing the vegetable stalks.
He looked away, added a few slices of pork belly, pressed them down with a spatula, and the pan sizzled and released the aroma of lard.
He turned up the heat and added the ingredients quickly and efficiently, soon putting in the noodles as well.
Suddenly, a drain basket appeared out of thin air on the right.
He looked inside and saw neatly arranged chopped pumpkin shoots.
The gaze shifted, and Mu Tingyu stood to the side, her eyes crinkling obediently. Behind her were a clean cutting board and knife.
Xing Ze stared at the vegetables in the drain basket for two seconds, then reached out and covered the pot with the lid without saying a word.
A few minutes later, he poured the vegetables out.
White steam rose from under the pot lid, filling the entire kitchen with a delicious aroma.
Mu Tingyu said in a very admiring tone, "Mr. Xing, you are such a great cook! It smells so good!"
Xing Ze didn't answer, but stirred the pot a few times with his chopsticks.
Her interest wasn't dampened at all, and she continued, "Do you cook often?"
Xing Ze replied with an "Mm" and reached out to turn off the engine.
He deftly took out two bowls, ladled out the noodles, and as he carried them to the table, he said to Mu Tingyu, "Help yourself with chopsticks and a spoon."
After Mu Tingyu finished taking the cutlery and sat down, she couldn't wait to pick up a mouthful of noodles, blow on it, and then put it in her mouth.
I didn't see Xing Ze add any seasonings, but the noodles tasted surprisingly good and were very flavorful. The pork edges were slightly crispy and very fragrant, and the shrimp was also very fresh and chewy.
She buried her head in her food and ate for a long time before she could barely soothe her stomach, which hadn't eaten much all day.
Xing Ze's calm voice suddenly rang out, "There's still some in the pot."
Mu Tingyu swallowed the noodles in her mouth and shook her head: "Thank you, that's enough."
Xing Ze got up, brought the pot over, and used a spatula to scoop the remaining noodles into his own bowl.
His arms were strong and muscular, and he held the pot handle with one hand, seemingly without any effort.
Mu Tingyu unconsciously licked her lips and asked, "I heard from Sister Xiaoping that the school is right next to your house? How long does it take to walk there?"
Xing Ze put the pot back and replied, "About ten minutes."
She made a "hmm" sound.
It doesn't seem like it's very "next door"... Won't it be a bit late to cook after class?
Anyway, let's ask first!
"Can I eat here later?"
Xing Ze looked up at her, paused for two seconds, and then said, "Otherwise, where would you like to eat?"
"Oh, is that okay?" Mu Tingyu was very happy. "Thank you, I will be very careful."
What should we be careful of?
Xing Ze frowned slightly.
Mu Tingyu asked, "Where in the village can I buy vegetables?"
Xing Ze paused, realizing what she meant: "You're going to cook for yourself?"
Mu Tingyu nodded: "Mhm."
Xing Ze looked at her, but swallowed the words "You can cook" back down: "There's nowhere to buy groceries in the village."
"Huh?" Mu Tingyu was slightly taken aback. "Then what about these...?"
"We have to go to town to buy groceries. Or we can eat what we grow ourselves."
Mu Tingyu: "In town..."
Xing Ze: "Far away."
Mu Tingyu: "..."
Xing Ze: "If you're going to cook, figure out the ingredients yourself."
Mu Tingyu immediately recognized the importance of pragmatism and said sincerely, "Mr. Xing, your cooking is really delicious, much better than mine."
Xing Ze glanced at her indifferently, and sure enough, she asked, "So, would you mind if we had an extra pair of chopsticks and bowls when we ate?"
In fact, Xiao Ping had already asked Xing Ze to bring Mu Tingyu to dinner every day.
Looking into the girl's bright eyes, for some reason, he didn't speak immediately.
Thinking he was hesitating, Mu Tingyu quickly said, "I'll pay for your meal."
After saying that, she remembered that she had mentioned paying rent on the third floor, and Xing Ze seemed a little impatient, so she changed her mind and said, "I'll help you! Or you can bring the ingredients back and I'll cook."
Xing Ze finally spoke up: "Didn't you say your cooking wasn't as good as mine?"
"Yes, yes!" Mu Tingyu nodded repeatedly, "Your cooking is really delicious!"
He said calmly, "Then I'll do it."
That means he agrees to let her freeload a meal!
Mu Tingyu clasped her hands together, fingertips resting on her chin, and said happily, "Mr. Xing, thank you!"
"You don't need to call me that."
Mu Tingyu scratched her face, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Then how should I address you? Should I just call you by your name? Would that be impolite?"
Haven't they done even more impolite things?
Xing Ze glanced at her indifferently and hummed in response: "Call me by my name, and don't address me as 'you'."
He quickly finished the slightly cold noodles, wiped his mouth with a tissue, and stood up to clear the dishes.
Mu Tingyu quickly picked up the shrimp shells from the table and put them into her bowl, then stood up with her chopsticks and bowl.
Before I could even move, the bowl in my hand was taken away.
Watching Xing Ze's retreating figure, she quickly said, "Let me wash it!"
"Need not."
Xing Ze put the iron pot into the sink as well and turned on the tap.
Mu Tingyu looked left and right, but there was nothing she could do to help, so she simply took a napkin and wiped the table.
She walked around the area around the sink, which was about a meter in diameter, and wandered around the kitchen to get a general idea of its layout before returning to the dining table.
The gaze finally fell on Xing Ze.
He was wearing a black T-shirt, and because he was bending over, the thin fabric clung to his body, his broad shoulders tapering smoothly downwards, and the muscle lines on his back were clearly visible, with the spinal groove and lumbar dimples faintly visible.
Mu Tingyu watched for a while, then stretched out her arm and pinched her muscles.
With that physique, he must be very energetic at work.
The image of him surfing at sea that afternoon unconsciously flashed into her mind.
After letting my thoughts wander for a while, I suddenly realized that surfing might be quite interesting, and I could find some time to learn how to do it.
Xing Ze dried the last bowl and put it in the cupboard. He wiped the countertop with a cloth and then turned around and walked back to the dining table.
Mu Tingyu snapped out of her daze and quickly said, "I've already wiped it."
Xing Ze wiped it again with a rag.
He went back to the pool to wash his hands, walked towards her, and said casually, "Turn off the lights."
Mu Tingyu responded and followed behind him. She watched him walk to the door, pick up the lying puppy, put it in the cage inside the house, lock the door, and then go upstairs.
He reached the second floor, but instead of going any further, he pushed open another door on the second floor, turned on the light with a snap, and gestured to her, "This is the bathroom. The tissues are in the cabinet, the towels are new and unused, and there's hot water for a shower."
Mu Tingyu responded quickly: "Okay."
She was already very satisfied with these conditions. She had been prepared for the lack of a bathroom and having to boil water in a kettle to take a shower.
Xing Ze didn't say anything more and went upstairs.
Mu Tingyu moved all her toiletries into the bathroom, locked the door, and took a shower.
When I put on my pajamas to dry my hair, I couldn't find the hairdryer.
Her hair is a bit long, and it might take until tomorrow morning to dry, but sleeping with wet hair will give her a headache the next day.
She hesitated for a moment, then walked to the stairwell, strictly adhering to the rule of not stepping onto any stairs, and called out towards the third floor, "Mr. Xing! Mr. Xing..."
He called out halfway through, then remembered he needed to change his address, so he called out again: "Xing Ze!"
The third floor was quiet.
She gripped the handrail, leaned forward, and called out a few more times.
Just as she was wondering whether to run downstairs and shout at the balcony, she heard the sound of a door opening upstairs.
Xing Ze's footsteps and voice rang out simultaneously: "What is it?"
"Do you have a hairdryer at home? I couldn't find one downstairs!"
Xing Ze paused, then said as he walked toward the storage room, "Wait a minute."
Mu Tingyu responded loudly, "Okay!"
There were so many things in the storage room that he rummaged through everything for a long time before finally finding a dusty hair dryer in a corner. He wiped it with an old towel, plugged it in, and tested it; it still worked.
He arrived at the top of the stairs and saw Mu Tingyu standing at the bottom of the stairs in her pajamas, her hair wet, looking up at him with pleading eyes.
They just watched, without moving an inch, their voices crisp and clear.
"Found it? Thank you!"
He walked down the stairs and handed her the hairdryer.
Mu Tingyu asked, "Xing Ze, can we add each other on WeChat?"
A note from the author:
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