Night fell like a thick velvet blanket, slowly covering Yu Jiuyuan's villa.
Only one crystal chandelier was lit in the restaurant, its warm yellow light spilling over the long dining table and falling on the exquisite bone china tableware, reflecting a soft halo.
Yuan Xu sat at one side of the dining table, holding a book about fungal culture in her hands, but she didn't read it much, her eyes occasionally drifting towards the kitchen doorway.
Yu Jiuyuan said she would cook two dishes herself, so he eagerly arrived half an hour early, even temporarily forgetting about the new observation data from the laboratory.
Rong Shenghan sat in the main seat, leisurely swirling the red wine in his glass.
He followed Yu Jiuyuan back from the student council office in the afternoon and didn't leave again. He claimed to be "helping Zhang Ma," but in reality, he inspected every corner of the villa, as if silently declaring his territory.
"Why isn't Jiu Yuan out yet?" When Yuan Xu looked up for the nth time, Rong Shenghan finally spoke, his tone flat and emotionless, "The kitchen is smoky, don't let her get tired."
These words sounded like concern, but they also carried a subtle reminder that Yu Jiuyuan was his person and it was none of anyone else's business to worry about her.
Yuan Xu paused for a moment, then whispered, "Jiu Yuan said she wanted to make my favorite squirrel-shaped mandarin fish. She made it once before, and it was delicious."
The pride in his voice was impossible to hide, as if he were showing off his unique treasure.
Rong Shenghan tapped his fingertips lightly on the rim of his glass, but did not reply.
Of course he knew Yu Jiuyuan could make this dish. Last time when she was sick, he deliberately said, "It's not as good as the one Yuanxu makes," which made her so angry that she almost dumped the soup bowl on his head.
Just then, Yu Jiuyuan came out of the kitchen carrying two plates of food.
She was wearing simple white loungewear, with the sleeves rolled up to her forearms, revealing her slender wrists. Her cheeks were flushed slightly by the heat, making her look less aloof and more down-to-earth.
"Alright, dinner's ready." She placed the dishes on the table, smiling at the two of them. "Yuanxu, try it and see if it's to your liking."
Yuan Xu immediately picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of fish and put it in her mouth. Her eyes lit up instantly: "Delicious! Just as delicious as last time!"
As soon as Yu Jiuyuan sat down next to Rong Shenghan, he grabbed her wrist.
His fingertips were slightly cool as he gently stroked a small red dot on her wrist: "Did you get burned?"
"It's nothing, I just got splashed with oil by accident." Yu Jiuyuan tried to pull her hand away, but he held it even tighter.
"Where's Zhang Ma? Let her handle it." Rong Shenghan's tone was undeniably forceful.
"It's just a small wound, don't make a fuss." Yu Jiuyuan glared at him, then put a piece of fish belly meat on Yuan Xu's plate. "Eat more, you've lost weight recently."
Yuan Xu obediently opened her mouth to catch it, smiling like a child who had received candy.
Rong Shenghan watched this scene, and the smile in his eyes faded slightly.
He picked up the serving chopsticks, placed a piece of pork rib into Yu Jiuyuan's bowl, and said in a natural tone, "You should eat more too. You didn't eat much in the office this afternoon."
The pork ribs were stewed until they were tender and falling off the bone, which was Yu Jiuyuan's favorite flavor.
She looked at the ribs in the bowl, then at the barely perceptible awkwardness in Rong Shenghan's eyes, and suddenly found it somewhat amusing.
These two men, one as pure as a blank sheet of paper and the other as deep as an ancient well, were now vying for attention because of her actions of picking up food, like two cats competing for her affection.
“By the way, Yuanxu,” Yu Jiuyuan swallowed the food in her mouth and said casually, “when would be a good time to take me to see that fluorescent fungus you mentioned last time? I’m quite curious about it.”
"Anytime is fine!" Yuan Xu said immediately. "I don't have class tomorrow afternoon, I'll pick you up?"
"OK."
The two were chatting enthusiastically when Rong Shenghan suddenly put down his chopsticks and looked at Yu Jiuyuan: "The student council is going to discuss the details of the joint club activity tomorrow afternoon, have you forgotten?"
Yu Jiuyuan was stunned for a moment, then remembered that there was indeed such a thing.
She glanced at the smug smile in Rong Shenghan's eyes, inwardly cursing him as "cunning," but outwardly smiled and said to Yuan Xu, "Let's do it another day, after I'm done with this."
Yuan Xu was a little disappointed, but she still nodded sensibly: "Okay."
The meal turned into a massive competition for favor.
Rong Shenghan always managed to subtly insert himself into the conversation when Yu Jiuyuan and Yuan Xu were having a good time chatting.
Or he might assert his dominance with an intimate gesture, wiping away crumbs from the corner of her mouth, or seemingly unintentionally touching the back of her hand while she drinks water.
Although Yuan Xu was naive, she gradually sensed that something was wrong.
He looked at Rong Shenghan's hand resting on the back of Yu Jiuyuan's chair, at the unspoken understanding between the two, and his grip on the chopsticks slowly tightened, the light in his eyes dimming.
After the meal, Yuan Xu didn't stay long, saying she had things to do in the lab and left.
As Yu Jiuyuan saw him to the door, he suddenly looked up at her and asked softly, "Jiuyuan, you and Rong Shenghan..."
“We’re friends,” Yu Jiuyuan interrupted him, her smile still innocent. “What are you thinking?”
Yuan Xu opened her mouth, but ultimately swallowed her words, only saying in a low voice, "Then you should rest early and not overwork yourself."
Watching his lonely figure disappear into the night, the smile in Yu Jiuyuan's eyes faded slightly.
She knew Yuan Xu had noticed that this pure-hearted boy would eventually have to face the complexities of the world.
As she turned to go back inside, Rong Shenghan was leaning against the living room doorframe, fiddling with a lighter in his hand, the flame flickering in his eyes. "What are you talking about?"
"It's nothing." Yu Jiuyuan walked over and took the lighter from his hand. "Smoke less."
Rong Shenghan took her hand and pulled her into his arms: "Worried about me?"
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