The addition of cooking to his assistant's duties caught Lu Zhe off guard. It wasn't that he was too lazy to cook, but rather that he wasn't very confident in his culinary skills.
So, as soon as he returned to the young lady's luxurious apartment, he said, "Let's make this clear first, the dishes I can cook are very limited, especially the luxurious ones..."
Before he could finish speaking, Tang Qi abruptly interrupted him.
"It doesn't need to be fancy. Just do whatever you usually do by yourself."
Lu Zhe: "The food I eat most often by myself is instant noodles."
Tang Qi said without hesitation, "Then give me a bowl of instant noodles. There should be some in the kitchen."
Lu Zhe couldn't possibly cook two servings of instant noodles. He went to the kitchen, rummaged through the refrigerator and cupboards for a while, and picked out some familiar ingredients.
Eggs, tomatoes, noodles, and some basic seasonings.
Tang Qi went to the kitchen, leaned against the door, and watched him get busy.
The girl suddenly said, "I can't cook, I don't even know how much water to put in when cooking rice. But here you can hire a chef to come to your home, so there's a lot of food in the refrigerator."
Lu Zhe pointed to the ingredients he had picked out: "I'll only use these. To be honest, I can't handle any more."
Tang Qi stared at him, then suddenly smiled sweetly: "You're the head chef tonight, so it's up to you to decide."
Lu Zhe shrugged: "Then just don't get angry after you finish eating."
Tang Qi gently shook her head: "Don't worry, I won't get angry. Anyway... just do whatever you want."
The girl really wanted to say, "Anyway, I know your skills," but she held back before she could say it. If she had actually said that, it would have been very difficult to explain later.
Lu Zhe, of course, had no idea about her strange thoughts and busied himself with his own things.
He prepared tomato and egg noodles for dinner.
The steps were quite simple, and he was very familiar with them; he felt like he could do it with his eyes closed. However, the kitchen utensils he used were much more upscale than those in his rented apartment.
Less than twenty minutes later, Lu Zhe had prepared two bowls of noodles.
Tang Qi stood quietly to the side, only occasionally speaking a few words, mostly lost in thought. Once the noodles were ready and put into bowls, she and Lu Zhe picked up chopsticks, each taking a bowl, and went to the living room outside the kitchen.
The two sat down on opposite sides of the dining table.
As darkness fell, the lights in the room automatically turned on, bright yet soft, not glaring, and allowing those inside to clearly see the city skyline through the windows. However, this living room, spanning over eighty square meters, seemed a bit too spacious for two people.
Tang Qi took a bite first, slurping the noodles with a loud slurping sound.
Lu Zhe picked up some noodles with his chopsticks, but didn't eat them. He looked at the girl in front of him and asked, "Is it good?"
Tang Qi didn't bother to reply verbally, simply nodded, and continued eating.
Lu Zhe couldn't help but wonder—it was just a very ordinary home-cooked meal, was it really that big of a deal? How could this young lady, who had eaten so many fine foods, possibly react like this?
He vividly remembered the expensive steak Tang Qi had dragged him to eat before; its taste and texture were truly delicious. His homemade noodles simply couldn't compare.
After taking a couple of bites of noodles, Lu Zhe couldn't help but ask, "How do you usually eat?"
Tang Qi had already finished most of the bowl; the remaining noodles were rather loose and needed to be scooped up with chopsticks. The girl's mouth was finally free, and she could finally make a sound.
She said, "When I was little, we had a nanny at home. Later, my dad would give me living expenses and I had to find my own food."
Lu Zhe hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
Tang Qi looked up at him and suddenly said, "Are you trying to ask about my mom? My parents divorced when I was very young. Sometimes I go to my mom's house for a meal, but she's very busy. They're both career-oriented and don't have much time each day."
"I see." Lu Zhe nodded, finally understanding why the girl's reaction to the food was so unusual. Perhaps, for her, home-cooked meals were less common than those in upscale restaurants, which was why they were so novel?
But the next moment, Tang Qi said, "I've also eaten fried egg noodles. My nanny made them when I was little, and I've also been to noodle shops... but I think yours tastes better."
My previous guess has been refuted.
Lu Zhe scratched his head and could only reply, "Thank you for the compliment."
In the blink of an eye, Tang Qi finished all the noodles in the bowl and even drank half of the soup.
Lu Zheye had just finished eating his noodles and asked, "Is that enough?"
Tang Qi put down her bowl and slumped back, saying, "I'm so full! I'm completely satisfied!"
The girl leaned back in her chair and patted her belly. It was an old-fashioned gesture, but it looked rather cute on her small frame.
Lu Zhe stood up and began clearing away the dishes.
Tang Qi was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "How about I wash the dishes?"
Lu Zhe: "You can even wash dishes?"
Tang Qi pouted: "Who do you think you are? Why don't I know how to wash dishes!"
Lu Zhe shook his head: "Forget it, I'll wash it. Miss, please rest well. This is my work time."
He picked up the bowl, turned around, and went into the kitchen.
So he couldn't see—Tang Qi sat there, lightly biting her lower lip, wrinkling her little nose, her expression quite conflicted.
Similarly, he couldn't possibly hear the girl's almost silent soliloquy.
"No, is he treating me like a simple employer now? It feels different from before. What should I do..."
————
After tidying up the kitchen, Lu Zhe went to the study and turned on the computer.
Mao Kai had previously mentioned that the company would provide free training to help him get started in the industry and become a truly qualified software testing engineer in the future. Sure enough, he received some video links that afternoon.
Lu Zhe copied the link, opened it on his computer, and began to study it diligently.
But suddenly, my phone rang with a WeChat notification.
Lu Zhe picked up his phone, opened it, and saw a message from Xue Xiaodie:
Are you there? Are you free on Sunday?
Lu Zhe replied: [It depends on the specific time. Is there anything I can help you with?]
Xue Xiaodie: [You know I'm a Messi fan. There's the Copa America final on Sunday, Argentina vs. Brazil, Messi vs. Neymar. Want to watch it with me? It's at 8 AM. Do you have time?]
Lu Zhe: [It should be fine.]
He now had a basic understanding of Tang Qi's daily routine. Simply put, this young lady didn't seem to need breakfast, as she would sleep until lunchtime.
In other words, her assistant's work usually didn't start until noon. And since she didn't need to go to Ji Chunqiu's company on Sundays, she was naturally free.
Xue Xiaodie sent a smiling cat emoji. Even through the screen, you could almost feel the girl's happiness.
————
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