Chapter 26 – A Good Man Who Cooks  

Mo Suqing sighed. “Forget it, Yao. Stop fuming,”?she?soothed. “After all, it all boils down to my own carelessness. If there’s anyone you should blame, it’s me.”

She explained, “When I returned to the office yesterday afternoon, my menstrual cramps hurt so much that I directly ran to the restroom, dropping my phone and camera on my desk on the way. When I got back, I didn’t find anything out of the ordinary. But, I did notice that Bai Tingnan, who is usually the first to leave work, was the last one to go yesterday. When I left, she was still writing her story.”

“That must be?it!” exclaimed Leng Xiyao. “She must have stolen your picture from your phone while you were in the restroom. But I have to say, you are too honest! I can’t believe you really kept your promise and didn’t publish the story. Now Guan Zixuan must think it was you who did it, even though it was not the truth.”

Mo Suqing gave out a bitter laugh. That was true. Even though she did not publish the photo, Guan Zixuan would definitely think the opposite.

She shrugged and said calmly, “It’s fine. Guan Zixuan doesn’t know who I am anyway. We will be more careful next time. The same mistake must not be made a second time.”

“Alright then,” sighed Leng Xiyao, dispirited. “We must watch out for Bai Tingnan from now on. There’s nothing she dares not do!”

“Okay. I got it,” nodded Mo Suqing.

After hanging up, Mo Suqing sat on the bed and was lost in thought.

She was glad Guan Zixuan did not know who she was. However, little did she know that their fates had already been bound together.

All because of one picture.

……

Guan Zixuan had just got back to the country yesterday, so he was naturally exhausted. The mishap with that girl at the airport did not help, either.

Therefore, after he went home, he had hit the mute button and gone to sleep, hoping to sleep off the jet lag.

As a result, it was past eleven when he woke the next day.

He stretched himself with a yawn, then reached over for his phone on the nightstand.

He was surprised to find hundreds of missed calls. His phone had been bombarded without him knowing. Shocked, he did not come to himself for a long moment.

What could have happened that resulted in so many missed calls overnight?

After calming down a little, Guan Zixuan called Yuan. Yuan was a young man who had worked for him for three years. A very reliable fella.

But when he picked up the phone, he sounded as if he was about to lose it.

“Boss, I finally reached you,” he whined. “I am so desperate!”

“Calm down now,” said Guan Zixuan coolly. “Just tell me what happened, slowly.”

Yuan did not have much patience; he quickly spat everything out.

“Yesterday, you deleted everything in the girl’s camera, right? Guess what, your picture appears in the news today! My phone had been heavily bombarded all morning. The entire PR team is as busy as bees.”

Guan Zixuan’s expression darkened. I?should’ve known not to trust?that woman!

How dared she publish the picture! And how could I have not known she is such a person? Fine! Now you really provoke me. You will pay the price!

“Identify the magazine or newspaper that first published the story for me.”

“I have already done that,” said Yuan feebly. “It’s Trend Magazine. In fact, it is their exclusive news. The first person who published it is a female gossip columnist named Bai Tingnan.”

“A gossip columnist…” murmured Guan Zixuan, mulling over the name.

After a while, his face creased into a profound smile.

“Issue an official announcement, telling the public that I will give everyone a satisfactory explanation regarding me and my mysterious girlfriend. That should be enough to improve the situation. Then, hold a press conference but only invite the gossip columnists from Trend.”

“Boss, are you sure?” frowned Yuan. “Aren’t you going to offend the other media? They will probably scandalize you.”

Guan Zixuan chuckled and said, “That’s quite alright. With my position in the business, few people can cause me any harm. I would like to see if Bai Tingnan is the woman from yesterday. It will be a lot of fun if she is. Humph! She was so sincere when she told me she was not a gossip columnist. I would like to know if she can still keep up her brazen attitude when we meet again!”

Yuan considered this for a moment. “Okay, Boss. I’m going to do everything you just said now. I can arrange and hold the press conference tomorrow. What do you think?”

“Perfect!” approved Guan Zixuan in an emphatic tone, his smile expanding into a grin.

He looked forward to meeting that woman again!

……

Mo Suqing sat on the bed for a long time. She still felt a little concerned. After all, she and Guan Zixuan both worked in the entertainment field. He was an actor and she was a gossip columnist. If he really wanted to locate her, there was no way he could not do it.

But, he wouldn’t spend time on her, now would he?

But the bottom line was, she was not even the one who had published the news, so she really shouldn’t feel guilty!

Thus boosting her morale, Mo Suqing found that there was nothing to be worried about. Worse comes to worst, she would worry about it when the situation demanded her to be.

All of a sudden, her hunger took over. She consulted her phone and found that it was already noon. It was time for lunch.

She stepped out of the room and heard?a?spatula hitting?the?pan. She walked to the kitchen.

Through the glass panel, she could see Ye Zhongjue preparing lunch in a grey apron.

He had a serene look on his face, chopping and pouring ingredients into the pan, just like a professional chef.

Mo Suqing was amazed. He can cook?

It seemed that there was nothing he couldn’t do. She noted that there was a difference between the cooking Ye Zhongjue and the working one. He had a homey and cozy halo about him right then.

When he was focusing on a task, he was very serious and meticulous. Nothing else concerned him anymore; he just worked, wholeheartedly.

A curious sensation swelled in her.

She played back all of their interactions so far and what he was like?on?each occasion.

The Ye Zhongjue when she had first met him, the Ye Zhongjue whom she had gone to register the marriage with, the Ye Zhongjue who had taken her to dinner on their first evening as a couple, the Ye Zhongjue who worked hard, the Ye Zhongjue who took care of her during her period, and finally, the Ye Zhongjue who cooked for her.

It was so strange. They had known each other for only a couple of days, but somehow he seemed to have been in her life forever.

He was really a very nice man. She had never thought she would be so lucky as to find someone who not only worked hard, but also took good care of her and cooked great food… She had thought there was no way to find a man like this, but somehow she had bumped into one.

Mo Suqing was still deep in thought when Ye Zhongjue finished cooking and started serving the food.

He looked at her standing there and spoke softly, “Don’t just stand there like a tree. Go wash your hands. I have only one more dish to stir-fry before we can have lunch.”

Brought out of her reverie, Mo Suqing found two plates, each of which was covered neatly by a china bowl, already on the table.

She nodded rapidly and said stupidly, “Oh… I’m going!”

Ye Zhongjue smiled at her words and went into the kitchen.

After washing her hands, Mo Suqing walked to the dining area and found that Ye Zhongjue had served the last dish.

He was back in the kitchen to get the rice.

Mo Suqing watched him for a moment, her eyes twinkling, and then went to the cabinet for their bowls.

Ye Zhongjue gave her a thoughtful glance. She smiled innocently.

The two of them sat down for lunch.

Mo Suqing tasted one of the dishes and closed her eyes. “Yum!” she exclaimed.

It was as if some switch on her had been turned on. She was no longer acting warily like before.

Like a greedy child, she kept stuffing food into her mouth. “Ye Zhongjue, you don’t look it, but you surely can cook!” she commented with her mouth full.

“Well, yeah!” he said flatly.

He ate in a very graceful manner. During the meal, he was even quieter than usual, which Mo Suqing found comfortable and nice.

Mo Suqing had another bite and asked Ye Zhongjue, “When did you learn how to cook?”

Ye Zhongjue thought about it and replied, “I think it was when I was in college. I was studying?abroad?at that time and could never get used to the foreign food, so I cooked for myself. After some time, I had most of the basic dishes under my belt.”

Mo Suqing looked at him in admiration, but her mouth never stopped.

“Wow, you are good! I have always wanted to learn to cook. But so far, the only dish I can make is tomato and chili stir-fry – I invented it myself, ha!”

Looking at her eat, Ye Zhongjue smiled. She is so cute.

Mo Suqing looked up and caught him grinning. She was surprised.

After a while, she spoke in a timid and amazed tone, “You just smiled!”

Ye Zhongjue raised his eyebrow and demanded, “What, I can’t smile?”

“Yes, I like how you look when you?smile!” Mo Suqing said admiringly and a little affectionately.

“I thought your only expression was that cold face, other than no expression at all. I?didn’t think you could?smile!”

Ye Zhongjue grunted noncommittally. He did not expect?her to?say that.

After a while, he spoke deliberately, as if he had been mulling over what Mo Suqing had just commented, “That cold face… Am I really as intimidating as you?say I am?”

Mo Suqing pushed some rice into her mouth before looking up, “Did no one ever tell you that you never smiled?”

Ye Zhongjue frowned and thought about this.

She’s right! No one seems to have mentioned anything about it to me. Maybe they all think I am insensitive and cold, but they dare not say so.

“I think they dare not tell me about it…”

Mo Suqing was a little taken aback at his words. “I can understand!” she agreed eventually.