After handing a bowl of black chicken soup to Xiao Ranran, Shen Qing passed another bowl she had served to Zhou Shiwen with a smile and said, “Keep your eyes in check. Wenqian is a girl, after all. Don’t scare her off. What if she becomes unwilling to come? That would really trouble me.”
Did Mom see me?
Zhou Shiwen accepted the bowl with an awkward expression, feeling a sense of social embarrassment. He instinctively glanced toward Yang Haoran.
Yang Haoran was holding a spoon, bowing his head as he tasted the black chicken soup Aunt Shen had served him. The delicious flavor, along with the slightly scalding sensation, rolled down his throat. He smacked his lips and remarked with appreciation that Sister Wenqianβs cooking skills were quite good.
Noticing that Haoran wasnβt paying attention to him, Zhou Shiwen secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He wondered whether Haoran had witnessed his earlier awkwardness.
Tang Wenqian emerged from the kitchen carrying a black tray with four bowls of rice. She walked to the dining table and set them down one by one for everyone.
“Letβs eat. Wenqian, sit down and join us,” Shen Qing said. Tang Wenqian took a seat next to Zhou Shiwen. Although she was the nanny, Sister Shen Qing treated her very well, and they usually ate together.
The atmosphere during dinner was relaxed and pleasant. Yang Haoran and Zhou Shiwen chatted about school matters. Haoran discovered that during his time in the hospital, his seat had almost become a public spot. After every class, boys would sit in his seat to hit on Ji Youxi, using excuses like, “I didnβt understand the problem the teacher just explained. Classmate Ji Youxi, could you trouble yourself to explain it to me?”
And so on, with various reasons. His seat had now become a beautiful scenery in the classroom after class.
Zhou Shiwenβs stories grew increasingly exaggerated. He even mentioned that students from neighboring classes and senior-year seniors were joining in. Yang Haoran gritted his teeth in frustration. No wonder Ji Youxi had mentioned transferring schools, complaining that there were too many flies. Who could put up with that?
“How did Ji Youxi handle it? What was her reaction to those boys hitting on her?” Yang Haoran suddenly found his meal unappetizingβuntil Aunt Shenβs delicate fingers fed a peeled shrimp into his mouth. Instantly, his appetite returned.
“After you left, your deskmate seemed to become particularly aloof, basically ignoring them entirely.”
“What, Haoran, do you also have thoughts about your deskmate?” Zhou Shiwen asked while chewing a piece of beef.
He was beginning to get used to his mother serving Yang Haoran.
“No, noβ¦ Shiwen, I was just curious,” Yang Haoran replied. He wasnβt foolish enough to reveal his true thoughts, especially with Aunt Shen right beside him.
“Here, Sister Wenqian, let me get you a shrimp.” Zhou Shiwen noticed that Tang Wenqian couldnβt reach the shrimp from her seat. He stood up and attentively placed one in her bowl. However, Tang Wenqian seemed at a loss. After sitting back down, Zhou Shiwen turned to Yang Haoran and said naturally, “I heard from classmates that someone saw Ji Youxi holding hands with a senior-year boy while taking a stroll on the sports field in the evening. They looked quite intimate. Some are guessing whether your deskmate has found a boyfriend.”
Yang Haoran nearly bit his tongue. He swallowed the food in his mouth in a gulp and looked at his childhood friend in surprise. “Really? She just transferred here. Could she have gotten a boyfriend this quickly?”
“It might not be true. Thereβs a lot of gossip at school,” Zhou Shiwen said, reaching for some scallion beef stir-fry. “But Iβve heard this rumor is spreading like wildfire. Some claim to have seen it with their own eyes, though no photos have surfaced yet, so it lacks credibility.”
His friendβs words made Yang Haoran uneasy. Only after hearing that there were no conclusive photos did he feel somewhat relieved. Master Ji Youxi is mine. Weβve even been on a date. How could she be stolen away just because I was hospitalized for a week?
As Shen Qing listened to their discussion, she couldnβt help but recall the girl in a white dress with exquisite features who had visited Xiao Ranran in the hospital. Though her appearance differed from Ruoxiβs, her beauty andζ°θ΄¨ were very reminiscent of Ruoxi during high schoolβsimilarly graceful and flawless.
But Shen Qing didnβt dwell on it. She didnβt join their conversation. Her fair, delicate hands, which never touched rough work, had unconsciously accumulated a pile of shrimp shells as she attended to Yang Haoran, making sure he enjoyed the meal thoroughly.
Tang Wenqian remained quiet and withdrawn, as if preoccupied with something. Sister Shen Qing had instructed her to wear this sexy outfit and mentioned that the master would be coming today. She had a premonition about her fate tonight.
This was a day she had once looked forward to sharing with the man she loved, a sweet night that should have led to a marital bedroom. But now, it seemed that as this meal came to an end, her night was gradually heading toward a completely different outcome.
After dinner, Tang Wenqian cleared the dishes and was instructed by Shen Qing to return to the second floor to sleep. She knew what was going to happen tonight. No matter what sounds she heard, she was forbidden from coming downstairs.
After Tang Wenqian went upstairs, the remaining three were left with their own thoughts. A strange atmosphere emerged among them as they spoke.
“Shiwen, Iβm taking Aunt Shen back to the room to get ready. You wait on the sofa for a while.”
“Okay, Haoran. My mom bought a tripod camera earlier. Itβs in my room now. Iβll bring it out and set it up in the living room.”
“Mom, you go with Haoran.”
“Wenwen, donβt overdo it tonight. You know itβs bad for your health, right?”
“Mm, Mom, donβt worry. I know my limits. You should head back to the room now.” Seeing Zhou Shiwenβs urging, Yang Haoran and Shen Qing exchanged a glance. Shen Qing said with a smile, “Xiao Ranran, letβs go. Wenwen canβt wait any longer.” This remark made Zhou Shiwenβs face flush. He watched as his mother and his childhood friend crossed the living room corridor and entered the master bedroom on the first floor.
The first-floor master bedroom was Yang Haoranβs room at Aunt Shenβs house, not far from her study.
After the master bedroom door closed, Zhou Shiwen brought out the tripod camera from his room. He found a good angle and set it up in the corner of the living room, ensuring it could capture everything clearly. A few potted plants were also placed in the corner.
Shen Qingβs villa was quite spacious, and the living room was particularly large and open. A bright crystal chandelie illuminated the luxurious interior, and the floor tiles were clean and gleaming.
The living room was furnished with a lavish sofa set and a coffee table. The walls were adorned with artwork collected by Shen Qing, making one feel as though they were in an art gallery.
Against the west wall, a glass cabinet displayed bottles of unopened foreign liquor with English labels. Next to it was a 2.5-meter-long rosewood fish tank where a golden-scaled arowana swam freely, swishing its tail.