Xi Xiaye was doubtful as she looked towards the direction he was staring at and saw two middle-aged men. One of them seemed to be around 50 years old. He was slightly chubby and looked rather energetic.

The other one...

Xi Xiaye looked closely and realized that he looked familiar.

With an average figure with a cold face, he emitted a calm and gracious aura. He was charismatic in his own way together with his pair of keen, eagle-like eyes. This man seemed around 40 years old and his handsome face was especially similar to a certain someone beside her!

The man glanced at Mu Yuchen for a brief moment, then he averted his gaze and focused on Xi Xiaye for quite a while. His pair of sharp eyes which were similar to Mu Yuchen's made Xi Xiaye feel uneasy.

She paused for a moment while Mu Yuchen clenched his fists as he held her hand. He nodded slightly at the man in front by way of greeting. Out of the blue, he was already dragging her towards the car before she could even react.

The middle-aged man turned around and looked at them. She noticed his piercing eyes soften for a moment. He even nodded and smiled kindly at her when their eyes met.

After a while, he turned his head around and continued the discussion with the other man beside him.

"Get in the car. I'll bring you for dinner!" Mu Yuchen ordered when he saw Xi Xiaye staring at the several people.

Xi Xiaye came back to her senses and realized that he had already opened the door for her before he headed towards the driver's seat.

"Mu Yuchen, that person just now was your..." Xi Xiaye mumbled a question as she stared at him when she got into the car, her eyebrows raised.

"You might be able to see him when we return to the Mu Residence in a few days." Mu Yuchen was about to start the car as he finished her sentence.

Xi Xiaye frowned and felt that something was not right with him. There was an odd sense of coldness from him and his expression seemed tired as well. She said quietly to him, "Maybe I should drive."

Mu Yuchen tilted his head and glanced at her, his eyes fixed on her left shoulder.

"It's fine..."

He laughed and straightened her messy windbreaker. "It's okay. You don't have to force yourself. Do you want to go anywhere in particular for dinner?"

Xi Xiaye was distracted for a moment, but she shook her head after a while. "The ones I usually visit are pretty far from here. It's pretty late already, so let's go home earlier. There's probably some ingredients left in the fridge which should be enough to whip up some noodles."

She was feeling tired after a long day and was not really fond of food outside. However, her cooking skills were not something she was proud of. The only thing she could cook well was...

"T-the instant noodles I cook are pretty tasty..."

She thought that he did not want to cook when he frowned, so she had forced that sentence out of her. Instantly, she regretted it!

Because Mu Yuchen was looking at her oddly with a strange grin which made her felt embarrassed, she took a peek at him and felt her cheeks getting warm. She turned her head away and looked outside the window.

"I see... My wife is trying to make us instant noodles for dinner."

Mu Yuchen's voice carried a certain charm as dark rays spread across his calm eyes. He looked over at her and said, "I'll satisfy your request and give you a chance to prove yourself tonight. I'll be your assistant."

He then turned on the music player before starting the car.

"But I think there're no more noodles at home..."

Xi Xiaye realized she was contradicting her own words. She should have just named him a restaurant and things would not have become this awkward...

"There's a market around the villa area." Mu Yuchen never really went to the market, but he noticed it since he drove past the area every day.

Xi Xiaye took a deep breath helplessly and put a hand on her forehead in regret.

After around 40 minutes, they bought all the ingredients at a supermarket around the Grand Waves Villa area. Xi Xiaye had also bought quite some fruits before the both of them went back to Maple Residence.

it was pitch black by the time they reached home. The clock on the wall showed that it was 8 p.m.

Xi Xiaye changed her shoes and tied her hair into a bun with a hairpin she took out from her handbag. Then, she walked towards the kitchen with the stuff.

Mu Yuchen came in with numerous bags in his hands. When he saw the clothes she had tossed on the sofa, he put the things away accordingly and hung her clothes.

...

In the kitchen, Xi Xiaye washed the tomatoes and vegetables. Just as she was about to cut the vegetables, she smelled a refreshing fragrance behind her. A large hand swiftly held her wrist and stopped her.

"You can boil the water first. I'll prepare the ingredients."

He cheekily poked her finger with the band-aid on. The light pain made her frown. She struggled and moved her hand away.