The refrigerator was opened, the oil heated, and the roar of the range hood mingled with the sizzling of hot oil.
Ye Xingmian was cooking in the kitchen, while in the bathroom, Liu Yinuo faced the mirror, calming her breathing. The aroma of cooking drifted out.
In the living room, there was only the sound of a spatula.
She saw her face, flushed red.
Her heart was racing like an electric motor. She could hear the thumping rumble, pumping boiling blood from the atria to every part of her body.
‘What’s going on… what’s going on…’
Her cheeks felt like they were on fire. She washed them several times with cold water before finally calming down.
It was as if that sentence, that smiling face, echoed in her mind.
‘Likes to cook for me, “like”? Like like like like… “like.” It was as if her mind was full of those two words, along with the tone and smiling face when that girl said them, that expression full of dependence, as if “the whole world is bad, only you are good.” Wrong wrong wrong.’
She escaped the bathroom and returned to her own bedroom, finally unable to see her own abnormal face. She threw herself onto the bed, twisting and turning.
‘What is this feeling I’m having? What’s wrong with me?’
Her mind was a complete mess, with only that smile so sincere, as if it had taken up residence in her heart. She felt that she had fallen in love.
‘Is this right? No no, how is it not proper? She is a proper girl! No, it still seems wrong. Towards a girl, although not an improper girl… I don’t know.’
‘In short, I actually feel a flutter for a girl who is the same as me? Hard to imagine. But, I want to hug her, I want to kiss her, I want to melt away all her painful, unfortunate experiences, leaving only that smile. Is that it? Yes, that’s it! In short, she had completely lost track of what she was thinking.’
The thoughts in her head were as chaotic as the sheets beneath her, and that sudden sweetness was like drinking the sweetest and most fragrant honey in the world. This state lasted for a while before she finally came out of it completely.
At that moment, she suddenly heard a knock on the door.
There weren’t actually many ingredients in the fridge, barely enough for one meal. Ye Xingmian took out the needed ingredients and placed them on the cutting board.
After preparing the ingredients, she picked up the kitchen knife.
Her wrist started to hurt again. It was her right wrist; Liu Yinuo had held the other one. Unfortunately, this wrist had been stepped on by Qin Haiyue, and she could still see the bruise, aching dully.
She couldn’t hold things properly; her fingers were trembling slightly. She gritted her teeth, trying to overcome the trembling. In the end, she barely managed to cut the vegetables.
Luckily, she didn’t cut her finger. Her injuries were really not light; she didn’t know how many days it would take to recover. She didn’t even know when the bruises would fade.
Her gaze dimmed slightly. She heated the oil, put the vegetables in the pot, and prepared to pick up the spatula to stir-fry.
Unfortunately, this time her hand slipped, and the spatula fell to the floor. She was silent for a moment. She couldn’t delay too long; the vegetables would burn.
Quickly picking up the spatula, she rinsed it under the tap and continued stir-frying. Fortunately, her movements were fast enough, and the vegetables didn’t burn, which made her sigh in relief.
But the dull pain from her wrist when she exerted force still made her frown slightly. She didn’t think of calling Liu Yinuo to help; after all, this was her own business. If she asked her to help again, what would that count as?
Soon, the dishes were cooked, and the soup was ready. She scooped them out and carefully carried them to the dining table.
Back and forth several times before finishing. With a dazed look, she scanned the surroundings but didn’t see Liu Yinuo.
‘Could she still be in the bathroom and not come out?’
She was a bit confused. But she thought it was better to go closer and ask.
— Not there.
‘Then where could she have gone?’
Thinking for a moment, she went up the stairs, arrived at Liu Yinuo’s bedroom door, and knocked. Last Saturday, she had entered this room and stayed the entire afternoon.
Honestly, the impression wasn’t great, because at that time Liu Yinuo seemed a bit angry, and the scene was about her questioning Ye Xingmian. Although what happened afterward was quite pleasant, she still couldn’t quite let it go.
After hesitating for a moment, she knocked.
***
Immediately, there was a somewhat flustered sound from inside the door. Was it someone losing balance and steadying themselves?
Or running around, tidying up messy things? Impossible to tell. After waiting a little, the door opened from inside.
What came into view was Liu Yinuo with messy hair, a dazed look with a hint of confusion in her eyes. Her black hair looked as if it had just been through a level 10 gale, and her expression was like someone just waking up.
“What’s wrong…?”
Gathering the black hair that covered her eyes, Liu Yinuo shook the black hair cascading behind her and tilted her head. For some reason, Ye Xingmian inexplicably wanted to laugh.
It was the first time she had seen Liu Yinuo like this. How to put it? It was like removing the hard shell of a crab, revealing the soft crab paste inside.
Of course, she held back. After all, laughing at someone’s appearance is bad, especially when the person in front of her was Liu Yinuo.
So she said seriously, “Yinuo, it’s time to eat.”
“Ah! Eat? Okay, okay.” As if suddenly awakened, Liu Yinuo instantly regained her energy. She walked out, passing by Ye Xingmian, and hurriedly prepared to go downstairs.
“Wait!” Ye Xingmian grabbed her hand.
“Wh… what is it…?” For some reason, Liu Yinuo’s voice was a bit sluggish. Ye Xingmian noticed this but didn’t dwell on it.
“Your hair is messy. Can I help you fix it? It’ll just take a moment.”
“Ah? Sure, okay… Wait! You can braid hair too?”
“Mm, I used to braid my younger sister’s hair often, and I gradually learned.”
When topics about family were touched upon, Ye Xingmian’s expression always became a bit wistful, perhaps secretly melancholy?
Of course, Lin Ziyan wasn’t really her family anyway. She didn’t know what she was feeling sad about.
A flash of surprise appeared in Liu Yinuo’s eyes, but she restrained herself, slowly turning around, then suddenly grabbed Ye Xingmian’s hand and pulled her inside.
“Wait… slow down!” Ye Xingmian couldn’t help frowning; Liu Yinuo was pulling her right hand. But unfortunately, the overly excited Liu Yinuo didn’t listen and dragged her to the vanity table, making her sit on the chair.
Although her wrist was pulled a bit painfully, seeing those smiling tea-colored eyes in the mirror, Ye Xingmian didn’t care anymore.
“The food downstairs can’t be left out too long; it’ll get cold.”
“Of course, just braid it the way I had it before.”
That was a very simple hairstyle, obviously something Liu Yinuo could do herself, so it wasn’t like she absolutely needed Ye Xingmian. Of course, Ye Xingmian didn’t object; she was happy to do it.
During ordinary interactions, Ye Xingmian always overlooked certain facts. In her heart, Liu Yinuo’s image was often grand and friendly, which made her subconsciously place her in a position higher than herself.
It was only in such ordinary moments that she could suddenly realize that Liu Yinuo was actually just a girl about the same height as her, thin, very cute, optimistic.
Hmm… maybe some parts were even smaller than hers. Of course, she couldn’t say that kind of thing; otherwise, she would get beaten, right?