The steam from the microwave hadn’t fully dissipated yet, wrapping the rich aroma of tomato beef brisket through the air.
Jiang Lai was circled by the force from behind, her fingertips still resting on the cool door handle, while the heat at her ear tips crept along her neck toward her cheeks. Xu Ruobing’s breath lightly brushed her auricle, carrying a slight pant from exercise, mixed with the scent of perfume, becoming a gentleness that lingered at her nose tip and couldn’t be waved away.
“Why are you in such a hurry?”
Jiang Lai’s voice was softer than usual, carrying a faint softness she didn’t notice herself, “I wasn’t rushing you at all, you could totally take your time, and I would have waited for you to eat too.”
“I just wanted to see you sooner.”
Xu Ruobing nuzzled against her crown of the head, like a cat that had found warmth, “And I wanted to hurry up and eat the food you made.”
Xu Ruobing’s arm tightened again, her nose tip pressed against Jiang Lai’s nape, gently drawing a breath, “So fragrant, it’s tomato beef brisket, right? I could smell it from far away.”
Jiang Lai couldn’t help but curve the corners of her mouth, raising a hand to gently pat the back of the hand wrapped around her waist, “Yeah, so let’s go to your office to eat.”
“Okay…”
Although going to eat meant she’d have to let go of her embrace, and she couldn’t keep holding her throughout the meal, Xu Ruobing still felt that as long as she could eat the food Jiang Lai made, it was already delicious.
Only then did Xu Ruobing reluctantly let go, but she didn’t step back too far, just standing at her side, her gaze falling on the thermal lunchbox in her hands, like a child waiting to be fed.
When Jiang Lai turned around, she happened to crash into her sparkling eyes, filled with undisguised joy, making the heat that had just faded quietly surge up again.
“Let’s go, let’s go.”
Xu Ruobing’s footsteps were light as if stepping on clouds, and she didn’t forget to reach out and support the bottom of the thermal lunchbox for her, her fingertips occasionally brushing the back of her hand, all carrying a deliberate closeness.
Jiang Lai said, taking the lead toward the office, and Xu Ruobing immediately followed.
The blinds in Xu Ruobing’s office were half drawn, warm sunlight spilling through the gaps, falling onto the wooden desk.
Jiang Lai placed the thermal lunchbox on the desk, and just as she opened the lid, the rich tomato aroma rushed out, with several pieces of tenderly stewed beef brisket nestled inside, the broth bright red, just looking at it made one’s appetite surge.
Xu Ruobing had already pulled a chair and sat across from her, her elbows propped on the desk, her chin resting in her palm, staring intently at the thermal lunchbox, “You prepared so much with care, feels like the two of us can’t even finish it all.”
“It’s fine, if we can’t finish it I’ll take it home, I can’t possibly let you not eat enough.”
Jiang Lai picked up a spoon, scooped a piece of beef brisket and held it out to her, “Try it, I woke up a bit early this morning, stewed it for a long time, it should be tender.”
Xu Ruobing opened her mouth to catch it, slowly chewing the piping hot beef brisket, the sweet and sour tomato wrapped around the fresh savory flavor of the beef, instantly filling her taste buds.
Her eyes lit up, and she quickly nodded, “I feel like the happiest thing from now on would be being able to eat your cooking for all three meals a day.”
“That’s a really strange way of putting it.”
Jiang Lai watched her satisfied eating expression, and picked up her own spoon, taking small sips of the soup, the warm broth sliding into her stomach, making even her heart feel warm, “Of course there’ll be chances for three meals a day, I can prepare dinner for you in advance, and you can take it home.”
“You clearly know that’s not what I meant.”
Xu Ruobing put down her spoon, her fingertip lightly tracing an arc on the edge of the desk, her gaze landing on Jiang Lai’s reddened ear tips, her tone carrying a seriousness that was hard to detect, “I know you understand, I meant you coming home with me.”
As for whether it could come true, that was still unknown.
Xu Ruobing very directly said what was in her heart, but the piping hot liquid sliding down her throat didn’t suppress the heat on her face.
Jiang Lai was choked by these words, her heart running hot, and hurriedly lowered her head to drink a spoonful of soup, “But whether it comes true or not, it’s still up to you.”
She didn’t dare look up, only able to vaguely change the subject, “Eat up, the beef brisket won’t taste good when it gets cold, and there’ll always be chances in the future.”
Xu Ruobing ate a few bites, then suddenly put down her spoon, her fingertip lightly tapping on the edge of the desk, as if casually bringing it up, “By the way, Jiang Lai, I’m going out to film again after a while, and there’ll be a wedding scene. Jiang Lai, would you get jealous?”
Jiang Lai’s soup-drinking motion paused, and she raised her eyes to look at her, “If it’s acting, then it’s fine.”
“So that means, if it weren’t acting, you’d definitely get jealous. I knew Jiang Lai liked me.”
Xu Ruobing said with a smile, her direct tone making Jiang Lai’s hand holding the spoon abruptly freeze, the tomato broth swaying on the spoon’s edge, almost spilling out.
She hurriedly lowered her head to steady the spoon, her ear tips red to the point of almost bleeding, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, “Don’t talk nonsense… I just think, acting is just your job, and I don’t have that strong a sense of possessiveness.”
“Just a job?”
Xu Ruobing leaned forward a bit, her elbows on the desk, her chin resting in her palm, her gaze like clinging vines, firmly wrapped around Jiang Lai’s face, “Then if I filmed a hugging scene with my co-star, you wouldn’t mind either?”
“I…”
Jiang Lai opened her mouth, wanting to say “I wouldn’t mind” again, but the words got stuck at her lips, as if her possessiveness really was a bit strong, “But I know all the dramas you film, and you tell me about them too.”
“I tell you, but after you hear about it, would you secretly feel sad?”
Xu Ruobing reached out, her fingertip gently touching the back of the hand Jiang Lai had let hang by the desk’s edge.
The warm touch made Jiang Lai shrink back as if burned, but she smoothly caught her fingertip.
“But don’t worry, intimate things like that all use body doubles, or camera angle tricks. I’ve always relied on my acting skills.”
Xu Ruobing said while reaching out to pat Jiang Lai’s little head, “But as for weddings, I’ve acted them out several times already, and yet my own wedding is still far off. Jiang Lai, have you ever thought about getting married?”
Jiang Lai was struck by the word “wedding,” her heart skipping a beat, her hand holding the spoon unconsciously tightening, her knuckles turning slightly pale.
She lowered her eyes, “I have thought about it, and today I also wanted to talk to you about this matter. That is, I want to hold a wedding for Chi Yingyu.”
“Hm?”
The smile on Xu Ruobing’s face instantly froze, the force holding Jiang Lai’s fingertip unconsciously tightening a few degrees, even her breathing pausing for half a beat.
She looked as if she hadn’t heard clearly, slightly frowning, the gentleness in her voice retreating by more than half, replaced by a tension that was hard to detect, “Hold a wedding… for Chi Yingyu?”
Is it spring right now?
Why is everyone thinking about this kind of thing?
And the key question is, why are they all coming to talk to her about it…
Xu Ruobing’s expression right now was indescribably ugly, her mood even more complicated, because she felt like she was being used as a tool for showing off affection?
What kind of lovey-dovey play were Jiang Lai and Chi Yingyu playing with her?