Take good care of it! It is the apple of my eye!

Xiao Qi drifted out as if lost in thought. “So, you finally made up your mind?”

She looked up, startled. “You—why are you here?”

Fang Yun walked over and tapped her on the forehead. “Xiyang, CEO Lin, who’s busier than anyone, took the time to drive you home. And you didn’t even invite him in for tea? That’s not very polite of you.”

Oh, right—he’d brought her back, and she’d completely forgotten. And all this time, he’d been waiting outside…

The dilemma of whether to leave or stay waged war in her mind, but now, it seemed that staying was about to win.

But—

“Aunt Fang works so hard running the restaurant, so Xiyang, you really ought to treat your aunt well,” Lin Yichen interjected.

What did he mean by that?

He continued, “Aunt Fang, since your restaurant keeps you so busy, how about I teach Xiyang how to cook? That way, she can help you out.”

What on earth was he saying?

Fang Yun nodded at once. “As long as you don’t mind that our Xiyang is a bit slow to learn.”

“Not at all—she’s very clever.”

“Excuse me,” Xiao Qi cut in, completely bewildered. “Could someone please tell me, as the person you’re all talking about, what you’re actually saying?”

Fang Yun explained, “Your aunt works so hard at the restaurant, so as her niece, you should cook to reward me. And furthermore…” With that, she pushed Xiao Qi toward Lin Yichen’s car. “Since you don’t know how to cook, you’ll go with CEO Lin, who’s an excellent cook, and learn from him. Once you’ve mastered it, you can come back and cook for me.”

—

Why did her aunt’s last sentence sound suspiciously like she was supposed to cook for Lin Yichen instead?

Her mind flashed to the way he’d looked at her over steak—a gaze that made her feel like she was either a thief or something worse.

He really was a dyed-in-the-wool capitalist! How cunningly he’d laid his plans.

So she’d eaten just a few steaks, and now she had to pay him back?

But could she really learn? More importantly, she had no interest in it! No—most importantly…

Xiao Qi glanced at the composed man driving. “Mr. Lin, I have a question. If I learn to cook from you, will you drive me home every night?”

He answered blandly, “You know my schedule. I’m very busy, so I can only teach you in the evenings.”

Which meant she’d have to stay at his place.

Xiao Qi seized on his words. “Since you’re so busy, maybe I shouldn’t—”

“But for your aunt’s sake, I don’t mind putting in the effort.”

Did she ever say he was the one working hard? Wasn’t the hard part her responsibility?

“If I never manage to learn, what then?”

Yichen smiled with gentle assurance. “Then I’ll keep teaching you until you do.”

—

Xiao Qi made one last desperate effort. “What if I make such a mess of your kitchen that I smoke it out or blow it up? What then?”

Lin Yichen’s voice was calm as the breeze. “Don’t worry. With me there, I won’t let anything like that happen.”

She gave up struggling.

She could have said, “Mr. Lin, it’s really not proper for a man and woman to be alone together like this.”

Or, “Mr. Lin, if I want to learn to cook, I could do so with my aunt’s chef.”

Or, far more directly: “Lin Yichen, I don’t want to learn your damned cooking. Stop the car right now—I want out…”

But she dismissed all those thoughts herself.

First, it was she who’d volunteered to stay in his big house the night before.

Second, after eating so many steaks, she had to admit his culinary skills were outstanding.

Third, well—she didn’t have the guts to act tough in front of CEO Lin.

Ah, she had no one to blame but herself for this mess.

Xiao Qi pulled out her phone and called her aunt, her voice hollow with resignation. “Auntie, my little Bai… Remember to feed him, and take good care of him, will you? He’s the apple of my eye.”

On the other end, Fang Yun was speechless.

“You mean the white cat you keep?” Yichen suddenly asked.

Xiao Qi nodded, too drained to speak another word.