053: Those Middle-Aged Women Are Especially Loyal to Discounts

Xiyang hugged Little White and rolled around on the big bed. “Little White, from now on, our nest will be in this big house.”

Little White was being tumbled about in her arms, feeling a bit dizzy. “No matter how big this house is, I still want to sneak out.”

Little Seven looked at him with disdain. “You really are timid as a mouse. Since you’re here, you might as well settle in. Just get used to it.”

Little White rolled his eyes at her. “I’m a cute cat now, much more adorable than a mouse.”

“Xiyang, open the door.”

Little Seven always locked her door at night, afraid her dreams would be overheard by someone. She’d never had the habit before, but thinking about it now, she wished she did. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have lost her signal device.

She got out of bed and skipped over to open the door.

The girl at the door was full of energy, a bright smile on her face, seemingly in an incredibly good mood.

Yesterday, she’d looked so worn down and listless, but after a night’s rest, she was like someone injected with vitality.

This kind of silly cheerfulness was actually quite nice—at least she wouldn’t be troubled by worries.

“You look well. Come downstairs for breakfast.”

“Sure!” Little Seven touched her cheek. Did she really look good?

“Little Seven,” Little White called from the bed, “are you going to come clean to him today?”

Come clean?

Little Seven frowned, thinking deeply. “As they say, honesty brings leniency, resistance brings severity. So I’d better confess!”

Little White added, “It’s a knife whether you stretch out your head or shrink it, so one way or another, you’ll have to face it.”

“…”

“Little White, can’t you be a bit more subtle in your words?”

“What’s subtlety? Is it edible? Sorry, I’m just a cat, so I don’t understand you humans and your subtleties.”

“…”

Her Little White had gone a bit off.

Sigh, seems losing the signal device had really hit Little White hard as well.

Down in the dining room, Little Seven was happily eating breakfast, talking as she ate. “President Lin, can I skip work today? I’ll go tomorrow, is that okay?”

She had thought it over—since the signal device still wasn’t sorted out, she couldn’t focus on work anyway, so she needed today to plan how to confess everything.

Yichen glanced at her. “I just saw you upstairs, full of energy. What now? Starting to feel hopeless again?”

“…”

“Just think of me as hopeless then. Either way, I’m not going to work today.”

Was she just giving up?

Yichen elegantly wiped his mouth with a napkin.

“As you wish.”

The president departed with poise. After a few steps, he paused. “By the way,” he said, glancing back, “we’re out of groceries at home. Tonight I want to teach you how to cook, so after breakfast, go to the supermarket and buy plenty.”

“…”

Buying groceries? For someone like her, an alien who knew only how to eat but not how to cook, it was like a bolt from the blue.

She felt as if she’d been struck by lightning, left charred and dazed. After a while, she asked hopefully, “President Lin, I only know how to eat vegetables, not how to recognize them. Could you wait and go shopping with me when you get back?”

Yichen smiled elegantly. “Of course… not.”

“…”

Seriously, making her shop for groceries? Couldn’t he at least drive by after work and pick them up?

He was just picking on her for fun.

Little Seven glared at his receding figure, as if trying to bore holes in his straight back with her gaze.

Only after his silhouette disappeared did she pull back her fiery stare.

She chomped on her fried egg with vindictive satisfaction, as if it were a certain someone.

Her phone rang.

Seeing it was Yiyang, her mood improved a bit. “Yiyang!”

“Xiyang, have you arrived at the office?”

“Uh, I’m not feeling well today, so I didn’t go to the office.”

“You’re not well? What’s wrong? I’ll come over right now.”

“No, no, it’s nothing, really, just—” Suddenly, Little Seven had an idea. Since Yiyang had nothing to do, why not have him take her grocery shopping?

“Yiyang, I’m at your brother’s place. Can you drive over and take me to the supermarket?”

#

Little Seven hadn’t expected the supermarket to be so crowded, especially in the produce section.

It was bustling.

“Why are all those aunties crowding over there?” she asked, pointing at the discounted chicken drumsticks.

“The drumsticks are on sale today,” Yiyang said, pushing the cart. “Those aunties are fiercely loyal to bargains.”

Little Seven didn’t quite get it and was about to ask when Yiyang spoke, hesitant. “Xiyang, about the fire at the art exhibition last time—even though you weren’t hurt, do you hate the person who set the fire?”

Her first reaction was, “You mean you found the arsonist?”

“No,” Yiyang stopped and looked at her, “I mean, if the person who set the fire apologized to you in person, would you forgive her?”

Little Seven scratched her head. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that? I wasn’t hurt, but your exhibition was destroyed. Shouldn’t it be whether you’d forgive them?”

Yiyang lowered his eyes and said nothing more.

Suddenly Little Seven sighed. “Actually, I think I’m no better than the arsonist. I’ve been lying to someone who’s been really nice to me, and it makes me feel awful, like I’m a bad person.”

“I think I’m a bad person, too.”

“Hm?” Little Seven didn’t hear Yiyang’s low murmur. “What did you just say?”

“Oh, I said the culprit is me—” Yiyang quickly caught himself. “No, I mean the culprit has nothing to do with me…”

Not knowing how to explain, he simply said, “You almost got hurt because of me, Xiyang. I hope you can forgive me.”

Little Seven grinned broadly. “You haven’t done anything to be sorry about! Besides, we’re friends. If I’d been in that situation, you’d have done the same for me. Anyway, let’s get back to shopping.”

“Mm!” Yiyang watched her big, curious eyes darting around and felt that the current Xiyang was a bit different from the one he’d known before.

“Xiyang, are you living with my brother now?”

Little Seven had only said she was staying at Yichen’s place, nothing more. When she heard the word “living together,” she was blank for a few seconds before realizing what he meant, and her face flushed.

“It’s not what you think, it’s just…” She scratched her head again. “Things are complicated. I can’t explain it in a few words. Let’s finish shopping and I’ll tell you the whole story when we get back.”

“Alright!”

A white car pulled up not far from the supermarket entrance.

The window rolled down, and Yichen’s dark eyes watched the two of them chatting and laughing as they got into the car.

Though he’d told Xiyang to buy groceries, deep down he didn’t trust her to do it alone.

She was always getting into trouble.

So he’d driven over, planning to buy groceries himself and cook for her.

And maybe surprise her a little.

But he ended up being the one “surprised.”

If it had been five years ago, seeing Xiyang and Yiyang together like this, he wouldn’t have worried in the slightest.

But now…

Not until the white car drove off did his tight grip on the steering wheel finally relax.

“Your brother is so sly. Just because I’ve eaten a few meals at his place, now he insists I learn to cook. He’s such a capitalist.”

Other than the matter of the signal device, she told Yiyang everything without holding back. Yiyang understood at once.

His brother would go to any lengths to keep Xiyang under his wing.

Yiyang wanted to say he’d cook for her, but he couldn’t cook either, so…

“Xiyang, it’s already eleven. How about I take you out to eat?”

“Great!” Little Seven was more than happy. “Wait a sec, I’ll grab my purse.”

“Alright!”

Little Seven ran upstairs to get her bag. Her phone rang. She glanced at the screen.

Huh? Why is he calling me now?

Did he realize I took the sapphire?

No, no, the sapphire was mine to begin with.

I just reclaimed what was mine.

Even so, she felt nervous.

She picked up the call anxiously. “Hello, President Lin, do you need something?”

Yichen’s deep voice came from the other end. “Did you buy the groceries?”

“…”

He called just to ask if she’d bought groceries?

Little Seven felt both disdain and relief.

At least it wasn’t about the signal device.

“I did, and I bought plenty—enough for several days.”

There was silence on the other end.

Little Seven thought she heard the sound of traffic.

Huh? Why did it sound like he was outside?

She was the kind of girl who had to ask when she had a question.

“President Lin, aren’t you at the office?”

“Why do you ask?”

Uh, because…

She picked a reason that made her sound sharp. “Because I don’t hear the sound of paper shuffling, so I figured you weren’t working. President Lin, don’t tell me you’re slacking off and sneaking out. As the boss, you really shouldn’t—”

He cut her off coldly. “Just stay put in the villa.”

Then, with great finality, he hung up.

Little Seven: “…”

What was that supposed to mean?

“Xiyang?”

Yiyang called to her from downstairs.

Little Seven ran down immediately.

“What took you so long?”

“Nothing.” For some reason, after hearing that last sentence from President Lin, she felt he was seething with anger.

Now she was a bit scared to go out.

“Yiyang, actually, I had a big breakfast and I’m not hungry. Plus, I got up really early today, so I’m really sleepy now, so if you…”

“You want to sleep now?”

“Yes, yes!”

Yiyang looked at her for a few seconds, something flickering in his eyes.

He nodded. “I’ll take you out to eat another day, to thank you for risking yourself for my exhibition.”

“Oh, alright!”

Little Seven lay down on the sofa.

Sigh, no lunch. What now?

She rubbed her stomach. Maybe she should try cooking for herself?

But…

You never know unless you try.

She got up and opened the fridge, staring at the mountain of groceries, many of which she didn’t even recognize.

Biting her finger, she wondered which one to take out.

“Xiyang!”

“Ah?”

Little Seven was startled. “Why are you back?”

No wonder she’d heard car sounds on the phone—he really was slacking off!

But why would he come home to slack off?

Yichen didn’t look at her, just stood with his hands in his pockets by the sofa. “What? Am I not allowed to come home?”

“…”

Why did he seem so angry?

And his tone was so strange.

“Aren’t you supposed to be at work…”

“Or am I in your way by coming home?”

“…”

Is he jealous?

“Ye Xiyang!” He suddenly called her by her full name and turned his gaze on her. “Tell me honestly, are you hiding something from me?”

What he really wanted to ask was: Do you like Yiyang?

But how could he say that out loud?