A small candy

Chapter 26 Why don't you just stay?
Jian Ling didn't dare stay in the kitchen anymore. She put on her slippers that had fallen on the way and ran to the living room. Someone reminded her from behind, "Run slower." She paused, then ran out even faster, lay down on the sofa, turned on the TV, and deliberately turned up the volume, as if to cover up something.

Forty minutes later, Cheng Zhixu came out of the kitchen, carrying dishes and placing them on the dining table.

"Wash your hands and come over to eat." He said loudly.

Jian Ling washed her hands at the sink and looked at the dining table. There was stir-fried pork with bamboo shoots, tofu with minced meat, and a bowl of steamed egg with green beans and shrimps. The kitchen was filled with the aroma of chicken soup, which easily aroused one's appetite.

Cheng Zhixu handed her a tissue to wipe her hands: "The soup needs to simmer for a while, let's eat first."

Jian Ling sat down and waited for Cheng Zhixu to sit down opposite her before she rolled up her sleeves and started eating. She put a spoonful of tofu into her mouth and her eyes lit up instantly.

It was different from the Mapo Tofu she usually ate. The mushrooms and lean meat were chopped finely and fried very fragrantly. Because of the thickening, the sauce was very thick and wrapped with tender tofu. It could be called a magical dish to go with rice.

Jian Ling gave a thumbs up: "Delicious."

Cheng Zhixu smiled and picked up his chopsticks to pick up some food. If it weren't for the fact that she was still taking medication and needed a light diet, he would definitely cook a few delicious dishes to entertain her.

"Can I fire Auntie and let you cook for me?" Jian Ling blinked innocently.

"Is your salary enough to pay my salary?" Cheng Zhixu mocked her mercilessly. "Oh, you've been late several times this month, and your salary has been deducted almost completely."

Jian Ling choked, stopped talking, and buried her head in eating.

After a while, she was so angry that she muttered, "No wonder my uncle said that when he talks to you, nine out of ten times he will be scolded and he can't win the argument with you at all."

Cheng Zhixu hummed and accepted the compliment with a clear conscience. However, when he suddenly realized what being with Jian Ling meant, his expression suddenly became somewhat intriguing.

Ye Guizhou, let’s not talk about it…

Jian Ling scooped a spoonful of egg custard into her mouth. She frowned because of the heat and let out a soft "hiss".

The egg custard is steamed for just the right amount of time and is very smooth and tender. It is topped with a layer of green beans and shrimps, and drizzled with a little sesame oil and soy sauce. It is fresh and delicious.

Cheng Zhixu glanced at her, smiled, and said, "Why are you pouting while eating?"

Jian Ling mumbled, "My mouth hurts."

"I kissed you?" Cheng Zhixu raised his eyebrows, looking a little surprised.

"...I accidentally burned myself just now." Jian Ling lowered her head even lower, almost diving into the bowl. Really, she had finally forgotten that scene in the kitchen. When he mentioned it, she thought of the useless look on her face when he pushed her against the sink and kissed her until her legs went limp. Her eyelids were trembling.

Cheng Zhixu coughed softly and pushed the small bowl of egg custard to her, letting her eat it alone.

Both of them ate slowly, chatting as they went, and time passed quickly.

Cheng Zhixu got up and went to the kitchen to bring over the casserole, then filled her up with a bowl of chicken soup and told her to drink it slowly. Jian Ling took a sip and found it not too greasy and very delicious, so she couldn't help but praise him again.

"Don't you want to drink?" She stopped and looked at him.

Cheng Zhixu shook his head, indicating that he had finished eating. He sat aside, took out his phone and browsed through emails. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jian Ling lowering her head and sipping her soup. His heart was suddenly moved. While she was not noticing, he turned his phone to silent mode and secretly took a photo.

Jian Ling looked up at him. He had his eyes narrowed and a serious and indifferent expression. He seemed to be dealing with work matters, so she did not say anything to disturb him.

Cheng Zhixu replied to a few important emails, logged out, went to WeChat, and wrote a note for Jian Ling.

"I'm done eating."

Jian Ling put down the bowl and spoon and wiped her mouth.

The two of them worked together to clear the table, throwing the dishes into the dishwasher. After finishing, seeing that it was getting late, Cheng Zhixu buttoned his cufflinks, picked up his suit, unfolded it, and put it on.

"I'm leaving. Be careful and lock the door." Cheng Zhixu turned and looked at her.

Jian Ling stood on the carpet next to the coffee table and waved at him: "Be careful on the road."

Cheng Zhixu stood at the entrance, changing his shoes. His hand rested on the doorknob. He glanced over and saw her standing there motionless like a log. He was a little dissatisfied: "Why don't you come and see me off?"

Jian Ling said "Oh" and ran over quickly.

Cheng Zhixu let go of the doorknob, leaned against the hallway closet, and said with a forced smile, "You're amazing. That night, when I came over to get something, you even offered to give it to me. Now that he's your boyfriend, this is your attitude. You don't cherish what you've got, do you?"

Jian Ling was speechless: "How could that be?"

When the man came closer, Cheng Zhixu held her wrist and pulled it gently. She took a small step forward and bumped into his arms. There was a familiar smell on her clothes, and the smell made her heart beat faster.

Cheng Zhixu lowered his eyes and looked at her. After waiting for a while, he saw that she didn't understand at all. He sighed and lowered his voice: "Don't you know how to kiss goodbye?"

"what?"

"What? Idiot." Cheng Zhixu wanted to hit her on the forehead again, but he held back. She was already stupid enough, and hitting her a few times would make her even dumber.

Jian Ling realized what he meant. She tilted her head back and briefly considered whether to close her eyes or not. Finally, she closed her eyes, stood on tiptoe, and kissed him on the lips. Before she could fall back, he grabbed her waist and lowered his head to kiss her lips...

As her mind wavered, Jian Ling felt the tension on her waist loosen, and her heels landed on the ground. The next second, her forehead was touched by soft lips, and a deep male voice floated down: "Don't wait for me to remind you next time."

Jian Ling grabbed the lapel of his suit with her fingers and said with a light breath: "...You, why don't you just not leave." Anyway, there is an extra room, so he doesn't have to worry about having no place to sleep.

Cheng Zhixu paused slightly, surprise in his eyes. After a moment, he spoke with a hint of laughter in his voice: "Are you reluctant to let me go?"

Jian Ling didn't answer. Cheng Zhixu stroked her untied hair that fell by her ears. "You're staying overnight on the first day. That's outrageous. If your uncle finds out, he'll punish me."

Jian Ling burst out laughing, her face felt a little hot, and she felt a little regretful. She shouldn't have made that suggestion, it seemed too unreserved.

The two stood at the entrance for a while, and Cheng Zhixu reminded her one last time that she should lock the door as soon as he left, and not to think about locking it later, as she might forget.

Jian Ling felt a warm current surging in her heart. She watched him enter the elevator, then turned around and locked the door. She went upstairs to take a shower, took some medicine, lay down in bed, and reached for the phone on the bedside table to check the messages.

Ten minutes ago, Cheng Zhixu sent a message: "Home. Good night."

Jian Ling replied with the same two words - good night.

-

The next morning, when the first alarm rang, Jian Ling quickly got out of bed, took out beautiful new clothes from the closet and put them on, then washed up and went downstairs.

There was a noise in the kitchen, and soon the aunt brought out a bowl of fragrant chicken noodle soup with two small green vegetables and a fried egg on top. The aunt said, "Miss Jane got up so early today."

"I slept well last night, so I woke up early." Jian Ling sat down at the dining table and picked up her chopsticks to eat noodles.

"I came over this morning and saw some chicken soup left in the casserole. It was still fresh, so I used the soup base to make some noodles." Auntie asked in confusion, "Who made this chicken soup?"

Jian Ling never cooks, and her aunt knows this. The chicken soup doesn’t look like takeout.

Jian Ling choked, thinking that her aunt and Ye Xianxin were in cahoots. If she told her about Cheng Zhixu, Ye Xianxin would immediately know she had a boyfriend. She didn't want to let her family know so quickly.

"It was stewed by my friend." Jian Ling touched her ear and smiled.

"Oh, her cooking skills are quite good." Auntie sighed, "I thought you found a new aunt and didn't want me to continue working here."

Jian Ling: “…”

This is a huge misunderstanding. She can't afford to pay the salary of the "cook".

After finishing her chicken noodle soup, Jian Ling touched up her makeup in front of the mirror. She casually glanced around and saw a valuable men's watch lying on the wooden cabinet. She recognized it as Cheng Zhixu's and paused. Did he forget to take it away last night?
Before her aunt started cleaning, Jian Ling quickly picked it up and stuffed it into her bag, then went out and took the subway to work.

It was still early when she arrived at the company, so Jian Ling sent a WeChat message to Cheng Zhixu, telling him that his watch was with her.

Cheng Zhixu was on his way to the company when his cell phone vibrated twice. He took it out and looked at it. He couldn't help laughing when he saw the notes he had written to Jian Ling during dinner last night.

Zhu Yuanyurun: "I'm at the company."

Zhu Yuanyurun: "By the way, your watch is here with me. I'll give it to you when I have time."

Cheng Zhixu couldn't stop laughing, and his shoulders were shaking, causing the driver in front to look at the rearview mirror several times, wanting to know what he was laughing at.

Cheng Zhixu: "Not bad, very active at work."

Cheng Zhixu: "Come up to eat after lunch. I'll ask my assistant to order an extra meal."

Zhu Yuanyurun: "Oh, okay."

Jian Ling planned to give the watch to Cheng Zhixu when she went upstairs to eat lunch at noon, but she didn't expect to meet Minglang in the hall - he didn't come with Cheng Zhixu today.

Jian Ling was worried that Cheng Zhixu would need the watch in the morning, so she called out, "Mingzhu."

Minglang raised his eyes when he heard the voice, walked over, and greeted with a smile: "Good morning, Miss Jian."

There were few people around, so Jian Ling quickly took out the watch from her bag and handed it to him: "Cheng Zhi...it's Mr. Cheng's. Please give it to him later."

Minglang was stunned for a moment, then slowly took it. After a closer look, he found that it was indeed the watch that Mr. Cheng usually wore. He blinked, and his eyes became ambiguous when he looked at Jian Ling.

Jian Ling immediately realized the misunderstanding her actions would cause, but it was too late to regret. She could only explain herself in a way that only made things more obvious: "Things are not what you think..."

Minglang nodded heavily, with an expression that said, "I understand, I understand everything, no need to explain." "Don't worry, I'm very tight-lipped and won't tell anyone."

Jian Ling: “…”

Jian Ling didn't bother explaining anymore. She turned and walked into the elevator. Minglang and Fan Yijun from the same department followed her in. It was unclear when she arrived, but judging by her expression, it didn't look like she had overheard the conversation between Minglang and her.

Yesterday, Jian Ling had a falling out with her in front of all the colleagues in the planning department. Now that they met, there was nothing much to say and they didn't even say hello.

Fan Yijun seemed to be fine, his eyes flickering between Jian Ling and Ming Lang, wondering what he was thinking about.

The two of them got out of the elevator on the 26th floor. Fan Yijun sneered coldly and walked towards the office area ahead of Jian Ling wearing thin high heels.

Jian Ling was not willing to be outdone. She rolled her eyes at her back and cursed silently: You're crazy, so sarcastic.

-

It was lunchtime. Dai Wangchu put some eye drops in her eyes and closed them to relieve her fatigue. After a while, she turned her head and looked at Jian Ling through her tearful eyes. The latter was still concentrating on her work.

"What are we having for lunch? Should we order takeout or eat out?" Dai Wangchu asked.

Jian Ling's fingers flew up and down. After typing the last line, she raised her hand to take off the pillow around her neck: "You go and eat. I have lunch with..." She stopped talking in time and lowered her voice, "I have found lunch."

Jian Ling pointed upwards, and Dai Wangchu immediately understood what she meant. He looked dejected and asked, "Are you not going to have lunch with me anymore?"

"I don't know, probably."

"There's the opposite sex, but no humanity." Dai Wangchu finished speaking and patted her head tolerantly. "It's your first time in love, so I can understand."

After most of the colleagues in the department had left, Jian Ling finished her pre-dinner medicine and walked out of the planning department.

She took the elevator to the 48th floor, peeked out, knocked on the president's office door, and got permission before going in.

Cheng Zhixu was already sitting at the dining table waiting for her, reading an original English book. When he saw her coming, he put a bookmark in the book, closed it, and put it aside.

Jian Ling sat down opposite him: "If you are done with your work, you can eat first. You don't have to wait for me."

Cheng Zhixu raised his wrist to check the time on his watch. He raised his eyelashes and looked at Jian Ling, smiling faintly: "You're capable. You're even more busy than me, the CEO."

Jian Ling, feeling that he was being unreasonable, didn't refute him. Instead, she quietly laid out the meals in the thermal boxes, one by one, with a portion of rice for each person. She flattered him by picking up a small piece of crispy pork.

Cheng Zhixu was very pleased and picked up a lotus root clip for her in return.

Jian Ling was eating when there was a knock on the door. The next moment, a familiar male voice sounded outside the door: "Mr. Cheng, are you in there?"

This voice was... Jian Ling's eyes widened. She recognized it was her supervisor Yuan Xiao. She stood up in panic and turned around like a headless fly. She didn't know where to hide and wanted to crawl under the desk.

Cheng Zhixu frowned, the veins on his forehead throbbing. She must be so stupid.

He walked over in two steps, grabbed Jian Ling by the back of her collar, and lifted her up from under the desk: "Where are you hiding?!"

　Yes, office romance is so exciting...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)