Chapter 39: Cooking

Xinan was carried all the way back to the living room by Cheng Yi.

After setting her down on the sofa, Cheng Yi began reading the medicine's instructions.

Xinan felt embarrassed to have Cheng Yi help her apply the medicine any longer. "I'll do it myself."

Cheng Yi asked, "Can you reach it?"

Applying the medicine was possible, but it was difficult to handle because her leg hurt terribly whenever she bent it.

As Xinan was about to respond, she felt a cool sensation from her foot, as Cheng Yi had already spread the ointment evenly.

"Hisss..."

Hearing the sound, Cheng Yi paused slightly, "Does it hurt a lot?"

"Mm, a bit."

With that, Cheng Yi's movements became much gentler. "Just bear with it a little."

Xinan: "Okay."

The coolness dissipated and the pain gradually eased.

"Don't bathe or get it wet for now," Cheng Yi put away the ointment and stood up to get a cup of warm water, "Take your medicine."

"Oh." Xinan obediently accepted the medicine, taking the pill Cheng Yi had handed her.

The pill went down with warm water, spreading a bitter taste in her mouth, which was quite unpleasant.

Because her ankle was sprained, Xinan missed the wrap party for "It's You" the next day.

That day, Xinan posted a Weibo with a photo taken on set, "It's a wrap! Another enjoyable journey has ended. I'm grateful to have worked with so many talented film workers, learned a lot, and enriched myself. Fight on! Looking forward to meeting again."

Once the Weibo was posted, numerous fans began to comment continuously.

"How is such a beauty not posting more selfies? Can't get enough!"

"Go Nannan, you've worked hard!"

"Proud of you, baby, looking forward to an even better you."

"Another day missing the poolside hottie."

...

Unexpectedly, after so many days, people still remembered Cheng Yi; Xinan suddenly wondered what expression Cheng Yi would have if he saw these comments.

Would he give a cold glance and say nothing or scoff and call it "boring"?

Both seemed likely.

Out of guilt towards Xinan, these last few days, Jiang Yurou and Tan Bo showed up daily at Luming Academy with various items,

but every time they stayed for less than half an hour, Cheng Yi ruthlessly sent them away because he found them too noisy.

Approaching noon that day, Xinan thought they wouldn't come, but then she heard the doorbell ring, and upon opening the door, it was indeed the familiar faces.

"Nannan, look what I've brought for you." While speaking, Jiang Yurou took out a white transparent box from behind her, filled with water.

Xinan took a closer look and was stunned; inside was a turtle.

"Nannan, do you like it?" Jiang Yurou asked.

Xinan forced a laugh, "Like... I like it."

Seeing Xinan's expression, Tan Bo couldn't help bursting into laughter: "I knew you'd have that look. There are so many nice pets at the pet market, yet she specifically chose a turtle; this is really the first time I've seen someone give a turtle as a gift."

"That's because I thought turtles are easier to care for, and besides, with Brother Yi's severe obsession with cleanliness, how could he possibly allow Nannan to keep a furry pet at home?" The main reason, of course, was her recent financial strain.

Indeed, Jiang Yurou was right; it was highly likely that Cheng Yi wouldn't allow her to keep a pet at home.

"Don't just stand at the door, come on in."

Since Xinan's foot hadn't fully recovered, she could only hop around on one foot, looking quite comical.

"Have you guys eaten yet?" Xinan asked.

Jiang Yurou answered; "Not yet..."

"Do you know how to cook?"

Usually, at this time, Cheng Yi would bring food from outside, but today there was a sudden issue at his company that required his presence. He had just left not long ago and wouldn't be back very soon.

Tan Bo shook his head, while Jiang Yurou hesitated for a moment and said, "I cooked a few times myself when I was abroad, why don't I give it a try?"

Although Xinan was very worried, she still said, "Alright, the ingredients are in the fridge, go ahead and handle it."

"Okay." As she said this, she glanced at Tan Bo, "You come and help me."

"Young lady, I just came back with you from the pet market, I haven't even sat down yet!" Tan Bo complained reluctantly.

"Then who do you think could help me here besides you?"

"Fine, fine, let's go." Tan Bo really had no choice.

Xinan took the turtle to the living room, or more accurately, hopped to the living room.

Just as she was feeding the turtle, suddenly Tan Bo's voice came from the kitchen: "Jiang Yurou, you added oil before the pan was even hot, aren't you afraid the oil will splatter?"

After a while, Jiang Yurou's voice followed: "Ah ah ah, Tan Bo, it's on fire, it's on fire."

"Don't yell, bring over the lid."

...

Ultimately, at the dinner table, Xinan looked at the dishes that were all black and unrecognizable, perplexed.

To eat or not to eat? Would it cause a stomach ache if eaten!

It turns out, she really shouldn't have expected Jiang Yurou to be able to make anything decent.

After some thought, Xinan felt it was safer to preserve her health, so she suggested, "How about we just order takeout?"

Tan Bo blurted out almost immediately, "I wholeheartedly agree."

Jiang Yurou twitched her mouth and remained silent for a few seconds, then said, "I agree as well."

In the end, Xinan took out her phone to order takeout, while the aftermath at the dinner table fell upon Tan Bo.

"Fine, I'm just here for the hard labor." Tan Bo was thoroughly exasperated.

Who would have thought that Tan Bo, who used to call the shots outside, was now washing dishes? He felt fortunate that there was no one else around; if this got out, he would really be embarrassed.

"Click." Jiang Yurou took out her phone and snapped a photo of Tan Bo, having forgotten to turn off the flash.

"Jiang Yurou, delete that," Tan Bo yelled while washing dishes.

Despite being caught, Jiang Yurou showed no shame, "I won't, unless you clear both of our accounts."

Tan Bo was so annoyed he itched, "Don't even think about it."

"Then I'm not deleting it."

"Jiang Yurou, you'd better not sleep too deeply tonight."

Jiang Yurou ignored him and started admiring the photo she had just taken. It must be said that Tan Bo actually looked pretty good; it's just that his mouth was a bit sharp, plus he was always following Cheng Yi around, which somewhat overshadowed his attractiveness.

After lunch, Jiang Yurou and Tan Bo didn't rush to leave but started playing a videogame in the living room.

It was a game console that Cheng Yi had installed at home during high school. Although many years had passed, the content had consistently been updated, so playing it now didn't feel outdated.

Seeing Xinan sitting alone on the couch, Jiang Yurou didn't want her to be bored and asked, "Nannan, do you want to play a game too?"

Xinan immediately shook her head; she was naturally not very sensitive to games and hardly ever won.