Downstairs, Yuan Xi was happily cooking, completely unaware that Aunt Zhang had “betrayed” him. He was still daydreaming about Fu Yunzhou’s surprised expression when he saw him later.

Upon learning that Yuan Xi had returned home, Fu Yunzhou, in an unusual move, decided not to work overtime or hit the gym. After finishing his most pressing tasks, he left the office on time and headed straight home.

Yuan Xi’s cooking repertoire mainly consisted of simple home-style dishes. While they might not meet the standards of a professional chef, they were more than sufficient for a cozy meal for two.

When Fu Yunzhou stepped into the main residence, he was immediately greeted by a delicious aroma.

It was different from the dishes Aunt Zhang usually made. Having grown up eating her cooking, he could instantly tell it wasn’t hers.

Moving quietly, Fu Yunzhou changed into his indoor shoes and tiptoed to the kitchen door. He paused there, his gaze softening as he watched the busy figure inside as a gentle smile played at the corners of his mouth.

Yuan Xi didn’t know how to cook many dishes, but seeing the fresh produce in the fridge had sparked his enthusiasm, and his interest in cooking had only grown as he worked.

After putting the bone broth on to simmer, Yuan Xi turned around to separate a portion of the dishes, planning to have someone deliver them to Fu Yunzhou.

Fu Yunzhou, observing Yuan Xi’s actions, raised an eyebrow.

“Is this for me?”

The sudden voice startled Yuan Xi. He turned toward the kitchen door, only to meet Fu Yunzhou’s amused gaze.

Quickly retracting his hand from the dish he was about to portion, Yuan Xi glanced at the clock outside with a puzzled expression. “No overtime today?”

Fu Yunzhou rolled up his sleeves, revealing well-defined forearm muscles that were sleek and toned—nothing like the physique of a typical office-bound man.

Yuan Xi’s eyes drifted to those muscles, then back to his own pale and soft arms.

After a few comparisons, Yuan Xi couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy.

Why was it that his arms were all soft and smooth, but his, even though he sits in an office all day, were so muscular?

Fu Yunzhou walked past Yuan Xi and into the kitchen, taking a look at the food Yuan Xi had prepared.

Plating was an art—an art Yuan Xi clearly didn’t master.

The dishes were unceremoniously piled onto plates, with no trace of a chef’s finesse. But the aroma wafting through the air suggested that they might still taste quite good.

Fu Yunzhou washed his hands briefly, not even bothering to dry the water droplets before picking up a pair of chopsticks to grab some shredded potatoes from a plate.

The flavor was ordinary—nowhere near as refined as Aunt Zhang’s cooking. Yet, as it touched Fu Yunzhou’s palate, it somehow tasted better than anything a five-star chef could make.

“Not bad. Who taught you to cook?” Fu Yunzhou asked after just one bite, setting the chopsticks down and glancing at Yuan Xi, whose face had started to turn red like a steaming kettle.

“I… I taught myself,” Yuan Xi stammered, meeting Fu Yunzhou’s gaze for a brief moment before quickly lowering his head to stare at his toes. After a pause, he added softly, “I just wanted to save money by cooking my own meals.”

Fu Yunzhou raised an eyebrow but didn’t press further.

A quiet stillness filled the kitchen. Yuan Xi kept his head down, but he could still feel Fu Yunzhou’s gaze lingering on him.

The aroma of the bone broth filled the air, and the bubbling sound of the simmering soup grew louder in the silence.

Yuan Xi shuffled over to the pot, lowered the heat, and added some seasoning. He stayed there, staring at the soup as if it needed constant attention.

Fu Yunzhou watched Yuan Xi’s lowered head and noticed the tips of his ears turning a bright shade of red. Unable to hold back, he chuckled softly.

“I’ll take these dishes to the table. Don’t forget to cook the rice,” Fu Yunzhou said, glancing around the kitchen and noticing the absence of any staple food. He picked up the plates of finished dishes and carried them to the dining table.

As the heat on Yuan Xi’s face subsided, he looked up and glanced around the kitchen.

Oh no, he’d really forgotten to cook the rice!

Yuan Xi turned around with an awkward expression and began rinsing the rice.

Once the bone broth was done, the rice was almost ready too.

The simple dishes, though not visually appealing, were incredibly delicious to Fu Yunzhou.

Aunt Zhang, wanting to give the two some private space, found an excuse to leave and didn’t return even when it was time to eat.

After the meal, Yuan Xi and Fu Yunzhou sat on the sofa—one handling work on his laptop, the other scrolling through news on his phone. The TV was playing a popular drama, preventing the atmosphere between them from becoming too silent.

It had been about a week since Qi Yunrou’s contract termination, and although the publicity department had managed to provide some reason for it, the incident hadn’t caused much of a stir.

Meanwhile, the casting for the lead female role in Beauties in Makeup was still unresolved, and online discussions about the actress for the role remained lively.

Yuan Xi couldn’t help but check Beauties in Makeup’s official Weibo. The latest post was about Zhao Qiqi’s incident, and there hadn’t been any new updates since then.

“It’s been so long, and they still haven’t picked anyone?”

Yuan Xi mumbled softly while holding his phone.

Afterward, he put aside the Beauties in Makeupmatter and began scrolling through cute pet videos.

At the same time, Qi Yunrou received another call from the director of Beauties in Makeup. The director, sounding apologetic, informed her that she hadn’t passed their audition.

This time, they didn’t offer her any other roles. Once they confirmed that Qi Yunrou had been notified, they quickly hung up.

Qi Yunrou stared at the hung-up call, her expression twisted in anger.

This was the second time the Beauties in Makeup crew had turned her away, and this time, they hadn’t even offered any compensation.

This news was impossible for Qi Yunrou to accept, especially since she had already considered the leading role in Beauties in Makeup as hers. One failure after another was pushing her to the brink of madness.

Losing to Zhao Qiqi she could accept, but losing to someone else…

A cold gleam flashed in Qi Yunrou’s eyes. She pulled out her phone and called Anna. “Find out who else is competing for the role of Su Xuerou. And also, Yushen…”

Because of his elder brother’s schedule, Fu Yushen had canceled most of his activities and spent all his time working overtime at the office.

Despite a month of grueling work, once the supervision relaxed, Fu Yushen started to slack off.

Moreover, the materials that Fu Yunzhou provided were thorough—though not difficult, they were quite tedious.

Due to the situation with Yuan Xi, Fu Yunzhou set strict deadlines for his younger brother, and when the time came, he would check on him.

Initially, Fu Yushen had planned to continue his slump, but under his brother’s pressure, he began working hard, and even Qi Yunrou faded from his mind.

This time, if Qi Yunrou hadn’t taken the initiative to visit him at the office, Fu Yushen might have forgotten he even had a girlfriend.

Qi Yunrou tidied herself up and went to the office. When she saw Fu Yushen working intently, she felt that the man before her seemed somewhat unfamiliar.

In her memory, Fu Yushen was playful but always knew his limits, never crossing the line.

Qi Yunrou had never seen Fu Yushen work this seriously.

And for some reason, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she and Fu Yushen were growing more distant.

Shaking her head to push away those unrealistic thoughts, Qi Yunrou adjusted her makeup in front of the glass before knocking on the door.

Fu Yushen, who was focused on his documents, instinctively assumed it was his assistant when he heard the knock. Without looking up, he asked. “What is it?”

Hearing his indifferent tone, Qi Yunrou couldn’t help but bite her lower lip. “Ah Shen.”

Fu Yushen paused for a moment, his hand stilling as he looked up at Qi Yunrou. His expression softened, and his tone lost its previous coldness.

“You’re here? Weren’t you filming?”

Fu Yushen resembled Fu Yunzhou to some extent, but he had a more youthful and gentle appearance. Unlike Fu Yunzhou, who always wore a stern expression, Fu Yushen’s features were closer to Shen Xiyun’s—handsome, with a touch of elegance.

Qi Yunrou awkwardly smiled, noticing that Fu Yushen seemed to have forgotten they were in a cold war, forgotten that it had been a long time since they’d seen each other.

Qi Yunrou remained silent, and Fu Yushen didn’t ask any further questions either.

After glancing at Qi Yunrou, Fu Yushen returned to his documents, continuing his work without further interruption.

Qi Yunrou stood there, unsure whether to stay or leave.

She stared at the top of Fu Yushen’s head, biting her lip. Taking a deep breath, she finally spoke up. “Ah Shen, let’s stop the cold war, okay? I’m heading to the set again soon. How about we have dinner together tonight?”

“Mm, wait a moment.”

Fu Yushen didn’t lift his head, remaining focused on his documents, his expression serious.

Qi Yunrou stayed rooted to the spot. Thirty minutes passed, yet Fu Yushen was still engrossed in his work, showing no sign of getting up.

She glanced at the clock on the wall—8:00 PM.

The seconds ticked away as the clock hands moved in circles. By 8:30, Fu Yushen remained unmoved at his desk.

Her eyes flickered for a moment before she quickly approached his desk, shutting the folder in front of him with a soft thud. Her gaze, filled with a hint of hurt, locked onto him.

As he was interrupted during his work, Fu Yushen felt a surge of irritation. He raised his gaze, displeasure clear in his eyes.

However, when he saw Qi Yunrou’s hurt expression, his heart softened. He glanced at the time, realizing how late it was.

“I’m sorry, it’s my fault. What do you want to eat? I’ll take you.”

After a simple dinner, Fu Yushen and Qi Yunrou quickly reconciled.

A few days later, the Beauties in Makeup production team announced that Qi Yunrou would play the lead role of Su Xuerou. The news sparked mixed reactions online.

When Yuan Xi saw the post, he was puzzled. Wasn’t anyone going to comment on Qi Yunrou’s acting skills?

Curious, Yuan Xi decided to look into the issue of the lead actress’s acting. However…

Upon seeing a list of TV show names with outrageously high ratings on his phone screen, Yuan Xi didn’t even feel like opening them. He quickly skimmed through the comments, and they were overwhelmingly positive.

Despite feeling uncomfortable, he forced himself to watch a few episodes. It seemed that due to the character design, Qi Yunrou’s acting wasn’t as bad as he had expected.

It was only after further research that Yuan Xi discovered the dramatic story behind the lead actress’s rise to fame.

In the plot Yuan Xi watched, Qi Yunrou was a barely known actress, struggling in the entertainment industry, until an accidental encounter with Fu Yushen changed her trajectory.

After joining Xingyao Entertainment, her resources gradually increased, but the initial offers weren’t great. She switched agents once, and only then did her opportunities begin to improve.

However, what Yuan Xi discovered through his research was that Qi Yunrou was actually noticed by a director while auditioning as an extra. Her appearance matched the female lead’s, which led to her being cast as the lead.

It was this role that secured her contract with Xingyao Entertainment marking the true beginning of her career in the industry.

=^_^=