Chapter 22

Married life for newlyweds?

Living together??

When this thought flashed through Cheng Li’s mind, she stood frozen on the spot, completely stunned.

It felt as though she had been dragged into a surreal yet strangely realistic dream.

Even though she knew everything happening was real, it was so abrupt that it carried an inexplicable sense of absurdity.

Outside the window, the Huangpu River sparkled under the lights, and the neon glow of the cityscape poured in like scattered beams of light from a distant sky, enveloping her.

“Did you think our marriage was just a game?” Rong Qi asked calmly.

Cheng Li blinked. “Of course not.”

“Good.”

In that moment, Cheng Li suddenly felt that Rong Qi wasn’t just warming her mother up to the idea of him; he seemed to be slowly reeling her in as well.

“I asked the housekeeper to buy the ingredients earlier; they’re all in the fridge,” Rong Qi said as he walked toward the kitchen.

Cheng Li suddenly remembered why she was here today.

Right—cooking.

She followed Rong Qi and realized that even his kitchen was ridiculously large.

In the center stood a marble island, and the pure white kitchen gleamed with a spotless, polished finish. But as Cheng Li looked around, she noticed the countertops were completely clean—nothing was out.

“Don’t you usually eat at home?” Cheng Li asked cautiously.

The kitchen was so pristine that it felt almost criminal to cook in it.

“Occasionally,” Rong Qi replied.

Cheng Li pursed her lips, looking around before she couldn’t help but ask, “Where’s all the cooking stuff? Oil, soy sauce, vinegar… and the pots?”

Rong Qi opened a cabinet door, revealing neatly arranged and spotless rows of jars and bottles.

“The ingredients should all be in the fridge,” Rong Qi said as he walked over and opened it.

Sure enough, everything the housekeeper had bought was neatly stored inside.

“I’ll handle this,” Cheng Li said, taking out the items. Confidently, she added, “You don’t need to stay and help; I can handle a few dishes on my own.”

Cheng Li was brimming with confidence.

“Are you sure you don’t need me to assist?” Rong Qi raised an eyebrow.

“No worries! Relax,” Cheng Li said as she rolled up her sleeves, ready for action.

“Alright, I’ll cook the rice then,” Rong Qi offered.

“Fine by me,” Cheng Li agreed as she began preparing the ingredients. Tomatoes needed slicing, chicken wings had to be washed, and the pre-prepared Kung Pao chicken kit just required tossing into the pan.

What a thoughtful housekeeper, Cheng Li mused while handling the food.

Meanwhile, Rong Qi seemed clueless about where the rice was stored. After searching around without success, he gave her a helpless look.

“Why don’t we skip it? I can make noodles instead,” Cheng Li suggested.

“The problem is,” Rong Qi replied with a slow, deliberate tone, “where are the noodles?”

Cheng Li couldn’t hold back anymore. Sure, the kitchen was massive, but could rice really get lost?

Rolling up her sleeves further, she began opening every cabinet. Eventually, in a white sealed container, she found the rice.

“So it’s here,” Rong Qi said, finally enlightened.

Cheng Li glanced at him suspiciously. “This really is your house, right?”

“No, I borrowed it,” Rong Qi deadpanned, completely serious.

Cheng Li burst out laughing, then turned back to slicing the tomatoes.

The two divided tasks efficiently: Rong Qi washed and cooked the rice while Cheng Li prepared the dishes.

When Rong Qi finished setting up the rice cooker, he turned to see Cheng Li lighting the gas stove. The flames flickered, and she heated the pan before clumsily adding oil.

Soon, the aroma of stir-fried onions and spices filled the kitchen—a familiar, comforting smell of home-cooked food.

Leaning against the island, Rong Qi watched Cheng Li.

A strand of her hair fell forward as she moved, swaying gently in the light. She raised her arm to push it back, only for a hand to reach over from behind.

Startled, Cheng Li turned her head to find Rong Qi standing behind her. Their gazes met in midair, as though time slowed.

She watched as his fingers gently hooked the stray strand of hair and tucked it behind her ear.

Cheng Li stared at him in a daze.

The kitchen was suffused with warmth—the aroma of food, the soft yellow light above, and an inexplicable sense of intimacy woven into the scene.

“You…” Cheng Li hesitantly began.

Rong Qi looked at her, his expression calm. “I was worried your hair would fall into the pan.”

Cheng Li: “…”

Ridiculous!

Why on earth had she thought this moment was romantic?

Cheng Li quickly composed herself, afraid he might catch on to her earlier, self-indulgent thoughts.

“I’m very careful; you don’t need to worry,” she said earnestly.

“I noticed,” Rong Qi replied, his tone unhurried. “That’s why I stepped in to help.”

See? He was just being thoughtful!

Purely thoughtful!

Still, Cheng Li couldn’t stand having him stand there any longer. “Why don’t you go wait in the living room? I’ll call you when it’s ready.”

“I’ve got nothing else to do. I’ll keep you company here.”

Company?

Cheng Li couldn’t shake the feeling he was more like a supervisor, monitoring whether her hair fell into the pot.

Determined, she focused all her energy on cooking, ignoring his presence.

Surprisingly, with Supervisor Rong hovering nearby, she performed exceptionally well.

In just over half an hour, she had prepared three dishes.

As the rice finished cooking, Rong Qi carried the dishes to the table while Cheng Li fetched two bowls and filled them with rice.

With everything ready, Cheng Li looked at the white marble table adorned with the dishes she’d made, feeling a sense of accomplishment.

“Would you like some wine?” Rong Qi asked from across the table.

Cheng Li blinked. “Do you want some?”

“Then forget it,” Rong Qi said casually, as if he didn’t care much either.

Cheng Li glanced around the dining table and muttered, “Actually, this table seems more suited for Western food. All it’s missing are two crystal candleholders.”

As soon as she said it, she saw Rong Qi walk over to a nearby cabinet, open it, and pull out two crystal candleholders with white candles already on them.

Rong Qi placed the candleholders on the table.

In an instant, the dining table transformed into an oddly amusing mix of grandeur and domestic simplicity.

Cheng Li looked at the extravagant crystal candleholders paired with the three simple dishes she had made. With a helpless tone, she remarked, “Now I feel like the dishes I made don’t deserve to be on this table.”

“Who said that?” Rong Qi sat down immediately.

Cheng Li followed suit, and the two sat facing each other.

Before long, Cheng Li noticed that Rong Qi seemed to quite enjoy her cooking.

Despite his composed demeanor, his eating speed wasn’t slow. In no time, half of the small bowl of rice in front of him was gone.

Cheng Li quipped, “If I’d known, I would’ve given you a bigger bowl so you could eat more. But it seems all the bowls in your house are this small.”

“I’ll have the housekeeper buy bigger ones tomorrow,” Rong Qi responded matter-of-factly.

She had merely mentioned it casually, yet he was already planning to have new bowls purchased.

Cheng Li quickly waved her hands. “No, no, there’s no need.”

Rong Qi raised his head to glance at her, his tone unhurried. “So, do you want me to eat more, or not?”

Cheng Li: “…”

“Fine, buy them,” she surrendered with a sigh.

Why did it feel like her words kept setting off traps for herself?

Thankfully, the meal went rather pleasantly. Thanks to Rong Qi’s willingness to indulge, the three dishes were nearly finished—practically a “clean plate” success.

After they finished eating, Rong Qi stood up to clear the dishes. Cheng Li offered, “Let me do it.”

“I cooked, you clean; this way, the division of labor is clear,” Rong Qi replied, glancing at her briefly.

Fair enough.

Cheng Li didn’t insist. Rong Qi put the dishes into the dishwasher, and soon the sound of the machine humming filled the kitchen.

Once everything was tidied up, Cheng Li figured it was time to take her leave.

After building up her courage, she hesitantly said, “Now that we’ve eaten, I think I should get going.”

“Wait,” Rong Qi said.

Cheng Li watched as he turned and walked down the hall, entering a room.

That room seemed to be his study—he had introduced it earlier when showing her around the house.

A moment later, Rong Qi returned from the study with a black rectangular box in his hand. He walked up to her and handed it over.

“What’s this?” Cheng Li didn’t take it immediately but instead asked cautiously.

“A gift from my business trip,” Rong Qi replied.

Cheng Li was taken aback. “But didn’t you already send something to my house?”

“That was different,” Rong Qi said, pushing the box closer to her.

Cheng Li hesitated. “What is it?”

Although she hadn’t opened the box, she could tell it was from a jewelry brand. Most likely, it contained jewelry.

Rong Qi, noticing her hesitation, opened the box himself.

Inside, nestled in black velvet, lay a delicate platinum necklace with a round diamond pendant.

It wasn’t overly extravagant, exuding a restrained elegance.

“You mentioned before that you wanted a necklace to hang our wedding ring on. While I was away, I happened to see this one, and I thought it suited you,” Rong Qi said casually.

Cheng Li finally understood the significance of the gift.

After a moment of thought, she sighed softly. “You keep giving me gifts—it feels like I’m taking advantage of you.”

“Taking advantage?” Rong Qi chuckled lightly. Looking up at her, his voice slowed deliberately, teasing. “If we’re talking about taking advantage, isn’t it me who’s benefitting?”

“Huh?” Cheng Li was stunned by his comment.

Rong Qi elaborated, “Do you have any idea how much effort and expense other men put into getting married?”

Only then did Cheng Li understand his point.

Lowering her voice, she replied, “But our situation is different.”

“Exactly. So stop saying things like that,” Rong Qi said, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “Otherwise, I might think you’re mocking me.”

Cheng Li quickly denied it. “I wasn’t.”

As she spoke, Rong Qi took her hand and placed the box in her palm.

This time, Cheng Li didn’t refuse.

Since Rong Qi hadn’t been drinking, he drove her home himself.

Initially, Cheng Li protested, saying it was too far and that she could just call a taxi.

Rong Qi, sitting in the driver’s seat, turned to her and said, “I can stay at my grandmother’s place tonight.”

Oh, right.

Cheng Li didn’t argue further.

The car ride was mostly silent, with neither of them chatting much.

Cheng Li opened her phone and checked her WeChat, and a sudden thought crossed her mind.

She held it back for a while, only bringing it up when the car stopped in front of her apartment complex.

The car came to a halt, but she didn’t get out right away. Rong Qi turned to look at her.

Cheng Li pursed her lips slightly before finally deciding to speak.

“Can I ask you for a favor? It’s a bit presumptuous,” she said.

“Go ahead,” Rong Qi replied without hesitation. He glanced at her, a faint amusement flickering in his eyes. “I’m curious to hear just how presumptuous it is.”

Cheng Li: “…”

Summoning her courage, she said, “You remember Meng Yuange, right? She was my best friend in high school—and still is now.”

Rong Qi nodded.

“She’s a financial journalist who interviews business elites. So I was wondering… would you be willing to accept an interview from her?” Cheng Li asked cautiously.

Rong Qi smiled suddenly, causing her heart to skip a beat.

Then he said, “I thought it was something serious. Which media outlet is she with? I’ll have my assistant contact her tomorrow.”

Cheng Li clenched her fist tightly and silently cheered, Yes!

However, the joy on her face was too obvious.

Her visible excitement made Rong Qi feel more at ease, and he glanced at her with amusement. “Something this small can make you so happy?”

“Of course! You have no idea how much she’s been hoping to interview you. But don’t worry, she’s extremely professional, her writing is sharp, and her interviews are always insightful.”

As a loyal best friend, Cheng Li naturally took this opportunity to speak highly of Meng Yuange.

After finishing her praise, Cheng Li added, “If you ever need my help in the future, just say the word. I know I’m not very useful, but as long as you ask, I’ll do whatever it takes.”

Although this matter might really be trivial to Rong Qi, his straightforward agreement had left a deep impression on her. She thought to herself, This is someone worth befriending!

Rong Qi seemed amused by her dramatic vow, but then he looked at her seriously. “There might actually be something.”

“What is it?” Cheng Li asked eagerly.

Rong Qi chuckled lightly. “I’ll tell you next time.”

Fine, she thought.

Cheng Li said goodbye, then pushed the car door open and got out.

As she walked toward her apartment complex entrance, she instinctively turned around and saw that the car window on the driver’s side had been rolled down.

Through the window, she could see Rong Qi clearly.

She waved and said goodbye to him again.

*

The next morning, Cheng Li had just finished a meeting and stepped out of the conference room when her phone vibrated in her hand.

She looked at the screen and saw that it was Meng Yuange calling. She answered.

“Ahhh!” Meng Yuange’s excited scream came through the phone, practically making Cheng Li’s heart skip a beat.

“Calm down, calm down,” Cheng Li said.

“I can’t calm down! Cheng Li, do you know what just happened? The editor-in-chief told me Rong Qi agreed to our exclusive interview! And…”

She deliberately paused, prompting Cheng Li to play along. “And what?”

“And he specifically requested me to do the interview! Me! Can you believe it?!”

Even over the phone, Cheng Li could feel her friend’s happiness. She couldn’t help but laugh along. “Congratulations, your wish came true!”

“You have no idea how funny my coworkers were. When the editor-in-chief first assigned me the interview, they were unhappy about it. One senior reporter even publicly complained that the editor was playing favorites. But then the editor shut everyone up by saying Rong Qi had personally requested me by name. If they weren’t happy about it, they could go ask Qiyu Technology themselves for an explanation.”

Meng Yuange added dramatically, “Cheng Li, can you feel my joy?”

“I can,” Cheng Li replied, smiling.

“I swear, I should go buy a lottery ticket. If something this amazing can happen to me, who knows? I might actually win five million.”

Cheng Li: “…”

She initially wanted to suggest that Meng Yuange save her money, but after thinking about it, she decided against it.

Consider it an early Christmas gift, she thought.