Jiang Yuyan pressed her lips together lightly. Faced with Hu Liying’s accusation, she didn’t feel that the other party was being nosy; rather, she was surprised that an art teacher cared so much about her students’ families.

“Xiaoli! Xiaoli, where are you? Come to Mommy!” A woman’s desperate cry came from outside the tea room.

Hu Liying wanted to take Xiaoli out, but Jiang Yuyan shook her head to stop her. “Taking this little girl out now to witness how her parents grovel and use her to plead for sympathy will only hurt her young heart.”

“But…”

“Trust me, this tactic won’t work on our general manager.”

“What can we do to change his mind?”

“What’s going on? Is there something special today?” In the evening, Jing Rui was invited to Jiang Yuyan’s fragrant abode. He saw her tying on a cute, alluring white apron, bustling about in the kitchen to prepare dinner, which lifted his spirits.

He set down his briefcase, wrapped his arms around her slender waist from behind, and affectionately pressed his lips against her ear. “Did you cook specially for me?”

“Yeah.” She felt a ticklish urge to pull away.

But he wasn’t going to let her go that easily, gently nibbling on her plump earlobe. “Why? It’s not my birthday today.”

“I’m in a good mood and just wanted to cook. Is that not okay?” she replied coyly.

“That’s fine, but I seem to remember someone whose cooking skills aren’t very good. Didn’t she almost set the kitchen on fire last time and then guiltily promise she wouldn’t overestimate her abilities again?” He chuckled softly, teasing her.

“How annoying.” She pouted and elbowed him firmly in the chest. “I’ll have you know, I’m no longer the inexperienced person I used to be; just you wait and see!”

“Are you saying you’ll be careful with the gas stove today?”

“Of course.”

“And you won’t add too much salt in an attempt to ruin your most important guest?”

“I won’t.”

“What about the kitchen knife?” His large hand glided down her arm, squeezing her delicate hand that wasn’t skilled at cooking. “You won’t cut yourself, will you? The best thing about you is these hands. Would you really want to hurt them?”

She felt a mix of embarrassment and irritation from his teasing, gripping the spatula and turning around fiercely. “Are you implying that aside from my hands, everything else about me looks bad?”

“I didn’t mean that.” He grinned, pulling a cheeky expression.

“You’re saying that now? Are my legs not good-looking? Is my waist not slim enough? What gives you the right to criticize me?” She waved the spatula threateningly in front of him.

He laughed, skillfully dodging her irrational attack. “Women are truly scary; they change faces the moment looks and body shape come up.”

“Men are just boring; what else do they know how to appreciate besides a woman’s beauty?” she retorted playfully.

“I can’t speak for others, but what I value most is up here.” He pointed to his head.

“Right, you’re the smartest!”

“I meant you’re clever enough; otherwise, how could you collude with me?”

“You’re so annoying!” She rolled her eyes dismissively, yet her heart felt like it was pouring honey, sweet but with a hint of unspeakable bitterness. “You go sit in the living room; don’t be in the way here.”

“No problem, I won’t bother you.” Jing Rui complied, obediently walking into the living room. He sat on the sofa, picked up the remote, and tuned into a financial news channel.

Another half an hour passed, and the dishes were finally ready. Jiang Yuyan also found a crystal candelabrum, lighting romantic flames.

“Hey?” Jing Rui leaned over curiously. “Isn’t this candelabrum the one I bought for you when I was on a business trip to London last year?”

“Yes.” She nodded. “I’ll admit you have good taste; it looks quite nice lit up.”

“I’m glad you like it.” Jing Rui smiled lightly, his smile containing a subtle affection that was hard to discern.

But Jiang Yuyan felt it, a blush creeping to her cheeks, her heart fluttering.

“It’s time to eat.” She turned off the main lights, leaving only a standing lamp next to the dining table, harmonizing with the candlelight.

“Let’s see if your cooking skills have truly improved,” Jing Rui said, holding a bowl and carefully tasting each dish, his expression inscrutable.

“What’s going on?” She felt nervous. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

He continued to chew in silence, not uttering a word.

“Is it really that bad?” She frowned. “But I followed the recipe instructions exactly.”

“Try it yourself.” He didn’t offer an opinion, letting her decide.

She gloomily picked up the chopsticks and took a bite of each dish—the vegetables were overcooked, not crisp enough, the chicken was over-seared and tough, and worst of all, the braised fish still had uncleaned scales.

A total failure! She was deeply annoyed, lowering her head onto the table in frustration.

“It’s not that bad, is it?” He looked at her despondent expression with amusement. “Compared to last time, you’ve improved a lot.”

“But it’s still really bad.”

“Everyone has their strengths.” He tapped her head playfully with the back of his chopsticks. “Cooking may not be your strong suit, but as my secretary, your abilities are top-notch, and that’s what counts.”

She didn’t respond, her face half resting on the table, gazing up at him with sparkling eyes, radiating charm.

“Let’s eat,” he encouraged with a smile.

“It tastes this bad, and you’re still eating?” She was surprised to see him prove her wrong—not only did he eat, but he also had two extra bowls of rice and almost finished off the dishes, taking care of half the pot of soup on his own.

She stared in disbelief. “Eating so much—aren’t you full?”

“Who says I’m not?” He shot her a sidelong glance. “I’m practically bursting.”

Then why did you keep eating?

She almost blurted the question out but quickly realized it would have been unnecessary and not very smart.

A man who willingly cleared the table of such mediocre cooking could only mean one thing—he was thanking the woman for her efforts, in his own way.

This was a man’s way of showing his affection for a woman.

At that thought, Jiang Yuyan quietly smiled. Even though Jing Rui never said it, she knew he had feelings for her. But were those feelings strong enough to keep him from losing his temper with her?

When he heard the suggestion she was about to make, would he still remain so composed?