“I originally thought when you said you could cook, you were just saying it,” Fan Xia said.

“I was strictly required by my father from a young age. I attended private aristocratic schools for elementary, middle, and high school. These schools generally have low academic requirements for boys, even allowing failing grades, but they are extremely strict about cooking, illustration, painting, and etiquette. I got A’s in all these courses. But later, I inherited the Shanhai Group, and because of work, I rarely enter the kitchen anymore. My cooking skills have become rusty, and I’m not doing very well,” Rong Xiu said.

“It’s not rusty at all, it’s really delicious,” Fan Xia said as she picked up a piece of sweet and sour grouper. The fish was fresh and firm, with a tangy and spicy taste that suited her palate perfectly.

Seeing her pick up the dishes one by one with her chopsticks, Rong Xiu knew she was sincerely praising him, not just saying it to spare his self-esteem. His cold, narrow eyes were tinged with a layer of laughter, and he instinctively asked what was on his mind: “So is my cooking better, or Wen Lan Sheng’s?”

As soon as he spoke, he regretted it. He shouldn’t have asked like this.

But in his heart, he harbored intense jealousy. Anyway, she didn’t really love Wen Lan Sheng, so why couldn’t he compare?

Fan Xia heard the childishness in this question. She smiled and said, “Yours is better.”

“Really?” Rong Xiu gripped his chopsticks tightly, joy flooding his heart. He couldn’t help but ask again, “What about compared to others?”

Fan Xia was a bit confused: “Others? Who?”

Who? Of course, it was Lu Jin Yi, that little third party she was secretly keeping outside.

Rong Xiu wasn’t usually a person who strived to be the best in every aspect of life, but in front of Fan Xia, he just wanted to be the best in her heart. Before, he had always thought his biggest enemy was Wen Lan Sheng, but now he knew that Fan Xia didn’t love Wen Lan Sheng at all.

But Lu Jin Yi, he was someone Fan Xia had been supporting financially for years, paying for his education and taking care of his father. She must love Lu Jin Yi very much.

He had secretly investigated Lu Jin Yi, had seen him sweating on the basketball court, so young and passionate, something that he, long immersed in the business world, couldn’t give Fan Xia. He was even a year older than Fan Xia.

The most youthful moments of his life could only be spent hiding in a corner, secretly watching her being affectionate with Wen Lan Sheng.

Now, he finally had the qualification to stand side by side with Fan Xia, but he was no longer young.

Compared to the young Lu Jin Yi, he would never have confidence.

Fan Xia had endured humiliation for so many years for revenge, always pretending to love Wen Lan Sheng in front of him. She had hidden Lu Jin Yi so deeply that even Wen Lan Sheng didn’t know the real third party wasn’t him, but Lu Jin Yi.

He was just a knife helping Fan Xia get revenge, but the person she truly loved to the bone was Lu Jin Yi.

As long as he was better than Lu Jin Yi, just better than Lu Jin Yi, Rong Xiu’s heart was gnawed by jealousy. Only this way could he make his constantly tormented, jealous heart feel a little better.

Fan Xia’s eyes were calm and steady. She thought the “others” Rong Xiu mentioned referred to the chefs in outside restaurants. She smiled and said, her eyes gentle and bright: “Yours is the most delicious.”

Rong Xiu smiled, his distorted desire for comparison satisfied. His thin lips revealed an abnormal, sickly red, yet looked more vivid than his usual cold and indifferent appearance, appearing soft.

Fan Xia took a sip of the dried scallop and crab meat soup, smiling at the corners of her mouth.

One Eyebrow saw them eating and jumped down from the sofa, whining and biting her skirt, seemingly dissatisfied that only they were eating.

Just as Fan Xia was about to say she forgot to serve food for One Eyebrow, Rong Xiu said,

“Don’t mind it. It just secretly ate a big bowl of dog food in the back. Its stomach is about to burst. It’s just pretending to be pitiful in front of you.”

Fan Xia burst into laughter: “Poor One Eyebrow, unfortunately there’s none for you.”

One Eyebrow seemed to understand her words. Its tail immediately drooped down, reluctantly rubbing against her calf. The drooping eyebrow looked even more comical.

Fan Xia laughed and said: “It’s no use trying to act cute with me. I don’t have any dog food. Go ask your dad.”

Rong Xiu’s expression suddenly froze for a moment.

One Eyebrow hesitated for a moment, seemingly deciding that Rong Xiu wouldn’t give it any more dog food, and lay on the ground throwing a tantrum like a child.

Fan Xia also thought Rong Xiu wouldn’t give it any more dog food.

Unexpectedly, Rong Xiu put down his chopsticks and gave it a few small treats for teeth grinding.

Pleasantly surprised, One Eyebrow happily barked once, its little tail wagging frantically as it happily gnawed on the treat stick.

“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t feed it anymore? Why are you giving it treats again?” Fan Xia said with a smile.

Rong Xiu’s expression was very strange, with a touch of inexplicable blush at the corners of his eyes: “It’s nothing, just two treat sticks. It won’t choke on them.”

Fan Xia smiled slightly, feeling that Rong Xiu was all bark and no bite.

Although his attitude towards One Eyebrow was indifferent, not showing much affection, there were dog toys all over the backyard, and he had even specially cleared out a room as a dog house. It’s good to follow a rich owner; even the dog house it sleeps in costs tens of thousands per square meter. If it followed her, it could only sleep on the balcony.

Fan Xia ate this meal with great satisfaction.

After the meal, she helped Rong Xiu clean up.

Rong Xiu stepped back two steps with the plates: “I can clean up myself. You can watch TV.”

Fan Xia smiled and rolled up her sleeves, revealing her slender white wrists: “How can I watch TV while you’re busy washing dishes in the kitchen? Let me help you.”

Rong Xiu said: “Actually, I don’t need to do much. Just put the dishes in the dishwasher. The kitchen waste and such, the servants will come to clean up regularly.”

Fan Xia’s expression froze for a moment, then she laughed. She had forgotten about the power of money. How could someone with Rong Xiu’s background not afford to hire servants?

“Alright then,” she said, sitting on the sofa. She remembered that the last time she came, there was an ashtray full of cigarette butts on the coffee table.

At that time, Rong Xiu had a high fever. She had nothing else to do, so she helped him empty the ashtray. Although she was slightly surprised that a cold, aloof, and proud man like Rong Xiu would smoke, it wasn’t her place to comment on someone smoking in their own home.

But now the coffee table was empty except for a few books and a remote control. Just then, Rong Xiu finished cleaning up the kitchen and came to sit beside her.

She took the opportunity to ask, “You’re not smoking anymore?”