After Transmigrating into a Cannon Fodder Submissive, I Became Popular by Foraging on the Beach - Chapter 8

“Young Master Shen, let me take that.” It was the young assistant, Xiao Liu, who rushed up to help Shen Qiu with his suitcase.

He pulled out a document from his bag: “Please take a look, this is your company’s report for the week.”

Shen Qiu wasn’t particularly gifted in business, but he could understand the numbers.

The new project situation was improving, and Shen Qiu smiled.

“Boss Lu means that we shouldn’t make it public for now. Everyone with eyes at the banquet will know, and we’ll go get the marriage certificate in a few days.”

Shen Qiu nodded and opened the car door.

Seeing Lu Yidong, his movement to get in paused, and he greeted him politely.

Lu Yidong looked at Assistant Xiao Liu through the rearview mirror, and Xiao Liu frantically signaled with his eyes.

Originally, only Xiao Liu was supposed to pick him up, but Xiao Liu had advised: “It might be a little inappropriate, Boss, on the first day to let him come alone…”

Lu Yidong looked at Shen Qiu’s smiling face, his fingers curling slightly: “Came to accompany you to see the place.” (A Chinese idiom meaning to familiarize oneself with a new home).

Shen Qiu was sweet-spoken: “Thank you, Lu Ge, you’re so thoughtful.”

Lu Yidong’s expression softened for a moment.

There wasn’t much traffic on the way, and they soon reached their destination.

Shen Qiu followed him out of the car, smacking his lips. It turned out to be a house in Tang Kang Ju.

Tang Kang Ju was located on Binjiang Avenue, offering a distant view of the azure sea.

It was close to the city center, yet nestled in a quiet area away from the hustle and bustle.

The community’s security and property management were top-notch, and only the wealthy and influential could live there.

Lu Yidong had bought a garden villa in the villa area, which wasn’t too tall but offered an excellent living environment.

Lu Yidong gestured towards Shen Qiu to the security personnel, who immediately respectfully noted down Shen Qiu’s details, ensuring his smooth entry and exit in the future.

When they reached the door, Shen Qiu stopped and blinked: “Do I get a key for this?”

Lu Yidong handed it to him, his meaning unclear: “From now on, you are also the owner of this home.”

Shen Qiu stood at the door, shaking the key in his hand: “Then I’ll open the door?”

The door creaked open.

Shen Qiu turned back to fetch his suitcase, but Lu Yidong pushed it away, taking the lead.

Shen Qiu had no choice but to follow him upstairs and find his room.

“If there’s anything you’re not used to, or any furniture you like, you can purchase it yourself.”

Lu Yidong politely placed the suitcase by the door: “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

Shen Qiu shook his head.

After Lu Yidong left the room, he opened the closet and quickly organized his belongings.

He rolled around on the bed.

The quilt carried the unique, comforting scent of having been washed and sun-dried, which gradually eased Shen Qiu’s awkwardness about cohabiting.

He stretched lazily, rubbed his stomach, and left the room to go to the kitchen.

The kitchen was fully equipped with ingredients and utensils. Shen Qiu hesitated for a moment.

He turned around and coincidentally saw Lu Yidong descending the stairs.

Presumably having been working in the study at home, Lu Yidong wasn’t dressed formally.

A light-colored, round-neck loungewear made him look a few years younger.

It had to be said that Lu Yidong’s face was very striking. Even under the less-than-optimal lighting, it only softened Lu Yidong’s intimidating presence, making him appear more approachable.

His expression was relaxed, and his tone was gentle: “Is something the matter?”

Shen Qiu was momentarily lost in thought, staring blankly at his face, before quickly turning away to open the refrigerator in a blatant attempt to cover up.

“…Nothing, just wanted to ask if I could use the kitchen to make something to eat.”

Lu Yidong: “Of course you can. The cleaning lady comes regularly every day, or you can ask her to cook.”

“You haven’t had dinner yet, either, have you?” Shen Qiu looked at the clean kitchen and the tidy utensils, sounding excited: “Perfect, I’ll cook for both of us.”

Lu Yidong was about to politely decline, but he involuntarily recalled the meal he had eaten that day.

It was fresh, savory, and rich. He swallowed.

He bit back the words, “I usually don’t eat this early,” and said instead: “Okay.”

“Any dietary restrictions?”

“No, anything is fine.”

Shen Qiu casually replied, his movements skillful. He first thawed the codfish, sprinkled a little salt, and placed it in the oven. He also started making stir-fried beef with green peppers.

The rice cooker was hissing.

Lu Yidong watched his busy back. The rhythmic sound of chopping vegetables filled his ears, and the cold villa seemed to have been suddenly illuminated because of him, feeling both mundane and cozy.

Without realizing it himself, his gaze was incredibly gentle.

“It smells good,” he praised.

Shen Qiu was humble: “I only know some simple home-cooked dishes. I learned from my…” He paused, correcting himself, “I learned it online, and I enjoy it myself.”

Shen Qiu was a bit lost in thought.

He had actually grown up watching and being influenced by his father, which led him to love cooking.

Back then, his father had first won his mother’s heart with his good cooking skills.

Even after marriage, his father cooked while his mother accompanied him, smiling happily.

Every time he ate, he also got a side dish of “dog food” (a Chinese slang term for public display of affection), and he was actually quite envious.

His father always said: “Cooking for someone you like is a joy.”

So Shen Qiu learned.

It was just a pity that he was here now, and he didn’t know how his parents were doing…

“Aren’t you going to turn it over? I think it’s about to burn.” (referring to the food)

Shen Qiu snapped out of his thoughts, quickly picked up the spatula, and rubbed his nose: “It’s intentionally cooked this way to create a tiger-skin pattern on the chili for the stir-fried pork. It needs to be a bit charred.”

Shen Qiu, feeling embarrassed, dared not look up, poking the food with the spatula.

He had been too sentimental just now; he should focus on his current life.

“Is there anything I can help you with?”

Shen Qiu quickly came back to his senses: “Then could you please bring the dishes to the table?”

Looking at Lu Yidong’s retreating back, the conversation and the scene felt strangely familiar.

…It was like watching his parents do it.

Shen Qiu quickly shook his head, trying to clear his mind.

Soon, Shen Qiu had prepared a dinner spread.

Blanched Chinese cabbage hearts, roasted codfish drizzled with a special sauce—crispy on the outside and tender on the inside—and stir-fried beef with “tiger-skin” green peppers.

Shen Qiu watched Lu Yidong take a few bites and asked expectantly: “Is it good?”

Lu Yidong: “It’s good, I really like it.”

Shen Qiu was delighted, but still said: “No, no, it’s just average cooking.”

“I thought a big boss like you would prefer French cuisine or Japanese food, or at least something at the state banquet level.”

“No one eats those every day.”

Shen Qiu couldn’t help but smile.

The cleaning lady handled the cleanup after dinner, leaving Shen Qiu free.

A few days passed like this. Their cohabitation was as free as living alone.

The two were polite, like roommates, but they slowly became more familiar with each other.

Lu Yidong would very sincerely praise which dish was delicious, and Shen Qiu became even happier while cooking.

That day, Shen Qiu filmed a food video with his camera again and prepared dinner.

He stood at the dining table checking the footage, nodding with satisfaction.

Lu Yidong was coming home today, and Shen Qiu planned to wait for him to eat together.

Just then, the phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated, and a WeChat notification sound went off.

The notification sound was a frog croaking, which Shen Qiu had set himself because he found it funny.

Shen Qiu paused his actions and saw a few messages from Chen Xinhuan, so he simply stood there and replied.

Chen Xinhuan: [Good Ge~ I only got half of the gossip the other day, so… ]

Chen Xinhuan: [Are you guys living together?]

Chen Xinhuan: [Of course, if it’s inconvenient to say, you don’t have to tell me, boohoohoo]

Shen Qiu’s lips curved, and he could almost picture Chen Xinhuan scratching his ears and cheeks, eager for gossip.

He was playful: [Guess?]

Chen Xinhuan naturally begged for an answer.

Shen Qiu teased him enough, then vaguely conceded: [It’s like this, anyway. You can’t just make it public, okay?]

He emphasized again: [Just know it in your heart, don’t tell anyone outside.]

Chen Xinhuan was silent for two seconds, then went crazy and sent a barrage of emojis. Suddenly, the croaking sound was everywhere.

It was so loud that Shen Qiu couldn’t hear anything else.

Chen Xinhuan: [Awesome!!! You guys are so sweet!!!] (kswl is internet slang for “they’re so sweet, I’m dying”)

Chen Xinhuan: [I understand, I understand, special status and all! Congratulations, congratulations!]

…

Chen Xinhuan: [Boohoohoo, so it’s true love! You love Lu Yidong so much!!!]

Shen Qiu remembered their agreement and added a line: [Of course, I like him a lot! Why else would I agree!]

A voice suddenly came from behind.

“What are you doing?”