Cohabitation With The Maniacally Gorgeous CEO - Chapter 16
Chapter 16
Saturday was quite surreal, but the next day, Xu Lingyin neither played games nor went out drinking. She spent a long time on the balcony on a video call, seemingly choosing beautiful clothes.
After waking up, An Yiqing went back to her room to wash up and spent the whole morning working.
It was 11 o’clock when she finally left her room to prepare lunch.
Xu Lingyin was semi-reclining on the sofa, clutching a “Divine Doctor” merchandise pillow.
Hearing the movement, she turned her head to look.
Her gaze was slightly different from usual.
If An Yiqing had to pinpoint the difference, she wouldn’t know how to describe it.
It was just a warmer stare.
The two gazes touched and instantly broke apart. An Yiqing curved her lips as a form of greeting.
“I’m going to cook,” she said softly. “What would you like to eat?”
Xu Lingyin rested her chin on the pillow, staring intently at her: “I bought groceries; you can just start cooking.”
Xu Lingyin was usually busy and rarely actively bought groceries.
The last time was to make An Yiqing stay; what was the reason this time? Did she have a new idea?
An Yiqing glanced at her and walked into the kitchen.
Besides the usual groceries, there was also a dish they didn’t often make here.
An Yiqing walked to the doorway and asked casually, “You like spareribs too?”
“Too?” Xu Lingyin raised an eyebrow. “You like them too?”
In An Yiqing’s submitted videos, the dish she made the most was braised spareribs.
Every time she went home, her mother would make this dish.
She liked eating it, and she also missed her mother’s cooking through it.
Nodding, An Yiqing continued to ask, “What flavor do you want?”
“Braised in soy sauce.”
She hadn’t expected that she and Miss Xu would have similar tastes.
A smile touched An Yiqing’s eyes, and she returned to the kitchen to busy herself with lunch.
They started eating promptly at 12:30.
The braised spareribs were placed in front of Xu Lingyin. An Yiqing pointed to them: “Try it and see if it’s tasty.”
Xu Lingyin picked up a piece with her chopsticks and put it into her mouth.
She chewed slowly, her expression unchanged.
It was hard to tell if it was delicious or just ordinary.
After she finished, An Yiqing waited for her to speak and give her some kind of evaluation.
But the young lady remained silent and picked up another piece.
Last time, when she thought it was delicious, she immediately gave feedback.
Saying nothing this time suggested she wasn’t very satisfied.
An Yiqing pursed her lips, served herself a bowl of rice, and ate quietly.
Honestly, although it wasn’t as good as her mother’s, she thought it was still quite nice.
She tasted it and then thought: It’s normal for a young lady who frequently visits high-end restaurants to have high standards for food.
Trying hard to comfort herself, An Yiqing quietly ate her meal.
She ate at a decent pace; she started later than Xu Lingyin but finished before her.
There were still a few pieces of spareribs left in the bowl, but Xu Lingyin didn’t eat them anymore.
An Yiqing didn’t want to waste them, so she reached out to pick up a piece.
“Aren’t you full?” Xu Lingyin hadn’t swallowed her mouthful of rice yet and quickly spoke up.
An Yiqing paused, looked up at her: “There are only a few pieces left. I don’t want to waste them.”
Xu Lingyin glared at her: “I want to eat them.”
An Yiqing shook her head: “No need to force yourself if you don’t like it.”
Xu Lingyin: ?
“An Yiqing, which ear heard me say I don’t like it?” Her tone turned aggressive. “Is there a problem with saving the best for last?”
An Yiqing’s heart skipped a beat: “You think it’s delicious?”
“Nonsense. If I didn’t like it, would I be too busy eating to talk?” Xu Lingyin had never been so speechless.
An Yiqing was also quite helpless.
Ever since she started interacting with Miss Xu, she tended to overthink things.
Truly…
She withdrew her chopsticks, happily leaving the spareribs for her.
The smile on her lips grew wider.
After lunch, An Yiqing had just finished cleaning up the kitchen when there was a knock at the door.
She happened to be passing by the entrance and opened it casually.
Someone delivered an exquisite bag.
A haute couture brand name was written on it.
It was the dress Xu Lingyin had chosen that morning.
The box was heavy; one didn’t need to look to know the quality.
An Yiqing carried the box upstairs and handed it to Xu Lingyin.
After Xu Lingyin took the item, An Yiqing turned to go back to her room.
Before she could take a step, the other person called out to her.
Taking out the box, Xu Lingyin placed it on the coffee table.
Turning to look at An Yiqing, she said, “Open it and take a look.”
“Me?” An Yiqing pointed to herself, a little confused. “Wouldn’t that be inappropriate?”
She raised her chin, urging: “Hurry up.”
With a look of confusion, An Yiqing opened the heavy lid.
Inside the box was a pink silk dress, dotted with the new willow green of spring.
The aura of spring rushed forward.
“That dance of yours is suitable to be performed in this dress,” Xu Lingyin took it out. “It’s a gift for you.”
As the light hit it, the dress’s subtle shimmer moved, sparkling like water.
Stuffing it into An Yiqing’s arms, Xu Lingyin told her to go try it on.
The cheapest dress from this brand costs hundreds of thousands.
It was definitely outside An Yiqing’s selection range, and unacceptable as a gift.
The reason was simple: she was poor and couldn’t afford a reciprocal gift.
An Yiqing held the dress carefully, feeling very awkward.
Xu Lingyin looked over, watching her.
Seeing her standing still, Xu Lingyin crossed her arms and sat on the sofa: “It’s just for your dance. Once you’re done dancing, we’ll auction it off and donate the money to children in need.”
Looking at the dress in her hands, An Yiqing reluctantly accepted this explanation: “Then let’s consider it a rental.”
Xu Lingyin didn’t speak, signaling her to go change.
This dress truly lived up to its haute couture status; it felt incredibly comfortable to the touch.
Wearing it, An Yiqing looked in the mirror and felt as if she were in a peach blossom forest.
Coming out of the dressing room, An Yiqing returned to the living room.
She walked up to Xu Lingyin to let her see.
Xu Lingyin was looking at her phone. Hearing the footsteps, she looked up.
For a moment, she was momentarily stunned, as if seeing a peach blossom descend into the human world.
A surging vitality rushed forward.
A strong scent of spring filled the house.
“It suits you very well.” A concise four-word review.
Xu Lingyin was afraid that if she said too much, she might say something inappropriate.
Forcibly looking away, Xu Lingyin thought that she should pay more attention to this haute couture brand in the future.
The brand’s style was perfectly suited to An Yiqing.
It had to be said that Xu Lingyin’s taste was truly excellent.
This dress, whether in color scheme or tailoring, was outstanding.
Especially the lively yet elegant style, which perfectly matched that song.
An Yiqing changed back into her own clothes and carefully placed the dress back in the box.
Sitting down next to Xu Lingyin, she said seriously, “Miss Xu, if there’s anything you need help with, please don’t hesitate to say.”
“Mhm.” Xu Lingyin spoke up at the right time. “As a matter of fact, there is something I need your help with.”
An Yiqing listened attentively.
Xu Lingyin didn’t immediately state what the matter was but instead asked how much free time An Yiqing had every day.
After getting a clear answer, Xu Lingyin said: “From Monday to Friday, bring dinner to the company, and we’ll go home together in the evening. During this time at the company, you can just work on your own matters.”
Her voice was clear, and her articulation was distinct, yet what she said was incomprehensible to An Yiqing.
“Miss Xu, what kind of help is this? I don’t quite understand,” An Yiqing subtly furrowed her brow.
Xu Lingyin took out a card: “I’ve made myself quite clear. Fifty thousand a month. Anything else you want, I’ll buy it for you separately. Will you do it?”
Paying fifty thousand a month to do this—was this considered help?
A dress worth hundreds of thousands was given away without hesitation; she would buy anything An Yiqing wanted.
An Yiqing suddenly recalled something. In the Western restaurant restroom, the two ladies had said that wealthy people enjoyed games.
So, was Xu Lingyin in that mindset too?
To have her play along during her free time outside of work?
And she’s offering a salary.
Wasn’t this exactly what her mother had misconstrued?
In an instant, all the joy receded like a tide.
An Yiqing returned to her usual state, her apricot eyes even revealing disappointment.
A bitter feeling welled up in her heart. She glanced at the bank card and lowered her gaze.
Her eyebrows drooped.
She turned and walked towards her room.
“An Yiqing, you won’t help with this?” Xu Lingyin’s voice held disbelief.
It was just a part-time job, fifty thousand a month. Many people would be lining up for it, wouldn’t they?
An Yiqing stopped, keeping her head down, not looking at Xu Lingyin: “My mother doesn’t want me to work in this kind of profession.”