Ruan Jiujiu was awakened from her drowsy slumber by a series of incessant phone ringings, which gave her a throbbing headache. She squinted her eyes half-awake, fumbling on the soft blankets, reaching her hand to the bedside table. Her fingers grazed a glass, nearly knocking it over before finally grabbing the troublemaker.
Without checking the caller ID, Ruan Jiujiu answered the call with a lazy tone, “Hello?”
She asked, feeling sluggish.
“Jiujiu, please come quickly! Your father-in-law is in critical condition!”
Father-in-law?
She had to correct that; he was her father-in-law but not her husband!
The voice on the other end, unfamiliar for a long time, was crying so uncontrollably that Ruan Jiujiu had to think for a while before remembering there was someone named Qu Wei in her life.
It also reminded her that she was a daughter-in-law with in-laws.
Over the phone, Qu Wei continued sobbing, making her words inaudible. Ruan Jiujiu, wide awake now, abruptly sat up. Her first thought was, does Cheng Jun know?
Ruan Jiujiu hung up the phone, pushed open the door with large strides, and found Cheng Jun rummaging in the refrigerator, seemingly searching for something. He immediately shut the door as Ruan Jiujiu entered the room.
She approached him briskly, and even Cheng Jun noticed that something was amiss.
Cheng Jun asked, “What’s wrong?”
Ruan Jiujiu hesitated for a moment.
She looked at Cheng Jun, trying to keep her tone as calm as possible, and said, “Qu Wei called me. She said that Uncle may not have much time left.”
“…”
Cheng Jun stood there silently, his face showing no emotions, his long, phoenix-like eyes half-lidded, without any fluctuations.
He twisted open the bottle of Yakult in his hand and said, “She’s bothering you again.”
Qu Wei had a way of picking the softest targets.
If she were to call Cheng Jun, he would hang up the moment he heard her voice.
Ruan Jiujiu pursed her lips and said, “Make your own decision. Whatever you choose, I’ll support you.”
She had no knowledge of Cheng Jun’s parents, nor could she know what Cheng Jun’s father had done wrong. Whether Cheng Jun chose to visit or not, he had his reasons, and anyone using the pretext of family ties was moral blackmail. Not all grudges could be smoothed over with a simple “unbreakable blood connection.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Cheng Jun looked at her and fell into silence for a moment.
In Ruan Jiujiu’s mind, Cheng Jun had transformed into “Poor Little Cheng,” and she silently watched him with warm eyes, giving him strength.
As their eyes met, this moment felt eternal.
Cheng Jun seemed lost in thought but finally spoke up, “I want to have dumplings for breakfast.”
Ruan Jiujiu: “Ah?!”
Why did he suddenly switch to talking about food when they were discussing his father’s situation? And it was so seamlessly, so naturally?
Cheng Jun’s persistent and sluggish tone only added to her exasperation. “Didn’t you say you’d support all my choices?”
Ruan Jiujiu: “…”
The conversation had taken an inexplicable turn.
“You want dumplings for breakfast? Why not have wonton soup? Do you need a side dish too?”
Cheng Jun: “That actually sounds good…”
Ruan Jiujiu responded with a deathly glare.
…
Cheng Jun was effectively silenced by that look.
Dumplings for breakfast indeed.
Lately, he had been getting used to a healthier diet, with the refrigerator stocked with various nutritious ingredients. He even tried to replace most meats with lean chicken and fish, and a small amount of beef.
Ruan Jiujiu was quite satisfied with their dietary choices.
For breakfast, it was essential to have something nutritious.
Whole-grain bread, a sweet potato, and some oatmeal with milk constituted the perfect balanced breakfast.
Cheng Jun took a few bites of the whole-grain bread, which he found quite tasteless, and let out a long sigh.
Ruan Jiujiu sat across from him, enjoying cherry tomatoes one by one, seemingly delighted by this healthy lifestyle.
She supervised diligently, saying, “Make sure to finish everything; don’t leave any leftovers.”
Cheng Jun wore a thoroughly troubled expression.
He no longer brought up his father’s situation, and Ruan Jiujiu didn’t press for more information.
Since the person involved didn’t seem to care, she, as the not-quite daughter-in-law, would maintain her role as a good wife.
As they sat in the car, each with their thoughts, Ruan Jiujiu’s phone rang again.
She picked it up, and it showed an unfamiliar number, unmistakably Qu Wei’s.
She had probably been waiting for a response for a while and was getting anxious.
Ruan Jiujiu glanced at Cheng Jun, who was faster than her, picking up her phone, ending the call, blocking the number, and shutting it down all in one swift motion.
Ruan Jiujiu was left dumbfounded.
Cheng Jun returned her phone with a gentle tone. “You don’t need to pay attention to it. You can turn it on later.”
“Okay…” Ruan Jiujiu retrieved her phone, and the car resumed its quiet atmosphere.
She discreetly stole a glance at Cheng Jun. He was looking out the window, his elbow resting on the window frame, appearing lost in thought.
Today, he seemed even more silent than usual, probably because he was feeling down.
It was hard for him to pretend like nothing happened all morning.
Ruan Jiujiu’s heart softened slightly. She bit her lip, considering whether or not to say something.
Cheng Jun, gazing out the window, had half-lidded eyes and thick, long eyelashes.
His lips were lightly colored, and he let out a soft sigh. “Whole-grain bread is really hard to swallow.”
Extending half of her hand, Ruan Jiujiu said, “…”
She must be out of her mind to believe that Cheng Jun could be serious for once!
When she arrived at the office, she coincidentally encountered Tu Nan, who was acting like a clingy puppy, hovering around the secretary. It seemed that his words about giving the secretary a chance and pursuing her were just empty talk.
Ruan Jiujiu couldn’t help but find it amusing and decided to pretend she hadn’t seen anything. She quietly returned to her office.
She turned on her computer and stared at her sketches.
Although Qu Wei was foolish, she was also quite cunning. Ruan Jiujiu didn’t want her to cause more trouble under some other pretense.
She tried sketching, but nothing seemed to be taking shape. Ruan Jiujiu sat in her chair, lost in thought.
It seemed that since she came into this world, Cheng Jun had never mentioned anything about his mother. Aside from this house and some vague comments from Qu Wei, Ruan Jiujiu suddenly realized how little she knew about Cheng Jun’s past.
“Ah…” She couldn’t help but sigh.
The strange intimacy mixed with awkwardness made her uncomfortable.
Her phone buzzed suddenly, and Cheng Jun’s message appeared on the screen.
[Cheng Jun: What are you up to?]
In his office, Cheng Jun was already thinking about having Korean barbecue for dinner. But whether they could eat it or not would depend on Ruan Jiujiu’s approval.
In the eyes of others, Cheng Jun was focused on his phone, wearing a serious expression, as if he were discussing a billion-dollar deal.
Fu Zicheng, who was presenting a PowerPoint presentation on his tablet, stuttered for a moment. He hesitated and glanced at Cheng Jun, uncertain whether to continue.
Cheng Jun’s peripheral vision caught his hesitation, signaling him to proceed.
Fu Zicheng: The boss must be discussing a very important business deal! I need to perform well!
Others in the meeting room: Is the company facing a major crisis? Why does the boss look so serious?
The whole meeting room was filled with unease, and everyone was secretly speculating about what had happened to Cheng Jun, causing his expression to be so grave.
Cheng Jun was like a student waiting for his college entrance exam results, sitting up straight and waiting for Ruan Jiujiu’s response.
After a while, Ruan Jiujiu replied.
[Ruan Jiujiu: Act coquettish.]
Cheng Jun: ???
Suddenly, Cheng Jun stood up, gesturing to Fu Zicheng to continue, and quickly left the room.
Fu Zicheng couldn’t hide his nervousness and whispered to Tu Nan, “Did I say something wrong? Did I perform poorly today?”
Tu Nan, who had been called by Fu Zicheng, finally snapped out of his daze.
Sitting across from him was the secretary, who was diligently taking notes on the meeting content, appearing completely absorbed in her work and seemingly disinterested in love affairs. This frustrated Tu Nan even more.
Tu Nan asked slowly, “What did you say?”
Fu Zicheng: “…”
It had to be because he performed poorly today!
After sending the message, Ruan Jiujiu continued to stare at her computer, lost in thought. After a while with no response from Cheng Jun, she unexpectedly picked up her phone and saw two big characters displayed on the screen: “Act coquettish.”
Ruan Jiujiu:!
Didn’t she reply with “daydreaming”? Blame it on the 26-key input method!
She was about to explain when the office door suddenly burst open.
Cheng Boss was holding his phone, his expression so serious that he looked like he was on the verge of bankruptcy, as if he were wearing a bright green hat. “Why are you acting coquettish? Who are you acting coquettish for? What kind of coquettishness is this?”
Ruan Jiujiu: “…You’re overreacting. I just accidentally typed the wrong word.”
Cheng Jun: “Oh.”
“Did you come here for such a trivial matter?”
“Wait, you were in a meeting, right?”
Cheng Jun fumbled for words, his eyes wandering, and the aura he had before vanished instantly.
He said, “The company is discussing the next project in the meeting, which Fu Zicheng is responsible for. Also, I’ve pretty much understood the important content, so I’ll continue the discussion later. After the meeting, we’ll go eat Korean barbecue. We’ll rest early today, and we have important work to do tomorrow…”
Cheng Jun spoke without taking a breath, leaving Ruan Jiujiu dumbfounded.
“Wait a minute! What did you say in the last half of that sentence?”
Cheng Jun paused and continued nonchalantly, “We’ll rest early today…”
“No, the sentence before that.”
“I’m going to the meeting now.”
“No barbecue?”
“No barbecue.”
Cheng Jun looked like a well-behaved elementary school student.
Ruan Jiujiu watched him, and it seemed like he was standing there as if he were in detention. The hood of his hoodie drooped down, and he looked somewhat lifeless.
Ruan Jiujiu couldn’t help but laugh and said, “Let’s have barbecue, then.”
It’s not like we’re going on a hunger strike; we don’t have to eat nutritious meals every time.
Cheng Jun’s eyes lit up.
When work ended in the evening, the two of them went to a Korean barbecue restaurant.
Ruan Jiujiu ordered a full beef combo, and to Cheng Jun’s eager gaze, she also ordered two mushroom combos, one chicken breast, one kimchi fried rice, and requested extra lettuce.
Ruan Jiujiu asked sincerely, “Is the lettuce enough?”
Cheng Jun silently stood up. “I’ll go to the restroom.”
“Sure.”
Ruan Jiujiu thought that with so many orders, it would definitely be enough for the two of them. Dinner shouldn’t be too heavy; they needed to learn restraint.
Cheng Jun returned to his seat shortly after leaving.
Ruan Jiujiu poured herself a glass of barley tea and leisurely sipped it. At that moment, two restaurant staff approached, applauding and cheering loudly, which startled Ruan Jiujiu.
Ruan Jiujiu: “?”
“Congratulations! You two are the ten thousandth customers in our restaurant, and you’ve won our grand prize…”
Ruan Jiujiu watched in astonishment as a stack of fresh red meat slices was wheeled over on a small cart, piled up high.
She looked puzzled. Could such good luck really happen?
What she didn’t know was that some people would go to great lengths for food.
As the oil gradually sizzled, Cheng Jun picked up a few pieces of beef and placed them on the grill, producing a sizzling sound as the red meat instantly cooked.
With the condiments and kimchi, he rolled up the meat in lettuce leaves and put it in his mouth. It was incredibly delicious.
Suddenly, her phone rang.
Ruan Jiujiu picked up her phone, and Tu Nan’s name was displayed.
Tu Nan was out shopping with Fu Zicheng and suddenly thought that only women could understand women. Perhaps seeking advice from his sister-in-law would make his love life smoother.
He quickly sent a message to Ruan Jiujiu, and of course, it would be even better if they could have dinner at her place.
Fu Zicheng, upon hearing this, also became enthusiastic. “I want to eat your cooking too!”
It was like seizing the opportunity. Ruan Jiujiu quickly replied, “Cheng Jun and I are at a barbecue restaurant, and they gave us a lot of meat. Do you want to join us?”
Tu Nan: “Give us the address; we’ll be there in no time!”
Boss Cheng, who was busy grilling meat, was quite satisfied with his strategy but had no idea that disaster was looming.
Ten minutes later.
Tu Nan: “Hehe, sister-in-law, Boss.”
Fu Zicheng: “Hehe, sister-in-law, Boss.”
When Cheng Jun looked at the two of them while holding his meat tongs, it was as if he were staring at dead men.
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