Chapter 88 Changed

She spoke again, unhurriedly sitting down, taking a set of utensils from her cloth bag. From the innermost layer of the insulated container, she served two bowls of rice—one offered to Shen Qingyi, the other placed before herself.

Shen Qingyi hesitated for a moment, then removed a third of the full bowl of rice and returned it to the container before she began to eat.

The two sat in silence, each eating their meal. Apart from the plate of greens, Shen Qingyi only took a couple of bites of fish.

Summer Xiyue did not touch any of the dishes Shen Qingyi had already eaten from.

After Shen Qingyi finished, she set down her bowl and chopsticks.

Summer Xiyue frowned at her. "You don't like the food?"

"No, I'm full."

Summer Xiyue looked at her slender frame, wanting to say something, then held back.

She finished the remaining food herself.

When she was done, Shen Qingyi spoke up, "Let me wash the dishes."

Summer Xiyue glanced at her, then handed over the lunchbox and utensils. Listening to the sound of water splashing in the bathroom, she let out a sigh.

It seemed Shen Qingyi could never truly accept kindness from others without feeling uneasy.

When Shen Qingyi came out, the lunchbox and utensils were already spotless.

Her fair, delicate hand offered the lunchbox to Summer Xiyue. "Thank you."

Summer Xiyue took it. "The TV remote is in the left drawer. Rest well; we set out at eight tomorrow morning. We'll have lunch on the way and arrive by one in the afternoon."

"Alright."

With that, Summer Xiyue turned and left, closing the door behind her.

But less than half an hour later, someone knocked again. Just as Shen Qingyi was about to watch TV, she got out of bed to open the door.

She expected Summer Xiyue, but it was a hotel staff member, holding an exquisitely wrapped box. "Mr. Xia ordered this for you."

Shen Qingyi was stunned and did not take it right away. "Please send it to Mr. Xia’s room."

"Mr. Xia just went downstairs."

Shen Qingyi accepted the gift box, anxiety fluttering in her heart. Everything Summer Xiyue gave was expensive; how much was this, and could she ever repay it?

The staff member smiled and left. Shen Qingyi closed the door.

Seated at the table, she opened the box: a dainty, exquisite cake and a small bottle of what looked like orange juice.

She let out a breath of relief—thankfully, it wasn’t anything extravagant.

She rarely ate cake and was not fond of sweets, but this one was so delicately made, just the size of her palm, soft and light, wrapped in a layer of white cream.

Red flowers adorned the top, with a dusting of fine chocolate in the center.

Unable to resist, she took a bite. It wasn’t overly sweet; the cream had a gentle, grainy texture, blending with the chocolate shavings and the pale yellow cake—an unexpectedly delightful taste.

Bite after bite, she finished the entire piece.

The attendant knocked on Summer Xiyue’s door. "Mr. Xia, I’ve delivered the cake Master Wang made to Miss Shen’s room. She accepted it."

"Did she say anything?"

"The same as you asked me to reply—I did, and she took it."

Summer Xiyue pulled out his wallet and handed the staff fifty yuan. "Keep the change as your tip."

The attendant was elated. "Thank you, Mr. Xia."

Hurrying to the first floor, she handed the money to the cashier. "For the cake."

The cashier gave her fifteen yuan in change. "Who exactly is this Mr. Xia? So generous and good-looking. Every time he stays here, he books the best room. And today, he brought a woman."

The staff pocketed the change happily. "She must be his partner."

The cashier noticed she kept the change herself. "Why aren’t you giving the change back to Mr. Xia?"

"I just delivered a cake to his companion. He was in a good mood and said I could keep the rest as a tip."

The cashier was suddenly envious. "If I’d known, I would have gone myself. What kind of woman is so lucky? Asking for a cake made personally by Master Wang—thirty-five yuan for such a tiny piece!"

The attendant laughed. "He insisted Master Wang make it, right at the end of his shift. The cakes made by Wang’s apprentices only cost a few yuan each."

The cashier shook her head, resigned. The world of the wealthy was beyond her understanding.

The next morning, just after Shen Qingyi finished washing up, someone knocked on her door again. It was the same attendant as yesterday. "Breakfast for you?"

She entered, set a covered tray on the table, and unveiled soy milk, eggs, fried dough sticks, soup dumplings, and two plates of broad white noodles Shen Qingyi had never seen before. The noodles were stuffed with egg and minced meat.

Shen Qingyi pointed at the noodles. "What are these?"

"Rice noodle rolls."

"I can't finish all this by myself," Shen Qingyi said, troubled.

The attendant chuckled. "It’s for two; Mr. Xia has already paid."

As the staff member left, Summer Xiyue entered.

Shen Qingyi made room for him. "Thank you for the cake last night."

Summer Xiyue sat down beside her, unhurried as ever. "Did you like it?"

Shen Qingyi nodded honestly. "Yes."

Summer Xiyue opened a small packet of sauce, poured it over the rice noodle rolls, mixed them, and placed the dish in front of Shen Qingyi. "You can’t find this in the capital. Try it."

Then he started on his own plate.

Whenever alone with her boss, Shen Qingyi found him almost alarmingly considerate. "Next time, just teach me how to eat these things, Summer Xiyue."

He looked up at her, his eyes bright as a starry sky, a faint smile on his lips. "Why?"

"Because you’re the boss! Give me a chance to flatter you," Shen Qingyi replied, her lips curling into a smile.

"I also need a chance to show I care for my staff. It makes me seem more approachable," he said, entirely serious.

Looking at this young man—who once felt like a junior but now exuded an increasingly commanding, capitalist air—Shen Qingyi found herself unable to argue.

She lowered her head and quietly ate the rice noodle rolls. It was her first time, and the taste was remarkably good.

But after finishing the plate, she couldn’t eat another bite.

Summer Xiyue pushed the soy milk toward her. Shen Qingyi waved it off. "I can’t drink anymore."

"Just have as much as you can."

"It’s wasteful," she protested.

Summer Xiyue finished his own soy milk, then poured half of Shen Qingyi’s into his cup, leaving the rest for her. "This way, it’s fine, right?"

Shen Qingyi finally took the half cup, sipping it as she observed Summer Xiyue.

"Do I look good?" he asked coolly.

Shen Qingyi hastily averted her gaze and explained, "I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s just that you and Lu Yan both have such healthy appetites."

"Oh?" At the mention of Lu Yan, Summer Xiyue’s eyes darkened, but he said nothing more.

After breakfast, he asked Shen Qingyi to pack her things, and they set out again.

Sure enough, they arrived by one in the afternoon.

It was Shen Qingyi’s first time in Peng City. She looked out the car window; though not as grand as the capital, the city bustled with life, people coming and going in a lively crowd.