"Where is Xi still? She hasn't arrived yet," Feng Qingyi asked after washing the rice.
Shen Hanyue spoke up, "She's always right on time. It's still five minutes until 5 o'clock!"
Qu Jingqiu said, "I think she'll definitely be a top boss in the future. People like her are always calm and composed, making their entrance last."
Shen Hanyue expressed her agreement, "That's true. In all this time, I've never seen her flustered. She's always as cool as a cucumber – a sure sign of someone destined for great things."
At 5 o'clock on the dot, the doorbell rang. Feng Qingyi went to open the door.
Lou Xi stood at the entrance, holding a bottle of red wine.
Feng Qingyi welcomed her in, "Come in quickly. No need to take off your shoes, just make yourself at home."
Lou Xi entered the living room naturally, casually glancing around the surroundings without speaking.
Feng Qingyi pointed to the water heater nearby, "If you want water, help yourself. I'll go to the kitchen and start cooking."
"Okay," Lou Xi nodded slightly and placed the red wine on the coffee table.
In the kitchen, Shen Hanyue and Qu Jingqiu had already washed and chopped the vegetables, waiting for Feng Qingyi to start cooking.
"Thanks for your hard work. You two can go to the living room now or check out the other rooms, whatever you like."
Feng Qingyi ushered the two out of the kitchen and began preparing the dishes.
Seeing Lou Xi already seated, Shen Hanyue said, "Xi, we've been waiting for you. Let's go check out the house together."
Lou Xi stood up, "Sure, let's go!"
On the first floor, apart from the living room, kitchen, bathroom, and dining room, there was a large patio.
A hanging chair was placed on the patio, with a wooden table and chairs nearby, surrounded by lush evergreen plants.
"This is awesome! We can have afternoon tea here and soak up the sun," Shen Hanyue said, lying on the hanging chair.
After spending some time on the patio, the three went upstairs to the second floor. Apart from a balcony and study, the second floor was solely bedrooms.
Each room had a different setup. The three only peeked into the guest rooms and study, not entering Feng Qingyi's bedroom.
Compared to the first and second floors, the third floor was more simply decorated, with the rooms mostly empty except for a few paintings in the art studio.
Shen Hanyue immediately noticed an unfinished painting.
"Xi, Qiu, come take a look. Who is Qingyi painting here? The person is even wearing ancient Chinese clothing."
Qu Jingqiu examined it, "I don't know, but it does seem to depict a real person. Could Qingyi be a celebrity fan as well?"
Shen Hanyue shook her head, "With looks like that, if he were in the entertainment industry, I'd definitely know him. He's probably not from that circle."
"Maybe he's from the Hanfu community? With his long hair and Hanfu outfit, he does resemble an ancient aristocrat," Qu Jingqiu pondered.
"But it doesn't seem like Qingyi knows anyone from the Hanfu community..."
"We can just ask her later," Lou Xi chimed in.
Shen Hanyue nodded, "True, let's ask Qingyi later. I didn't expect her to be such a talented artist!"
After exploring the house, the three returned to the living room.
By then, Feng Qingyi had almost finished cooking.
"Qingyi, do you need any help?" Shen Hanyue asked.
Feng Qingyi waved her hand, "No need, just sit and relax. There are snacks I bought in the living room, help yourselves."
Shen Hanyue replied, "We'll wait until after your delicious meal before snacking, or we might get too full."
"It'll be ready soon, just wait a little longer," Feng Qingyi said, speeding up.
It was the first time the four friends had a gathering at the villa. Lou Xi opened the bottle of red wine she had brought and poured everyone a glass.
"This wine won't get us drunk, will it?" Shen Hanyue weakly asked.
Lou Xi reassured, "The alcohol content isn't high, so no."
"That's good then."
Hearing Lou Xi's words, everyone felt relieved since none of them had ever consumed alcohol before, apart from low-alcohol beverages.
At the dining table, everyone chatted and laughed.
Shen Hanyue asked, "Qingyi, we went to your art studio earlier and saw an unfinished painting. Who are you painting?"
"...No one, I was just doodling randomly," Feng Qingyi replied.
If they hadn't mentioned it, she would have forgotten about that painting she had been working on for a while, intended as a birthday gift for Qin Yuchuan.
Since there was still plenty of time, she hadn't rushed to finish it, working on it whenever she had the chance.
Qu Jingqiu commented, "But it looks so lifelike to me."
"That's probably just your imagination. I read a novel before and pictured one of the characters, so I painted them randomly," Feng Qingyi lied through her teeth.
Hearing Feng Qingyi's explanation, the three didn't pursue the topic further.
"I can't believe your cooking is so delicious. I wish I could mooch meals from you every day," Shen Hanyue praised sincerely.
Feng Qingyi laughed, "Every day might be pushing it, but you're welcome to visit occasionally."
"After all, I usually eat at the cafeteria with you all. Cooking every day would be such a waste of time."
Qu Jingqiu agreed, "Exactly, cooking is not only time-consuming but also such a hassle. Do you two cook at home?"
Shen Hanyue shook her head, "At home, my only job is to eat. But I'm in charge of washing dishes, even though I don't really want to do that either."
"No cooking, no dish washing," Lou Xi stated matter-of-factly.
Qu Jingqiu curiously asked, "Then who cooks at your place, Xi?"
Lou Xi replied, "We have a cook."
"Wow, you're all so full of surprises! Qiu, do you come from a wealthy family too?" Shen Hanyue asked bluntly.
Qu Jingqiu shook her head, "Not a wealthy family per se, but my family does own a mountain."
"What? A mountain? Is it a mine?" Shen Hanyue was shocked.
Feng Qingyi and Lou Xi also turned their attention to Qu Jingqiu, who was usually very low-key and hadn't revealed much about herself.
Qu Jingqiu smiled sheepishly, "Not a mine, just a tea mountain with a tea factory."
"That's impressive! How come we've never seen you drink tea or anything?" Feng Qingyi asked.
Qu Jingqiu explained, "I don't like drinking tea. My parents think it's a waste for someone like me who doesn't understand tea to drink it."
Feng Qingyi suddenly remembered that Qin Yuchuan seemed to quite enjoy drinking tea. He had previously been enthusiastic about sending her tea and pastries. Maybe she should order some from Qu Jingqiu's family.
"My dad quite likes drinking tea. Maybe I should buy some from your family sometime."
Lou Xi: "My dad likes it too."
"Why don't you bring some for me as well? It seems my dad likes it too," Shen Hanyue chimed in.
Qu Jingqiu said, "No need to buy any, I'll ask my mom to send some over, and we can share it with you guys when it arrives."
Shen Hanyue said slowly, "Compared to you all, my family is just ordinary. From now on, I'll have to rely on your generous support."
