Tang Ka carried bags of fresh groceries back home for Bai Yin.
"You said Chen Huaixiao couldn't get in and was waiting outside. He asked me to hurry back," Bai Yin said, looking at their empty home. She casually tossed the bags onto the sofa and asked, "Where is he?"
Tang Ka searched the garden but didn't see anyone. "Perhaps the young master couldn't wait and went back to the company."
Bai Yin snorted. "Whatever."
"Madam, will you be cooking tonight?" Tang Ka asked.
"Why not?" Bai Yin rolled up her sleeves and walked into the open kitchen with the wooden box of fresh ingredients. "I wasn't cooking for him anyway. We'll eat together tonight."
"This..." Tang Ka wiped his sweat and could already imagine the look on Chen Huaixiao's face when he saw them having dinner together. "I think I'll go back and make some instant noodles."
"There's nothing good about instant noodles."
"I love instant noodles the most."
Bai Yin shrugged and didn't force him. "You've worked hard today. Go home and rest. Come pick me up early tomorrow for the set."
Tang Ka hesitated. "My main position is a butler. I should prioritize this mansion."
"And what am I to this mansion?" Bai Yin asked nonchalantly as she tied her apron.
"The mistress of the house," Tang Ka answered without hesitation.
"If you prioritize this mansion, you should naturally listen to the mistress of the house," Bai Yin said, patting his arm and smiling. "Be good. Come pick me up early tomorrow. If it's too hard, let Chen Huaixiao give you a raise. It's settled."
Tang Ka looked at the woman's charming and gentle smile and couldn't bring himself to refuse her. Even if it meant working for free, he would do it for her. He just worried that the young master would be angry.
But he decided to prioritize the mistress of the house. "I'll be on time," he said solemnly.
After Tang Ka left, Bai Yin continued to cook. She made some common home-cooked dishes: garlic sprouts with shredded pork, stir-fried chicken tails, braised beef, and carp soup. She even used the carp her grandfather gave her.
She couldn't cook exquisite and complicated dishes because she grew up in difficult conditions and didn't have good ingredients to cook with. She only learned how to make the most common dishes, which couldn't compare to the luxury dishes Chen Huaixiao ate outside.
After she finished cooking, Bai Yin took out her phone and took a picture of the food. She sent it to Chen Huaixiao with the message "Didn't wait for you."
In the private room of a club, a young man and woman just finished their round of drinking. Chen Huaixiao leaned back on the sofa and his phone lit up with messages from "Little Braids."
He enlarged the picture of the common dishes, the colors adjusted to look more appetizing. Chen Huaixiao put down his phone and left without a word.
A man next to him stopped him. "Master Huaixiao, the party is about to start. Where are you going?"
"I'm going home," Chen Huaixiao said expressionlessly.
"But everyone is waiting for you..."
"Sorry." Chen Huaixiao glanced at the table full of high-end red wine and delicacies and said calmly, "My wife is waiting for me too."
...
Bai Yin remembered the first time she cooked for Chen Huaixiao, back when she was in her second year of high school.
It was a cold night, and Bai Yin returned home late after evening self-study. She saw Chen Huaixiao sitting on the steps of the porch.
The young man was wearing a red and black racing suit, and the headlights divided his handsome face, burying his eyes in the shadows.
Even though she couldn't see his expression clearly, Bai Yin could feel the desolation and alienation emanating from him.
"Chen Huaixiao, why are you sitting outside? Why don't you go to grandpa's house?" she asked.
Chen Huaixiao stretched out his slender fingertips, lightly touching his thin lips, and raised an eyebrow. "Don't wake up grandpa."
Bai Yin covered her mouth and nodded. "Then..."
"Can Little Braids let me stay the night?"
Bai Yin suddenly blushed, and Chen Huaixiao looked at her and smiled. "Why are you blushing?"
"I'm not," Bai Yin quickly opened the door with her keys. "Come in, brother."
Chen Huaixiao entered the courtyard and looked around. "Where's Bai Nainai?"
"My grandmother has already gone to bed. Please keep your voice down and don't wake her up."
Chen Huaixiao pursed his lips and sat on the porch. "You've been waiting for me for several hours since you finished school."
"I'm almost in my senior year."
"Are there any problems you don't understand? Brother will explain it to you."
Bai Yin put down her school bag, poured some water from the thermos, took a sip and shook her head. "No, I can do it all."
Chen Huaixiao didn't say much, he sat on the porch and looked at the moon, while Bai Yin went to the kitchen and made a few small dishes.
During dinner, Bai Yin asked him carefully, "Is something bothering you, brother?"
Chen Huaixiao responded lightly, "Mm."
"Can you... tell me about it?"
"I just broke up with someone."
"Ah!" Bai Yin's breath caught in her throat, and she felt like her heart was about to jump out of her chest.
Chen Huaixiao held her panicked gaze. "What's wrong? Do you like me?"
"Ugh! Who's panicking?"
Chen Huaixiao was amused by her "ugh" and said, "I'm just teasing you."
Bai Yin was so angry that she couldn't even speak, and she glared at him fiercely.
After a while, in the dim light, Chen Huaixiao finally said slowly, "Today is the anniversary of my mother's death."
That night, Bai Yin let Chen Huaixiao sleep on the small bed in her room, while she slept on the sofa in the living room.
Chen Huaixiao picked up her embroidered pillow and walked to the side of the sofa. "Bai Yin, are you stupid? Letting someone else sleep in the bed and sleeping on the sofa yourself."
"Brother is a guest."
"But I'm a boy." He pointed at her forehead with his long fingers. "Remember, if you have a boyfriend in the future, don't be too good to him, and take care of yourself in everything."
Bai Yin thought for a moment, grabbed his finger, and pulled him to sit down on the bed. "Tonight is the anniversary of your mother's death. From now on, every year on this day, I will be good to you."
Bai Yin carefully marked that day in her memory.
Every year on that day, Chen Huaixiao would come to find her. They would either have a meal together or he would take her out for a drive.
Bai Yin kept her promise, and on that day, she accompanied him to do whatever he wanted to do, to be as crazy as he wanted to be.
Even though many years had passed and Bai Yin and Chen Huaixiao had lost touch, on that day, she always remembered the cold moonlight.
And the lonely figure of the boy sitting on the veranda in the moonlight.
There are always some secrets in a wealthy family that cannot be mentioned.
Chen Huaixiao's mother's death was one of them.
So on that day, no one remembered it, no one mentioned it. Even his own son had to hide his overwhelming sadness and could only sneak over to Bai Yin's house to find some relief.
Today was the only day in Chen Huaixiao's 365 days when he could be reckless in front of her.
This was an unspoken agreement between them, and also her last bit of tenderness towards him.
At ten o'clock in the evening, the doorbell rang. Bai Yin, wearing slippers, lazily walked over and opened the door.
The man was still wearing a high-end suit, but compared to his impeccably neat appearance during the day, his collar was a little messy, and his tie was loosened, making him look a bit disheveled.
Even though he was in a bad mood, his elegance still shone through.
"Tang Ka said you couldn't get in this afternoon."
Chen Huaixiao changed his shoes and gave her a dissatisfied look. "Because you took my butler out."
"As an adult, it's necessary to have a key, isn't it?"
"I have a butler. Why would I need a key?"
"But there are times when the butler isn't around."
"The only reason he's not here is because there's an unreliable woman in the house."
"..."
Bai Yin took a deep breath and reminded herself: Don't argue tonight, don't argue...
"Wanna eat?"
"I already ate."
"Okay." Bai Yin cleared the plates on the table and prepared to put them in the fridge.
Chen Huaixiao silently retreated from the study and reminded her before leaving, "Don't put the leftovers in the fridge."
"What a waste!"
Chen Huaixiao glanced at the home-cooked dishes on the table, apparently untouched, and his face turned sour. "You didn't even wait for me."
"Who said I was waiting for you?" Bai Yin was even more sour, leaning back in her chair and saying, "I'm not hungry, so I only ate a little."
Chen Huaixiao finally came over and sat at the table, picking up his chopsticks. "Then I'll force myself to eat a little more."
"If it's that much of a struggle, then don't bother." Bai Yin picked up his chopsticks and said, "Who cares?"
Chen Huaixiao and she played with their chopsticks for a while, then he quickly picked up a piece of beef, put it in his mouth, and looked at her defiantly.
Bai Yin wanted to laugh but held it back.
"Where's the butler?"
"I let him go home to rest. He needs to drive me to the set tomorrow."
"You're using him, and you're using him well."
"He was a gift from you, wasn't he?"
"Did he spend the whole day with you?"
"Yeah."
She had let her food get cold, so she took the meat and put it in the microwave to reheat.
Chen Huaixiao gazed at the graceful figure of the woman walking away, her enchanting and alluring aura impossible to resist even with an apron tied around her waist.
Any man would find it hard to resist such charm.
Chen Huaixiao withdrew his gaze and tugged at his collar, his throat feeling itchy. "Next time, I'll get you a different female assistant."
Bai Yin turned back, looking at him in surprise. "Chen Huaixiao, you're not... jealous, are you?"
Chen Huaixiao leaned back in his chair, his voice cold. "Is that even possible?"
Bai Yin snorted and didn't bother with him, placing the hot food on the table and starting to eat by herself.
Chen Huaixiao quietly observed her as she wore a light-colored crumpled home kimono, looking lazy and comfortable, and appearing white and clean under the light. Without makeup, she lost her sharp and distinct beauty, instead revealing an unusual tenderness.
She held the bowl and deftly picked up the food, eating it with big bites, looking like she was enjoying it.
Chen Huaixiao knew that Bai Yin had gone hungry before, so when she ate, she always made sure to finish everything, not wasting a single grain of rice.
He casually picked up a piece of meat and placed it on the edge of her bowl, just like an ordinary married couple.
Perhaps only on this day, he knew that Bai Yin wouldn't be glaring at him or really arguing with him. During the meal, they both tacitly avoided the topic of his mother's death anniversary, a habit they had developed over the years.
After dinner, Chen Huaixiao took the bowl to the kitchen and asked, "You went to see Grandpa this afternoon?"
"Yeah, I went fishing with him. Look, he gave me two fish as a 'gift'."
"You're always so diligent in visiting Grandpa. If people didn't know better, they would think you were filial."
"I am filial." Bai Yin leaned on the counter and lazily hooked her finger at him. "If it weren't for Grandpa Chen, I would have starved to death a long time ago. He's like a small piece of driftwood for someone drowning. You cling onto it tightly."
"So, I'm your driftwood?"
"That depends." Bai Yin leaned in closer to him, her breath warm against his ear, and whispered softly, "Can I hold onto you, my driftwood husband?"
Chen Huaixiao could feel her warm breath tickling his ear, making him feel itchy and restless. But he still restrained himself and pulled away her hand, saying, "First, wash the dishes. I'll think about it."
She protested, "I cooked dinner, and you want me to wash dishes? That's not fair!"
Chen Huaixiao raised his slender and beautiful fingers. "I hate getting oil on my hands."
"I hate it too."
"It was you who overworked my butler, causing him to make mistakes. That's why Tang Ka's job now belongs to you."
"No, I won't wash them," Bai Yin crossed her arms and turned her back. "I still have embroidery work to do, which requires delicate handling and can't be compromised."
After a brief standoff, Chen Huaixiao looked at the sink full of dishes and suggested, "Why don't we give Tang Ka a raise and call him back to do the dishes?"
"Agreed!"
...
Tang Ka had just finished cooking a steaming bowl of instant noodles when he received a call from Chen Huaixiao, offering him a raise and asking him to come back and wash dishes. Tang Ka didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
...
At night, after taking a shower, Bai Yin went to Chen Huaixiao's study and sat on his traditional tea table. She propped up her cheeks and looked at him.
Chen Huaixiao alternated between looking at his computer screen and glancing at her. "Mrs. Chen's delicate hands are good at making tea," he said.
"It depends on my mood," Bai Yin replied, but she went to the cabinet and took out a package of premium Longjing tea from a sealed jar.
Chen Huaixiao always enjoyed the tea she made. Tonight, she was willing to make him a cup.
As if knowing that he was watching her, Bai Yin gracefully and seductively poured the tea. In the swirling white mist, her eyes were alluring and flirtatious. Her plain robe with a Japanese-style design gave her an air of both modesty and sensuality.
Chen Huaixiao saw that she was trying to seduce him on purpose, but he remained calm and averted his gaze, ignoring her.
Bai Yin sat on his lap like a slippery fish, her fair and supple arm resting on his shoulder. She brought the purple clay teacup to his lips and said in an exaggeratedly sweet voice, "This is the tea that your dear wife made for you."
Chen Huaixiao smirked and gestured for her to look at the screen.
On the computer screen, a video conference was in progress, with about a dozen video tiles showing several senior executives from Xuanxing Media looking straight at her.
They never expected that the usually serious and composed CEO, Chen Huaixiao, would have such a mischievous and playful wife.
What surprised them even more was that Chen Huaixiao indulged her coquetry and let her sit on his lap during the video conference!
The executives tried to maintain a polite smile, but some of the younger ones couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Bai Yin's face turned pale with anger as she got up from his lap. "Chen Huaixiao! You called me here during a meeting!"
Chen Huaixiao adjusted his collar, composed as ever, and said coolly, "I only asked you to make tea, not to provide special services."
