"The egg custard is done, you can take it out now," Xiao Ya said, turning her head while standing on a small stool.
Secretary Wang, who had been waiting by the kitchen door, promptly responded and reached out to pull open the oven door.
"Wait!" Xiao Ya quickly jumped off the stool, "You need to wear gloves!"
"Ah," Secretary Wang softly acknowledged, taking the large gloves from her tiny hands.
Holding the gloves in his palm, Secretary Wang didn't rush to take out the egg custard. His hand hovered in mid-air, forming a stark contrast with Xiao Ya's hand—
The man's hand glowed with the delicate luster of someone who had lived a life of privilege.
Secretary Wang suddenly grasped Xiao Ya's fingers and asked in a low voice, "Sheng Yuxiao didn't take you to Wei Zesheng's hospital to remove these scars, did he?"
"He mentioned it, but I don't think it's necessary," Xiao Ya pinched her fingertips, "The soup is almost ready."
She pulled her hand back, turned around, and turned off the gas stove on her left.
"Why not?" Secretary Wang asked as he carried the egg custard, placing it on the table.
Xiao Ya responded without looking back, "Because, um, this way I'm less likely to be recognized."
"Oh? How so?" Secretary Wang set the egg custard on the table and walked back to Xiao Ya's side.
Xiao Ya wiped her hands on her apron and gently touched Secretary Wang's fingers, "When you first meet someone, don't you form an impression based on their appearance and attire?"
"Yes."
"The hands of the wealthy look a certain way. The hands of those who work the land look different. I don't know if I'll ever encounter danger again, but if I do, maybe the other person will think I'm worthless because of my hands..."
"Confusing the other person's judgment?" Secretary Wang tilted his head and smiled, "Very clever."
So, did the little one guess his identity was more than just a secretary after seeing his hands? Hmm?
The rice cooker suddenly beeped.
Xiao Ya said, "The rice is also done, you can serve it."
Secretary Wang suppressed his thoughts and responded, "Okay."
"Wait, use this spoon, I washed it."
Secretary Wang, feeling completely untrusted, raised an eyebrow but wasn't upset.
Working together, they managed to prepare a dinner.
Braised fish, egg custard, roasted potatoes, wood ear and yam stir-fry, eggplant casserole... quite a feast.
Secretary Wang didn't seem to be picky at all, quickly finishing most of the food on the table, even letting out a slightly ungraceful burp.
"Just back from eating ants, and then having this food, it's truly delicious," Secretary Wang softly sighed.
"Ants?" Xiao Ya looked up at him.
"Yes, I have a small pet that lives in the rainforest. After entering the rainforest, the local guide prepared an ant meal for us."
"Ants aren't very tasty," Xiao Ya commented.
"Oh? Have you eaten them too?"
"Yes, I've also eaten centipedes, bee larvae, grasshoppers, spiders... Some people eat snakes, but they're hard to catch, I could never catch one."
Hearing this, others might feel pity for Xiao Ya's past.
Being so hungry that she had to catch insects to eat, what kind of life was that?
Secretary Wang's first reaction was, "Were the centipedes, bee larvae, and such... tasty?"
Xiao Ya replied, "They were okay. I would eat them when I sold them to others, using their pots to fry them. It's too wasteful to fry them with oil."
"Then let's have that tomorrow."
"Ah? Where would we catch them?"
"That's easy," Secretary Wang didn't elaborate on how.
Having made a new agreement for the next day, Secretary Wang felt good. He said, "I need to work on a few PPTs, you can rest."
Xiao Ya responded and first put the dishes in the dishwasher before finding the bedroom.
She searched around... found the home theater, gym, indoor pool, storage room, library... and finally found only one bedroom.
"Where will I sleep?" Xiao Ya knocked on the study door.
Secretary Wang thought for a moment.
None of the various things he had raised needed a bed...
He stood up, leading Xiao Ya into the bedroom, "This room, half for you, half for me."
"Okay, you can continue with your PPTs," Xiao Ya carried her change of clothes and towels into the bathroom, waving "bye" to him before entering.
Secretary Wang stood there for a moment, then chuckled to himself, "Yes, it feels like a home."
He then returned to the study and reopened his laptop.
"Oh, did something happen? The camera seemed to go dark for a moment," a voice from the computer inquired.
"Nothing," Secretary Wang casually replied.
"I think I heard a child's voice?"
"You must be mistaken."
"Oh," the person on the other end laughed, "I thought it was a trend among the upper class to adopt other people's children."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Ke Muning... suddenly has a goddaughter, haven't you heard?"
"I've heard," Secretary Wang's gaze flickered, his tone gentle but firm, "Let's get to business."
"Alright."
After the video conference, Secretary Wang handled some documents. When he returned to the bedroom, Xiao Ya was already sleeping soundly.
The bed was large, but she was curled up in one corner.
Secretary Wang tugged at her ear, pinched her nose, and poked her cheek... oh, she was so fun to play with.
And she was still so rosy and healthy!
Secretary Wang felt refreshed.
The next day arrived.
Xu Qiulai took her son's request seriously and, after scanning her fingerprint to enter, knocked on the bedroom door, "Where are the people who were supposed to take care of you? Why did they leave? How did you spend the night? Where's Xiao Ya?"
Secretary Wang reluctantly sat up and pointed to one side.
The blankets were bunched up, vaguely forming a small outline.
Xu Qiulai walked over and carefully lifted a corner of the blanket.
Xiao Ya, as if sensing something, fluttered her eyelashes and opened her eyes, then emerged from the blankets.
She was alive, not missing any limbs.
Her eyes sparkled with vitality.
"Aunt Xu?" Xiao Ya widened her eyes in surprise, "Why are you here?"
Xu Qiulai slowly let out a breath, then turned to look at her brother.
"Achoo—" Secretary Wang suddenly couldn't help but sneeze loudly.
After sneezing, he was stunned.
Xu Qiulai was also stunned.
Xiao Ya fully emerged from the blankets, looked down at the blankets that were all wrapped around her, then looked up at Secretary Wang and asked softly, "Are you sick?"
Secretary Wang's voice was a bit hoarse as he replied, "It seems so."
Xiao Ya quickly crawled over and touched his forehead, "You have a fever."
Xiao Ya was a bit shocked.
Secretary Wang hadn't raised her to death.
But she seemed to have almost raised Secretary Wang to death!
Xu Qiulai was also shocked.
However, after a brief shock, she first comforted Xiao Ya, "It's okay, he's always been fragile."
Secretary Wang wanted to say something but held back.
Xu Qiulai continued, "It's also a form of revenge for the souls he's wronged."
