Jiaochen

When Fu Yanzhi's, light as a feather, words fell, Ji Qingying looked at him in a daze.

With the sunlight coming in from the window, his handsome features seemed to be hidden under the light and shadow, giving his eyes and brows a distinct feel.

It also caused people to feel a sense of dazzlement as the small specks of dust floated in the air.

This guy’s eyebrows were deep, but the emotions in his eyes were neither too strong nor too light, not very different from usual.

So for quite an amount of time, Ji Qingying couldn’t figure out whether he was joking or telling the truth.

The two of them stared at each other silently for a few seconds.

Some images faintly flashed in Ji Qingying's mind. But it was too fast, and she simply couldn't grasp it.

Slowly under Fu Yanzhi’s gaze, her face started to get hot.

Her lips moved, but her carefully concocted words were instantly scattered, and she failed to utter a single coherent sentence for a while.

“What is it?”

Fu Yanzhi looked at her and lightly asked, “You don’t want to admit it?”

Ji Qingying: “…”

Choked for words, she looked up at him for a few seconds in silence then suddenly asked, “How did I take advantage of you?”

Fu Yanzhi was surprised.

Ji Qingying came back to her senses, and her brain was spinning furiously afterwards.

Her eyes brightened up in that instant, and she realised something with one single thought. She could just not admit to whatever he said. That was all.

Fu Yanzhi lowered his gaze and glanced at her reddened cheeks. “Do you want me to say it in detail?”

“Sure.”

Ji Qingying’s face was still red and she put aside her shyness. “Come on say it, that way I can compensate you.”

Fu Yanzhi was taken aback and blurted, “What?”

He didn’t dare to believe what he had just heard.

Ji Qingying, whose eyes were full of reflections of the features that dwelled on his face, blinked, unable to turn her eyes away. Then she said, “Well, maybe I will compensate you.”

She continued, “I admit it, I will dare to accept the blame for my actions.”

[TL: The original says 敢作敢当 which directly translates to “having the courage to accept the blame for what one does.”]

After she said that, she purposely tiptoed towards Fu Yanzhi, looked at him with watery eyes, and asked, “So, do you want your compensation now?”

Fu Yanzhi: “…”

He looked at the red-faced yet still cheeky person in front of him, and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

He stretched out his hand, squeezed her cheek, and said softly, “Will you really compensate me?”

Ji Qingying nodded.

She pressed her heart that was beating too fast when he approached her and said softly, “Otherwise you will think that I only dare to act but don’t dare to bear the consequences.”

Fu Yanzhi: “…”

He let go and patted her head. “Alright, no more drinking in the future.”

“…Oh.”

Ji Qingying was unhappy with the response but agreed nonetheless.

Fu Yanzhi looked at her for a while and suddenly said, “You can only get drunk at home.”

After hearing this, Ji Qingying smiled cheerfully.

“What if you are present? Can I get drunk?”

Fu Yanzhi: “…”

He glanced at her. “Do you still want to hog my bedroom?”

Under his gaze, Ji Qingying touched the back of her neck and muttered quietly, “Your bed is too hard, I don’t want it.”

“…”

He smiled and felt helpless.

Which turtle dove occupied a magpie's nest but was still resentful of the owner?

The room was quiet for a while.

Ji Qingying urged Fu Yanzhi to eat his lunch.

The door was closed so there was no need to worry about being disturbed by people coming over.

Ji Qingying sat back again in her comfortable chair and stared at the person next to her.

“Then about last night… where did you sleep?”

“Guest room.”

“Oh.”

Ji Qingying laid down on the table and said, “Then next time when I go to your house I will occupy the guest room.”

Fu Yanzhi paused while holding chopsticks in his hand and glanced at her faintly.

Ji Qingying curled her lips and smiled.

“Are the ribs delicious?”

“En.”

“Really?”

Ji Qingying unexpectedly said, “Rongxue said my cooking was just so-so.”

Fu Yanzhi looked at her. “You didn’t taste it?”

Ji Qingying shook her head. “Nope.”

She didn’t really like tasting foods, but this meal was made under Rongxue’s instructions so she thought that there would be no problem.

Ji Qingying had nothing else besides an inexplicable self-confidence in her cooking ability.

Fu Yanzhi paused and said with a smile, “ It’s no wonder…”

“Huh?”

Ji Qingying looked at him surprised.

“No wonder what?”

Fu Yanzhi looked at her and changed the subject. “Want to give it a try?”

Ji Qingying looked at the small ribs, thought about it, but at the same time was afraid that her confidence would get attacked.

She gulped but before she had made any decision, Fu Yanzhi had already picked up the ribs and brought a piece close to her mouth.

A bit shocked, she looked at him for a few seconds before opening her mouth.

The taste of the ribs turned out to be better than what Ji Qingying had imagined.

They were neither too salty nor too bland, but also well cooked.

“Not bad.”

Ji Qingying’s eyes shone brightly and she said proudly, “Then does it prove that I am actually talented in cooking?”

Fu Yanzhi: “…”

He thought about the soup that had too much salt last time.

After a short period of silence, Fu Yanzhi said, "There is a possibility."

Ji Qingying moved her eyes and said enthusiastically, “Then I will cook again for you tomorrow.”

“There is no need.”

Fu Yanzhi directly refused.

Ji Qingying was stunned, and was about to ask ‘Why?’.

But Fu Yanzhi spoke up first.

He turned his head and looked at her. “There is no need to learn anything specially.”

He lowered his head and fixed his gaze on her slender hands, “Your pair of hands.”

There was a smile in his eyes as he said unhurriedly, “I would hate to let you cook with them.”

I can’t bear it.

Fu Yanzhi didn’t know how harmful these four words were so Ji Qingying felt their effects directly.

The moment he said those words, Ji Qingying felt that she was stepping on clouds and felt dizzy.

Being hit by such a big surprise, it was enough for her to become so excited that she would faint from it in the next second.

Her heartbeat suddenly sped up and it was uncontrollable.

All the feelings of frustration that had been accumulated in her thus far had disappeared with just this one sentence from him.

So much that it made her feel happy again.

She pressed the corner of her lips and said softly, “Then don’t you feel that eating takeaway food is not healthy?”

Fu Yanzhi’s eyebrows rose and he watched a blush bloom on her face for quite some time then suddenly smiled.

“In that case, I’ll eat at the cafeteria.”

Ji Qingying: “…”