449 Change of heart (1)
*Knock knock*
‘Guiying’, who was doing her last check on her makeup, shut her compact and went to open the door. Zixin greeted her sight, looking handsome as usual with the shirt and black suit he wore. He held a small bouquet in his hands with all pink flowers.
“For you.”
‘She’ folded her arms. “You didn’t have to take the trouble. It’s just dinner at my house.”
Zixin sincerely disagreed. “I cannot come empty-handed.”
“I already have the bouquet you gave me at the cafe. Do you want to fill my whole apartment with nothing but flowers?”
“That’s not a bad idea.”
“…”
“Where will I sleep then?”
Zixin gave her a deep stare.
“You can always come to my place,” he whispered under his breath.
“What?”
He cleared his throat. “Nothing. Thank you for inviting me.”
‘Her’ brow silently twitched.
Well, I didn’t have a choice. If you had not helped me against that fucker Cai Lingyun that day, this idiot inside me wouldn’t be so restless of expressing her gratitude. Why are you making me put up with this dinner farce?
I already said my thank you to him. Is it not enough!?
‘She’ felt a resistance inside her.
So what if he is helping with your damn novel too? More than you imposing on him, doesn’t it feel that he is imposing on you? Clearly, he is more interested in brainstorming ideas than you do!
‘She’ shrugged and gave up on arguing with Guiying.
Somehow, these two are very similar. Too stubborn for their own good!
“Come inside.”
Zixin stepped in with a beaming smile and looked around her house. It was the second time he was here. Cai Lingyun had left a bad taste the last time, but this time was different.
His eyes caught a vase at a table with the pink roses he had given to her that day. Even after the days passed, the roses still looked in a good condition though he noticed slight withering around the edges of the petals. His smile widened.
“You have still kept them?”
‘Guiying’ frowned. “Why not? You might be a stubborn and annoying person to deal with but it’s not the roses’ fault, you know.”
He blinked innocently. “When was I stubborn and annoying?”
“…”
‘She’ looked back at him with her jaw slightly dropped.
Yeah now I believe there are definitely memory problems with this guy. He conveniently forgets his own doing! For God’s sake you forced me out of Dream High to the cafe with your back-to-back flood of messages! If that’s not stubborn, then what is?
‘She’ wanted to set him straight, but ‘she’ suddenly felt it would be too exhausting to list it all down.
‘She’ first took the bouquet from him and placed the flowers in another vase. ‘She’ kept the vase on a table at the other side of the room. So, now the opposite ends of the living room looked evenly refined and decorated in pink with the two vases filled with Zixin’s flowers.
‘Her’ mouth twitched in annoyance.
This doesn’t look half-bad…
“Take a seat on the couch and wait. I will bring dinner.”
“Let me help you,” he offered.
‘Guiying’ was about to say ‘No thanks’ but she got a better idea of taking her revenge against Zixin. ‘She’ sneered. “Sure.”
As ‘she’ stirred the curry in the pot in the kitchen, ‘she’ said, “Clean the plates first.”
Zixin nodded. When he was finished, ‘she’ gave another order. “How about you set the plates on the table too?”
He nodded.
“While you are at it, clean the table too.”
He nodded.
“Oh I remember! The magazines on that shelf are in such a mess. Can you sort that out too?”
He nodded.
After giving many back and forth orders of doing small tasks like these, Zixin returned to the kitchen, completing everything.
“Cut the veggies and make salad.”
He nodded. “Sure.”
“…”
‘She’ glared at him.
Does he not know any other answer other than just nodding his head!? Clearly, I am bullying you!
‘She’ suspiciously looked at him.
Is he really that dumb or is he secretly planning something against me too?
Lost in her thoughts, ‘she’ heard a loud and ominous thud.
On the cutting board laid the bottom half of a carrot while the upper half of it flew outside, crashed against the window grills and fell down.
“…..”
A silence filled with horror befell.
Then somebody screamed from outside, breaking the silence. “Damn it! Who threw this carrot on my head!? Come out!”
‘Guiying’ stood rooted as if she was at a gunpoint. Though ‘she’ felt more like she was at a knife point.
“You coward! Now hiding after playing this prank? I will definitely find you!” His anger filled voice roared in the area. Since many windows of other apartments above him were open, the victim couldn’t really tell from which floor the carrot fell.
“Just you wait!”
Silence reigned again after the victim left.
Zixin heavily knitted his brows, staring at the carrot. He seemed unaffected by the little chaos he caused. He seemed like he didn’t even realize that he was the cause of it.
‘Guiying’ cautiously asked as ‘she’ looked at him, horrified, “What were you doing?”
“Cutting the carrot like you said.”
“…Is that how you cut a carrot?” ‘She’ looked down at his hand, disbelief marrying her face. “Is that how you hold a knife in the first place?”
“I am not so sure about my life before I lost my memories but after I came home from the hospital, I haven’t really cooked these days.”
Yeah I am pretty sure you haven’t cooked BEFORE you lost your memories either.
“Hand me the knife. Nice and slow, okay?”
‘She’ took back the knife from him, extremely alert and slow in her movements.
Who knows if one of our fingers will fly out of the window next…
“Why did you agree to make the salad if you haven’t ever stepped in the kitchen in the first place? You should have told me.”
Zixin scratched his chin. “Because you asked me to do it.”
“So?”
“I want to help you.”
“I don’t think I need this kind of help.”
“But rather than sitting alone and waiting, I prefer helping you out. That way, I can spend more time with you. I like spending time with you, so I will do whatever you say.”
“You do realize that I was bullying you into doing all the work, right!?”
Zixin sincerely seemed confused. “Really? I don’t know,” he then smiled, “But I don’t mind even if you were bullying me. If it’s you, I will gladly take whatever there is you have to give me.”