Chi Shuo learned to cook back in middle school. Her family’s business got busy then, and her parents sometimes missed several meals in a row. Initially, Chi Shuo had to eat out at restaurants, but later, too lazy to go downstairs, she started buying instant noodles to cook herself.
Eating noodles for too long upset her stomach and became boring, so Chi Shuo started researching recipes. She began with the easiest dish—stir-fried tomatoes and eggs—and gradually tackled more difficult ones. That summer vacation, she practically immersed herself in the world of culinary arts.
Thinking about it, Chi Shuo felt she really was single-minded; she had to thoroughly master something before she could let it go.
But cooking wasn’t like Landlord; it was a life skill. Now living alone, Chi Shuo usually ordered takeout when busy. But if she had even a little energy, she’d cook for herself. And over the years, her cooking skills had improved significantly.
If cooking a meal could make He Lindi happy, that would be perfect. She could head back to the office, enjoy the air conditioning, and chat with colleagues instead of facing He Lindi alone.
On the way over, Zeng Guai and Xia Zhou, having heard the news, were frantically slacking off at work to message her, their words filled with envy. Chi Shuo, however, felt like she was sitting on pins and needles.
Oh, wait—she wasn’t sitting at all right now; she was busy in the kitchen.
He Lindi leaned against the clean kitchen doorway, holding a DSLR camera, watching Chi Shuo and occasionally lifting it to press the shutter.
After He Lindi snapped another photo of Chi Shuo, Chi Shuo couldn’t resist turning to look at the leisurely He Lindi. “I’m cooking, what are you shooting? Planning to publish a ‘Chef Chi Photo Collection’ for me?”
He Lindi lowered the camera, her eyes curving as she looked at Chi Shuo. “That’s not entirely out of the question. If you want, I know a studio that could put together a set for you.”
Chi Shuo: ???
She returned to her station and started chopping vegetables. She was now making lemon pickled fish—He Lindi had requested five dishes, and this was the third.
All the ingredients were in the refrigerator. Chi Shuo had been quite surprised to see them and had asked He Lindi if she liked to cook.
He Lindi looked innocent. “I don’t know how. The housekeeper restocks them regularly.”
Fair enough.
None of the five dishes were very difficult, but they were time-consuming. Chi Shuo had arrived at 10:30 AM, and it was around noon before all five dishes were finally served.
Thanks to her years of practice, Chi Shuo looked at the steaming dishes on the table, the corners of her lips lifting with a touch of pride. “Well?” she asked, getting straight to the point. “If you feel happy after eating, be sure to tell me.”
He Lindi picked up her chopsticks, raising an eyebrow at Chi Shuo’s words. “And then?”
“Then I go back to the office,” Chi Shuo stated matter-of-factly.
“Okay,” He Lindi agreed. “I’ll eat this meal very unhappily then.”
Chi Shuo: “…”
Chi Shuo was speechless. Her intuition definitely wasn’t wrong this time; He Lindi was just messing with her.
But she couldn’t ask, nor did she dare. What if it really was Lin Xinyue’s order? Wouldn’t that be a huge misunderstanding? How would she smooth things over then?
Chi Shuo sat down too, joining He Lindi for the lunch she had prepared.
In the end, Chi Shuo didn’t know if He Lindi was happy, but she herself felt quite content. It had been a long time since she had cooked seriously, and even longer since she had eaten these dishes she’d made.
After finishing her meal, He Lindi patted her stomach, then raised the back of her hand to cover her lips as she let out a small burp.
Chi Shuo raised her eyebrows, feeling hopeful. “Happy now?”
What she got was He Lindi’s radiant smile. “Nope.”
“…Figured as much.” Chi Shuo stood up and began clearing the dishes. “Anything else you want me to do? Tell me after I finish washing up.”
He Lindi had already moved to the sofa and was sipping water. Hearing Chi Shuo, she nodded slowly, giving Chi Shuo a brilliant smile. “I will. I’ve already thought of something.”
In that instant, Chi Shuo desperately wished she were back at the office.
And so, at 3 PM, Chi Shuo followed He Lindi out the door.
The sunlight was scorching. Chi Shuo held her sun umbrella. This time, He Lindi didn’t ask her to share it. Chi Shuo wasn’t sure why, but holding her own umbrella was certainly much more freeing; she didn’t need to worry about anyone else, just herself.
Chi Shuo still didn’t know where they were going. Her lips felt a bit dry, and she unconsciously licked them before asking, “Where are we headed?”
She began to wonder if their destination was nearby, otherwise He Lindi would have headed straight for the underground garage. It seemed He Lindi didn’t even plan on driving.
“First, let’s go get some milk tea,” He Lindi said, the corners of her lips lifting slightly. “The most popular place downtown.”
Chi Shuo: “…”
Chi Shuo frowned. “That place has a line over an hour long!”
“Aren’t there seats inside?” He Lindi looked innocent again. “We can buy some dessert too. Consider it my treat for afternoon tea.”
Chi Shuo cupped her hands in a mock salute. “Thank you, Teacher He.”
“You’re welcome.”
Chi Shuo was puzzled again. “Then why aren’t we driving?”
By now, they had reached the entrance of the complex and encountered the sturdy security guard again. He even flashed a big, white-toothed grin at them.
“I’m tired,” He Lindi yawned. “I only got back from Liucheng in the early hours of the morning.”
Chi Shuo’s lips moved. “I can drive.”
“Let’s not bother,” He Lindi shrugged. “Last time I offered to drive you home, you refused. Even if you drove, you wouldn’t really want to. If it weren’t for Boss Lin this time, would you even offer?”
Chi Shuo paused, then offered no further reaction, silently walking with He Lindi towards another intersection where it was easier to hail a taxi.
After giving the address, Chi Shuo leaned her head against the car window. Her eyelids drooped, not looking at the scenery outside. Instead, she turned up her phone’s brightness slightly and started looking at it.
While she had been napping in He Lindi’s living room earlier, Zeng Guai and Xia Zhou had sent messages checking in on her. But Chi Shuo hadn’t looked at her phone much after waking up, eager to head out. Only now did she have time.
Zeng Guai: 【Shuo Shuo, report your safety, let us know you’re still alive.】
Xia Zhou: 【Shuo Shuo, Didi didn’t give you a hard time, did she?】
They both called her “Shuo Shuo,” followed by a concerned question, almost like a comedy duo routine. Chi Shuo scrolled through the messages and typed back: 【It’s fine.】
It really was just ‘fine’—not good, not bad—because she couldn’t guess He Lindi’s intentions at all, having no idea what He Lindi was planning.
Thinking this, Chi Shuo couldn’t help tilting her head slightly, her eyes shifting to look at He Lindi, who was leaning against the seat back, asleep again.
Nearly half a month of high-intensity work, followed by rushing back overnight early this morning… Chi Shuo narrowed her eyes and indeed saw faint dark circles under He Lindi’s eyes. Because they were close, and He Lindi looked so quiet and peaceful, they seemed even more pronounced.
He Lindi was naturally beautiful, with smooth, delicate, fair skin. She usually didn’t wear makeup, only occasionally for work. Like at the fashion event last night—because she might be caught on camera, she had to wear makeup. Otherwise, among a group of equally beautiful female stars, she wouldn’t stand out much.
Of course, He Lindi was a photographer, not a celebrity trying to debut, and couldn’t steal the spotlight. But for a relatively formal occasion like last night, wearing makeup was still better.
Chi Shuo thought again of the photos of He Lindi she had saved. They weren’t very clear, yet He Lindi was dazzling as always.
But it had always been like that. He Lindi had always been the ‘moon’ surrounded by ‘stars.’ No matter where she went, she was that kind of presence.
Chi Shuo lowered her eyelids again, pulling back her gaze, trying to prevent her thoughts from drifting back to her high school crush on He Lindi. But it wasn’t something she could control; fragmented memories surfaced again.
It seemed to be during the second semester of her first year of high school. To boost student morale, the school had offered some fun elective courses.
Instead of being class-based, they were grouped by batches of ten classes. Each student chose their desired course, options including calligraphy, handicrafts, embroidery, and so on. Classes were held once every two weeks, taking up an entire afternoon.
Chi Shuo and Han Yu had chosen handicrafts together. During the first class, everyone gathered in a large classroom with piles of modeling clay laid out before them.
Across the crowd, Chi Shuo spotted He Lindi standing ramrod straight in the front row, her presence striking. The teacher on the platform had begun demonstrating how to sculpt an animated character, after which the students were to try it themselves for inspection.
As soon as the teacher finished, the students below began chatting amongst themselves. People crowded around He Lindi’s spot—front, back, left, and right—discussing enthusiastically. Laughter erupted from time to time, and someone loudly praised, “He Lindi, yours looks exactly like the teacher’s!”
Chi Shuo desperately wanted to go over and see, but she stayed put in her seat. Meanwhile, Han Yu had already dashed over to join the commotion.
Later, the animated character He Lindi sculpted was displayed by the teacher—but as a negative example. Only then did Chi Shuo realize that He Lindi’s creation was much uglier than the teacher’s. The earlier praise had just been classmates joking, but she hadn’t recognized it.
In her mind, He Lindi was always so outstanding; surely, something as simple as sculpting modeling clay couldn’t possibly stump her. Besides, Chi Shuo felt she viewed He Lindi through rose-tinted glasses back then. She believed that even if He Lindi hadn’t done well this time, she would definitely succeed next time.
But there was no next time. The school decided such courses wasted students’ time and cancelled the program after just that one session. It was better, they thought, for students to just stay obediently in their classrooms.
And it was essentially around that time that Chi Shuo truly felt the vast distance between herself and He Lindi. During her youthful crush, this distance gradually took its toll, eventually causing Chi Shuo to break down.
Fortunately, after so many years, she could now be alone with He Lindi without feeling even a shred of the old affection.
“We’re here.” The driver’s voice pulled Chi Shuo back from her thoughts.
He Lindi had slowly woken up, but fatigue kept her silent. Chi Shuo didn’t know what she was thinking as He Lindi gazed quietly out the window.
After getting out of the car, they both opened their umbrellas again and walked into Yuncheng’s bustling downtown area.
It was Thursday afternoon, so the area didn’t seem quite as bustling as usual.
Chi Shuo had assumed the popular milk tea shop might be less crowded, but upon entering, she realized she was completely mistaken. Almost all the small chairs inside were occupied, with only a few scattered seats remaining empty.
Nowadays, you could basically order online via WeChat. Chi Shuo had even asked He Lindi earlier if she wanted to place an order that way first, but He Lindi had shaken her head. “No, we need to wait in the good old-fashioned line.”
“…”
Chi Shuo had no choice but to join He Lindi in the relatively short ‘primitive’ line. Fortunately, not many people were willing to wait like this. Ten minutes later, only three or four people were ahead of them waiting to order.
But Chi Shuo’s attention wasn’t focused on the ordering; it was on two girls in the adjacent line. They kept glancing over at He Lindi, then whispering to each other. Chi Shuo couldn’t guess what they were saying, but she could tell they were somewhat excited.
Chi Shuo scratched her head, leaned back slightly, moving a little closer to He Lindi, and asked in a low voice, “Your fans?”
He Lindi was playing on her phone. Hearing Chi Shuo’s question, she looked puzzled. “What?”
Chi Shuo said, “Oh,” straightened up, and waved her hand. “Nothing.”
Just as she finished speaking, she saw the eyes of the two girls next to them light up. One took a small step towards them, looked at He Lindi, clearly trying hard to keep her expression composed, and asked, “Excuse me, are you Teacher He?”
Chi Shuo figured her guess was right.
He Lindi tilted her head slightly after being addressed. “Yes, I am.”
“I don’t know if you remember me, I’m from Yuan Cheng Photography Studio.”
Chi Shuo: …So they were colleagues in the field.
Chi Shuo felt a bit embarrassed.
“I have some recollection,” He Lindi smiled faintly. “What a coincidence.”
“It is quite a coincidence.”
“I was lucky enough to attend your photography seminar last time. I learned a lot.”
Chi Shuo had a million questions internally, but ultimately didn’t ask anything, just listened to them chatting behind her.
After ordering and taking their number, the two found a relatively quiet spot to wait for their milk tea.
Chi Shuo twirled the number tag in her hand, then looked at He Lindi again. “Photography seminar? When was that? Was there a fee?”
“Just a few days ago in Liucheng. The magazine organizers basically dragged me into holding a seminar. Many photographers were there, all sharing. I just shared a few of my own insights,” He Lindi said, sounding quite modest.
A photographer able to share their shooting experience on stage like that definitely held some status in the industry.
Chi Shuo nodded slowly. “That’s pretty impressive then.”
“It was alright.” He Lindi’s expression still showed fatigue; her eyelids seemed heavy. “If you really want to learn photography, I can teach you. There’s just one condition.”
Chi Shuo knew her words at lunch had been a joke, but she still couldn’t help pricking up her ears and asking, “What condition?”
“Teach me how to roller skate.”
Chi Shuo’s eyes widened slightly. “You don’t know how?”
“Nope.” He Lindi shook her head frankly. “My family had me learn piano and dance; I signed up for both. But I was actually more interested in roller skating. They just wouldn’t agree to let me learn, thought it was a waste of time.”
Chi Shuo nodded understandingly, then heard He Lindi add, “So, after afternoon tea, we’re going to a roller skating rink.”
Chi Shuo’s eyes widened again. “I haven’t even agreed to teach you yet!”
He Lindi curved her lips. “But I’ll be very happy.” Her voice was soft, and she lowered her eyelids, hiding her expression from Chi Shuo. “And that way, you’ll complete Boss Lin’s task.”
Chi Shuo paused, blinked, then replied, “Fine.”
Roller skating primarily tests balance and strength. He Lindi didn’t choose a public rink but went to one that had VIP private rooms.
The design and decor here screamed ‘expensive.’ Chi Shuo didn’t ask the price.
Better not ask, Chi Shuo thought. Don’t want to get worked up again and end up applying for a job here.
The roller skates were also very high-quality—at least, much more expensive than the ones she used with Tong Jinjin last time. Chi Shuo knew this because she had once been passionate about skating and paid attention to brands and prices.
The rink really wasn’t large; you couldn’t skate very far or perform particularly difficult maneuvers, but it was perfectly adequate for teaching.
He Lindi looked very serious, decked out in a full set of protective gear, helmet included.
Chi Shuo, on the other hand, needed nothing but the skates. If she hadn’t skated with Tong Jinjin recently, she might have been a bit intimidated now, having not done it for so many years. But after that last time, she felt confident.
She was experienced—once the coolest roller skater kid in her neighborhood. She didn’t need the gear.
After putting on her skates, He Lindi stood frozen in place, afraid to move. Chi Shuo looked into her eyes, started skating backward, then circled around her.
He Lindi’s lips parted. She called out to Chi Shuo, “Expert, give me a hand!”
Chi Shuo playfully slapped her own forehead, skated over with a smile, and stopped in front of He Lindi. “Alright,” she said, beginning to teach earnestly. “First, relax. Don’t tense up your body so much…”
The small rink’s air conditioning was on. Not far away, there was a refrigerator stocked with various drinks. Chi Shuo explained the theory to her for a long time, her own lips growing increasingly dry.
But she was competitive. He Lindi could slack off and rest, but Chi Shuo couldn’t allow herself to.
He Lindi attempted to skate forward but stumbled awkwardly. Seeing she was about to stagger and fall, Chi Shuo reacted quickly, grabbing her wrist and pulling He Lindi towards her.
Two seconds later, Chi Shuo, lying on the floor acting as a cushion: …
Originally, only one needed to fall, but now both were on the ground. And Chi Shuo was underneath, cushioning He Lindi’s fall perfectly.
He Lindi braced herself with both hands on either side of Chi Shuo. Before rolling off, her eyes curved into crescents again. “Teacher Chi, I have protective gear on.”
Chi Shuo’s ears, hidden beneath her hair, quietly turned red. “Get off.”
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