Yu Lingshan was really asleep this time.
Before bed, Yu Lingshan had asked Xu Shi to tell her a bedtime story, saying she needed to be lulled to sleep.
She didn’t need any lulling at all. Xu Shi had only spoken two lines of Cinderella’s opening when Yu Lingshan was already fast asleep.
And it was a particularly deep sleep. When Xu Shi accidentally moved her arm, Yu Lingshan didn’t react in the slightest.
Yu Lingshan was holding Xu Shi tightly, and besides, it was definitely too late to go to the supermarket. Xu Shi decided to just order groceries on her phone.
She bought lamb chops, a few other things, and some fruit. Since she had never made lamb chops before, Xu Shi went straight to her mom for help, which also served as a way of telling her that her daughter wouldn’t be coming home tonight.
Her mom was used to it.
The longer Yu Lingshan slept, the faster the supermarket delivery seemed to arrive.
Xu Shi idly looked at her phone, watching the delivery person get closer and closer, making a mental plan, until the bedroom doorbell rang.
Xu Shi hadn’t realized the doorbell chime was right next to the headboard. It was incredibly loud, and the person in her arms jolted.
Xu Shi instantly squeezed her eyes shut, her mind filled with a single thought: I’m dead. She’s going to hit me.
The next second, Yu Lingshan opened her eyes.
“What was that?”
Xu Shi took the opportunity to pull her arm out. “The groceries from the supermarket are here.”
Yu Lingshan didn’t quite understand at first. “What groceries?”
Xu Shi kissed Yu Lingshan’s forehead. “I’m going to cook. You go back to sleep.”
Yu Lingshan was still groggy. Xu Shi quickly patted her a couple of times, coaxing her back to sleep.
Xu Shi managed to open the main door just before the delivery person could ring the bell a second time. After bringing the things inside, she opened the bedroom door to peek in. Sure enough, Yu Lingshan had fallen asleep again.
Xu Shi couldn’t help but think to herself, Weak little bottom.
The moment the thought crossed her mind, she quickly shut the door, as if Yu Lingshan could hear her.
The groceries she bought today were all easy to prepare, except for the lamb chops Yu Lingshan had a sudden craving for.
Her mom had already sent over the instructions, a mix of voice messages and text, afraid Xu Shi wouldn’t understand. She even told Xu Shi to call her if she ran into any trouble, adding at the end, “If it doesn’t work out, just come home, and I’ll make it for you two.”
Of course Xu Shi understood. She was actually quite good at it.
She busied herself in the kitchen for a long while, until the aroma was so fragrant that it made her own mouth water.
She even thought that if this smell could waft into the bedroom, Yu Lingshan would fly to the kitchen with her eyes closed, just like Tom from that cartoon she saw on TV years ago.
Xu Shi made a soup, and by then, it was about time to wake the other person up.
She didn’t expect, however, that Yu Lingshan would wake up first.
The reason she knew was that she opened WeChat and saw Yu Lingshan had just posted on her Moments. The timestamp, as it happened, was “Just now.”
And the content of her post was: The younger one is fragrant and fierce.
Because of this, Xu Shi burst out laughing all by herself in the kitchen.
It was the joy of being affirmed by the older one. This wasn’t just a “standard operation” anymore, was it?
Entering the bedroom, Xu Shi immediately saw the person nestled in the blankets, playing on her phone.
Xu Shi lifted a corner of the blanket and slipped in beside her. Yu Lingshan laughed as she was tickled, then hugged Xu Shi, letting out a contented “Mmm~” before saying, “It smells so good.”
Xu Shi’s eyes curved into crescents. “Me?”
Yu Lingshan: “The food smells good.”
Xu Shi: “…”
Yu Lingshan laughed, playfully tickling Xu Shi’s chin. “It wouldn’t happen to be lamb chops, would it?”
Xu Shi: “Wouldn’t it?”
Yu Lingshan’s voice was languid. “Our Xiao Zhi is the best.” She held up her arms. “Help me up.”
Xu Shi waited in the bedroom for Yu Lingshan to finish washing up so they could go out together.
As expected, Yu Lingshan loved the lamb chops. Paired with Xu Shi’s special soup, she had only taken two bites before giving Xu Shi five thumbs-ups.
Her second sense of accomplishment for the day. Xu Shi was very satisfied.
As they were finishing their meal, Yu Lingshan looked at her phone and suddenly chuckled.
Xu Shi was curious. “What is it?”
Yu Lingshan: “Xiao Qing finds it very hard to understand that I’m the bottom.”
Xu Shi was puzzled. “Why?”
Just as Yu Lingshan was about to open her mouth, Xu Shi suddenly added, “You look like a 0.”
The corner of Yu Lingshan’s mouth twitched, and her expression instantly went blank as she stared at Xu Shi.
Xu Shi laughed and quickly placed the last lamb chop onto Yu Lingshan’s plate. “The last piece is for you.”
Yu Lingshan pointed at Xu Shi. “You just wait, Xu Xiao Zhi.”
But waiting was useless. In bed, Yu Lingshan was no match for Xu Shi.
After eating, the two of them snuggled back into bed.
Lying there like that, things were bound to happen. Xu Shi had Yu Lingshan completely submissive, making “fragrant and fierce” a reality.
If they didn’t have plans for the evening, they probably would have stayed in bed from dawn till dusk.
In the evening, while doing her makeup, Yu Lingshan was so drained she didn’t want to say a word. She skipped all the steps she could, just applying a simple base layer before moving on to do Xu Shi’s makeup.
“Teacher Wu said so much to you just now,” Yu Lingshan said as she did Xu Shi’s eyebrows. “What did he say?”
Xu Shi: “He said he was happy to get my call, asked if you were coming, and mentioned he’d just caught some kind of fish this afternoon, so it was perfect timing for us to come and try his cooking. He asked if I preferred it steamed or grilled, then answered himself that grilling was better because this fish tastes better grilled.”
Yu Lingshan smiled. “He really likes you.”
Xu Shi: “I guess so.”
Yu Lingshan: “Who wouldn’t like our Xu Xiao Zhi?”
Xu Shi smiled.
Yu Lingshan: “He might want to talk to you alone tonight.”
Xu Shi started getting nervous again. “About what?”
Yu Lingshan laughed. “Something between casual chat and serious business. It’s nothing much. If he asks you questions, just be honest. You don’t need to hide anything from him; he’s very sharp.”
Xu Shi nodded. “Okay.”
Yu Lingshan: “Teacher Wu, like my master, doesn’t like flashy, unnecessary things. If he brings it up, just call him ‘Master,’ and the matter will be settled. Don’t think about doing anything else; all that fuss would just make him unhappy.”
Xu Shi: “Okay.”
Yu Lingshan was right. After dinner at Teacher Wu’s house, he called Xu Shi into his study alone.
He started with some casual small talk, asking about her mother’s health, before moving on to Xu Shi’s job.
He wasn’t surprised to hear that Xu Shi was in the process of resigning. His very next sentence was to tell her that there was an opening at the design institute and that she should think about it. Finally, step by step, he told Xu Shi about his recent thoughts of taking on a student and asked if she was interested.
Throughout the entire process, Xu Shi wavered between calm and nervous. Although it wasn’t obvious on her face, her palms were sweating profusely.
Teacher Wu spoke with her for a long time. When they came out, Xu Shi saw there was an extra person in the living room. Besides Yu Lingshan and Teacher Wu’s wife, Elder He had also arrived.
The three of them were sitting on the sofa around the coffee table, chatting and watching TV.
“What were you two talking about, keeping our Xiao Shi in there for so long?” Elder He was the first to speak when they emerged.
Teacher Wu smiled. “Not bad at all. Came for dinner and gained a student.”
Elder He laughed. “Oh, not bad at all.”
From behind Teacher Wu, Xu Shi caught Yu Lingshan’s eye, and they both smiled.
No one in the living room was surprised by this outcome. Elder He and Teacher Wu had other things to discuss, so the matter of her apprenticeship was settled just as simply as Yu Lingshan had said it would be.
On the way back, in the backseat of the car, Xu Shi told Yu Lingshan what Teacher Wu had said to her.
“Do you want to go?” was Yu Lingshan’s first question.
Xu Shi nodded. “I do.”
“Then you should accept,” Yu Lingshan said. “For Teacher Wu to say that, it means he’s already saved that position for you.”
Xu Shi first said, “Oh,” then after a few seconds, she suddenly started laughing to herself.
Yu Lingshan, of course, knew what Xu Shi was laughing about, but because Yu Lingshan suddenly looked at her, Xu Shi stopped.
Yu Lingshan: “Go on and laugh. If you’re happy, you should laugh.”
Xu Shi’s eyes immediately curved into crescents.
Yu Lingshan stroked Xu Shi’s chin. “Walk the flower road, Teacher Xu.”
Xu Shi nodded. “Thank you, Teacher Yu.”
After saying that, Xu Shi suddenly snuggled into Teacher Yu’s arms and said in a wheedling tone, “Ah~ I like you so much.”
Yu Lingshan smiled. “Then I guess I’ll like you too.”
Sunday passed, and Xu Shi returned to the company to work diligently, organizing all her tasks. On a bright and beautiful Thursday morning, she once again submitted her resignation to her manager.
Her job wasn’t difficult; almost anyone could do it. And Xu Shi had more or less trained the new employee who started last week, so the manager approved it quickly.
The manager also wished Xu Shi all the best and said jokingly that if they ever had a chance to collaborate in the future, she should remember to give the company the best discount.
After talking with the manager, she returned to her desk, and Xiao Yu immediately slid over in her chair.
“You resigned?” Xiao Yu asked in a low voice.
Xu Shi nodded. “Yeah.”
Xiao Yu: “So today’s your last day?”
Xu Shi: “Yeah.”
Xiao Yu leaned against Xu Shi’s desk with a tearful expression. “You’re leaving just like that? Leaving a young thing like me all alone here.”
Xu Shi laughed. “There will be plenty of other young people in the future.”
Xiao Yu sighed and leaned in a little closer. “So, uh, speaking of which, you and Yu Lingshan, huh? Right now, huh?”
Xu Shi turned on her computer. “Gossiping about me even on my last day.”
Xiao Yu: “Aiya, I’m curious! Just tell me. I won’t tell anyone else.”
Xu Shi smiled. She wasn’t worried about Xiao Yu telling anyone.
“Look at my Moments background,” Xu Shi said.
“You got it!”
Xiao Yu immediately went to look.
The moment she opened it, Xiao Yu let out a curse.
After swearing, she glanced back at their other colleagues and covered her mouth.
Xu Shi’s Moments background was a photo of her and Yu Lingshan, taken by Yu Lingshan. It was from when they were making a cake over the weekend. Yu Lingshan had dabbed cream on the tip of Xu Shi’s nose and her forehead.
In the photo, Xu Shi was looking at Yu Lingshan with a slightly aggrieved expression, while Yu Lingshan was smiling happily at the camera.
What was even more of a flex was Xu Shi’s Moments bio, which read: “It’s Fairy Yu.”
Xiao Yu kept her mouth covered, making strange whimpering sounds. She leaned over Xu Shi’s arm and asked in a low voice, “What about Yu Lingshan? What’s her Moments bio? ‘It’s Fairy Xu’?”
Xu Shi smiled, but she seemed a little too embarrassed to say it out loud.
So she just opened Yu Lingshan’s Moments on her computer.
The background was a photo in a similar style, but in this one, Yu Lingshan was looking at Xu Shi while pinching both of her cheeks. Xu Shi was looking at the camera, her lips puckered from the pinch.
“You two are so sweet, my god.” After saying that, Xiao Yu whimpered again, her eyes disappearing into slits, making it unclear if she was crying or laughing.
Whether it was sweet or not could be discussed later. Yu Lingshan’s Moments bio…
Xu Shi clearly remembered that yesterday, it had been “It’s Xiao Zhi.”
How was it now…
“‘It’s Fierce 1 Xu,’” Xiao Yu read out the words one by one. She looked at Xu Shi in horror. “You’re the 1?”
Xu Shi: “…”
Why was everyone who found out she was the 1 so surprised?
