Princess Syndrome - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Cooking

Su Lingyue was naturally afraid of these kinds of things. She'd avoid anything that hopped or crawled on the ground. That was one reason she didn't like going out in the summer. When she heard there was a frog, she didn't care about anything else. She clung to Ji Zhiyi, nearly hugging her tightly. Her usual calm was shattered. She turned her head and whispered, "Where is it?"

Ji Zhiyi said, "Behind your foot."

Su Lingyue wanted to cry. "Is it still there?"

The sound of croaking came from the air, she couldn't tell if it was in the bushes or behind her. She stiffened, hearing Ji Zhiyi say, "It's still there. Do you want to look?"

"No, no need." Su Lingyue tried to calm down, took a deep breath, and after a few seconds, she wanted to turn her head. Ji Zhiyi said indifferently, "It jumped up."

She turned her head back, leaning even closer to Ji Zhiyi, her face almost buried in Ji Zhiyi's chest.

Ji Zhiyi's nose was filled with a faint fragrance. She looked down at her slender neck, her skin fair like jade. The light wasn't very bright, and although some people looked this way, the staff members rushed past them, so they didn't attract too much attention.

Su Lingyue couldn't hold back and pushed Ji Zhiyi, wanting to take a few steps forward.

Ji Zhiyi didn't move.

She called, "President Ji?"

Seeming confused, she looked up at Ji Zhiyi, her beautiful eyes shimmering, her fair face looked even paler, perhaps from the fright, her thin lips slightly open. Because they were so close, Ji Zhiyi could hear her heart thumping rapidly. She snapped back to reality, her body took a couple of steps back, and Su Lingyue followed suit.

They left the flower bed. Su Lingyue finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She said, "I'll go change my clothes."

"No need," Ji Zhiyi said. Su Lingyue tilted her head.

Ji Zhiyi said, "Don't waste time. I'll have the clothes sent over tomorrow."

Su Lingyue couldn't wait to leave, so she didn't object and followed Ji Zhiyi out. It wasn't until they reached the flat road that her expression softened. She lightly exhaled and returned to her usual quiet demeanor.

Ji Zhiyi walked beside her, glancing down. They were about an arm's length apart. The hand hanging by her side tightened.

But she didn't pull Su Lingyue.

At the gate, Ji Zhiyi asked, "Did you give her the letter of intent?"

Su Lingyue said, "I did, but she gave it back to me." However, since she was willing to see her today, it meant that Yang Zhizhi was still interested in the cooperation. She had inquired this afternoon and found that four or five companies wanted her to endorse their products, but no one had met her yet. Since she had met with her today, it showed there was a chance.

She was confident. "We'll definitely succeed next time."

Ji Zhiyi tilted her head, looking at her. "Are you sure?"

Su Lingyue said decisively, "No."

Ji Zhiyi: ...

Su Lingyue said, "But I will try my best to achieve it."

Her attitude was commendable. Ji Zhiyi tilted her head and coughed lightly. "Get in the car."

Su Lingyue said, "I'll go get my luggage."

Saying that, she went to find the security guard. Ji Zhiyi watched her from behind.

Su Lingyue, wearing a school uniform and a ponytail, had a slender back. The streetlights cast her shadow, always making Ji Zhiyi unconsciously think of the past. On Saturday nights, First High got out of school earlier than Second High. She wouldn't go straight home, but instead, she would ride her bike to the gate of Second High, just watching quietly for an hour.

Usually, after an hour, Su Lingyue would emerge, surrounded by many friends, get into a car, and leave Second High.

She would always stand under the tree, quietly watching, seeing her talk and laugh with her classmates, watching her tall figure stretch out under the streetlights, just like now.

Su Lingyue came back to Ji Zhiyi with her luggage. She opened the trunk, put the suitcase in, then opened the car door and got in. Ji Zhiyi paused, then got into the front passenger seat. Su Lingyue found it strange and glanced at her, thinking Ji Zhiyi would only sit in the back.

She didn't say anything, fastened her seatbelt, and the car lights illuminated Su Lingyue's side profile, calm and beautiful.

Ji Zhiyi said, "Let's go to the supermarket first."

Su Lingyue asked, "President Ji, do you need to buy something?"

She hadn't realized she was asking more questions.

Ji Zhiyi lowered her head. "Buy some groceries."

Hearing this, Su Lingyue glanced at her and then after a few seconds, she said, "I can't cook."

Ji Zhiyi, who was looking at her phone, stopped and turned her head to look at her. "I'll cook."

Oh—

Su Lingyue had nothing to say.

The car drove toward the apartment. While waiting at a traffic light, Su Lingyue finally remembered: "President Ji, which supermarket are we going to?"

Ji Zhiyi casually clicked on the navigation on the screen. A mechanical voice immediately sounded, broadcasting real-time traffic conditions. Su Lingyue followed the navigation to the supermarket. She parked the car and followed Ji Zhiyi out of the car. They went into the supermarket together.

It was a general supermarket, so there was no shortage of people, especially at this time, when people were buying groceries to take home. Ji Zhiyi and Su Lingyue walked inside. There were no shopping carts left. There was a red basket with wheels that could be pulled. Su Lingyue took one. Not knowing what Ji Zhiyi wanted to buy, she remained silent.

Ji Zhiyi followed the crowd to the vegetable section. There were so many people that Su Lingyue had to walk close beside her. Ji Zhiyi occasionally stopped to buy vegetables and put them in her basket, asking, "What do you want to eat?"

Su Lingyue thought, she's quite humane, retaliating against me but still considering my preferences.

But if she didn't eat enough, she wouldn't have the energy to work. She had so many books to organize tonight. She chose a few of her favorite dishes, Ji Zhiyi put them in the basket, and Su Lingyue continued following her. Most of the people around them were families of three shopping for groceries, with parents holding their children's hands, or colleagues and friends linking arms, making her and Ji Zhiyi seem a bit closer.

She subconsciously took a step back, putting some distance between her and Ji Zhiyi.

Ji Zhiyi turned her head and saw her action. Her side profile tightened, her expression indifferent.

They didn't buy much. Ji Zhiyi handed her card to Su Lingyue, standing in front of the conveyor belt, waiting to sort the vegetables. While Su Lingyue was checking out, she glanced at her. Ji Zhiyi was holding the bag open, putting the food inside. With her eyes down, her whole demeanor was of sharp efficiency, especially in her professional suit. Clean and crisp, she looked like a career elite.

Many people were looking in this direction.

"Card?" the cashier asked. Su Lingyue snapped back to reality and handed the card to the cashier. The cashier said, "Please enter the PIN."

What was the PIN again?

Su Lingyue hesitated.

She looked at Ji Zhiyi, seeing her still putting away the groceries. The people behind her were starting to push and rush her. She reached out and tugged at Ji Zhiyi's sleeve. Ji Zhiyi looked down at her slender fingers. Su Lingyue tugged it again.

She turned her head.

Su Lingyue whispered, "The PIN."

Ji Zhiyi was about to speak, but seeing so many people, she leaned close, guiding Su Lingyue to enter the PIN.

Su Lingyue was being pushed from behind, unable to pull away. She lowered her head, seeing Ji Zhiyi's profile and the side of her neck, covered by her scarf, emitting a clean fragrance, with clean lines on her face. After Ji Zhiyi finished, Su Lingyue waited for the receipt. Then, seeing that Ji Zhiyi had already packed the bags and was waiting on the side, she quickly walked over, took the card from her, and took the bags from her hand.

Ji Zhiyi didn't say anything, putting the card in her bag and leaving the supermarket with Su Lingyue.

When they got home, Ji Zhiyi went into the kitchen. She took off her coat, her scarf, and her shirt collar buttons as usual were unbuttoned. With the scarf covering it, one couldn't see anything. Without the scarf, her fair and smooth collarbone was exposed, but she didn't care at all. Her serious expression made the scene even more alluring.

More tempting than being completely covered.

Su Lingyue looked away. Just as she was about to say she would organize the study, Ji Zhiyi said, "Come in and wash the vegetables."

Fine then.

She rolled up her sleeves and went into the kitchen. Looking at Ji Zhiyi's stance, she really knew how to cook. Su Lingyue could actually cook too. Washing rice, cooking rice, and stir-frying some shredded potatoes, she could barely manage. However, compared to Ji Zhiyi, it seemed a bit lacking.

Besides, she wasn't needed to cook.

Washing vegetables was easy enough. Su Lingyue sorted the vegetables and then took out plates from the disinfection cabinet. She washed each vegetable and placed them on a plate. Ji Zhiyi was cutting the vegetables, her movements were swift. After cutting, she said to Su Lingyue, "Plates."

She snapped back to reality and handed a plate to Ji Zhiyi.

The quiet was only broken by the sound of Ji Zhiyi working in the kitchen. After a while, the aroma of cooked rice filled the air. Su Lingyue wasn't hungry before, but with this aroma, her stomach started grumbling. She took a step back, afraid Ji Zhiyi would hear her.

Ji Zhiyi saw her action and said, "Go out."

Su Lingyue couldn't see any way she could help, so she went out. However, she was still a little worried and turned her head. Ji Zhiyi's voice was cold. "I won't poison you."

Ha.

She forced a smile and left the kitchen.

Seeing Ji Zhiyi's clothes on the sofa, she patted them and hung them on the rack. Thinking she hadn't eaten yet, she'd go tidy the study first. Passing by the cloakroom, she glanced inside and thought of Ji Zhiyi's high-heeled shoe collection.

It was human nature to like beautiful things.

Especially beautiful things that had been seen once. Su Lingyue unconsciously opened the door and walked inside. She stood in front of the glass display, turned on the light, and each pair of shoes inside shimmered, stunningly beautiful.

She stood there as if she was standing under the moonlight, awed by the visual impact. It was no wonder so many people were willing to pay a high price for this collection.

If it were her, she'd also be willing to buy it at any price.

But Ji Zhiyi's collection wasn't for sale. It was only for display. Su Lingyue had looked up information these past two days and found that the first display was overseas. Su Lingyue wasn't paying attention to current affairs then, so she didn't know.

At the time, they interviewed Ji Zhiyi about the inspiration behind the collection, but now many details of the interview were missing, and she hadn't found the full interview.

While she was thinking, she heard a phone ring outside. Su Lingyue quickly walked out. The sound was coming from the bag on the coffee table. It was Ji Zhiyi's phone. Looking into the kitchen, she saw that Ji Zhiyi's phone was on and she was probably couldn't hear it, so she grabbed the phone and went into the kitchen, handing the phone to Ji Zhiyi.

Ji Zhiyi looked at the caller ID, it was her mother.

She took the phone and walked out.

Her mother's voice wasn't loud. "Zhiyi, are you off work?"

She said, "I'm off."

Her mother asked, "What are you doing? Have you eaten?"

Ji Zhiyi said, "I'm about to eat."

"You have to eat on time, don't work yourself to death." Her mother's personality was still simple. "Oh, by the way, your sister went abroad, to..."

"Abroad?" Ji Zhiyi's voice rose. "Why didn't you discuss it with me?"

Her mother said, "You've been busy. She's always wanted to go abroad. Your godmother said she'd take care of her over there, so I sent her."

Ji Zhiyi's body stiffened, clearly unhappy. With her back to Su Lingyue, she said after a moment, "I understand."

Her mother said weakly, "Then you should eat. Listen to your godmother."

Ji Zhiyi said, "I know."

She hung up the phone and tossed it on the dining table. Su Lingyue watched her from behind. Ji Zhiyi said nothing and went back into the kitchen. After a while, the smell of burnt food filled the air. She turned off the stove and calmly poured the food into the trash can.

When she came out of the kitchen, all the trash had been cleaned up. No sign of her mistake was left. Su Lingyue was standing in the dining room. The doorbell suddenly rang. She was closer to the door, so she looked through the peephole and saw Zhang Xian.

Su Lingyue opened the door.

Zhang Xian was carrying a pile of liquor and said with a smile, "Ta-da! Your guest has arrived—"

Her voice stopped.

Ji Zhiyi poked her head out from the dining room. Zhang Xian blinked, looked at Su Lingyue, and then looked at Ji Zhiyi.

Su Lingyue looked at Zhang Xian and then looked at Ji Zhiyi.

Ji Zhiyi looked at Zhang Xian.

The cool air from the air conditioner by the door blew in.

Zhang Xian felt a chill.

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