Men are indeed formidable. Even in such a serious condition, he was still thinking about that matter. How reckless! Lan Lan had intended to teach him a lesson, but Liang Yufeng had already come to his senses. "Beef noodles, then."
"Sure, I'd like to try that too," Lan Lan ordered one for herself and a few extra small dishes.
While waiting for the delivery, she urged Liang Yufeng to take his medicine, and then they sat quietly on the sofa.
Lan Lan sat cross-legged, surveying the spacious villa. If there was any habit of Liang Yufeng that hinted at his past, it would be the villa's decor. The villa was entirely American country style, with warm tones and warm lighting, making it very cozy. On the bar counter opposite, a vase held carnations and baby's breath, making it look nothing like the home of a businessman.
"Is this a show home?" Lan Lan casually struck up a conversation with Liang Yufeng.
Liang Yufeng was likely taken aback by her sudden shift in topic. "What?"
"The villa's decor, it looks like a show home," Lan Lan said.
"No," Liang Yufeng denied, "I oversaw the renovation."
"Do you like this style?" Lan Lan asked with a smile. "It doesn't fit CEO Liang's cool persona."
"My mother likes it," Liang Yufeng replied earnestly, not sounding like he was joking.
Lan Lan also became serious. She rarely heard Liang Yufeng mention his family proactively. "Why haven't you brought her to live with you?"
Back then, their mother and son must have lived very frugally. Now that Liang Yufeng had become successful, with his filial nature, he should have brought his elderly mother to live with him.
However, after she asked this question, Liang Yufeng's expression suddenly turned grim. Lan Lan instinctively wondered if she had said something wrong.
Or perhaps, his mother had already...
"She's not in Nanjiang," Liang Yufeng said. "Do you want to see her? I'll find time to take you."
Lan Lan said, "Oh." She knew the topic had become sensitive and it was not good to talk about it, so she changed the subject and chatted with him about other trivial matters. Later, the delivery arrived, and she brought it in. They ate together in the dining room.
While eating, Lan Lan said to Liang Yufeng, "I think you should hire a housekeeper."
"Why?" Liang Yufeng asked.
Lan Lan said, "It would be nice to have someone to take care of you."
"I'm used to living alone," Liang Yufeng clearly showed no interest in her suggestion. Lan Lan didn't press him and focused on her meal. Last night, she had eaten with colleagues and then came to find him. Waking up this morning, she was famished.
After eating, Lan Lan, uncharacteristically, tidied up the delivery trash and washed the dishes. She rarely did housework. In the past, whether it was cooking or washing dishes, Liang Yufeng always did it himself.
This time, Liang Yufeng sat at the dining table, watching Lan Lan wash the two bowls. As Lan Lan dried her hands, she saw him still there and smiled, "Why haven't you left? Are you afraid I'll wreck your kitchen?"
Lan Lan disliked housework, and washing dishes was not something she was adept at. Liang Yufeng knew this all too well; he stayed because he was afraid she might run into problems washing the dishes.
"Although my housekeeping skills aren't great, I can still wash two bowls."
Liang Yufeng smiled, which was rare. Perhaps it was due to his illness, but for once, they didn't bicker as they usually did. They only talked about everyday matters. Yesterday, Lan Lan had gone shopping with colleagues and bought many things, which were still in the living room, waiting to be organized today.
This pleasant atmosphere was finally broken by a phone call from Gu Xiao.
Lan Lan had put things away when her phone rang. She casually answered it and heard Gu Xiao's voice, "Are you up yet?"
"I'm up early," Lan Lan replied.
Gu Xiao was quite surprised and asked playfully, "You're so diligent now? I remember you used to sleep until the afternoon on weekends."
It was her habit, and it still was, but today was a special circumstance...
Lan Lan subconsciously glanced at the "culprit." Their eyes met, and she saw displeasure in Liang Yufeng's eyes. She then remembered that he must have heard Gu Xiao's voice.
Liang Yufeng's inexplicable possessiveness would likely lead him to imagine things he shouldn't...
"What do you want?" Gu Xiao was also one of the company's partners, and Lan Lan couldn't just hang up on him.
"I'm on my way to your place. I'm taking Baozi out to play today, want to join?" Although Gu Xiao was busy with work, he was a responsible owner. When he had time, he would take Baozi out to play frisbee. Lan Lan had played with him often before and had even learned frisbee from him.
If it weren't for Liang Yufeng, Lan Lan would have agreed without hesitation, but now...
"I'm not home," Lan Lan told Gu Xiao. "I have something to do today, I'm heading out. Maybe another time."
After finishing the call with Gu Xiao, Lan Lan heard Liang Yufeng ask, "Why aren't you leaving?"
Lan Lan found him disingenuous. "Would you let me leave?"
Liang Yufeng answered a question with a question. "What's your relationship with Gu Xiao?"
"He's my ex, you knew that already, didn't you?" Why ask such a redundant question.
"You have so many exes, it's hard to know them all," Liang Yufeng suddenly became sarcastic. "You can still go out on dates after breaking up, you're quite something."
Lan Lan, however, was unfazed. "I broke up with you, and I still slept with you. What's wrong with going on a date?"
Gu Xiao just wanted to take her dog out, hardly a date.
Liang Yufeng: "Am I also your ex?"
"Do you want to hear what you're saying?" Lan Lan suspected his brain had been fried by the fever, asking such a question. If he wasn't an ex, what was he?
"What's our relationship now?" Liang Yufeng rephrased.
Lan Lan finally understood what he meant. In this regard, he was indeed different from Gu Xiao. Gu Xiao was a pure ex, while Liang Yufeng... was an ex who had developed into a fuck buddy? But the essence remained the same; both were exes.
"Alright, you're different. I'm more intimate with you. Are you satisfied with this answer?" Lan Lan bit down on the word "intimate," her tone as if coaxing a child.
Liang Yufeng disliked her attitude, so he made things difficult for her. "I want lean pork congee for lunch." The implication was that he wanted her to make it.
Lan Lan disliked cooking, but she knew how to make simple dishes. Lean pork congee was likely her best dish, but Liang Yufeng had never eaten it during their relationship.
Considering Liang Yufeng was ill, Lan Lan did not refuse him. After ordering the ingredients for delivery, she went to the kitchen to prepare.
Liang Yufeng followed her. Seeing Lan Lan chopping vegetables in the kitchen, he suddenly felt a sense of disorientation.
He touched his forehead, unable to distinguish between dream and reality. If it were a dream, it would be good to never wake up.
However, the doorbell rang at that moment, pulling him from his reverie back to reality.
Lan Lan also heard it. "You go open the door."
Liang Yufeng grunted. He walked to the living room and, upon opening the door, saw Shang Ting standing there. "What are you doing here?"