"This is an illegal structure, isn't it?" Ye Zhi blurted out.
As soon as the words left her mouth, Ye Zhi regretted them. Had she just ruined the mood with her insensitivity to romance?
Qi Xuan paused for a moment. "I can apply for the necessary permits."
Ye Zhi: ...
How bizarre! It was as if they were actually discussing whether to build a skybridge.
Seeing her distressed expression, Qi Xuan chuckled softly. "Ye Zhi."
"Yes?" Ye Zhi looked up at him.
"Even though we've confirmed our relationship, there's no need to immediately switch to a different mode of interaction," he said gently. "The most important thing for two people together is that they are both comfortable and happy. So, just be yourself, and we can work on other things gradually."
Ye Zhi silently breathed a sigh of relief. She gave a faint smile. "Okay."
"However..." Qi Xuan mused for a moment, then asked, "May I use a more affectionate address?"
"Sure," Ye Zhi said curiously. "What do you want to call me?"
"Ah Zhi..." he whispered, testing the waters, his gaze as soft as water.
"Oh..." Ye Zhi felt her heart pounding. It felt a little strange, but she also liked it.
Should she give Qi Xuan a new nickname too?
Xuan? A Xuan? It felt difficult to say...
"What do you want to eat tomorrow morning?" Qi Xuan asked.
"I wanted to have xiao long bao... but never mind," Ye Zhi shook her head. "It's too much trouble to prepare, so I'll just eat whatever your chef makes."
"Alright." Qi Xuan secretly made a note of it. Seeing Ye Zhi yawn, he chuckled. "Go to sleep now. Goodnight, Ah Zhi."
"Goodnight... x" Ye Zhi opened her mouth, realizing she truly couldn't bring herself to say it. Recalling what Qi Xuan had said about her just being herself, Ye Zhi felt at ease. She smiled faintly. "Qi Xuan."
*
Early in the morning, Qi Xuan was already busy in the kitchen. The butler beside him said somewhat anxiously, "Young Master, we have chefs at home. Why do you insist on cooking yourself?"
"Ah Zhi prefers what I make," Qi Xuan replied calmly.
The butler: ...
At his age, was he suddenly being fed dog food? Fine, fine, youth was indeed a wonderful thing!
Qi Xuan checked the time. Ye Zhi should be waking up soon.
He packed the breakfast he had prepared into a food container and carried it to Ye Zhi's doorstep.
As soon as the doorbell rang, Ye Zhi opened the door. She smiled. "You're here? I was just about to come over for breakfast..."
"I brought it to you," Qi Xuan said, lifting the food container.
"Come in." Ye Zhi moved aside, letting him enter.
They walked into the dining room together. Qi Xuan placed the breakfast on the table, and Ye Zhi went to the kitchen to get bowls and chopsticks.
She returned to the dining room with the tableware. On the table, in addition to several dishes, was a steaming basket of xiao long bao in the center.
Ye Zhi looked surprised. "These xiao long bao smell so good! Did you tell the butler, Uncle?"
"No," Qi Xuan said, taking the chopsticks she offered. "Try them first."
She sat down in her chair, picked up a chopstick, and brought one to her lips.
Ye Zhi took a bite. Beneath the thin skin, the savory soup mingled with the aroma of meat, filling her taste buds and awakening her senses. Her eyes instantly lit up.
"You made these, didn't you?" Ye Zhi looked at him in surprise.
Qi Xuan was somewhat taken aback. The corners of his lips curled into a slight smile. "You can tell?"
"Mhm!" Ye Zhi nodded vigorously. She thought for a moment. "How should I put it? Your cooking is different from anyone else's. There's a beauty in precisely controlled portions."
"Do you like them?" he asked, a touch of apprehension in his voice.
"I love them very much!" Ye Zhi confirmed with a nod.
At that moment, Qi Xuan's heart felt a profound sense of satisfaction.
"Then please eat more," Qi Xuan said. He picked up a xiao long bao and placed it in her bowl.
"Qi Xuan," Ye Zhi turned to look at him, a hint of confusion in her eyes. "Haven't you already won me over? Why are you still being so good to me? I've read online that many people say their boyfriends are incredibly good to them while they're courting them, but after they've won them over, they become like different people."
She genuinely couldn't understand. If these xiao long bao were made by Qi Xuan's family chef, or if Qi Xuan had bought them, she could understand.
But these were made by Qi Xuan himself. She could tell they were fresh, definitely handmade, not pre-made. This meant Qi Xuan had woken up at least an hour or two earlier to prepare them.
"Because their goal is to pursue their girlfriends, and being good to them is the means to achieve that goal. My goal..." Qi Xuan's gaze was gentle, his tone firm, "is to spend my life with you. Making breakfast for you is about creating shared memories for us. This is the most beautiful scenery on our life's journey before I reach my goal."
Ye Zhi felt her cheeks flush, and her heart began to race. "Help! Qi Xuan is so charming!"
She took a deep breath and asked with a playful smile, "When did you learn to speak sweet nothings? I had no idea."
"Is this considered sweet talk?" Qi Xuan sounded surprised. "I'm just saying what I feel in my heart."
Ye Zhi felt her entire heart being struck. He was so good at this! Indeed, sincerity was always the ultimate winning strategy.
"Ah Zhi, eat up quickly, they'll get cold soon," Qi Xuan urged with a gentle smile.
"Okay~" Ye Zhi picked up a xiao long bao from her bowl.
After breakfast, Qi Xuan drove Ye Zhi to the company.
As they arrived at Taoxun's parking lot, Feng Jie had just returned from a field trip with the gaming department.
When Feng Jie saw Ye Zhi and Qi Xuan getting out of the same car hand in hand, and Qi Xuan escorting Ye Zhi all the way to the elevator before leaving, he was stunned.
Had they... officially announced their relationship?
Feng Jie suddenly felt a sense of unease. He recalled his days following Ou Minghan and wondered if Ye Zhi, now that she was in a relationship, would also make strange demands of him, like suddenly asking him to investigate women who were rumored to be ambiguous with Qi Xuan in the middle of the night.
Of course, Feng Jie was only joking. But when he got to the office, Ye Zhi also arrived at the live-streaming department not long after.
Ye Zhi called him and Shi Fan into a conference room for a brief private meeting.
With Feilong Live being shut down, many users were flooding in. Meanwhile, T Live's reality show "Dream Girls" had entered its finals, and the game "Cosmic Heroes" had just begun. Ye Zhi instructed them to keep a close eye on everything, emphasizing that no further mistakes could be made at this crucial time.
Feng Jie felt a bit dazed. Why did it feel like Ye Zhi hadn't changed at all? Was she really dating someone?
"Feng Jie," Ye Zhi frowned slightly. "What are you thinking about? Why are you so absent-minded? Did you just return from your field trip and haven't adjusted yet?"
Feng Jie lowered his head in shame. "I apologize, President Ye."
Ye Zhi didn't dwell on it. She continued, "Not only users, but a batch of streamers have also come to our live-streaming website recently. You two must keep a very close watch. T Live absolutely cannot tolerate any borderline content!"