Gu Susu came out of the Jiangnan restaurant. Seeing that it was still early, she went to the supermarket to buy a few dishes and then went to Qin Tianyi's apartment.
Carrying the groceries in, she saw a pair of women's slippers placed at the entrance and knew Qin Tianyi had already arrived.
She changed her shoes and walked in, finding Qin Tianyi lounging on the sofa, distractedly watching television.
He heard the sound of the door opening and said, "You're here."
Gu Susu walked in front of him, blocking his view of the television, and asked, "When did you get here? Have you had dinner yet?"
Qin Tianyi placed his hand on his stomach and looked at the dishes in her hands, saying, "No, I was just waiting for you to arrive so we could order takeout."
Gu Susu gave him a look that said 'I knew it' and went straight into the kitchen. "Don't order takeout, I'll make a few small dishes right away."
Qin Tianyi also got up and followed her into the kitchen. "Didn't you just get back from overtime? Why are you still cooking? Aren't you tired? Come watch TV with me and rest for a bit."
Gu Susu turned to him. Thinking about her meeting with Yang Sijie earlier, she realized she had almost missed out on this man. A complex mix of emotions welled up within her. She pushed him out of the kitchen, saying, "I just want to make dinner for you. Stop messing around and go back to watching your TV."
Qin Tianyi had no choice but to let her push him out of the kitchen. Watching her busily preparing food for him like a diligent young wife, his mood inexplicably lifted, and his worries vanished like smoke.
However, he didn't stay outside the kitchen for long. While she was focused on frying fish, he quietly came up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and said, "It smells so good. How much longer will it be?"
"Stop messing around, dinner will be ready soon," Gu Susu said, trying to remove his hands while leaning back slightly.
"Susu, do you know? I'm really happy," Qin Tianyi said, holding her tightly. "So you do have feelings for me. I thought I had lost you forever."
"Me too," Gu Susu said, turning down the heat on the stove. "Actually, I should thank Sijie Gege. If it weren't for him, I might still be deceiving myself and unable to face my feelings for you."
Hearing her mention Yang Sijie again, and still calling him Sijie Gege, Qin Tianyi felt a pang of discomfort.
Even though he knew her heart and soul belonged to him, Yang Sijie was her childhood sweetheart. Could he truly never compare?
"Is it just liking for me?" Qin Tianyi asked, turning her around forcefully so she faced him.
"Yes, isn't liking enough?" Gu Susu said, glancing back at the fish in the pan. "The fish is going to burn. I told you to wait outside."
Qin Tianyi reached out, turned off the stove, and kissed her, saying, "It's not enough."
"What are you doing?" Gu Susu protested. "Let's finish eating before we talk about anything else."
"But I want to eat you first," Qin Tianyi said, kissing her without restraint.
Gu Susu, who had intended to resist, couldn't help but succumb to him, and the kitchen was filled with a passionate atmosphere.
After a bout of exertion, Gu Susu was so tired she fell asleep.
She had barely slept the night before due to his attentions, and now he was at it again. This man had too much energy.
She took a short nap and woke up to the aroma of food, but Qin Tianyi was nowhere to be seen.
The empty room, the empty bed, gave her a sense of indescribable loss. However, she quickly remembered the half-finished meal in the kitchen.
"Oh no," she thought, preparing to get up and check the kitchen, when the door suddenly opened.
Qin Tianyi walked in, leaned down, and kissed her. "You're awake."
Gu Susu felt as if she were dreaming and asked blankly, "You didn't leave?"
"Where would I go? I still need to fill my stomach," Qin Tianyi said with a smile.
Gu Susu looked at him, full of vigor and no sign of fatigue, and wondered what he was made of. Was he made of iron, with such great stamina?
"What are you looking at? Is there something on my face?" Qin Tianyi asked, touching his cheek.
"No, your face is very clean," she said, getting up. "I'll go make breakfast now."
Qin Tianyi took her hand and said, "No need. I've already prepared it. You woke up just in time. Let's eat together."
"You've prepared the meal?" Gu Susu didn't quite believe he could cook, but she was still pulled to the dining table by him.
She saw three or four dishes laid out on the table, along with bowls of rice, and hesitated to sit down.
Qin Tianyi tugged at her. "Why aren't you sitting? Are you afraid I've put something in the food?"
Gu Susu wasn't worried about him drugging the food, but rather whether his cooking was edible.
She had been with him for so long, she knew he had this skill.
But she didn't want to discourage him, so she smiled at him, sat down, and said, "Then let's eat, let's eat."
Qin Tianyi understood her doubt about his cooking and said dismissively, "Eat it, it won't kill you. Don't think I've never cooked before. It's just that unlike some people, I don't readily display my skills."
Gu Susu scoffed, picked up her chopsticks, took a bite of the stir-fried greens, and immediately spat it out, her eyebrows furrowed. "It's too salty! Did you pour in a whole packet of salt? Quickly, get me a glass of water!"
Qin Tianyi quickly went to get her water and brought a glass back, saying curiously, "That's not right. I didn't put too much salt in the stir-fried cabbage."
"I don't believe you, try it yourself," Gu Susu said after taking a sip of water.
Qin Tianyi, disbelieving, took a bite himself and savored it carefully. "It's not salty at all..."
Before he could finish speaking, Gu Susu burst out laughing. "I was just teasing you."
With that, she picked up another piece of cabbage and put it in her bowl, then reached for the fish.
Qin Tianyi realized he had been tricked and said indignantly, "Your acting is Oscar-worthy."
Gu Susu hadn't expected to be able to joke with Qin Tianyi like this. Her mood lifted considerably, and the gloom she felt after meeting Yang Sijie had completely vanished.
Qin Tianyi suddenly said, "Aren't you afraid of me anymore?"
Gu Susu, mid-chew on a piece of fish, was struck by his words and realized how relaxed and natural she felt around him.
Qin Tianyi looked at her comical expression, smiled, and patted her head. "Little kitty, is my cooking good? Eat more, don't waste it."
Gu Susu pushed his hand away and pretended to be angry. "Who's a kitty? I've told you before, don't treat me like a pet!"
Qin Tianyi looked at her and said with amusement, "You look like a cat right now. I wouldn't mind if you treated me like a pet. You can be the breadwinner, and I'll be the beautiful one. I don't mind."
"If you want me to support you, you'll have to be pleasing to me," Gu Susu said haughtily, mimicking his condescending tone.
"Then it seems I'll have to keep working hard to please you," he said, abandoning his meal again. He got up and moved to embrace her.
Gu Susu immediately dodged him with a laugh. "No, aren't you tired? Don't you need to rest?"
Qin Tianyi tried to catch her, his eyes filled with tenderness. "If I want to please you, I have to put in some effort, right?"
Gu Susu dodged him with a smile. "You're so annoying. Can't a person eat a meal in peace?"
Qin Tianyi ignored her protests and managed to grab her. They laughed and playfully tussled.