She didn't know how Yang Sijie had found her, but she had been disheveled for the past two days and was unprepared to see anyone.
Yang Sijie rang the doorbell outside, and after waiting for a while with no response, he thought Susu was asleep and hadn't heard, so he rang again.
Gu Susu quickly tugged at her clothes and had no choice but to open the door.
"Sijie, why are you here? You didn't say anything in advance." As she spoke, she saw Yang Sijie carrying shopping bags of all sizes in both hands.
Yang Sijie's eyes held a smile as he said gently, "I thought you wouldn't be going out, so I came directly. Have you had breakfast? You haven't made lunch, have you?"
Gu Susu, holding yogurt in one hand and supporting her head with the other, said, "Oh, I was just about to order takeout."
Yang Sijie, feeling a bit tired from carrying so many things, leaned against the doorframe outside and said, "Takeout isn't healthy. Let me cook for you. You don't welcome me, don't you invite me in?"
Gu Susu then realized she was still blocking the doorway and quickly moved aside, saying, "Welcome, of course, you're welcome. Please come in."
Yang Sijie entered with his bags, looked around, and couldn't help but feel heartbroken by how simple Gu Susu's living conditions were.
He found the kitchen himself, placed all the items he was carrying in the kitchen, tied on an apron, and prepared to cook.
Gu Susu followed him, standing by the kitchen door, feeling that this Yang Sijie was nothing like the CEO of a multinational corporation; he was very much like a man who enjoyed domestic life.
"Sijie, let me do it. A true gentleman stays away from the kitchen. How can you always be the one cooking?" Gu Susu walked over, intending to untie his apron.
Yang Sijie quickly turned around, grabbed her hands, and stopped her from untying the apron, saying, "I know you haven't been in the mood to cook these past few days, so let me do it. Didn't you say before that my company made you feel much better? Having me by your side will make you feel less unhappy."
Gu Susu smiled and said, "I'm already very happy that you're here. I can't possibly let a big CEO like you cook."
As she spoke, she still wanted to snatch the fresh vegetables from his hands.
Yang Sijie held the vegetables up high, preventing her from reaching them, and said, "Are you also going to be in awe of me like the people outside, not treating me as... as a friend?"
Gu Susu couldn't argue with him, so she said, "I'll help you. Let's cook together."
Yang Sijie nodded and said, "Okay, this way we can eat lunch sooner."
Gu Susu said nothing more, perked up, and skillfully began helping Yang Sijie wash and cut vegetables.
Before long, they were standing side by side at the stove. Gu Susu was simmering corn and pork rib soup, while Yang Sijie was stir-frying beef with chili peppers.
Gu Susu coughed, choked by the smell of chili from the pot.
Yang Sijie turned off the heat and pulled her outside the kitchen, saying, "I'll watch the soup you're simmering. You go outside to watch TV and rest. I'm enough in the kitchen by myself."
Gu Susu wanted to say it was okay, and since she was going to help him cook, she should see it through.
But Yang Sijie didn't give her another chance to enter the kitchen and directly closed the kitchen door.
Gu Susu stood outside the kitchen, her heart filled with warmth, and couldn't help but wonder how wonderful it would have been if fate hadn't cruelly separated them back then.
Soon, Yang Sijie brought three dishes and one soup to the table.
Gu Susu, who had no appetite initially, almost drooled upon seeing the delicious and appetizing food, feeling very hungry.
Yang Sijie also served her rice and handed her chopsticks, saying, "You can eat now."
She picked up her chopsticks, thinking about which dish to start with, and naturally said, "Brother Sijie, let's eat."
Yang Sijie picked up his bowl, his heart warming, and put a piece of scrambled egg, her favorite, into her bowl, smiling and saying, "Eat."
Gu Susu ate two bowls, feeling that Yang Sijie's cooking tasted exactly like their childhood. She couldn't help but ask, "Brother Sijie, when did you learn to cook? Don't people in foreign countries eat Western food? Why did you end up learning to cook Chinese food?"
"Who says I only know how to cook Chinese food? I can cook Western food too," Yang Sijie said confidently about his culinary skills.
Gu Susu finished eating and put down her chopsticks, saying, "Brother Sijie, did you study culinary arts abroad?"
Yang Sijie looked at her, his heart stirred, and said, "From high school onwards, I lived alone in an apartment. Eating Western food every day was unbearable for me, so the only solution was to learn to cook myself. Later, I discovered the benefits of being able to cook, which is that I can make whatever I want to eat. So, for a while, I thoroughly studied Chinese and Western recipes, and now I've reached a certain level."
Gu Susu imagined the tall and handsome Yang Sijie wearing a tall chef's hat, busy stir-frying in the kitchen, and thought he would be the most handsome chef. She smiled and teased him, "If you weren't the CEO of the group, you could consider becoming a star hotel chef."
Yang Sijie's expression stiffened for a moment, but he quickly smiled and said, "I wish I could, but I have no choice."
Gu Susu curiously asked, "Tell me about your adoptive parents. Why have I never heard you mention them? Why did they adopt you? Did they not have children of their own?"
"They already had two children. Perhaps they thought I was cute, who knows?" Yang Sijie smiled unnaturally.
Gu Susu joked, "In terms of cuteness, I think I was much cuter than you back then. Why didn't they choose me?" As she spoke, she cupped her chin with both hands, tilted her head, and smiled cutely.
Yang Sijie smiled and stroked her head, "Are you done eating? If you're done, I'll wash the dishes."
"Also, you said your adoptive parents had two biological children. Why didn't they inherit the multinational corporation, but you did?" Gu Susu asked again, full of curiosity about his years abroad.
Yang Sijie's expression became complex and unreadable, saying, "I'm not sure either. Perhaps it's because I was the most academically successful, and they thought I was the most suitable to manage the group."
Gu Susu nodded without thinking much. In her impression, foreigners were more open-minded about family relationships. It was like those foreign celebrities who liked to adopt orphans from different parts of the world, treating them as their own and not caring too much about biological ties.
Besides, she was the best example. Even though she was the biological daughter of the Ai Shunan couple, they treated Ai Yiwei better than her. Therefore, the fate and emotions between people couldn't be generalized.
Gu Susu didn't press him further. She got up to clear the bowls and chopsticks, insisting, "You sit there. Don't you dare fight me for it. I'll wash the dishes."
This time, Yang Sijie obediently listened to her and didn't argue.
As she washed the dishes in the kitchen, he leaned on half of his shoulder against the kitchen doorframe, gazing at her busy back.
Time seemed to freeze at this moment. He had once dreamed of such a scene: they would live together after growing up, he would work outside, and she would manage the household, creating a warm and happy home together.
But could his dream still come true now?