Chapter 32: The Phone Call

Kange's rented apartment was more spacious than Yan Xue's place, so the two of them simply headed over to his apartment. Once inside, Kange efficiently fetched an apron from the kitchen, slipped it on, rolled up his sleeves, and began preparing things.

Yan Xue had always been diligent. Although her culinary skills were mediocre, she hated taking a free ride, so she eagerly went over to ask if there was anything she could help with, only to be assigned the task of cooking rice in the electric rice cooker.

Standing by the sink to wash the rice, Yan Xue watched as Kange expertly washed the carrots and broccoli separately. A pot of water was set to boil on the gas stove, and he asked Yan Xue to help peel the outer skin of a carrot. Meanwhile, he picked up a pointed chef's knife, skillfully peeling an onion, sliced it into half-centimeter-wide strips, and then took the peeled carrot. With a rapid *da-da-da-da*, he sliced it up, carving a few strokes along the way so that the circular carrot slices transformed into four-petaled flower shapes under his blade.

Once the water on the stove came to a boil, he first blanched the cut broccoli and carrot flowers, then took a box of beef rolls from the refrigerator and cooked them in the boiling water. Next, grabbing a frying pan, he heated oil and tossed in the onions. Amidst a burst of sizzling sounds, an appetizing fragrance instantly filled the air.

By this time, Yan Xue had nothing left to help with, so she simply leaned against the kitchen doorway, watching Kange skillfully stir-fry, pour in the sauce, cover the pan to simmer, and thicken the gravy. From start to finish, including cooking the rice, it took barely half an hour before two bowls of steaming, mouth-watering, and visually appealing onion beef rice were served on the table.

The glistening red sauce, tender beef, green broccoli, and orange carrots made it a feast for both the eyes and the palate.

Yan Xue almost hesitated to use her chopsticks. She took out her phone, snapped a few photos of the bowl in front of her, and sighed while photographing, "You really can't judge a book by its cover. Although I witnessed your culinary skills when you had your housewarming party last time, at this very moment, I still can't help but say—Kang, you hidden treasure of a man, how can you be so wonderfully domestic!"

"Thank you, Organization, for your recognition! I will surely press on and live up to your expectations!" Kange straightened his back with a solemn expression and raised a hand in a standard salute to Yan Xue.

The beef rice was exceptionally delicious. Yan Xue even had a second helping after finishing her first, feeling thoroughly satisfied.

Of course, she couldn't just enjoy Kange's cooking with a clear conscience and do absolutely nothing, so she snatched up the task of washing the dishes. Their positions swapped, and she was now the one washing and rinsing at the sink, with Kange leaning against the kitchen doorway watching her.

As she placed the washed bowls and chopsticks onto the rack to dry, Yan Xue suddenly realized that the room was truly unusually quiet. With anyone else, it might not have been so strange, but the person hanging out with her right now was Kange!

A guy who usually loved to talk and banter was being this quiet—could it be that he was tired from the day and dozing off from a full stomach?

Thinking of this possibility, Yan Xue softened her movements a bit, afraid that making a loud noise would wake Kange up. She turned around on tiptoes and was startled to see the person she thought was dozing in the living room standing right by the doorway, quietly watching her as if in a daze. This gave her quite a fright.

"Oh my, you're still standing here? Why so quiet? I thought you'd fallen asleep!" Yan Xue stroked her chest.

"Did I scare you? Oh dear, I'm so sorry, sorry!" Kange snapped back to reality.

"What were you thinking about just now?" Yan Xue didn't miss the unfamiliar emotion on Kange's face that she had never seen before.

Kange glanced around the surroundings and let out a slow sigh—not one of worry, but the kind of ease that came from total relaxation. "I was just thinking that moving into this place was truly worth it."

Yan Xue was just about to ask him why he suddenly felt this way when her phone happened to ring. It was her mother calling. Yan Xue glanced at the time and felt a bit surprised. Because her work was quite busy and demanding, to ensure it wouldn't interfere with her daughter's rest, her mother rarely called her at this hour.

What was going on today? Could there be some urgent matter at home?

Thinking this, Yan Xue felt her heart tighten and quickly answered the call. "Mom, what's wrong? Is something the matter at home?"

"Nothing, nothing, everything is fine at home, don't worry. Mom is only calling you now because I was afraid you hadn't left work earlier, and it wouldn't be very convenient for you to answer calls and talk in front of your colleagues at the office. You're off work now, right? Have you reached home yet? Is anyone else around? Is it convenient for the two of us to chat?"

Yan Xue was left bewildered by her mother, having no idea what she meant or why she was acting so mysteriously, repeatedly making sure no one else was around before she was willing to talk. Still, since her mother was being so secretive, she played it safe: she waved goodbye to Kange, stepped out of his front door, walked right over to her own door, opened it, went inside, and sat down in the living room.

"What is it, Mom? What could possibly be so secretive?" After confirming that everything was well at home, Yan Xue's mood lightened, and she had the leisure to joke with her mother. "Don't tell me you and Dad suddenly discovered we have a gold mine at home and want to tell me I don't need to work my fingers to the bone anymore, and can take an elevator straight to the pinnacle of life?"

It was meant as a joke, and normally her mother would have chimed in with a quip, but today, instead of a chuckle, there was a brief silence on the other end of the line.

"Xiaoxue," her mother said after a short pause, "I know our family's financial situation is quite ordinary. There's certainly no gold mine. You can't live without money, but there's no need to be greedy either—having enough to get by is fine, don't you think?"

Yan Xue felt that something wasn't quite right about those words. Usually, her mother wasn't someone lacking in humor or unable to tell the difference between a serious matter and a joking remark. Why was she being so unusually... earnest today?

"Mom, what are you talking about? Let's drop the riddles. Isn't it better to just come out and say whatever is on your mind?" Yan Xue asked, puzzled.

"Alright, then I'll just say it directly..." Her mother hemmed and hawed for a moment. "Xiaoxue, you're neither very old nor all that young anymore. Your dad and I won't pressure you about finding a partner, but we do hope you find a guy who shares your interests and can tolerate and care for you. As for the rest, your dad and I don't really care that much."

"Mm, I understand. Did you call so late just to tell me this?" Having heard her mother out, Yan Xue was far from figuring out the situation; instead, she grew even more puzzled.