Rejected by the Campus Belle, I Find My True Love-Chapter 162 - 161: You Don’t Know Xue Yang Well Enough
Lin Xi said proudly, "See? I wasn’t wrong, was I?"
"We’ll have to taste it first to know if it’s any good," Si Wen retorted.
When Xue Yang saw them walk in, he looked up. "Are you two hungry?"
"Not really," Lin Xi replied. "I just brought Si Wen over to see what we’re having for lunch."
Xue Yang introduced the menu. "We have steamed taro with pork ribs, braised chicken with shiitake mushrooms, boiled tofu, stir-fried bok choy, and a carrot and lotus root soup."
Si Wen peeked at the semi-finished dishes. Even though they weren’t cooked yet, they already looked incredibly appetizing. This was significant, as Si Wen was notoriously picky about her food. The fact that the meal could already whet her appetite was proof enough of Xue Yang’s impressive culinary skills.
"You two can go play a game or something," he said. "The food should be ready in about an hour."
"Okay," Lin Xi replied, obediently pulling Si Wen away.
"You’re really obedient, aren’t you?" Si Wen teased.
"Well, I can’t cook, so I’d only get in the way if I stayed in there," Lin Xi said.
That makes sense.
Si Wen lifted her phone. "Want to play a game?"
"Sure!" Lin Xi had seen Xue Yang showing Si Wen a game earlier, which made her curious. She picked up Xue Yang’s phone, found the game, and logged in.
"Which hero are you picking?" Si Wen asked.
"Daji," Lin Xi said. "She’s the prettiest."
A beautiful girl should play the most beautiful hero, after all.
"Alright, I’ll pick someone else then," Si Wen said. "I’ll just... go with Luban."
The two young women nestled on the couch and started their game, while Xue Yang continued to cook in the kitchen.
Before long, the fragrant aroma of home cooking filled the house. It was the kind of smell that made your mouth water. One moment you didn’t feel hungry, but the next, the scent hit you and you were suddenly starving. After two matches, Lin Xi and Si Wen gave up on their game. Instead, they hovered at the kitchen doorway, eagerly watching Xue Yang cook.
In the past, neither of them would have ever dreamed of setting foot in a kitchen. At home, it was practically a forbidden zone for them.
Xue Yang finished plating the braised chicken with shiitake mushrooms. "Stop staring, you can start bringing the food out," he said with a smile.
"Okay!" Lin Xi immediately went in and took the dish from him.
"I’ll help too," Si Wen offered.
"The soup pot is heavy, so I’ll bring that out in a minute," Xue Yang told them.
"Alright," they both replied.
Working together, Lin Xi and Si Wen quickly carried all the dishes to the dining table.
"Si Wen, you can sit down. I’ll go get the bowls and chopsticks," Lin Xi said.
With her eyes glued to the feast before her, Si Wen simply replied, "Oh, okay."
Lin Xi returned with the bowls and chopsticks just as Xue Yang carried out a large, steaming pot of soup. Once the three of them were seated, they began to eat. Si Wen couldn’t wait and immediately picked up a piece of taro, savoring it carefully.
"So, is it good?" Lin Xi asked eagerly.
"Mmm, it’s delicious!" Si Wen exclaimed. "It’s so soft, tender, and sweet. The heat was controlled perfectly. Seriously, Xue Yang, your cooking is almost on par with a five-star chef’s."
"You flatter me," Xue Yang laughed. "If you like it, eat up."
Her appetite stoked, Si Wen began eagerly sampling one dish after another.
"Hey, Si Wen, save some for us!" Lin Xi protested.
"You’ve eaten his cooking so many times! What’s wrong with letting me have a little more?"
"But I haven’t had it in a long time either!"
"You’ll have plenty of chances in the future, so don’t be so stingy."
"This isn’t about being stingy! If you keep this up, I’m not lending you my notes anymore."
"Fine by me. I’m almost done with them anyway."
If anyone else had seen these two famously elegant young women bickering over an extra bite of food, their jaws would have hit the floor.
Throughout their squabble, Xue Yang just ate quietly with a smile. Before long, the plates on the table were nearly empty, though Si Wen felt like she could still eat more. Lin Xi ladled a bowl of soup for her. "I’m telling you, the soup he makes is to die for."
Si Wen took the bowl, had a sip, and her eyes immediately lit up. "Wow, this soup is incredible!"
"Right?!" Lin Xi beamed, overjoyed that her best friend approved so enthusiastically of Xue Yang’s cooking.
"I’m so jealous. You found a boyfriend who can cook this well," Si Wen said, genuinely envious.
"Of course," Lin Xi replied with a proud smile.
After the meal, Lin Xi naturally started clearing the table, while Xue Yang went to sit on the couch and check messages on his phone.
"You’re washing the dishes?" Si Wen asked, a little surprised.
"Yeah. Xue Yang cooks and I do the dishes. Isn’t that normal?" Lin Xi said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Hearing that, I feel a bit like a freeloader just sitting here," Si Wen admitted. "Should I wash them?"
"Don’t worry about it. You just relax on the couch. I’ll be quick."
"Are you implying I don’t know how to wash dishes?"
"You’re our guest. There’s no way we’d let a guest wash dishes."
Si Wen was speechless.
After Lin Xi finished in the kitchen, the three of them sat on the couch together. They rested for a while until Xue Yang glanced at his watch and saw it was nearly three o’clock. He gave Lin Xi a knowing look, and she understood immediately.
"I’m going to get changed," she announced.
Si Wen followed her into the bedroom like a shadow.
"Where are you two going?"
"To the Lin Corporation."
"You... you told him?"
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Lin Xi shook her head. "Not yet."
"You’re still not planning to tell him?"
"I’m a little scared," Lin Xi admitted.
She’d kept it from him for so long. Wouldn’t it be a little... awkward to bring it up now?
"I really think you should find the right time to tell him," Si Wen urged.
Lin Xi fell silent. She wanted to tell him, she really did, but she was worried.
Thinking it over, Si Wen decided she had to give her friend a push. Given their personalities, Xue Yang would probably never bring it up himself. "He seems to be having some financial trouble lately. This could be your chance to help him."
Lin Xi tilted her head, looking at Si Wen in confusion.
"Don’t you pay any attention to what Xue Yang does?" Si Wen asked.
Lin Xi shook her head. "If he wants to tell me, he’ll tell me."
"And what if he doesn’t want to tell you? You’re just not going to ask?"
"But what if he doesn’t want to talk about it? Asking would just put him in a difficult position, wouldn’t it?"
Si Wen covered her face with her hand, exasperated. "Lin Xi, you have to understand something. Men have a lot of pride. Especially in front of the woman they love, they’d rather report good news than bad."
"So what should I do?"
"Sometimes, you have to be the one to ask. You can’t just wait for him to tell you everything, or you’ll never truly understand him. Do you really want to spend your whole life sheltered under his wing, without ever knowing the storms he’s weathered for you?"
Lin Xi pressed her lips together tightly. For the first time, she felt like she was failing as a girlfriend. She wasn’t even as good of a friend to him as Si Wen was.
"Si Wen, thank you for telling me all this," she said sincerely. "If you hadn’t, I really might never have known how much he’s been doing behind my back."
"What are best friends for? Of course I want you to be happy," Si Wen said, then sighed dramatically. "Oh, when will I ever find my Prince Charming? I’ve decided, the day he finally appears, the first thing I’m going to do is beat him up."
"Why?" Lin Xi asked, puzzled.
Si Wen shook her little fist. "For making me wait all these years! Shouldn’t he get a beating for that?"
Hearing this, Lin Xi nodded with great seriousness. "He absolutely should!"
