Free Web NovelChapter 426: Chapter 426: Yanxi 34
Xu Yanxi considered herself a rational person, but she hadn’t expected Sheng Zhou to be the rational type, too. She couldn’t help but feel a little curious. "Your ex... did she know you were this rational?"
"She knew. We broke up a long time ago." They were both in their thirties; who didn’t have an ex? Sheng Zhou had nothing to hide. "I guess our values didn’t align. She liked the ’overbearing CEO’ type—someone who could give her that sweet romance from novels, who could be lovey-dovey all day, whispering sweet nothings. I couldn’t be that person."
"My life isn’t just about romance. I have a lot of work to do. Love is only a very small part of my life."
Xu Yanxi raised an eyebrow. "You’re certainly honest."
Sheng Zhou, carrying the shopping bags with ease, continued speaking without missing a beat. "Because we’re the same type of person. Neither of us gets lost in love. We both believe love is a part of our lives, but it’s not so important that we’d give up everything for it."
This was the first time Xu Yanxi had realized how articulate Sheng Zhou could be. She found it a little amusing. "You might be misunderstanding something. I do agree that love isn’t the be-all and end-all of my life, but I never imagined I’d meet someone quite like you."
"You’re too cold."
"I’m cold?" Sheng Zhou stopped in his tracks. "I consider myself a gentleman."
"I’m not going to argue with you," Xu Yanxi said, not stopping for him. "Because right now, we’re just neighbors. I’m only stating what I see. As for anything else, I haven’t seen it yet."
Sheng Zhou mulled over Xu Yanxi’s words, then quickly caught up to her. "Let’s have dinner together tonight. I’ve been learning how to make fish soup..."
’To be fair,’ Xu Yanxi thought, ’I can’t deny that Sheng Zhou is an outstanding man—a classic, elite professional. But just because some outstanding guy shows interest in me, does that mean I have to throw myself at him?’
’That would be cheapening myself. Ultimately, what matters is a meeting of minds. Even though I agree with what Sheng Zhou said, if two people who don’t prioritize love got together, what kind of life would that even be?’
’Life would quickly become a pool of stagnant water, because there would be so little warmth in it.’ The thought of having such a cold person as her future life partner made Xu Yanxi feel like there would be nothing to look forward to.
Observing the conversation between Xu Yanxi and Sheng Zhou, Tan You also fell into deep thought. ’Since both of them are exceptionally successful, and Xu Yanxi isn’t after a man’s money or anything else, he has no leverage over her.’
’To be with a woman like that, nothing but genuine sincerity and affection could truly move her.’
’Unfortunately, Sheng Zhou is the same kind of person. He sees Xu Yanxi’s excellence and admires it. He thinks that by expressing his interest, Xu Yanxi will just agree. But that’s not how feelings work. It’s always the one who wants it more who has to put in more effort.’
’A mutual pursuit is certainly wonderful, but it’s not the only kind of relationship in the world. From Xu Yanxi’s perspective, it doesn’t matter to her whether she gets married or dates. But for Sheng Zhou, it clearly does; he obviously has a desire to start a family.’
’But he’s too cold and holds himself too high. For that reason alone, he’ll never make any progress with Xu Yanxi.’
And just as Tan You had predicted, after having dinner with Sheng Zhou the previous night, Xu Yanxi packed her bags the next day and headed for the countryside. For one, she missed the old man; for another, she wanted to use the trip to avoid Sheng Zhou.
’Xu Yanxi wasn’t a teenage girl anymore. In the past, she might have been swayed by a man’s halo of success or his external qualities. But she has all of those things herself now. The only thing that can move her is emotion.’
’And that kind of fiery passion is something Sheng Zhou can’t—or rather, won’t—give. As adults with their own histories, it’s hard to love another person with such wholehearted devotion anymore.’
Xu Yanxi’s move to the countryside sent a clear message, and Sheng Zhou obviously understood it. So after she left, he didn’t contact her again. Instead, he also returned to his family’s home to spend time with his relatives.
「In the countryside.」
Looking at Xu Yanxi sprawled on the sofa, Xu Jinwu’s gaze was probing. "You... What’s wrong? Why are you back all of a sudden? Didn’t you say last time you wouldn’t be back for another week or so?"
How could Xu Yanxi tell the truth? She just made up an excuse. "It’s just been a while since I saw you, so I wanted to come back and spend more time with you. You’re not happy to see me?"
Xu Jinwu was skeptical. "I don’t think you’re telling the truth."
Xu Yanxi frowned. "Dad, I’m not your prisoner. Don’t interrogate me like one."
"So there really is something going on," Xu Jinwu said with a knowing look. "Fine. Since you’re back, just make yourself at home. I want to have braised pork for lunch."
"You’ve got it. I’ll make it for you right now." Xu Yanxi rolled her eyes. "I’ve learned a few new dishes recently. I can use this time to refine my cooking skills. I know you’re not used to my usual meals, like side dishes for mixed rice and seaweed soup."
Xu Jinwu raised an eyebrow. "Of course. Once you’ve had the good stuff, you can’t go back to eating anything else. If you’re really not up to it, we have some master brine at home. You can just buy some pig’s trotters, duck parts, or pork ribs and stew them in it. It’ll be just as delicious."
Xu Yanxi shot up from her seat. "I’ll go to the market and take a look right now."
Walking through the street market, Xu Yanxi felt a little out of her element. She rarely went to markets like this because she was busy with work. Besides, the school provided meals, so she could eat all three meals there if she wanted.
Xu Yanxi had left her hometown to live on her own long ago, so the countryside market was indeed unfamiliar to her. After buying all the ingredients Xu Jinwu had mentioned, she saw someone selling lobsters nearby just as she was about to leave, so she bought one of those too.
She wasn’t particularly good at making Chinese food, but she knew how to steam a lobster. If she topped it with minced garlic... just thinking about it made Xu Yanxi’s mouth water.
Tan You walked beside Xu Yanxi. "Why not make some sausages? From what I’ve seen, your dad’s cooking skills are just so-so. If you make some sausages, they’ll last a long time. Whenever he’s hungry, he can just slice off a piece and steam it over rice."
Setting other things aside, Xu Yanxi actually quite enjoyed this kind of hands-on work. Back home, Xu Jinwu even helped her. Before noon, a bamboo pole laden with sausages was hanging in Xu Jinwu’s courtyard.
Shuangshuang paced beneath the bamboo pole, eyes glued to the sausages hanging above. ’Hanging them right there... it’s torture for a kitty!’
Xu Yanxi picked the cat up by the scruff of its neck. "Have I ever let you go hungry or thirsty? Why are you staring at these? Come inside with me. I’ll treat you to some lobster for lunch."
"You spendthrift!" Xu Jinwu spat. "It’s fine for people to eat it, but giving it to a cat is too extravagant!"
Xu Yanxi let Xu Jinwu’s words go in one ear and out the other. She knew exactly what he meant—he was just worried she would squander all her savings.
"Don’t you worry. I’m doing freelance work now, too. We won’t eat ourselves into poverty." To put Xu Jinwu at ease, Xu Yanxi even showed him her bank account balance.
Xu Jinwu was reluctantly reassured. "It’s not that I insist on controlling you..."
