Chapter 11 I'm Coming for You

Yan Luoxi sat down on the sofa, her eyes darting around, surveying the living room decor.

In the spacious living room, everything exuded a chill, stern air. The iron-gray curtains, the uniquely styled dining table, and the sharp, clean decorations all reiterated that this was the residence of a single man.

She stood up and sauntered into the kitchen, where she saw the man chopping vegetables with skilled precision. She leaned against the countertop, curiously asking, "Do you live alone here?"

"Mhm." Li Yeqi glanced at her, his gaze briefly freezing as her eye makeup had smudged, darkening the area around her eyes, which inadvertently looked quite comical.

Yan Luoxi idly picked up a vegetable leaf, fiddling with it in her hands, "Your place is so big, don't you get scared living alone?"

"I'm used to it."

Yan Luoxi nodded, "It seems you don't like bustle. Actually, I'm not very fond of it either; I always feel out of place. When I'm not filming, I mostly stay at home alone, reading or watching dramas."

Li Yeqi listened to her ramble beside his ear, a faint smile spreading across his lips. Having someone chattering in his ear didn't seem too bad after all.

Li Yeqi had prepared two bowls of vinegar and oil noodles, with chopped green onions floating in the soup, looking quite appetizing. Yan Luoxi took the initiative to carry one bowl to the dining table and sat down, sniffing, "It smells good."

Li Yeqi sat down across from her, his demeanor noble and innately elegant, "Try it and see if it tastes good."

Starved and having cried earlier, Yan Luoxi turned her sorrow into hunger, scooping up a large mouthful of noodles. However, she spat them out immediately, burned by the piping hot noodles, "It's so hot."

Li Yeqi frowned. He stood up and went into the kitchen, coming back with a bottle of frozen mineral water for her, "Take a drink and hold it in your mouth, it'll ease the pain."

Yan Luoxi accepted it, the cap already unscrewed by him. She gulped down several mouthfuls of the ice-cold water, feeling thoroughly chilled. She gave him an embarrassed smile, "Sorry for making a fool of myself. I'm usually quite aloof, not this silly and sweet. I guess I was just really hungry."

Li Yeqi sat back down, a hint of amusement in the depths of his eyes, his voice calm and dignified, "It's alright, silliness can be quite charming too."

Yan Luoxi was so shocked her jaw nearly dropped. She had always thought that the man in front of her belonged to the abstinent and aloof type, and that he would prefer a dignified and elegant lady. Yet, he actually found silliness charming?

"Um... have we met before? You look familiar to me, but I just can't seem to place where we've met." Looking at him, Yan Luoxi felt a moment of dizziness as his handsome and refined features were illuminated by the warm orange light.

Li Yeqi put down his chopsticks, elegantly wiping his mouth with a napkin, "That day at the television station, I gave you a dress. Remember?"

Yan Luoxi's eyes widened dramatically, "I remember now, it was you! No wonder you looked familiar. Thank you for the dress, you really saved me; I nearly couldn't go on that show."

"Since I've done you such a big favor, have you thought about how you want to thank me?" Li Yeqi's eyes darkened as he lit a cigarette with his lighter, the blue-white smoke shrouding his handsome features in a soft haze.

"Ah?" Yan Luoxi felt like she had fallen into a trap. She tousled her hair beside her ear and shamelessly suggested, "How about I give you an autograph?"

"I recall mentioning that I'm not your fan." A touch of disdain crossed the man's brows.

Yan Luoxi's smile froze on her face. That dress was worth at least six figures; as an insignificant eighteen-line artist, simply offering an autograph to repay this favor was indeed too insincere.

"So tell me, how do you want me to thank you?"

Li Yeqi suddenly stood up and walked over to her. He leaned one hand on the table and the other on the chair behind her, bending slightly towards her and staring at her without blinking, "If I say it, will you do it?"

Yan Luoxi looked helplessly at the handsome, harmless man so close to her, feeling enveloped by a strong masculine presence. She nodded subconsciously, "As long as it's not an excessive request."

Li Yeqi straightened up, took a puff of his cigarette, and slowly exhaled the smoke, squinting his eyes, "Starting from tomorrow, until this day next month, come have dinner with me every day."

"What?" The pale smoke blurred her vision, and she couldn't see the man's expression clearly, but she could also tell he wasn't joking. She said awkwardly, "Didn't you say you're not my fan, so why do you want me to come have dinner with you?"

"It's too boring to eat alone."

Yan Luoxi's dark eyes watched his deep ones, feeling uncertain about what he was thinking. Logically speaking, a man as distinguished and extraordinary as him surely wouldn't struggle to find someone to dine with—did he have an ulterior motive?

"But I have filming and I need to catch up on announcements; I might not manage to come and eat with you every day."

Li Yeqi, unhurriedly, crushed his cigarette butt in the ashtray. His cool voice was faintly seductive, "No problem, if you can't come to me, I'll find you."

Yan Luoxi froze, bewildered. Their encounter was accidental, and his insistence seemed utterly irrational, "Then, okay."

Once Li Yeqi received the promise he wanted, he lifted his hand, gesturing for her to eat her noodles, "The noodles are going to be mushy, eat up, and I'll take you back once you're done."

"Oh." Yan Luoxi bowed her head to eat the noodles, feeling as though she had just agreed to some terribly significant matter. She looked up at the man's cold, noble face, hoping he wasn't stooping to scheme against her, right?

After finishing the noodles, Li Yeqi kept his promise to take her back. As they left the mansion, he realized he had forgotten his car keys. He said to the girl standing beside him, "Wait for me, I'll get the car keys."

Yan Luoxi watched him leave and stood boredly at the entrance of the mansion, feeling as if everything that night was like a scene from an idol drama, utterly surreal.

As she was thinking, she suddenly felt a movement behind her. She turned around, and a dark figure leaped at her, knocking her to the ground.

Her head struck the marble tiles, and tears immediately filled her eyes from the pain. When she opened her eyes, she saw a huge beast on top of her, its front paws on her shoulders, sniffing around her face.

Even with her usual composure, she was completely dumbfounded by the sudden event in front of her. Was this thing that resembled a dog yet not a dog, a wolf yet not a wolf, a bear yet not a bear—where did it come from?

"Help, help me!" Yan Luoxi cried out, her voice altered by fright, and she couldn't help but shake uncontrollably.

Li Yeqi, having grabbed his car keys, saw the scene on the floor in front of the door. Startled, he quickly walked over, scolding in a low voice, "Meimei, let her go, she's not your toy!"