19

By the time Wen Yixin and Qin Ruan left Jeremy, it was already 2 p.m.

Wen Yixin touched her slightly empty stomach and asked Qin Ruan, "Are you hungry?"

"A little," Qin Ruan replied.

Wen Yixin said, "Then let's get something to eat first. We can find a place here in the mall."

"Okay," Qin Ruan agreed.

Carrying the shopping bags, Wen Yixin glanced up at the mall directory before turning to Qin Ruan. "How about we go to the third floor and have some Northeastern Chinese cuisine? What do you think?"

"Anything is fine," Qin Ruan said.

"Then Northeastern cuisine it is," Wen Yixin decided.

Having made up her mind, she led Qin Ruan to the elevator, and they headed up to the third floor.

The third floor was bustling with people, and the Northeastern specialty restaurant they chose was even busier. The interior decor had a strong Northeastern flair, complete with large lanterns and faux wheat stalks, creating a cozy atmosphere.

Wen Yixin looked around at the nearly full restaurant, thinking that the food here must be pretty good.

They walked into the restaurant and chose a table near the wall.

At first, they sat across from each other, occasionally exchanging a few words, until the server came over with the menu, ready to take their order.

Wen Yixin glanced at the menu and then moved to sit next to Qin Ruan, pointing out a few dishes. "This snow-covered red bean dessert looks good, and there's also sweet and sour pork, chicken stew with mushrooms, Beijing-style shredded pork, and sautéed pork slices. I think these would be good. What about you? What would you like?"

Qin Ruan looked at the dishes Wen Yixin mentioned and said softly, "Let's just get those."

Hearing this, Wen Yixin turned to the server and placed their order.

Not long after, the server took their order and left.

Wen Yixin tore open the plastic wrapping around the sanitized tableware, reached for the hot water kettle on the table, and poured some hot water into a large bowl, beginning to wash the dishes and utensils.

Qin Ruan followed Wen Yixin's example, washing her own tableware.

As she cleaned the dishes, Wen Yixin thought about the incident with Yu Shuyun and couldn't help but ask, "The person who bothered you in the store today, does she often bully you?"

Qin Ruan was slightly taken aback, not expecting Wen Yixin to ask such a question.

"No, not often," she replied, biting her lip.

Wen Yixin looked at her for a long moment before deciding not to press further. Instead, she spoke gently, "If anyone ever bullies you again when I'm not around, you can tell me. I'll stand up for you."

"Okay?"

"Okay," Qin Ruan nodded, a strange warmth spreading in her heart, making her feel tingly and soft.

Wen Yixin didn't say anything more, quietly continuing to wash the dishes and then pouring hot water into cups for both herself and Qin Ruan.

As they waited for the food, she picked up her glass of water, sipping it slowly.

Soon, the server began bringing out the dishes, with the sweet and sour pork arriving first.

Wen Yixin put down her water glass, picked up her chopsticks, and served a piece to Qin Ruan before taking a piece for herself, slowly savoring the taste.

The sweet and sour pork was coated in a slightly yellowish sauce, and the inside was crispy, tender pork fillet. The flavor was sweet and tangy.

Wen Yixin looked at the dishes being brought to the table one by one and served a piece of each to Qin Ruan's bowl.

She tasted everything herself and found that the sweet and sour pork was her favorite.

Qin Ruan looked at the mountain of food in her bowl, then glanced at the snow-covered red bean dessert in the small bowl. She hesitated slightly before picking up a piece with her chopsticks and taking a small bite.

It was sweet, soft, and fluffy.

Qin Ruan couldn't help but take another bite, her furrowed brow gradually relaxing.

Seeing her enjoyment, Wen Yixin smiled and asked, "Do you like this?"

Hearing the question, Qin Ruan looked up and met Wen Yixin's smiling gaze.

"Yes," Qin Ruan nodded shyly, "It's really good."

"You should try some too, Sister Wen."

With that, Qin Ruan, noticing how Wen Yixin had served her so much food earlier, reached out and placed a piece of the snow-covered red bean dessert in Wen Yixin's bowl. "Here, try it."

"Alright," Wen Yixin agreed with a smile.

She picked up her chopsticks, took a bite of the dessert, and after a moment, nodded in approval. "It is really good."

Hearing Wen Yixin's praise, a warm smile spread across Qin Ruan's face.

She was about to say something when she saw Wen Yixin pull out a napkin and offer it to her.

Qin Ruan instinctively reached out to take it, but Wen Yixin bypassed her hand and directly dabbed the napkin at the corner of Qin Ruan's lips, gently wiping away the food there.

"You had something on your lips," Wen Yixin explained as she wiped.

Qin Ruan was momentarily stunned, and only after the soft dabbing at her lips stopped did she quietly say, "Thank you, Sister Wen."

Wen Yixin simply smiled and said nothing more.

At 5 p.m., Wen Yixin and Qin Ruan returned home from the mall. As soon as they entered, Wen Yixin piled all the shopping bags into the storage cabinet by the entrance and turned to Qin Ruan. "We bought so much today. Let's just leave everything here for now and sort it out later."

They had bought a lot of things at the mall—clothes, dresses, bags, jewelry, and more—all crammed into various shopping bags. Carrying them all back had left Wen Yixin's hands aching.

She shook out her sore wrists and headed toward the kitchen. "Qin Ruan, go sit on the sofa for a bit. I'll go wash some fruit."

Qin Ruan started to follow her. "Sister Wen, I'll go with you."

"No need, just go sit down," Wen Yixin gently turned Qin Ruan towards the sofa. "Turn on the TV and wait for me."

"Be good," Wen Yixin added, giving Qin Ruan's head a little pat.

With that, Qin Ruan obediently went to turn on the TV.

After turning on the TV, Qin Ruan sat down on the sofa, resting her chin on her hands on the sofa's backrest. She stared intently at the kitchen, waiting for Wen Yixin to come out.

She didn't have to wait long before Wen Yixin's figure appeared in her view.

Qin Ruan's eyes lit up. She quickly turned her head back, facing the TV.

"Here, the fruit is all washed," Wen Yixin said, placing the fruit platter on the table near Qin Ruan and then naturally sitting down beside her.

Wen Yixin glanced at the fantasy drama playing on the TV, not very interested. She picked up the remote and flipped through several channels before stopping on a music channel.

She put down the remote, her interest waning. It seemed to her that current TV dramas weren't very good. She'd rather listen to music than watch them.

"Are you tired today?" Wen Yixin asked, biting into a piece of fruit. The soothing music from the TV helped her relax a bit before she turned to Qin Ruan.

Qin Ruan held a piece of fruit in her hand but hadn't eaten it yet. "Not really."

"And you, Sister Wen?"

Wen Yixin chuckled, "I'm pretty tired."

"Maybe I'm getting older and can't handle it as well."

Qin Ruan pursed her lips, not agreeing with Wen Yixin's last remark. "Sister Wen, you're in your prime right now."

Wen Yixin didn't argue, just letting out a light laugh, the sound pleasant and indicating she was in a good mood.

She grabbed a few napkins from the table to wipe her fingers, which had gotten damp from the fruit. Her gaze lingered on the red marks that hadn't faded from her knuckles.

She rubbed her hands together and then stretched her arms to relieve the tension in her shoulders.

Seeing this, Qin Ruan asked, "Sister Wen, are you uncomfortable?"

Wen Yixin nodded, "My shoulders are a bit sore."

"Let me give you a massage," Qin Ruan offered.

Wen Yixin raised an eyebrow, "Do you know how?"

"I think so," Qin Ruan replied, not entirely sure.

Wen Yixin smiled, "Alright, give it a try."

Hearing this, Qin Ruan silently stood up and moved behind Wen Yixin, placing her hands on her shoulders and gently massaging them.

It felt really good.

Wen Yixin leaned back slightly, instinctively looking up at Qin Ruan.

At that moment, Qin Ruan happened to be looking down at her.

For a brief moment, their eyes met.

Suddenly, Wen Yixin remembered something Qin Ruan had said earlier that day:

"Sister Wen, I want it."

For some reason, Wen Yixin's throat suddenly felt dry.

The next second, she swallowed hard.