Chapter 9

Su Miao pondered the dilemma in deep concentration.

She blindly followed a few paces behind Feng Bai as he walked ahead.

Suddenly…

Feng Bai came to a sharp halt, turning around to look at the girl trailing behind him in a daze.

Unaware that he had stopped, Su Miao walked straight into his chest with a soft thump.

She squeaked in surprise as her balance gave way.

Quick as lightning, Feng Bai’s free hand swept around her waist, catching her before she could hit the pavement.

Their eyes locked in the afternoon light.

A bright, burning blush crept up Su Miao’s neck.

It was the kind of dramatic, cliché scene straight out of a romance drama, but this was real life.

“Thank you…” she murmured softly, silently thanking her stars that her face mask hid her burning, flustered expression.

“Watch where you’re going,” Feng Bai said, his voice dropping into a low, raspy timbre that vibrated against her ears.

Su Miao looked up at him instinctively.

Even with a mask obscuring the lower half of his face, his striking, refined aura was impossible to hide, in fact, the mask only added an irresistible air of mystery to his sharp, handsome brows…

It made a person want to reach out and peel the mask away, just to admire the flawless features hidden beneath…

Feng Bai gently released her waist and resumed walking.

After taking a few steps, he realized she was still standing frozen in the exact same spot.

An effortless, amused curve touched his lips under the mask.

Doubling back, he stepped right up beside her, gently taking her hand in his and clasping her fingers firmly. “We’re almost home. I’ll hold your hand—this time, you can walk with your eyes closed for all I care.”

Su Miao gave a soft nod, an uncontrollable smile blooming on her face as she stared down at their joined hands.

The feeling was… a little surreal.

Sweet as honey.

It felt as if fluffy pink bubbles were drifting around them in the air…

Whatever it was, she loved every second of it.

A few girls who had been discreetly trailing behind them watched the sweet exchange, utterly crestfallen… They had held out a sliver of hope to sneak another peek at the handsome guy, only to get forcibly stuffed with an unwanted serving of sweet couple PDA.

They felt an overwhelming urge to go home and cry.

The moment they stepped inside his apartment, Su Miao headed straight for the kitchen.

Feng Bai smiled quietly, leaning against the doorframe as he casually pulled out his phone to order takeout.

Ten minutes later…

Raucous clattering and banging echoed from the kitchen.

Feng Bai blinked: I wonder if my kitchen will survive this. If it doesn’t, I’ll just have to remodel it into something sturdier.

Su Miao had genuinely believed that cooking was a simple skill. She had watched tutorials online, and it looked effortless enough. But putting theory into practice was a tragic story of:

Brain: I got this.

Hands: No, we don’t.

She felt an overwhelming urge to type out her despair across the kitchen walls.

Silently tidying up the worst of the mess, Su Miao shuffled out of the kitchen with her head bowed low, every inch of her posture radiating utter embarrassment.

She had genuinely wanted to bring a touch of warm, homemade life to his quiet apartment, but… having never set foot in the kitchen back at the Su estate, she had managed to turn the counter into a disaster zone…

This was nothing like the sweet, romantic scene she had envisioned in her head.

Just as she was agonizing over how to apologize, Feng Bai spoke up gently. “I ordered takeout. It should be here any minute.”

Su Miao whipped her head up in shock.

“How did you know I couldn’t cook?” she asked, her voice laced with suspicion.

Feng Bai offered an honest smile. “You didn’t even know how to pick out vegetables at the supermarket.”

The second he saw her struggling in the grocery aisles, he knew she had never cooked a day in her life. Thinking about it, it was obvious—Su Hang and Wen Jiu treated their only daughter like a delicate princess; why would they ever let her touch a frying pan?

Still, since she had offered so enthusiastically, he had gladly let her play around to keep her happy.

Su Miao slunk onto the sofa in quiet defeat. “Guess we’re waiting for takeout then…” Internally, she made a fierce vow to master the culinary arts as soon as possible so she’d never embarrass herself like this again!

Later, as Su Miao sat sharing the takeout with Feng Bai, her father called, insisting she come home for dinner.

Without a second of hesitation, Su Miao rejected him outright. “I’m already eating. Don’t wait up for me.”

Su Hang: “???” My own daughter doesn’t need her dad anymore?!

Wen Jiu shot her husband a glare: “Shut up! Stop interfering with our daughter’s love life!”

Worried about Feng Bai’s recovery, Su Miao was in no rush to leave. While he worked quietly on his laptop, she kept him company in the living room. It wasn’t until around five in the afternoon that she finally packed her bag to head home.

Standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, Feng Bai watched her delicate figure walk toward the waiting car below. He looked down at the slight burn on the back of his hand.

It didn’t hurt in the slightest.

Yet, if acting like it hurt meant she would hurry back to his side… he wouldn’t mind putting on a helpless act a few more times.

The moment Su Miao stepped into her car, she fired off a text to Feng Bai: [Made it home safe]

When she pushed open the front door of the mansion, she found Su Hang sitting in the living room.

“Dad? You’re home early today,” Su Miao greeted him, surprised. “Is the company not busy?”

Su Hang sighed heavily. “Yeah. Not busy.”

Without another word, Su Miao headed toward the kitchen.

Su Hang: “…” Fine. No need to torture myself anymore. I just have to accept the cold, hard truth: in my daughter’s eyes, no one matters more than Feng Bai now. I might as well get used to it…

Meanwhile, Su Ran, who had been lingering nearby, spotted Su Miao heading toward the kitchen and quickly followed her in.

“Miao Miao,” Su Ran began, putting on a gentle, concerned front, “where have you been all day? We haven’t seen you since morning.”

Su Miao didn’t even bother looking up. “Do I need your permission to go somewhere?”

“Of course not! I was just asking…” Su Ran’s eyes instantly brimmed with tears, looking deeply wronged. “I really didn’t mean anything by it. If I’m not welcome here, I can leave right now.”

Su Ran turned and fled the kitchen in tears, expecting Su Miao to chase after her in panic.

Instead, Su Miao remained completely motionless.

The family chef standing nearby kept a impassive expression. “Miss Su, you should be careful around her,” the servant warned softly, seeing right through the act.

Su Miao gave a nod. “Mmh, I know. But I still want to watch how you cook today. I really want to learn…”

Su Ran had rehearsed the exact drama that was supposed to unfold after Su Miao followed her out, but Su Miao hadn’t even taken a step out of the kitchen!

Fuming with hidden rage and anxiety, Su Ran had no choice but to retreat crying into her guest room, intentionally making a scene as she passed through the living room so Su Hang and Wen Jiu would notice her misery.

Su Hang felt an instinctive urge to check on her, but Wen Jiu cut him off with a calm, unyielding look.

“What are you rushing over there for? She’s probably just feeling down about her family situation. Let her have a good cry in peace, don’t make things worse… Besides, girls are sensitive about their pride; running off to her room means she doesn’t want people seeing her break down. Don’t bring it up at dinner!”

Su Hang blinked. “That actually makes sense.”

He decided to pretend nothing had happened.

Inside her room, Su Ran lay on the bed, crying until her eyes were raw, yet no comforting knock came from Su Hang. She wiped her tears, her mind spiraling in confusion.

Something was terribly wrong!

Why wasn’t anything playing out the way it was supposed to?!

A moment later, her phone buzzed with a message from Fu Xizhou.

Su Ran was so infuriated she nearly threw her phone across the room.

Did he think business proposals and confidential collaboration plans were just lying around for her to pick up?!

All he did was nag and pressure her, if he was so capable, why didn’t he steal them himself?!

She immediately dialed Fu Xizhou’s number, launching into a furious tirade, unleashing all her bottled-up anger directly onto his head.