Chapter 168: Yiyi Will Have Many Friends
Chapter 168: Chapter 168: Yiyi Will Have Many Friends
Food always brings the simplest and most direct happiness!
Whether boiled or pan-fried, the satisfaction of eating a dumpling is always the same!
Take a bite of a dumpling, have a sip of the steaming hot dumpling broth, and stuff your cheeks until they’re full.
The fatigue from days of filming seemed to wash away.
A smile unconsciously graced Nan Zhi’s face.
The bowl of dumplings in front of her didn’t look very appetizing.
Quite a few of them had broken skins!
It was obvious these dumplings hadn’t come from her hands.
Most of them had been wrapped by Nan Yi himself, and the rest were from the others who had eagerly given them to her, all insisting that she, their "master," had to taste their handiwork.
Nan Zhi lived up to their expectations, tasting them one by one and nodding continuously, saying, "Not bad," and "Delicious."
Everyone who received praise chuckled happily.
Nan Zhi was incredibly gracious.
But when she ate one of Fu Chao’s dumplings, which had broken apart while boiling, she really couldn’t bring herself to say anything nice. She could only manage a tactful:
"...There’s room for improvement."
Everyone burst into laughter and couldn’t stop.
Fu Chao, however, wasn’t embarrassed at all.
’My cooking skills were already terrible anyway, so not being criticized is a victory!’
"It’s my first time making dumplings, so I have no experience. Just wait until I’ve practiced a few more times!"
Fu Chao vowed confidently.
Thanks to him, the whole dinner table was a lively scene.
But amidst the liveliness, Nan Yi, sitting pressed tightly against Nan Zhi, couldn’t even manage a smile.
He was nervous the entire time, watching Nan Zhi’s every move without blinking.
Seeing his mom finally eat one of his dumplings, he couldn’t help but hold his breath.
She took a bite and chewed gently.
A smile spread from the corners of Nan Zhi’s eyes.
She quietly lowered her head and leaned close to Nan Yi.
"The ones Yiyi made are the best. Even better than Mommy’s."
"No way."
Nan Yi mumbled, but his little face relaxed uncontrollably as he shook his head, delighted.
After a moment’s thought, he made a bold declaration:
"From now on, I’ll make dumplings for Mommy every day!"
"Well..."
Nan Zhi wondered if she should teach Nan Yi a few more dishes to distract him.
’Otherwise, even if they were a delicacy fit for the gods, I wouldn’t be able to handle eating dumplings every single day!’
The happy time flew by in a flash.
Before they knew it, it was almost 9 p.m.
Xie An’an had already yawned several times, leaning drowsily against her father, Xie Yu.
Nan Yi and the other two kids, however, were full of energy, running in and out of the house without a hint of fatigue.
Nan Zhi glanced at the time.
"Let’s all head back and get some rest early today."
Her suggestion was met with unanimous agreement.
After spending half a month at the filming location, everyone was eager to go home and get some proper rest.
Xie Yu was the first to get up, holding Xie An’an.
He lowered his head slightly, a trace of warmth showing in his cool eyes.
"You two get some good rest, then. Let’s keep in touch on WeChat when you have time."
They had just added each other on WeChat. Qi Pei’er had initially brought it up, feeling it was unfair that Fu Chao had Nan Zhi’s contact information but they didn’t.
So Nan Zhi had simply added everyone’s WeChat and created a small group chat for the four of them.
So she replied casually:
"Sure, let’s chat in the group."
Xie Yu fell silent for a few subtle seconds.
"I want to play a little longer!"
A complaining Qing Xi, chirping his discontent, was hauled out from the bedroom tucked under Fu Chao’s arm.
Fu Chao glared down at him.
"Watch it, or I’ll tattle to your parents!"
"Tattletale uncle."
Qing Xi huffed but slowly stopped struggling.
Qi Pei’er also called over Qi Zhang.
"Come on, we’re going home too."
With that, they all waved goodbye to Nan Zhi.
Nan Zhi took Nan Yi to see them to the elevator before turning back to her apartment.
Nan Yi kept his head down, his feet scuffing the floor. Something didn’t seem right.
’He even seems... unhappy?’
Nan Zhi smiled and walked over, feeling his sweaty forehead.
She remembered how, just a moment ago, the two boisterous little guys, Qing Xi and Qi Zhang, had been running wild between the bedroom and living room. Nan Yi had been frowning the whole time, seemingly disapproving of their behavior.
But on second thought, he had actually been following right behind them the entire time, which was why he was so sweaty.
Qing Xi and Qi Zhang would also call out to him from time to time.
It seemed the past half-month of filming had, after all, forged a bit of friendship between them.
Nan Zhi asked with a smile:
"Are you sad to see them go?"
"Of course not!"
Nan Yi’s eyes went wide, his denial coming out instantly.
Nan Zhi didn’t call him out on it. Instead, she said:
"Our Yiyi will have more and more friends in the future."
Nan Yi wrinkled his little nose and huffed nonchalantly.
"Friends... I don’t care about stuff like that..."
His voice trailed off, becoming quieter and quieter as he got lost in thought.
The meaning behind Nan Zhi’s smile deepened.
-
In the underground parking garage, Qi Pei’er led Qi Zhang and was the first to hop into her car.
"Bye everyone, see you around!"
The car was already driving away.
Her boisterous voice still echoed in the air.
Fu Chao, who had just managed to stuff the rowdy Qing Xi into his car, looked up, but she was already out of sight.
He grunted and glanced over to see Xie Yu’s car. Xie Yu was carefully placing a sleeping Xie An’an into her child safety seat.
After buckling the seatbelt and gently closing the door, Xie Yu was about to walk around to the other side to get in when Fu Chao called out to him.
Xie Yu’s attitude seemed no different than usual.
"What is it?"
Fu Chao narrowed his eyes.
"Are you pissed at me?"
Xie Yu clicked his tongue.
"You’re overthinking it."
The two of them fell into a strange silence.
In their respective cars, the listening drivers and assistants were so scared they didn’t dare breathe loudly.
Fu Chao noticed and said:
"How about we go over there and talk?"
"Sure."
Xie Yu certainly wasn’t afraid.
Who would have thought that once they reached a secluded spot, Fu Chao would burst out laughing with a PFFT.
"Are you jealous of me, Xiao Xie!"
"Call me Xie Yu."
Xie Yu flatly rejected Fu Chao’s friendly overture.
Fu Chao’s laughter only grew more cheerful.
"Alright, stop pretending, Xiao Xie. I know you like Nan Zhi!"
Even someone as composed as Xie Yu couldn’t keep his expression from shifting.
First he frowned in vexation, then he had a sudden realization.
"So you don’t like her."
Otherwise, Fu Chao wouldn’t have said that so casually.
Fu Chao said, "I do like her! Why wouldn’t I? But it’s the way a big brother likes his little sister, or the way friends like each other! Not like you guys, all harboring ill intentions!"
Xie Yu was sharp. "You guys?"
Fu Chao avoided the subject.
He grinned mischievously.
"So? Want me to help you out?"
Xie Yu was silent for a moment before replying:
"No, thanks."
He turned and walked away as soon as he finished speaking.
But Fu Chao could hear the hesitation in his voice.
All the way back to his car, Fu Chao couldn’t help but shake his head and smile at the thought.
"These people who say one thing and mean another."
The assistant in the front seat turned around cautiously.
"Brother Fu, you two didn’t... didn’t get into a fight, did you?"
Fu Chao was baffled.
"A fight? Me and Xie Yu? What’s there to fight about? I’m actually rooting for him!"
The little assistant didn’t understand at all.
Fu Chao hadn’t expected him to.
His smile faded slightly as he grew pensive—
’As for Xie Yu... at least he’s better than Lu Shixu.’