Chapter 402 - 401: The Opposite
Chapter 402: Chapter 401: The Opposite
After the stove was set up, Gu Tingyu waved his hand and called to Yiyi, "Yiyi, come over and see if this works?"
Hearing this, Yiyi stopped looking at the scenery and rushed over to inspect their work, then smiled and said, "It’ll work, we can start cooking in a bit."
Fei Erya and Wei Zhirong also came over, and the three girls started bustling about.
Gu Tingyu and the others didn’t stay idle either. They helped wash vegetables or joined the cooking. However, Xie Yuanzhou stood there slightly frowning, doing nothing—not because he didn’t want to help; he just hadn’t done these things before and felt a bit at a loss.
Wei Zhirong had been watching Xie Yuanzhou, and seeing his expression, she quickly said, "Brother Xie, why don’t you sit and have some fruit first? Lunch will be ready soon." Saying this, she washed two apples for Xie Yuanzhou and cut a watermelon.
Seeing Wei Zhirong’s actions, Wei Zixiao couldn’t help but glance at her, murmuring, "Not helping is one thing, but preparing fruit so enthusiastically? I don’t get this kind of treatment."
Gu Tingyu shot a glance at Wei Zixiao, urging him to get on with the work instead of dawdling.
Yiyi and Fei Erya exchanged a knowing smile, becoming more certain about their earlier suspicions.
Xie Yuanzhou felt a bit embarrassed himself, "You go ahead and get busy, don’t worry about me." Since he wasn’t able to help, he didn’t want to hold them back.
Seeing Xie Yuanzhou being so polite and gentle, Wei Zhirong’s eyes sparkled, and she quickly said, "No worries, we can manage." Then she went back to her tasks.
Seeing Wei Zhirong’s diligent manner, Yiyi found it amusing and couldn’t help shaking her head.
Gu Tingyu stood next to her, noticing Yiyi’s gesture, and softly asked in her ear, "Do you know something?"
"That’s a secret between girls."
Seeing the mischievous look on the girl, Gu Tingyu found it irresistibly cute and couldn’t help but pat her head, saying, "Just focus on cooking. I’ll wash these vegetables."
"It’s fine, I’m almost done washing."
Gu Tingyu took the greens from Yiyi’s hands and said directly, "I’ll wash them; you just go cook." He urged Yiyi forward.
Seeing this, Yiyi didn’t insist further and began stir-frying with the ingredients Gu Tingyu had prepared. She worked quickly and soon a plate of flavorful stir-fried meat was ready.
"Little sister-in-law, I didn’t expect you to be so skilled. The aroma of this dish is amazing."
Having finished his task, Wei Zixiao slowly walked over, looking at the stir-fried meat Yiyi had just made, suddenly feeling a bit hungry.
On the side, Wei Zhirong said, "Brother, my braised fish will be ready soon. You can start eating then."
"No need, let’s eat together later."
Wei Zixiao quickly gestured.
"Yeah, we’re not hungry yet. It’s more lively if we all eat together." Fan Qianshu chimed in. He couldn’t just sit and eat while Er Ya was cooking.
Seeing everyone say so, Wei Zhirong stopped insisting and quickly continued cooking.
Fei Erya and Fan Qianshu were busy on the other side, though Fei Erya didn’t do much, mostly leaving the washing and cooking to Fan Qianshu. "Qianshu, let me do it, you take a rest." Fei Erya, seeing the graceful Fan Qianshu doing these chores, felt something was amiss.
Fan Qianshu turned to her with a smile and said, "It’s okay, I’ll be done soon."
The interaction between the two was warm and full of affection, making Wei Zhirong rather envious.
Initially, she found Fan Qianshu disagreeable because of the dangers he had put Er Ya through, but seeing how he treated Er Ya now, she felt they really suited each other.
Yiyi naturally noticed this scene too and felt a bit more favorable towards Fan Qianshu.
Everyone worked quickly, and soon a table full of delicious dishes was ready.
"Brother Xie, what drink would you like?"
After the dishes were placed on the spread-out tablecloth, Wei Zhirong promptly took out various drinks for Xie Yuanzhou to choose from.
"Anything is fine for me."
Hearing this, Wei Zhirong poured him the same orange juice she was having, "Then have this too."
Xie Yuanzhou nodded noncommittally.
On the other side, Gu Tingyu and Fan Qianshu thoughtfully poured drinks for Yiyi and Fei Erya, served them rice, and picked out their favorite dishes.
Seeing how Gu Tingyu and Fan Qianshu treated their partners, and then looking at Wei Zhirong’s attentive care towards Xie Yuanzhou, Wei Zixiao suddenly felt a bit unhappy. Why was the situation reversed with his sister? But upon thinking that they were couples, while his sister and Xie Yuanzhou were nothing, he felt at ease.
Indeed, his sister was just fulfilling her duty as the host, and that’s why she was so warmly treating Xie Yuanzhou. After all, to them, Xie Yuanzhou was still an outsider, and naturally, they couldn’t make him feel neglected. However, he still felt a bit miffed that his sister only cared about an outsider and not her brother. "Zhirong, I want orange juice too."
Hearing this, Wei Zhirong gave her brother a puzzled look. Didn’t he not like orange juice?
"Brother, didn’t you say you don’t like this? What’s up today?"
Wei Zixiao raised his head, "I suddenly felt like drinking it today."
Hearing this, Wei Zhirong couldn’t help rolling her eyes at her brother before finally pouring him a glass from the bottle at hand.
Only then did Wei Zixiao pick up his chopsticks and start eating slowly.
Seeing his friend like this, Gu Tingyu couldn’t help shaking his head, and then began to pick out fish bones for Yiyi.
Seeing Gu Tingyu’s actions, Wei Zhirong was deeply envious, casting a glance at Xie Yuanzhou, but Xie Yuanzhou didn’t even look at her and continued eating braised pork leisurely.
Seeing this, Wei Zhirong’s expression dimmed slightly, and she also began to eat slowly.
After everyone finished eating, Fei Erya pulled Yiyi aside to quietly chat.
"Yiyi, I think Zhirong really likes that Xie Yuanzhou, but he doesn’t seem interested in her at all—not even a glance. What should we do if Zhirong ends up heartbroken?"
For matters like this, Yiyi was at a loss.
"Feelings are mutual; if only Zhirong has feelings, then it’s impossible between them. It’s something she’ll have to come to terms with herself."
Fei Erya sighed upon hearing this and said, "Yes, we can’t intervene. Let’s just hope Xie Yuanzhou eventually sees how wonderful Zhirong is and comes to like her as well."
"Alright Erya, we’re just speculating here. We haven’t even asked Zhirong if she really likes Xie Yuanzhou, so let’s not get sentimental."
At that moment, Wei Zhirong came over, smiling, "What is it you haven’t asked me yet?"