My Gorgeous Neighbor Is Cooking Every Day - Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Xia Wenyao laughed at her: “Just think about what you’ve been talking about every time you call me lately.”

Only then did Xia Xingye realize that every time she called or messaged Xia Wenyao recently, it was about Jiang Yingyue.

“Since you already know,” Xia Xingye didn’t hide it and said anxiously, “She went ghost-hunting, but the opponent seems very powerful. Mom, do you know anyone capable? Can you ask them to go help?”

“That’s her job. Don’t interfere too much.” Xia Wenyao’s voice was unusually stern. “I don’t forbid you from being friends, but that is her work, and you are just an ordinary person.”

Xia Xingye was quiet for a moment, then asked: “What if I’m not an ordinary person?” If she wasn’t an ordinary person, would she be able to help Jiang Yingyue?

“Don’t even think about it,” Xia Wenyao shattered her illusion. “Even if you want to learn, you need to have the talent for it.”

“Maybe I really do,” Xia Xingye muttered softly.

“Listen to me. She’s an adult. She will handle her work. Your job is to focus on your own things.”

Before Xia Xingye could speak, Xia Wenyao asked again: “Your teacher mentioned you haven’t been focusing on your studies at school recently.”

Xia Xingye: “…I haven’t. Did the teacher tell you again?”

Xia Wenyao had a wide network of clients and also knew Xia Xingye’s school teachers. The teachers cared about Xia Xingye and occasionally updated Xia Wenyao on Xia Xingye’s performance at school. Even if Xia Xingye didn’t voluntarily share details about her school life, Xia Wenyao knew everything.

“Fine, I know. I will study hard and won’t mess around.” Xia Xingye hung up the phone feeling defeated. Not only did she fail to secure outside help, but she was also caught for not studying properly. She slumped backward, lying on the sofa and staring at the ceiling in frustration.

Xia Xingye slapped her cheeks to cheer up. She had to brighten up. Doesn’t Jiang Yingyue like her lively personality? If Jiang Yingyue came back and saw her down in the dumps, her mood would surely sour too.

She glanced around the room. Xia Xingye diligently cleaned the entire apartment inside and out. After finishing, she looked outside. It was already dark. Jiang Yingyue hadn’t returned and hadn’t sent her any message.

Xia Xingye ran out, bought some groceries, and cooked dinner. Afterward, she sat at the dining table, staring longingly at the doorway for a long time. Convinced that Jiang Yingyue truly wouldn’t be back, she finished her meal. She cleaned up, took a shower, studied for a bit, and then went to bed.

She thought she would be too worried about Jiang Yingyue to sleep, but her body betrayed her. Her eyelids grew heavy, and she quickly drifted off.

She had a very long dream.

In the dream, she was in a vast, endless forest. The trees were dense, blocking out external light, making it almost pitch black. Yet, a voice in Xia Xingye’s heart seemed to guide her forward.

She walked and walked for a long time, so long that she forgot how long she had been there, until she saw a lake ahead. A person stood by the lake.

Before she could clearly see who was standing by the lake, that person fell forward and plunged into the water.

Xia Xingye was startled and immediately ran forward.

When she reached the lake, the ripples had already calmed. There was no one in the lake, only the reflection of Xia Xingye, as if she had been the only one there all along.

The lake water was incredibly clear. Xia Xingye blinked at her reflection. The lake seemed to have a strange pulling force. The moment she reached out and touched the water, her body felt sucked in, and she plunged violently into the water.

Water splashed everywhere. Xia Xingye kept her eyes closed, only daring to open them after a while.

She didn’t feel suffocated in the water, just as if she were on land. She looked toward the bottom of the lake, where a light shone from the deepest part.

Xia Xingye swam downward without hesitation. She wanted to know what lay beyond that light.

Xia Xingye swam for a long time, but the light remained distant.

She stopped and looked up at the lake surface. A person was standing above the water.

Xia Xingye paused, glanced at the light below her, and changed direction, swimming upward.

Who was the person on the lake surface? Why were they standing by the lake?

Just as she was about to emerge from the water, the person suddenly tilted forward. Xia Xingye subconsciously reached out to catch them, but she watched as the person clearly tumbled into her arms yet vanished the moment she touched them, turning into specks of starlight that disappeared.

Xia Xingye’s arms caught nothing. The light in front of her magnified endlessly. She snapped her eyes open, turned to the side, and the sunlight pouring in from the window hit her eyes, so bright that she had to turn her head away.

She lay in bed, dazed for a while, before recovering. She got up and peeked around the door into the living room. The living room was clean and tidy, the chairs were still in their original places. There was no sign that anyone had returned.

Xia Xingye looked for a while, then went to wash up. After cleaning herself up, Xia Xingye went to find the coffee shop owner, Liu Xuantong.

Liu Xuantong was a little surprised to see her at the coffee shop. She looked around and saw Xia Xingye was alone, and asked curiously: “Your friend didn’t come with you?”

“She was busy, so I came by myself.” Xia Xingye found a random table and sat down.

“Coffee or something else?” Liu Xuantong asked.

“Owner, if possible, could you chat with me for a bit?” Xia Xingye, worried about being rejected, quickly added: “I can pay you.”

“You don’t need to pay me. I can chat with you,” Liu Xuantong sat down on a chair nearby and asked with a kind smile, “But why did you want to talk to me? You could talk to other people.”

Xia Xingye had considered talking to her roommates, but after just a second of thought, she dismissed the idea. She knew her roommates. If they knew she was good friends with Jiang Yingyue, they would definitely ask endless questions, and they might even want to visit her house in the end.

Xia Xingye didn’t mind them visiting her house, but she was worried they might end up going to Jiang Yingyue’s house during the visit. She was even more worried that once they knew where she lived, they would frequently come looking for her.

She could meet them at school, but she didn’t have much time to spend with Jiang Yingyue. When Jiang Yingyue was finally at home, she wanted to spend that time with her.

It definitely wouldn’t work to talk to Xia Wenyao. After talking to Xia Wenyao yesterday, she had been lectured. Xia Xingye didn’t want to be educated right now.

“I think you’re the most suitable person, Owner,” Xia Xingye said seriously.

Liu Xuantong was confused but didn’t ask why Xia Xingye thought she was the most suitable person. Instead, she asked: “What do you want to talk about?”

“I want to talk about my friend.”

Liu Xuantong: “Did you two have a fight?”

She didn’t even ask which friend and immediately assumed the friend Xia Xingye was talking about was Jiang Yingyue.

“We didn’t fight. It’s just that what she went to do is a bit dangerous, and she still hasn’t returned. I’m a little worried,” Xia Xingye said. She saw the coffee she ordered had arrived. She took a sip and continued, “Even though it’s her job, I still feel uneasy, like something bad is going to happen. Is this a sickness? Should I see a doctor?”

“What you’re describing sounds a lot like…” Liu Xuantong hesitated for a moment and didn’t finish her sentence. Instead, she asked, “Are you two just friends?”

Xia Xingye blinked, nodded, and said: “We are friends. Do we not look like friends?” She was a bit unhappy, not angry at what Liu Xuantong said, but frustrated that she and Jiang Yingyue weren’t close enough, which led Liu Xuantong to doubt their friendship.

Liu Xuantong immediately saw that Xia Xingye had misunderstood and chuckled: “I can see you have a good relationship.”

“Then why did you ask that?”

“Ah, you’ll understand later,” Liu Xuantong brought the conversation back to the main topic. “You asked if it’s a sickness, but actually, it’s very normal. If Feng Tinglan went to do something dangerous, I would also be worried to the point of losing sleep.”

Xia Xingye rubbed her head, feeling that something wasn’t quite right, but she was relieved to hear Liu Xuantong say it was normal.

To thank Liu Xuantong for chatting with her, Xia Xingye bought two extra cups of coffee. Before leaving, she sincerely said: “Owner, I wish you and your partner a hundred years of happiness.”

Liu Xuantong nodded and said: “You too.”

Xia Xingye was in a hurry to get back and wait for Jiang Yingyue to come home, so she didn’t dwell on what Liu Xuantong’s last remark meant.

Along the way, Xia Xingye encountered many red lights. The driver was getting a little impatient, but when he looked up and saw Xia Xingye in the rearview mirror looking even more annoyed than him, the swear words he was about to say immediately died in his throat. He had a premonition that if he swore, Xia Xingye would be even more agitated than he was.

The car suddenly broke down near the residential complex. Xia Xingye was too lazy to wait any longer and got out of the car.

Just as she turned the corner and saw the entrance of the complex, Xia Xingye spotted a familiar figure. She quickly ran over. Just as she was about to speak, Jiang Yingyue glanced at her and then looked away.

Xia Xingye frowned and asked: “Are you hurt?”

Otherwise, why wouldn’t she look at her properly?

Jiang Yingyue hesitated for two seconds, then looked at her and nodded honestly: “I got a little injury.”

“Where are you hurt?” Xia Xingye anxiously looked her up and down. Looking down, she saw red bloodstains on her pant leg.

Xia Xingye crouched down, wanting to lift Jiang Yingyue’s pant leg to check the situation, but Jiang Yingyue pulled her up with force just as she crouched.

Jiang Yingyue’s strength was considerable. Pulling her up was like lifting a bag of air. She remained expressionless and told her: “We’ll look when we get back.”

Xia Xingye was annoyed for two reasons: one was because Jiang Yingyue was hurt, and the other was because being picked up like a little chick by Jiang Yingyue was a bit embarrassing.

“I’ll carry you back.” Xia Xingye stood in front of Jiang Yingyue, bent over, and looked back at her.

Jiang Yingyue glanced at her, then at the curious gatekeeper uncle nearby.

She considered for two seconds and walked forward, allowing Xia Xingye to carry her. If she refused, Xia Xingye would definitely be anxious and fuss over her. It was better to let Xia Xingye have some peace of mind by letting her carry her up.

Xia Xingye carried Jiang Yingyue. Many people looked at the two of them along the way, but Xia Xingye focused only on walking, completely ignoring other people’s stares.

Jiang Yingyue remained expressionless despite being watched by others.

Inside the elevator, Xia Xingye didn’t have a free hand to press the button. She adjusted Jiang Yingyue slightly on her back. Feeling the weight of the person on her back calmed her uneasy heart a little.

“Sister, press the elevator button.”

Jiang Yingyue acknowledged her and raised her hand to press the floor. When she raised her hand, Xia Xingye smelled a faint, very fresh scent.

Her previously anxious mood calmed down slightly.

They were the only two in the elevator. Xia Xingye lowered her head and asked: “Is everything resolved?”

“Mostly.”

Xia Xingye pursed her lips and said somewhat helplessly: “What does ‘mostly’ mean? Do you have to go out again later? You’re already hurt.”