My Gorgeous Neighbor Is Cooking Every Day - Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Xia Xingye also asked nervously: “Can I come in?”

“I… I didn’t say you couldn’t come in.” Jiang Yingyue said, and then went back into the room first.

Xia Xingye quickly seized the opportunity and followed her in. After entering, she cautiously watched Jiang Yingyue. Seeing her lie down on the bed without saying anything, it was as if they hadn’t quarreled at all.

Xia Xingye said tentatively: “Sister, I really didn’t do it on purpose.”

“I’m not blaming you,” Jiang Yingyue pursed her lips and said, “It’s too dangerous. It’s too dangerous for you to be with me.”

“No, it’s not dangerous! Not dangerous at all!” Xia Xingye subconsciously retorted. “If it weren’t for you, Sister, I wouldn’t know what to do if I ran into something like that. So, thanks to you, Sister, because of you, things didn’t get any worse.”

“Do you really think that?” Jiang Yingyue looked at Xia Xingye with hesitation.

“Of course I do!” Xia Xingye quickly stepped forward, took Jiang Yingyue’s hand, and said earnestly, “Sister, you think I’m in danger because you’re by my side. But have you ever thought that if you weren’t here, I wouldn’t be able to handle danger on my own?”

By now, Xia Xingye understood why Jiang Yingyue hadn’t been talking to her. She was angry, but not at Xia Xingye; she was angry at herself, feeling that she was the one who brought the danger.

But Xia Xingye couldn’t understand, and wouldn’t be able to understand, why Jiang Yingyue would think that.

“Sister, if you don’t believe me, let’s separate for a while. You can see if I’ll be in danger after I leave you.”

“No,” Jiang Yingyue refused without thinking.

Xia Xingye had already encountered danger. She absolutely couldn’t leave Xia Xingye alone now.

Xia Xingye looked at her and asked: “Then what should we do?”

“Can’t I just believe you?” Jiang Yingyue lowered her eyes and said, “It’s not your fault, and it’s not my fault either.”

Xia Xingye held Jiang Yingyue’s hand and said softly: “Sister, do you really think that? You won’t think anything else?”

Knowing what Jiang Yingyue was worried about, Xia Xingye couldn’t let Jiang Yingyue continue to worry like this. She had to change Jiang Yingyue’s mind, otherwise, the next time she encountered danger, Jiang Yingyue would still think the same way.

Xia Xingye wasn’t sure if it had anything to do with Jiang Yingyue, but even if it did, she had to say it didn’t. Otherwise, how could she continue to get along with Jiang Yingyue? Jiang Yingyue would look at her and immediately feel that she was burdening her.

Xia Xingye stared intently at Jiang Yingyue.

Jiang Yingyue didn’t speak again, but seriously thought it over.

The two quietly gazed at each other. Xia Xingye held Jiang Yingyue’s hand and slowly moved closer to her. When her hand touched Jiang Yingyue’s waist, Jiang Yingyue finally reacted.

Jiang Yingyue gently removed her hand from her waist and said: “I understand. I won’t overthink things anymore.”

Xia Xingye was a little disappointed that Jiang Yingyue figured it out so quickly, but was still happy that Jiang Yingyue had managed to gain clarity.

“Since even my mom didn’t stop me from hanging out with you, it means she thinks you’re reliable and trusts that you won’t hurt me. Everyone feels this way, Sister, so please don’t overthink it.”

Jiang Yingyue, who would have normally struggled with internal conflict for a while, smiled helplessly because of Xia Xingye’s words: “I know. I won’t overthink it again.”

“Did you put the medicine on?” Xia Xingye then looked down at Jiang Yingyue’s knee. “If I didn’t help you put on the medicine, did you just gloss over it, Sister?”

Jiang Yingyue cleared her throat, took a step back, and said: “No, I’ve already put the medicine on.”

Seeing her reaction, Xia Xingye knew for sure that she hadn’t properly applied the medicine. She immediately grabbed her hand and said seriously: “Let me see. If I don’t see it, I won’t sleep tonight!”

Jiang Yingyue asked: “Can we not look, please?”

“No!” Xia Xingye frowned and said, “It won’t work even if you’re being cute, Sister.”

Jiang Yingyue, who hadn’t been acting cute: “…”

When did she act cute? How did she not know?

However, Jiang Yingyue didn’t have time to recall whether she had been acting cute. Xia Xingye had already pressed her to sit down, brought over the first-aid kit, and immediately crouched in front of her.

She lifted Jiang Yingyue’s pant leg and sure enough, saw that she had applied the medicine very perfunctorily.

Xia Xingye reapplied the medicine, then stood up, expressing her dissatisfaction: “Sister, why don’t you take better care of yourself?”

Jiang Yingyue never thought she didn’t take good care of herself, but then she heard Xia Xingye say: “Then, I will take good care of you from now on, Sister.”

Jiang Yingyue’s eyes widened slightly. Xia Xingye, acting as if she hadn’t noticed, stubbornly promised: “I will treat you very well, better than everyone else combined, Sister.”

Xia Xingye was still meticulously listing all the ways she would treat Jiang Yingyue well, but she didn’t see that Jiang Yingyue’s eyelashes were faintly trembling because of her words.

“If you prefer fewer people around, Sister, I can keep you company. I don’t really like hanging out with too many people either. If you like staying at home, Sister, I also like staying at home. If you sometimes like to go out at night, I can also go out at night. It doesn’t matter to me whether I sleep early or late.”

“Stop talking,” Jiang Yingyue interrupted Xia Xingye’s monologue.

Xia Xingye, who was counting on her fingers, stopped and looked at Jiang Yingyue in confusion: “What’s wrong, Sister? Aren’t those the things you like? Did I remember something wrong?”

She thought that she had mentioned something Jiang Yingyue didn’t like to do, which was why Jiang Yingyue had interrupted her.

“I will do what I want to do myself. You don’t have to sacrifice yourself to accompany me.”

Xia Xingye was anxious: “I’m not sacrificing myself! Everything I said is true. I like doing those things too!”

She spoke earnestly and wanted to continue explaining, but Jiang Yingyue cut her off: “I know you’re serious.”

But these words were too forward for her. She didn’t know how to explain to Xia Xingye that such things shouldn’t be said lightly to anyone.

She looked closely at Xia Xingye, but Xia Xingye looked back at her just as earnestly, without a hint of jest.

“Is something wrong?” Xia Xingye asked Jiang Yingyue curiously.

Jiang Yingyue sighed and gently shook her head: “Nothing. Let’s go to sleep.”

She was a little unable to discern what kind of feelings Xia Xingye had for her. Was it just friendship? Would she treat her other friends this way? Jiang Yingyue had never been this good to anyone, and she wasn’t sure if everyone had a different definition of “good.”

In her opinion, Xia Xingye’s goodness was a little excessive, already going beyond what was typical for friendship. She was tempted to ask Xia Xingye, but the words got stuck in her throat, and she started to wonder if she was misinterpreting things.

Thinking this, Jiang Yingyue said nothing more. Perhaps after some time, she would know what Xia Xingye’s true feelings for her were.

Counting the time they had known each other, their time together wasn’t very long, and their understanding of each other was likely still superficial.

Jiang Yingyue was used to being alone. It wasn’t because she was aloof, but because she wasn’t very good at handling interpersonal relationships and didn’t actively seek to befriend people.

If someone approached her, she would let them if she didn’t dislike them. Xia Xingye happened to be someone she didn’t dislike. What was even stranger was that she couldn’t help but agree to Xia Xingye’s requests.

For example, she didn’t mind Xia Xingye calling her “Sister,” and she didn’t mind Xia Xingye wanting to move in with her.

Everything felt so natural, as if it was meant to happen.

“Sister, what are you thinking about?” Xia Xingye’s voice broke her thoughts.

Jiang Yingyue snapped back and shook her head: “Nothing. Let’s go to sleep.”

For the next few days, Jiang Yingyue didn’t go out to work. She recuperated at home, occasionally drawing talismans.

Xia Xingye went to school, and in the evening, she often found Jiang Yingyue at home. Every time she saw Jiang Yingyue at home, Xia Xingye’s exhaustion from the day was completely wiped away, and she felt energized.

Jiang Yingyue’s knee, which wasn’t severely injured, was recovering well and had already started to scab after two days. Although she was almost healed, Xia Xingye still didn’t let Jiang Yingyue move around freely.

Xia Xingye had just returned home when she saw Jiang Yingyue standing in the living room. She quickly rushed over, helped her to sit down, and asked anxiously: “Didn’t I tell you to call me if you needed anything? Did you forget my phone number?”

“No, I didn’t forget,” Jiang Yingyue raised her hand to show her the watch phone still on her wrist. “Of course, I didn’t forget your number.”

Or rather, there was no way she could forget it since it was saved in her phone.

“Then why didn’t you call me?”

“How can I call you when you’re in class?” Jiang Yingyue said with a smile. “Besides, I was just pouring myself a glass of water. I didn’t need to go anywhere.”

Xia Xingye looked at her with suspicion.

Jiang Yingyue asked helplessly: “Is my credibility that low in your eyes?”

“It’s not low credibility. It’s just that you’re too stubborn, Sister.”

Since their first meeting, Xia Xingye knew Jiang Yingyue was a headstrong person. She used to hear that quiet people were more headstrong, but Xia Xingye didn’t believe it until she met Jiang Yingyue.

Indeed, some quiet people were headstrong and unwilling to speak up when encountering problems, preferring to shoulder the burden themselves.

Xia Xingye didn’t care how Jiang Yingyue was before, but now that she had met her, she didn’t like Jiang Yingyue’s continued stubbornness. She wished Jiang Yingyue would occasionally rely on her.

“Sister, just rely on me a little.” Xia Xingye pursed her lips, looking at Jiang Yingyue with a pitiful expression, like a Golden Retriever puppy waiting for a bone from Jiang Yingyue.

Jiang Yingyue said helplessly: “I am relying on you. Didn’t you buy the groceries and cook the meals?”

“That’s different. It’s normal for us to buy groceries for each other since we live together. That’s not called reliance.”

Jiang Yingyue followed her lead and asked: “Then what is called reliance?”

Xia Xingye thought for a moment and said: “For example, telling me immediately if you’re injured, or letting me fetch things for you if you can’t move easily. That’s called reliance.”

Jiang Yingyue found it amusing. Xia Xingye’s words made her sound like a person without the ability to care for herself. But Jiang Yingyue didn’t refute Xia Xingye and still smiled: “Alright. Next time I need something, I’ll call you. I won’t do it myself.”

Xia Xingye was finally satisfied and cautiously hugged Jiang Yingyue.

While cooking, Xia Xingye’s phone suddenly rang. Her phone was placed next to Jiang Yingyue. She said without turning her head: “Sister, please answer the phone for me.”

Jiang Yingyue picked up Xia Xingye’s phone. It was an unfamiliar number.

She read out the number and asked: “Should I answer?”

If it were Jiang Yingyue’s own phone, she would definitely not answer an unfamiliar number, but since it was Xia Xingye’s, she asked.

Xia Xingye felt the number sounded a little unfamiliar, but still said: “Answer it and see who it is.”

Jiang Yingyue answered the phone, and Feng Tinglan’s anxious voice immediately came through: “Are you free right now?”

The phone was on speakerphone, and Xia Xingye also heard Feng Tinglan’s voice. Her hand holding the knife paused, and she asked loudly: “What’s wrong?”

“After we went back that day, we ran into something strange. Now…” Feng Tinglan paused. “Now we need you to come and take a look in person.”