My Gorgeous Neighbor Is Cooking Every Day - Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Xia Xingye’s words were all in defense of Jiang Yingyue. Mi An had no doubt that if she were to cause trouble for Jiang Yingyue later, Xia Xingye would fight her, but she truly had no intention of causing trouble for Jiang Yingyue.

She answered without thinking: “Fine, I absolutely won’t blame you.”

But even after she said that, Jiang Yingyue still didn’t move. Just as Mi An was about to say something, Jiang Yingyue sighed and asked: “Do you want her to be trapped in this room forever? Didn’t you say you wanted to take her out? If we stop now, she might never be able to leave this room.”

Although the content sounded like a threat, Jiang Yingyue said it without any emotion, merely stating a simple fact.

But the more it sounded like the truth, the harder it was for Mi An to decide.

Mi An looked down at Deng Xing’er. Deng Xing’er was clearly in great distress, her eyes tightly shut, her brows furrowed. Mi An had never seen Deng Xing’er like this, seemingly in extreme pain.

Mi An’s voice was hoarse as she asked Jiang Yingyue: “Can you guarantee she will be safe?”

Whether she could be cured was secondary. All she asked now was that the girl would not be harmed. If Jiang Yingyue could guarantee her safety, then letting them try again was fine, but if they couldn’t guarantee Deng Xing’er’s safety, she would not agree to let Jiang Yingyue continue.

Before Jiang Yingyue could speak, Xia Xingye said: “What constitutes ‘safe’? She already has a small cut; is that still considered safe?”

Seeing Mi An’s confused look, Xia Xingye belatedly realized her tone had been too sharp. She was also a little puzzled, wondering why she always lost control of her temper whenever something related to Jiang Yingyue occurred.

She took a deep breath, calmed down, and said: “We will try our best to ensure her safety, but we can’t guarantee absolute safety.”

Jiang Yingyue’s abilities made Xia Xingye believe that she would absolutely not let anything happen to Deng Xing’er. This was the limit. Jiang Yingyue was not a deity, and she would not make unrealistic promises on Jiang Yingyue’s behalf.

Mi An gritted her teeth and said: “Please continue.”

She gently placed Deng Xing’er on the sofa, turned her face away, not looking at Mi An, but then quickly turned back. She ultimately couldn’t leave Mi An to face this alone, so she self-destructively watched Deng Xing’er from the side.

At this moment, Jiang Yingyue spoke: “You should go out.”

She said this to Mi An, who was stunned for a moment.

Xia Xingye pulled Mi An and said: “Come on, let’s go to the side. Don’t disturb her work. Since you invited her here, you must trust her, right?”

Mi An reluctantly followed Xia Xingye to the balcony. After closing the balcony door, Xia Xingye stood in front of her, blocking her view of the room.

She said slowly: “Don’t worry, my Sister is always confident in her work. She wouldn’t take on something she wasn’t sure about. I know you’re worried, but being too worried might mess things up.”

Mi An knew everything Xia Xingye said, but her worry was beyond her control. This little girl was someone she had watched grow up, someone she cherished.

“Let’s talk about something else,” Xia Xingye tried to distract her. “When did you two meet?”

Mi An was a little distracted as she said: “A long time ago. She was hiding at the door watching me when I moved here.”

Since then, she had known the little girl, gradually becoming familiar, then learning about her illness, and later being willing to help raise money for her medical expenses.

“She is young but a strong girl,” Xia Xingye praised. “Although she was resistant, she cooperated throughout. You don’t need to worry about her having problems. A child this strong will definitely be cured.”

Mi An gave a bitter smile: “I hope so.”

More than anyone, she wished Deng Xing’er could roll in the dirt like an ordinary child, without worrying about pebbles or branches scratching her skin.

Mi An could tell Xia Xingye was trying to distract her and make her relax, but talking about Deng Xing’er wasn’t helping her relax. So, she took the initiative to ask: “Are you two the kind of couple I think you are?”

Xia Xingye was speechless. This wasn’t the first person to suggest she and Jiang Yingyue were a couple. She couldn’t help but ask: “Why do you think we are that kind of relationship?”

She hadn’t done anything inappropriate with Jiang Yingyue in front of outsiders, at most, a kiss on the hand or a hug. But in her mind, friends also did such things.

Mi An seemed to be stating a fact: “The way you look at her, and the way she looks at you, are the same, but the way you look at me is different from how you look at each other.”

Xia Xingye turned to look at the glass, trying to see her own reflection and expression. The glass was transparent. While she saw her own reflection, she also saw Jiang Yingyue in the room.

In that instant, she noticed a subtle change in her own eyes, an undeniable tenderness.

What she had ignored all along, she finally saw clearly: her feelings for Jiang Yingyue were indeed different from her feelings for everyone else. It was only she who was unwilling to admit it, making excuses that she and Jiang Yingyue were just ordinary friends.

Xia Xingye opened her mouth but couldn’t say a word for a long time. Then what should I do? How should I explain to Jiang Yingyue? Not long ago, she had told her roommates in front of Jiang Yingyue that they were just ordinary friends. Jiang Yingyue had also said that they would just be friends and nothing more.

Xia Xingye was extremely regretful. If she had known this would happen, she wouldn’t have been so definite with her words.

“What’s wrong? Did you two have a fight?” Mi An just noticed that Xia Xingye and Jiang Yingyue weren’t as in sync as they were last time. Even though Xia Xingye was defending Jiang Yingyue, their body language suggested something had happened between them.

Xia Xingye frowned, hesitant to speak: “There was a little misunderstanding.”

She wasn’t sure if she should tell Mi An about this and if telling her would help.

Mi An controlled herself, focusing her gaze on Xia Xingye, avoiding looking into the room, and said casually: “Even though I don’t have much dating experience, as an outsider, I can see things clearer than you insiders.”

Xia Xingye had to admit that Mi An made sense. She hesitated for a moment and then told Mi An about her and Jiang Yingyue. The more she spoke, the more Mi An’s expression became hard to describe. By the end, Xia Xingye’s expression also soured: “Why do you look like that? Did I do something wrong?”

“Don’t you think you acted excessively?” Mi An was between laughter and tears. “Given how you two interacted before, anyone would think you were a couple, right? Who casually stays at a friend’s house and sleeps in the same bed every day?”

Even though their rooms were right next door, there was no need to squeeze into one bed, yet they tacitly agreed to sleep in the same bed.

Mi An added: “You also always said you liked her. Do you go around telling others you like them and want to be with them forever?”

Xia Xingye was speechless. She really had never said such things to anyone else, nor had she ever thought of staying with anyone for a lifetime.

To her, Jiang Yingyue was special, irreplaceable. How could such a person be just a friend?

“Then what should I do?” Xia Xingye was a little panicked.

Words spoken are like water poured out—how can they be taken back?

Jiang Yingyue acted as if it didn’t matter, but if what Mi An said was true, was Jiang Yingyue’s calm exterior truly calm underneath?

“You have to solve your own problems.” Mi An’s answer was ambiguous, perhaps because she was worried about Deng Xing’er, or perhaps because she didn’t want to talk about it with her.

Xia Xingye’s face was practically crumpled. She wished she could pucker up her face like in the short videos she watched after licking a lemon. She really didn’t have the courage to face Jiang Yingyue.

The two didn’t speak again, quietly waiting on the balcony.

“You can come in now.”

As soon as the words fell, Mi An violently pulled the balcony door open with a loud bang, making the glass door tremble precariously.

Xia Xingye waited for the glass to stop shaking before slowly moving into the room. As soon as she stepped inside, she saw Jiang Yingyue looking at her. She immediately froze, not knowing where to look, and could only stare blankly back at Jiang Yingyue.

“Can she go out now? Will she stop bleeding?”

Mi An’s voice came from the sofa area.

Xia Xingye looked over. Deng Xing’er’s complexion was much better. Although she was still unconscious, she no longer looked as pale as a sheet; her face had a slight flush of color.

For an ordinary person, this flush might still be too pale, but compared to Deng Xing’er before, it was a significant improvement.

“Yes. If you are worried, you can test it.” Jiang Yingyue said, taking out the small knife.

Mi An chuckled dryly, repeatedly waving her hand: “No need. This is enough. Thank you both.”

She looked at Xia Xingye and Jiang Yingyue, smiling: “Please leave on your own. I want to stay here and watch her.”

Seeing that Mi An didn’t even want to walk them to the door, Xia Xingye felt a pang of panic. Did this mean she would be alone with Jiang Yingyue now? She had hoped to at least have Mi An accompanying them before they left.

Seeing Mi An by Deng Xing’er’s side, Xia Xingye couldn’t bring herself to ask her to see them out. Now was not the time for unreasonable demands.

Helplessly, Xia Xingye followed behind Jiang Yingyue. Jiang Yingyue hadn’t looked at her again since that one glance earlier, walking ahead with steady steps.

Xia Xingye wondered if it was just her imagination, but she felt Jiang Yingyue was walking faster than usual, yet she observed that Jiang Yingyue was walking at a normal pace.

Xia Xingye felt a bit distracted. Had Jiang Yingyue been deliberately waiting for her all this time?

Upon reaching the complex gate, Jiang Yingyue turned back to her and said: “Take a taxi back to school first.”

“N-no need,” Xia Xingye whispered.

“What’s wrong? You don’t want to go back now?”

“No,” Xia Xingye’s eyes darted away. She asked cautiously, “Can I go back with you, Sister?”

Jiang Yingyue froze, looking at Xia Xingye with uncertainty and asked: “Go back with me? You don’t like staying at school anymore and want to go home?”

Even now, she didn’t think Xia Xingye meant going back to her house when she said she wanted to go back with her. She still remembered what happened not long ago. She wasn’t a cold-hearted person; how could she be indifferent to Xia Xingye’s words? She was just used to keeping her emotions hidden so no one would notice.

She never expected that what she thought was a given was ultimately her own wishful thinking.

Earlier, because her attention was focused on work, she could concentrate and not think about Xia Xingye. Now that Xia Xingye was right beside her, it was difficult not to.

“No,” Xia Xingye mustered her courage and said, “I want to go home with you, Sister.”

“Why?” Jiang Yingyue looked at her, her gaze indifferent, and even the tone of her question was flat, like a robot.