OCY - Chapter 33

Chapter 33 - Bringing Food

Lu Yu quickly sent over Bai Chuyun's location – an internet cafe near the school.

Bai Chutang looked anxious, "Chuyun doesn't play games, why would she go there?"

"Let's go take a look first," Ji Linxue exchanged a glance with Gu Hengzhi, having a rough idea in mind. He immediately took Bai Chutang and rushed towards that location.

The internet cafe was hidden in winding alleys. They searched for a long time before seeing a sign with the words "Internet Cafe" printed on it, loosely hanging on an iron frame. Only half of the light was on; the other half was probably broken.

Ji Linxue pushed open the glass door, and a mixture of smoke and stuffy odor hit them. He frowned uncomfortably; Gu Hengzhi wasn't faring any better.

Bai Chutang was filled with worry, her body automatically ignoring these details, "It's so big here, I don't know where Chuyun is."

Ji Linxue comforted her, "We'll look row by row; we're bound to find her."

Bai Chutang calmed down a little and nodded, "Then I'll start looking from the first row."

She covered the lower half of her face with her sleeve, blocking the increasingly strong smell of smoke. She searched row by row. Internet cafes like this were often mixed crowds, especially small ones. Ji Linxue was worried about her being alone and encountering danger. Just as he was about to suggest they search together, his sleeve was pulled by the person beside him.

Gu Hengzhi looked at him, "Shall we search the booths in the back?"

Ji Linxue said, "How about you go that way? I'm worried about Chutang being alone."

He didn't think that much about it. Finding Bai Chuyun was the most pressing matter now. Gu Hengzhi, however, misunderstood. He inwardly gritted his teeth but showed no sign of it on his face. He even managed a smile and proactively said, "I'll go with her instead."

Saying this, he took a few steps forward and caught up with Bai Chutang.

Bai Chutang was a little surprised and said something to him. Gu Hengzhi nodded, and the two started searching together.

Ji Linxue collected himself and walked straight towards the booth area.

He didn't search for long. Soon, he spotted a familiar face among a group of people in the corner. That face was seven parts similar to Bai Chutang's, but compared to her sister's resilient and simple demeanor, she was more willful and arrogant, like a blazing fire.

At this moment, she stood among a group of stylishly dressed young men and women, wearing heavy makeup and revealing clothes, looking like the leader among the girls.

Ji Linxue approached and overheard their conversation.

"Bai Chuyun, is your boyfriend even any good? He can't even beat A Feng from my place."

"It was just an accident!" Bai Chuyun pushed the boy next to her. "Didn't you say you were great at League of Legends?"

The boy's face was filled with defiance, "League of Legends is a team game! How can you tell in a one-on-one? Besides, I made a mistake in my operation just now, this round doesn't count!"

The two sides started arguing just like that.

The people around them, who were online, all looked over. The group was right in the middle of a heated argument. None of them noticed Ji Linxue until he patted Bai Chuyun's shoulder. Only then did she turn her head, looking aggressive, "Who is it?"

Ji Linxue looked at her without speaking.

Bai Chuyun stared at the somewhat familiar face in front of her, thought for a moment, and said in surprise, "Linxue Ge?"

She heard her sister say she met Ji Linxue in C City, but she hadn't expected it to be such a coincidence.

"Why are you here?" Joy was hard to hide in her voice, but the next second, a boy put his arm around her shoulder. The boy had an ordinary appearance and looked at Ji Linxue warily, "Who's this?"

Bai Chuyun pushed him away, saying angrily, "What are you doing? This is my brother!"

Only then did the boy relax. His face instantly cleared up, and he said with a conciliatory smile, "Sorry, Brother. I'm Chuyun's boyfriend."

Ji Linxue's brows furrowed tightly. If he remembered correctly, Bai Chuyun had just entered the third year of junior high, at most fifteen years old.

"I came specifically to find you, and your sister and grandmother. They are very worried about you. Come back with me first."

After hearing his words, Bai Chuyun's face instantly changed, her tone agitated, "I'm not going back! Anyway, nobody in that family likes me, I'm not going back!"

Ji Linxue tried to persuade her a few more times, but Bai Chuyun still refused to leave, even hiding behind her so-called boyfriend. Seeing this, he could only send a message to Bai Chutang.

Bai Chutang arrived quickly. Gu Hengzhi was with her. They walked quickly, and in no time, they were beside Ji Linxue.

Bai Chutang's face was full of anger, "Bai Chuyun! You come here right now!"

Bai Chuyun was also very stubborn, especially in front of her friends, she was even more unwilling to back down, "I won't! Why do you get to decide everything!"

"Because I provide your food and shelter," Bai Chutang said coldly. "If you don't come back with me today, don't ever come back."

The moment her words fell, Bai Chuyun looked up, her eyes red, tears welling up and threatening to fall.

In the end, Bai Chuyun followed the others back.

Bai Chutang didn't say anything on the way back, and Bai Chuyun was also silent. The atmosphere between the two sisters was as cold as ice.

Ji Linxue didn't interfere in their family matters, because he suddenly remembered that Bai Chuyun in the original novel seemed to be just like this.

Grandma Bai was sick and unable to manage her, and Bai Chutang was working part-time outside every day. Her nature was unrestrained, and she became increasingly wayward.

Not only was she ignorant and uneducated, but she also developed a greedy nature for money.

After knowing that her sister was fancied by Gu Hengzhi, she spared no effort to set the two up. She didn't understand why her sister always wanted to run away. She even questioned her sister if she had done something wrong to Gu Hengzhi after seeing Bai Chutang being slapped and choked by him.

Once, she was even used by Su Muqing, leading to a misunderstanding between Gu Hengzhi and Bai Chutang. It wasn't until Bai Chutang was diagnosed with a psychological illness that she regretted her actions.

Now that Bai Chutang had discovered her problem in advance, he wondered if she could straighten the plot back.

Returning to the residential area, Bai Chutang thanked the two, "You've worked hard. I originally invited you as guests, but I ended up causing you trouble."

"It's okay, as long as we found her," Ji Linxue looked at her. "We have something to do this afternoon, so we'll leave now."

"Come to my house for dinner next time," Bai Chutang took out two red envelopes and after some pushing and shoving, finally got the two to accept them.

Watching them get into the car, Bai Chuyun suddenly spoke, "That car looks so fancy. Since when did Linxue Ge become so rich?"

Bai Chutang glared at her, "Do you still have time to think about this? Tell me, where have you been on weekends when there's no school!"

Bai Chuyun whined and acted cute, "Sister~"

Bai Chutang didn't fall for it, "And about your boyfriend, I won't tell Grandma about this for now, but you break up with him as soon as possible. That guy doesn't look like anything good."

Bai Chuyun stomped her foot, "I won't! Why can you have a boyfriend and I can't?"

"Where did I have one?" Bai Chutang said angrily. "Where did you hear such nonsense?"

Bai Chuyun mumbled, "I saw it last time. That guy gave you roses and a necklace."

"You only saw that? Did you see me reject him?" Bai Chutang pleaded with her. "Your most important task right now is to study. Stop thinking about all this nonsense."

Bai Chuyun didn't hear her last sentence at all and kept asking, "Who was that guy with Linxue Ge? He's handsome too, oh."

"Sister, I think you can try to win him over. And his clothes look very expensive. He must come from a good family."

"Bai Chuyun!"

"Sister, I was wrong! Don't pinch me!"

***

Ever since he knew about the bar where Bai Chutang worked part-time, every time there was a mixer or a team-building activity, Ji Linxue would recommend everyone go there. The bar had a good environment, and incidentally, it could also help Bai Chutang earn some commission.

Gu Hengzhi couldn't go with him this time because he had become busy again. He heard he was collecting evidence of Gu Corporation's tax evasion and fraudulent accounts. Gu Corporation was originally built on shaky foundations. Tax evasion was already a minor offense compared to their other illegal activities.

Of course, Gu Hengzhi couldn't do it alone. Behind this, there must have been a hand from the Lu family.

Ji Linxue didn't pay much attention to these matters. He couldn't help Gu Hengzhi at all, and he believed Gu Hengzhi was capable of handling it.

Sure enough, not long after the Spring Festival, Gu Fengyan was taken away, reportedly to cooperate with an investigation, followed by several other high-level executives. Without their leaders, the company was instantly thrown into panic.

Gu Hengzhi became even busier, rarely coming back even once a month. According to Lu Yu, he was sleeping at the company during this time.

Ji Linxue didn't bother him. During this period, he was researching recipes. The place they lived had a large kitchen with all the necessary tools, but no one had been using it.

In his previous life, he occasionally cooked for himself, but he only knew a few dishes. Even now, he only knew simple home cooking like scrambled eggs with tomatoes and stir-fried cabbage.

Shen Shaoyan smelled a fragrant aroma as soon as he came back. He twitched his nose and caught the scent coming from the kitchen.

He changed his shoes and hurried to the kitchen. At first glance, he saw Ji Linxue standing by the stove with his back to him, wearing an apron.

"Holy moly, Xiaoxue, you can cook?!" A surprised voice came from behind him. Ji Linxue turned his head and smiled, "Still learning. Have you eaten?"

Shen Shaoyan shook his head, "I was just thinking of asking you to go eat together."

Ji Linxue glanced outside, "Lu Yu didn't come back with you?"

Shen Shaoyan, "No, Xiaoyu is still in the library reading, and so is Heng Ge. Didn't he start a new company? He's been really busy lately. I went to his company to find him, and I barely got to say a few words to him. There was still dinner from last night on his desk, it looked like it hadn't been touched at all."

Ji Linxue frowned, "He didn't eat dinner last night?"

"Probably. I saw the food hadn't been touched. I thought it was lunch and asked him why it was cold, and he said it was from last night."

Ji Linxue's face looked somewhat grim. He brought out the cooked dishes and said, "Then let's eat first. We'll bring some to him later."

"Okay," Shen Shaoyan said impatiently. He reached out with his chopsticks and tasted a bite. The cabbage was sweet and delicious, the juice bursting on his tongue, bringing a delightful sensation to his taste buds.

The eggplant was soft, glutinous, and salty-fragrant, mixed with flavorful minced meat, whetting the appetite.

He couldn't help but give a thumbs up, "Delicious! Xiaoxue, I didn't expect you to be such a good cook!"

Ji Linxue's lips pursed from his praise, "Thank you for being so generous."

"What do you mean 'generous'? It's really delicious!" As if to prove his words, Shen Shaoyan ate several large bowls of white rice with the dishes, one after another.

After eating, Shen Shaoyan voluntarily took on the task of clearing the table. It was the young master's first time doing such a thing. His movements were clumsy, and it took him half an hour to finish. If they didn't have a dishwasher at home, he would have broken who knows how many dishes.

Shen Shaoyan slumped on the sofa, feeling utterly defeated, "Housework is truly difficult."

He had only cleared a few bowls and wiped the table, yet he was already this tired. Ji Linxue couldn't help but chuckle, "With practice, you'll get used to it."

"Then I'd rather play games," Shen Shaoyan took out his phone. "Anyway, the family doesn't need me to do housework." Suddenly, he remembered something, "I almost forgot to call Heng Ge. I'll ask him if he's eaten."

The call connected in a moment. Shen Shaoyan put it on speakerphone. Ji Linxue heard a very blurry male voice, which seemed to be Gu Hengzhi's. The tone was serious and cold, something he had never heard before, "Pause for a moment, I'll go out and take a call."

Footsteps sounded, then stopped. The other party seemed to have gone to a quiet place. His cold voice became clear in the receiver, "I'm in a meeting. What is it?"

Shen Shaoyan felt a sense of guilt for interrupting someone doing serious business. He said carefully, "Um... have you eaten lunch?"

"?" Gu Hengzhi raised an eyebrow, his low voice slowly speaking, "Proposing a favor without reason? Up to no good."

"I was just asking!" Shen Shaoyan said, embarrassed and angry. "I'll come to your company to find you later."

Gu Hengzhi's tone was casual, "Didn't you come this morning? I'm very busy, no time to host guests."

Ji Linxue, using his mouth silently, asked Shen Shaoyan, 'Why aren't you saying we're bringing food?'

Shen Shaoyan mouthed back, 'Idiot, what kind of surprise would it be if you told him?'

"I don't care! If you're busy, let that beautiful sister host me."

Gu Hengzhi instantly saw through his intention, "Fallen for someone again?"

"What do you mean 'fallen for'? This is giving both parties a chance to get to know each other." Shen Shaoyan continued to follow his words. Sure enough, Gu Hengzhi quickly believed him and warned him not to mess around.

"I won't mess around," Shen Shaoyan mumbled after hanging up. "Every time I fall in love, it's mutual, okay? If the other person isn't willing, I won't force anyone."

Ji Linxue packed the food in an insulated container and placed it in an insulated bag. The place they lived was very close to Gu Hengzhi's company. Half an hour later, the two arrived at the company's underground parking lot.

"Heng Ge's office is on the top floor. I'll take you directly," Shen Shaoyan led him into the elevator, and they quickly reached the top floor.

The elevator opened, and a secretary in a black and white business suit came forward, "Young Master Shen, Mr. Gu is still in a meeting. He asked me to give you a tour."

"I won't take the tour. How much longer until his meeting ends?"

The secretary checked her watch, "About half an hour."

Shen Shaoyan said, "Just take us to his office. He won't mind."

She looked at the person beside Shen Shaoyan, asking, "May I ask who this is?"

"This is my roommate and also your Mr. Gu's good brother. Just call him Young Master Ji."

The secretary smiled, "Alright, please come with me."

Gu Hengzhi's office was deep down the corridor. The secretary led them there. Shen Shaoyan pushed open the door with practiced ease and swaggered in.

Ji Linxue followed behind him, his gaze sweeping around the room. The office was large. Sunlight streamed in from the floor-to-ceiling window, making the entire room look spacious and bright. The decor was a minimalist gray style, very fitting for Gu Hengzhi's temperament.

Shen Shaoyan sprawled on the sofa without any regard for appearances, smiling sweetly at the secretary, "Sister, I want coffee, and then some small cake."

The secretary nodded and turned to Ji Linxue, "What would Young Master Ji like to drink?"

"A glass of warm water is fine, thank you." Ji Linxue placed the insulated bag on the table and stood by the bookshelf, looking. He found that most of the books inside were ones he had recommended to Gu Hengzhi.

No wonder he had asked him about good books a while ago.

The secretary quickly brought the coffee and warm water, along with a small plate filled with desserts, including a few pieces of taro mud cake.

Shen Shaoyan casually picked one up and ate it, "Hmm, the things at Heng Ge's place are delicious."

Ji Linxue said, "Didn't you just finish eating?"

Shen Shaoyan grinned, "It's been an hour already. I'm hungry again."

Ji Linxue, "..."

They were told half an hour, but they waited for almost an hour before finally hearing footsteps from the doorway. Gu Hengzhi gave the secretary a few instructions and said indifferently, "You didn't take them on a tour?"

The secretary said, "Young Master Shen said he wanted to wait for you in the office, so I brought them in."

"Alright, you can go," Gu Hengzhi casually pushed open the door, but his steps froze the moment he entered.

Shen Shaoyan was already asleep on the sofa. A person was sitting beside him, with familiar eyebrows and eyes, currently looking up at him, a gentle smile on his lips.

"Why are you here?" Gu Hengzhi felt his throat go dry. He stared intently at Ji Linxue, thinking he was seeing an illusion.

"Didn't you say you hadn't eaten lunch yet? I just made some food at home, so I brought it over for you," Ji Linxue held up the insulated bag. "Health is the foundation of revolution. How can you not eat?"

His long-tired body felt as if it had been re-energized by these few words. Gu Hengzhi's chest felt warm, and he couldn't help but take a few steps forward, walking up to Ji Linxue.

He tried hard to control himself not to scare the other person away. Although he really wanted to hug Ji Linxue, at the last moment, he restrained himself.

Wait a little longer, no need to rush.

Gu Hengzhi managed to tear his gaze away from his face, "...You made it yourself?"

Ji Linxue opened the bag and took out the insulated container, "Mm, try it."

Gu Hengzhi picked up a piece and put it in his mouth, "Delicious!"

Ji Linxue chuckled, "You haven't even chewed yet."

The container of food was quickly empty. Ji Linxue felt a sense of accomplishment seeing him eat happily.

But the accounts still needed to be settled, "You didn't eat dinner last night?"

Gu Hengzhi's body stiffened, but his skill at concealing was exceptional; he showed no sign of guilt, "Who's talking nonsense?"

Then, remembering something, he looked at Shen Shaoyan, who was snoring on the sofa.

Gu Hengzhi thought to himself that it must have been Shen Shaoyan who told him, what a big mouth, "I was too busy last night and just forgot."

Ji Linxue crossed his arms, "You didn't eat breakfast either?"

Gu Hengzhi's gaze drifted, "Mm."

"You can't skip meals. You'll get a stomach illness if you keep going like this," Ji Linxue wasn't being alarmist. Out of ten CEOs in those novels, nine would get stomach problems. It was clear that CEOs generally didn't have healthy stomachs.

"Got it," Gu Hengzhi's eyes looked helpless. "Do you want to rest here for a while?"

Ji Linxue always had a habit of napping in the afternoon. Today, he cooked and came to bring him food, so he definitely didn't have time to sleep.

"How much longer until you get off work?" Ji Linxue asked.

Gu Hengzhi checked his watch, "Two hours."

Ji Linxue thought for a moment, then simply said, "Then I'll wait for you to go back together."

Gu Hengzhi smiled and agreed.

Actually, he had planned to work overtime today, perhaps another sleepless night, but Ji Linxue was here. Those things could be handled tomorrow; there was no rush.

There was a rest area in the office, not very large. Gu Hengzhi slept here when he worked overtime at the company. There was a simple single bed inside, the covers a little messy.

Gu Hengzhi patted the covers. After Ji Linxue lay down, he guarded the bedside like a big dog, "Is the bed hard? If it is, I'll get a few layers of padding."

"No need, go busy yourself."

Gu Hengzhi helped him cover up and quickly left, conveniently closing the rest area door behind him.

Ji Linxue turned over. The pillow and the blankets were filled with the scent of Gu Hengzhi's body wash, familiar and pleasant. Being surrounded by this scent gave him a strange feeling of being held by Gu Hengzhi.

He closed his eyes, ignoring this strange thought, and soon fell into a deep sleep.