That Top Male Lead Who Hates to Eat (23)

Xie Yu also really wanted to know what had gotten into him. He considered himself a man of very few desires, practically ascetic. Yet, being so affected just by the sight of Si Jiu crying was truly a first in his twenty-eight years. He had never been this embarrassed in his entire life.

However, Si Jiu was still outside. Expressionless, he wiped the water off his face, took three deep breaths, and stepped out of the bathroom once more.

Si Jiu stood barefoot in the entryway. "I've troubled you enough. I shouldn't bother you any longer."

Xie Yu frowned, his eyes involuntarily drawn to her bare feet on the floor. He didn't even know what the hell he was fussing over. But since he lived alone and never hosted guests, he didn't have any other slippers besides the pair on his feet.

Xie Yu walked over, kicked off his slippers by her feet, and stepped onto the cold floor barefoot. "Put them on."

Si Jiu hung her head. "No need, I'm leaving right now."

"...Put them on."

"...Thank you."

Her feet in the oversized slippers looked as if they were rowing boats, which was inexplicably comical.

Xie Yu looked away. "Where are you going to go?"

"I... I'll go to the property management. If that doesn't work, I'll call a locksmith."

"No need for all that trouble," Xie Yu said. "I'll open it for you."

"Huh?"

Xie Yu didn't explain. He turned and walked toward the balcony.

Si Jiu spoke up, "...You're not planning to climb over, are you? You just said yourself this is the twenty-third floor. Hey!"

She grabbed his shirt. "Don't. It's too dangerous."

"That's only for you." Xie Yu pulled his shirt hem out of her hand. "Stay here. Don't move."

With that, he reached the balcony in a few strides. Propping himself up with his hands, he vaulted onto the railing, stepped outside the wall onto the external air conditioning unit, and nimbly climbed onto Si Jiu's balcony.

Mantou greeted him obediently on the balcony, wagging his tail furiously.

Xie Yu turned his head and saw Si Jiu gripping his balcony railing, looking visibly relieved.

"You can't be this friendly if a thief breaks in." Xie Yu flicked Mantou's head and walked through the balcony into her living room.

It was the same layout, but the decor was completely different. A rustic fabric sofa, a cute little square table, and a uniquely styled accent wall adorned with numerous photo frames and small potted plants, along with a mural full of girlish charm.

No matter how one looked at it, it was completely different from his own place. This stark contrast served as a powerful reminder that he was entering someone else's domain—her most authentic and private space.

This realization brought back that uncontrollable, restless agitation.

Xie Yu composed himself, quickly walked through the living room to the entryway, and opened the door.

His eyes swept over the shoe cabinet and caught sight of a phone and keys. He paused, the corners of his lips curving upward.

"Thank you for opening the door. Here, your slippers."

Si Jiu ran over from Xie Yu's apartment, changed into her own slippers, and squatted down to straighten his slippers for him. "Put them on quickly," she said with absolute sincerity. "The floor is quite cold."

Slipping his feet back into the slippers, he immediately felt the warmth inside them—a warmth that belonged to someone else.

Xie Yu felt certain his ears must have turned red. They felt burning hot.

"Have you had lunch?"

"Huh?" Still distracted by his inexplicable thoughts, he answered absently, "No."

"Then have lunch at my place. Consider it my thanks."

Si Jiu nudged his arm. "Go on in, I'm closing the door."

Her push was gentle, yet Xie Yu let himself be nudged inside just like that.

By the time he came to his senses, he was already sitting on the fabric sofa, a glass of orange juice placed in his hand, and a dog curled up at his feet.

Xie Yu: "..."

He turned his head; Si Jiu had already put on an apron and gone into the kitchen.

*Son, do you have a quick-cook crash course package?*

System: *...Like hell I do.*

System: *I sent you so many tutorials before... I recall you have a near-photographic memory and learn everything so quickly, Dad. You're just too lazy.*

*Cooking is such a pain.*

Despite her complaints, she still made up her mind.

Winning over someone with anorexia and winning over a foodie indeed led to the same destination—capturing their stomach was all it took.

Time to schedule some cooking practice.