Breakfast was still two boiled eggs.
But before heading out, Ruan Xingchen also drank a cup of warm milk.
Just like yesterday morning, the moment she walked downstairs, she saw that familiar car parked at the entrance of the apartment building.
The driver's window was open.The man rested his left arm on the window frame, a lit cigarette held between his index and middle fingers.
As if sensing something, Lu Jingyuan turned his head.
There she was—standing on the steps, holding an egg in each hand, staring at him wide-eyed.
He stubbed out the cigarette and tossed it into the ashtray.
"Get in."
The car moved steadily along the road.
Lu Jingyuan focused on driving.
Meanwhile, Ruan Xingchen, sitting in the passenger seat, was equally focused—on peeling and eating her egg.
Suddenly remembering something, she looked up.
"Uncle, when can I officially start working?"
She had thought it over again before going to bed last night and decided his job offer sounded pretty good.
Most importantly, he was Lu Xiaobai's uncle. Given her relationship with Xiaobai, he wouldn't trick a high school student like her… right?
The car stopped at an intersection near the school.
Suddenly, Lu Jingyuan leaned toward her.
His unique scent filled the air.
Ruan Xingchen's face flushed instantly. Her body stiffened as she leaned back as far as she could.
Luckily, he only reached into the storage compartment in front of the passenger seat and quickly returned to his position.
He handed something to her.
"You can start today. This is a spare key to my apartment—and my secondary card."
"A bank card?"She looked at him, confused."Uncle, why are you giving me your card?"
He raised an eyebrow."For groceries."
"Huh?" Her eyes widened.
Why would she need a bank card just to buy groceries?And besides, markets don't even take cards.
Lu Jingyuan simply said,"I don't carry cash. Just take it."
Ruan Xingchen stared at the items in his palm, hesitating for a moment.
In the end, she took them.
She hadn't accepted money from her fiancé, yet here she was, taking a card from a man who technically had no relation to her.
But when she thought about how the money would ultimately be spent on him anyway, she felt relieved.
"Uncle, what do you like to eat?"
"I'm not picky."
She nodded, got out of the car, and walked briskly toward the school.
Lu Jingyuan watched her figure disappear into the distance.
His gaze dropped to the eggshells in the ashtray on the center console.
A faint smile slowly curved his lips.
He restarted the car and drove off.
But not toward the company.
Instead, he went to pick up Wei Yuanxiao.
By the time he arrived at Wei Yuanxiao's residential complex, Wei Yuanxiao had already been waiting impatiently at the gate.
As soon as he got in the car, he started complaining:
"Why are you so late today? Overslept?"
Lu Jingyuan ignored him.
But having waited over ten extra minutes, Wei Yuanxiao wasn't about to let it go so easily.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the eggshells in the ashtray. A slightly mischievous smile spread across his face.
"Jingyuan, peeling eggs again, huh? So… are eggs really that delicious?"
"..."
Ruan Xingchen arrived at the classroom and, as usual, traded her egg with Lu Xiaobai for a bun.
But today she was a bit late. They had just finished eating when the bell rang.
For once, throughout the entire day, Ruan Xingchen didn't fall asleep in class.
After tearing a sheet from her notebook, she kept her head down, writing something non-stop.
As a class officer, Lu Xiaobai had been busy all day. After school in the afternoon, curiosity finally got the better of her, and she leaned over to take a look.
The moment she saw what was on the paper, her lips twitched.
A full page… of dish names.
What the heck?
Ruan Xingchen carefully folded the paper like it was a treasure and tucked it into the small pocket of her dress.
Just as Lu Xiaobai was about to ask, her phone rang.
It was their homeroom teacher, asking her to go to the office to help organize some materials.
Lu Xiaobai hurriedly said goodbye and left.
After three years of high school, she was used to being the teacher's favorite and often getting called away like this.
Ruan Xingchen packed up her books and left the classroom as well.
On the way, she kept thinking about what dishes to cook for Lu Jingyuan that night.
He said he wasn't picky, but surely he must have preferences.
Unfortunately, she had been in a rush that morning and didn't have time to ask.
Just as she stepped out of the school gate—
Someone suddenly called out to her:
"Ruan Xingchen—stop right there!"