A whole box of peach-flavored popping candy went straight into her pocket as she headed to the kitchen to help out.
Of course, her version of “helping” mostly involved standing around and watching operations she’d never seen before—like deveining shrimp, scaling fish, and trimming off fins…
It wasn’t long before Lu Zhixia’s dinner prep was interrupted by her phone buzzing on the counter.
Shen Wanqing glanced over but said nothing.
Lu Zhixia wiped her hands and checked the screen. Her wiping slowed to a stop.
Shen Wanqing cut straight to it. “Not picking up?”
Lu Zhixia kept wiping. “I am,” she said against her better judgment.
She tapped to answer and hit speakerphone. Shen Wanqing stayed right there beside her, unmoving.
What followed was Yan Menghui laying into Lu Zhixia—part explanation, part insult, and a full-on lecture.
The topic was the report. Yan criticized her for half-assing it, being sloppy, but mostly for her attitude. She’d sent so many messages, and not a single reply. No acknowledgment at all.
All the while, Lu Zhixia checked if the shrimp were done, sliced up the fish fillets with quick, practiced motions, and showed off some solid knife work.
Once Yan Menghui finished her rapid-fire tirade, Lu Zhixia responded at a leisurely pace. “President Yan, we talked about this today. I said three hours wasn’t enough, and you said your last assistant could do it in two. What I’m trying to say is, work is a lot like cooking sometimes. The cooking time for a dish determines its color, aroma, and flavor. Sure, I could whip something up in two hours, but if I want to do it right, it’ll take longer.”
With that, she slid the sliced fish into a dish, grabbed some washed tomatoes from the basin nearby, and continued. “Truth is, I did two versions. The second one’s not finished yet, but I’ll stay late tonight to wrap it up. Then you can… well, not eat it, but feel it for yourself. Good things take time.”
Yan Menghui was already too furious to speak. “Is that how you talk to your boss? Did you even read the employee handbook?”
“And what then?” Lu Zhixia’s temper flared right out, her voice flat. “Should I kneel down and kowtow a couple times? Call you ‘Your Imperial Majesty’ while I’m at it?”
“Lu Zhixia!”
“Yan Menghui.” She fired back, name and all, right in front of Shen Wanqing. Her words carried a barb. “Sure, you’re my boss, but I work at Haijing Senhua—not for you personally. If you want to throw your weight around, show some real skill first. Don’t just wave company authority like a big stick. Makes me look down on you.”
Yan Menghui choked on her rage and let out a cold laugh. “Lu Zhixia, you’re just banking on President Shen’s favoritism, aren’t you? Way too early to get cocky. She’s got decades of history with me—you can’t touch that.”
Lu Zhixia let out a mocking huff. “Is that so? Have you asked President Shen? You brave enough?”
“What’s there to be scared of?” Yan Menghui scoffed. “Just wait. Keep this up, and you won’t even pass probation.”
“Thanks a bunch,” Lu Zhixia said. With a splash, she dropped the skinned tomatoes into the sizzling oil. Yan Menghui’s tone sharpened. “What are you doing? Multitasking while talking to your boss?”
“No choice, President Yan. I’m only human—I gotta eat. Come dinnertime, I get hungry.” Lu Zhixia played up the innocent act. “Not like you, living off divine nectar or whatever.”
The two went at it right in front of Shen Wanqing, who kept her expression neutral through the whole exchange. It ended with Yan Menghui so pissed she hung up, throwing down the gauntlet. “Lu Zhixia, keep it up then. Don’t change a thing—let’s see who has the last laugh.”
“Sure thing, President Yan.” Lu Zhixia turned sweet as pie now. Yan Menghui had to be fuming.
Lu Zhixia tossed the phone aside, turned off the nearby burner, and flipped the shrimp in the pot. They were a aggrieved shade of overdone. “The shrimp got tough.”
She glanced at Shen Wanqing as she said it. Shen Wanqing shot her a mildly scolding look. “Don’t act all aggrieved after getting the upper hand.”
She could mouth off like that precisely because Shen Wanqing hadn’t stepped in to stop her.
Not that Lu Zhixia had any doubt she wouldn’t. And sure enough, things played out just as expected.
Remembering Yan Menghui’s parting shot, Lu Zhixia added the fish slices to the pot, then asked casually, “What she said—is it true?”
“What?”
Lu Zhixia suspected Shen Wanqing knew exactly what she meant. After all that talk, only one bit involved her. She spelled it out. “Between you and President Yan… and you and me. Who’s closer?”
“What do you think?” Shen Wanqing’s counter-question felt like a gentle confirmation to Lu Zhixia. She carefully laid out the thin fish slices, then straightened up with a satisfied exhale. “Perfect.”
She tried to sidestep, but Shen Wanqing wasn’t letting it go. “You still haven’t answered.”
Lu Zhixia bowed her head to peel the shrimp, drawling lazily. “You and President Yan, obviously.”
“I think you should change your name to Lu Yin-Yang—the sarcastic kind.”
“Sure thing, Shen Sassypants.” Lu Zhixia grinned cheekily. “But I think your friend President Yan fits that description even better.”
Shen Wanqing leaned against the doorframe and said coolly, “Why do you have a problem with her?”
“She’s the one with a problem with me.” Lu Zhixia bent down, feeling a bit tired, then straightened up. “Anyway, you saw it yourself. We’re at each other’s throats now.”
She tossed aside the shrimp shells and flicked away some stray strands of hair, her tone nonchalant. “That’s just how I am. I do what I want when I want to. And if I don’t, no amount of arm-twisting will change my mind.”
“So you do know the phrase ‘willingly,’” Shen Wanqing said as she walked over. She reached out to smooth Lu Zhixia’s hair and tuck it behind her ear. “Do you think forcing her works better, or getting her to go along willingly?”
Lu Zhixia’s cheeks flushed, her ears turning pink. She froze in place, stammering, “I don’t even care about her. I do my job, own up to my mistakes, and if it’s not my fault, I’ll butt heads with her till the end. Worst case, I quit. No big deal.”
“Here’s a Japanese name for you,” Shen Wanqing said, pinching her ear. “Diehard. Sounds nice, doesn’t it?”
“Speaking of which, do you have a Japanese name?” Lu Zhixia perked up. Shen Wanqing hummed in affirmation. “Yeah.”
She didn’t elaborate, and Lu Zhixia didn’t press, changing the subject instead. “Dinner’s almost ready. I’ll go wake Qin Zheng.”
Lu Zhixia slipped past Shen Wanqing and headed out to rouse Qin Zheng. Soon, the three of them sat down to eat together.
Yan Fanghua, still in the honeymoon phase of her marriage, called—on Shen Wanqing’s phone, no less. Lu Zhixia shot her a surprised look as she picked up and gave her report with practiced ease. Clearly, this wasn’t the first time.
Then Yan Fanghua learned Lu Zhixia was there and asked Shen Wanqing to pass the phone over.
Yan Fanghua’s voice came through, admonishing her. “If something comes up, you should ask Wanqing more. She’s older than you and knows better.”
At the end, she chided Lu Zhixia for not knowing how to enjoy life, sighing. “Wanqing’s home is so convenient. I didn’t want to impose, but they don’t mind. Yet you refuse to go. You silly child.”
Lu Zhixia mulled over the words, then set the phone down and poked at her rice.
Once Shen Wanqing put down her chopsticks, Lu Zhixia finally asked seriously, “You said earlier you wanted me to come to your place because of Professor Yan?”
Shen Wanqing hummed. “Partly, but…”
“You don’t have to do that.” Lu Zhixia sounded like a sulky kid as she cut her off, her brows furrowed. “I’m not a child. I don’t need anyone looking after me.”
Her phone buzzed. It was Yan Fanghua again, lecturing. Lu Zhixia hit voice reply. “Mom, all these years, I’ve done just fine on my own. You didn’t have time to take care of me, and you don’t need to shove me off on someone else now. From here on out, stay out of my business.”
Yan Fanghua replied, but Lu Zhixia didn’t listen. Seeing both women set down their chopsticks, she turned to Qin Zheng. “Qin Zheng, rest up and take a shower.” Then she looked at Shen Wanqing, her tone polite. “Shen Wanqing, what are your plans for tonight?”
Shen Wanqing leaned back in her chair, her voice flat. “That depends on how you want to arrange me.”
“I suggest you go home.”
“Isn’t this my home?”
“This place…”
“My father and your mother are married now. Your mother even told me to treat it like my own home.” Shen Wanqing’s tone grew colder. “What, is your name on the deed?”
Lu Zhixia took a deep breath, head down as she picked up her bowl and headed to the kitchen. “Do whatever you want.”
She stayed inside after that, and soon the faint scent of cigarette smoke wafted out.
Qin Zheng and Shen Wanqing remained seated where they were. After a moment, Qin Zheng looked up and said softly, “If you like her, you shouldn’t handle it this way.”
Shen Wanqing said nothing, her gaze lowering slightly, her voice even quieter. “Of course, she’s not entirely in the right either, but…”
In the end, her words still sided with Lu Zhixia. Qin Zheng said earnestly, “From an outsider’s perspective, the gap between you two is huge. If you keep lording over her without giving her some reassurance, she’ll only hide her true self even deeper.”
Shen Wanqing leaned forward slightly, her hand resting on the table. She enunciated each word. “Are you really an outsider?” Her tone was calm, but it carried an undeniable pressure.
Qin Zheng paused for a few seconds, then gave a wry smile. “What else would I be?” She added, “I’m married.”
“And after the divorce?” Shen Wanqing pulled a cigarette case from her pocket. Qin Zheng looked at her in surprise. “You smoke too?”
Shen Wanqing took out a cigarette and held it between her fingers, not looking up. “This might sound harsh to you, but there’s no chance between you and her.”
Qin Zheng’s cheeks flushed red, the tip of her nose stinging as she fought back tears.
She lowered her head to clear the dishes, her voice unusually firm and resolute. “I grew up with her. I’m no less close to her than you are to Yan Menghui. You can pick on me, but you can’t pick on her.”
Shen Wanqing let out a soft chuckle and said indifferently, “Oh really? Even if I bullied you, what are you gonna do about it?”
Qin Zheng gripped the plate tightly, her eyes reddening as she stared straight at Shen Wanqing. In a low voice, she said, “I have nothing left, but I still have this one life.”
Shen Wanqing arched an eyebrow. “That does sound touching.”
She held the cigarette between her fingers and rose to her feet, the corners of her lips curving into a faint smile. “Too bad it only moves you.”
Cigarette pinched between her fingers, Shen Wanqing headed for the kitchen.
Qin Zheng’s body trembled faintly. She heard Shen Wanqing’s light, teasing voice drifting over. “Little Dog, got a light?”
