Jiang Baizhou watched her storm off angrily, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. Only after she entered the kitchen to help did he shift his gaze to the television.
Around twelve-thirty, Miss Yu Hui called from the kitchen to the father and son who were watching the midday news in the living room without exchanging a word: "Wash your hands, it’s time to eat. Hurry up."
Jiang Baizhou stood up and walked to the dining room, pulling out his usual chair. Just then, Cen Jin carefully walked out of the kitchen holding a bowl filled to the brim with soup. Seeing this, Jiang Baizhou furrowed his brows, his long legs quickly striding to her side. He reached out to take the bowl from her hands, softly chiding, "Why fill it so full? Afraid there won’t be enough for you to drink?"
Cen Jin was speechless. There was a hint of gratitude earlier, but after hearing his latter remark, she was left rolling her eyes. If he’s helping, he should help—why add a personal jab into it!
Watching him place the bowl of soup steadily onto the heat-resistant mat on the table, Cen Jin walked to her seat across from him, rested her hands on the back of her chair, and said, "There’s still a steamed dish inside, bring it out too!"
Her tone was too calm, with a faint smile on her face, looking quite justified. Jiang Baizhou didn’t show much emotion but a trace of helpless amusement flickered in his eyes. He turned and went to the kitchen to help with the dishes.
Once everyone was seated, Cen Jin intended to serve herself a bowl of soup first. But before she could pick up her bowl, a long arm stretched out and took it to fill it with soup for her.
Cen Jin looked at him, a bit surprised. He had already filled the bowl and placed it in front of her, looked at her, and asked back, "What?"
"Nothing, thanks." Cen Jin shook her head, looked away, and focused on drinking her soup.
Sitting opposite them, both Ms. Qin Xuesu and Miss Yu Hui couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction at the scene, but they chose not to comment, continuing their own conversation about family matters. Occasionally, Mr. Jiang would ask a few questions about Jiang Baizhou, to which Jiang Baizhou would respond indifferently.
"Uncle Jiang, how long will you be staying at home this time?" After Mr. Jiang finished asking about Cen Jin’s recent work matters, Cen Jin took the chance to ask cheerfully.
Mr. Jiang looked at Miss Yu Hui sitting beside him, and replied gently, "About a week or so! I brought back two precious artifacts from Lu Mountain this time. One of them is quite severely damaged and is currently under review. Once it passes, I need to return to the museum for restoration work. Also, Bo Academy has a special class of mine next month that I need to attend."
"Then Uncle Jiang, you should take care of your health, especially after just coming down from the mountains. It’s important to rest well for a few days."
Mr. Jiang nodded in joy at her concerned words.
After the meal, once everyone tidied up the dishes, Mr. Jiang went upstairs for a nap. Miss Yu Hui mentioned that Ms. Qin Xuesu had a rare day off today, and they planned to go relax together, possibly at a spa.
After seeing the two of them off, only Jiang Baizhou and Cen Jin were left at the villa’s entrance. As Cen Jin turned around, she found herself staring into his deep, ink-like eyes. She quickly forced a smile, "Ah, then I’ll be heading back too."
"What are you going back for?"
"To catch up on sleep," Cen Jin replied instinctively, without even thinking. After a moment, noticing his puzzled look, she added, "I stayed up late last night and didn’t sleep well. Even during lunch, Shi Shu messaged me, and I haven’t replied yet. I’ll be off now!" As soon as her words fell, Cen Jin didn’t give Jiang Baizhou a chance to ask more questions and sprinted towards her villa as if a hungry wolf were chasing her.