Chapter 494: Chapter 399: Is the Birth Mother Indifferent Like a Chrysanthemum? The Young Lady Sabotages Everything 39_2
Before long, the noodle soup Xie Yanshang had made was served.
The noodles he hand-kneaded were fragrant and resilient, and each bite was loaded with the savory sauce. Despite being a simple dish of tomatoes and greens, with not even meat added, it was inexplicably delicious. The noodles and soup seemed to meld together into a big bowl of rich, aromatic broth, more akin to being bathed in soup.
The two had just been out in the rain and still felt chilled to the bone, but warming up with such a bowl felt like their whole body and soul were being ironed out, as if they were immersed in a hot spring, utterly comfortable.
“This is so delicious! Doctor Xie, I had no idea you had such great culinary skills!” Su Zhiruan couldn’t stop praising after eating. She finished her bowl cleanly, leaving not a drop of soup behind.
“You like it? There’s more in the pot if you want.” Xie Yanshang put down his chopsticks, took her bowl, and went back to the kitchen to serve her another bowl. Su Zhiruan didn’t refuse and soon ate another small bowl.
Xie Yanshang’s eating habits were very refined, clearly the product of an upbringing in a distinguished family. His pace of eating was neither fast nor slow, always maintaining a gentle elegance.
After they finished eating, Su Zhiruan offered to take their bowls to the kitchen to wash, but Xie Yanshang quickly stopped her. With one hand, he took the bowls, and with the other, he gently held her wrist, “I’ll do it. You rest for a while.”
“How could I impose, Doctor Xie?” Su Zhiruan couldn’t win against him, so she simply followed him into the kitchen, “Is there anything I can help with?”
“I just saw a Go game under the coffee table. If you have time, how about we have a match after this?” Xie Yanshang looked toward the living room, and Su Zhiruan immediately nodded.
“Great, I’ll get it right away.” Su Zhiruan went to the living room to retrieve the Go game.
Xie Yanshang quickly tidied up the kitchen. After washing his hands, he joined her in the living room, “Ready? Then let’s begin.”
“Last time, I joined your game halfway through. This time, let’s start anew!” Su Zhiruan rubbed her hands eagerly.
Last time she had seen Xie Yanshang playing Go against himself. She had joined the game only partway through, but now facing a proper match, she was very excited. Xie Yanshang was likely to be a formidable opponent in Go, and in all these years, she had never met someone who could be called a strong adversary. Thus, she was brimming with enthusiasm.
As time ticked away, they continued to place stones on the board, the game going into a tense state.
Unbeknownst to them, the rain outside had momentarily stopped, only to start falling harder and faster, leaving traces on the windows. Eventually, there was lightning and thunder in the sky, but inside the apartment, everything seemed so quiet. Perhaps they were so focused that they did not notice the weather changing outside the window.
The game was exhilarating; before, they had never met someone who could truly match them move for move. Now that they had, they played without hesitation or regret, each move was deeply satisfying.
Perhaps because they both gave it their all, the game ended in a draw. Draws may seem common, but in reality, they are quite rare.
“You’re impressive, Doctor Xie.” Su Zhiruan put the last stone back in the box.
She sighed deeply, took another look at the game, and then took out her phone to snap a picture, wanting to preserve the memory.
“I’m not as good as you when it comes to Go,” Xie Yanshang also reviewed the game.
He was someone who enjoyed studying Go. That day, because he had invited Su Zhiruan to join in on a whim, he couldn’t make many observations. But now, he could see how from her initial moves to slowly unfolding her strategy, then gradually capturing his stones, fighting hand to hand throughout the game.
From this, he could tell that this seemingly soft and gentle girl was actually not so simple.
“We are equally matched,” Su Zhiruan said with a chuckle, nodding. Just then, she noticed Xie Yanshang’s phone light up by his side, displaying an incoming call. She pointed towards it and gestured with her chin, “You have a phone call.”
Xie Yanshang saw it too and picked up his phone. Seeing that it was his assistant, he answered the call.
“President, President, you have to check the news!!” As soon as the call connected, the assistant on the other end began to shout frantically.