Although he was busy, Qin Jiran still tried to find time to return home and cook dinner for Su Yanyi. The servants in the Su family were also very happy with this change. Sister Wang, all smiles, yielded the kitchen to Qin Jiran and even gifted him a small gold tortoise with blinking eyes.
"Is it Yanyi’s?" Qin Jiran asked uncertainly, as he didn’t think that Su Yanyi was the type to keep pets.
"Miss instructed that it is to be given to you for raising, saying that the Little Golden Turtle has a good symbolic meaning, a gift for you, wishing your new film a big hit," Sister Wang polished Su Yanyi’s original message a bit before saying it, making it sound even more flattering.
Qin Jiran looked at the Little Golden Turtle and picked it up, "Does this little thing have a name?"
On hearing this, the corners of Sister Wang’s mouth seemed to twitch before she calmly answered, "Its name is Xiao Meng."
"Which ’meng’ character? Did Yanyi come up with it?" Qin Jiran grinned, not expecting that Yanyi would give such an adorable name to the Little Golden Turtle. Imagining Su Yanyi naming the turtle made him feel somewhat amused.
"Miss said it’s the ’meng’ from ’stupidly cute.’ She also said that if you don’t like the name Xiao Meng, calling it Xiao Chou (Little Stupid) is also fine," Sister Wang’s eyes were filled with a sly amusement. She had always been somewhat intimidated by the icy Miss but hadn’t expected her to show such a cute side.
Qin Jiran looked at Sister Wang, and Sister Wang looked back at him, both sharing a smile.
"Hehe, let’s still call it Xiao Meng. This name is quite good," Qin Jiran laughed, then turned towards the Little Golden Turtle, "From now on, you’ll be called Xiao Meng. Be good and obedient, don’t be naughty, alright?"
In dealing with small animals, Qin Jiran was especially gentle. He himself was very fond of small animals, and besides, the beautiful Little Golden Turtle in front of him was a gift from Su Yanyi–how could he not like it?
That evening, Qin Jiran’s mouth remained curved in an upward arc, and the food he made seemed to taste exceptionally delicious. When Su Yanyi returned, she saw a Qin Jiran in a good mood which then spread to her as well, even making her mouth curl into a smile, softening the aura around her considerably.
"Thank you, I really like the gift you gave me. I’ll take good care of it," Qin Jiran, after setting the last dish, put the Little Golden Turtle on the corner of the table and earnestly said to Su Yanyi.
"As long as you don’t kill it," Su Yanyi replied, her words not very kind, but she was still very happy. She got rid of a hassle and made Qin Jiran thank her–two birds with one stone. How clever she was!
Qin Jiran grinned again; he knew that Su Yanyi wasn’t very fond of small animals. He just didn’t understand why she suddenly gave him this little creature to raise–probably a friend gave it to her. Regardless of the reason, he was very happy.
Qin Jiran had always liked small animals, but as a grown man, he always felt it wasn’t quite appropriate for others to know about this hobby. Living with Su Yanyi, there were even fewer opportunities for it. Unexpectedly, it was Su Yanyi who ended up gifting him one.
Perhaps moved by Qin Jiran’s sincere gratitude or the clear smile on his lips, Su Yanyi paused, a mix of puzzlement and surprise in her voice, "You couldn’t possibly like small animals, could you?"
And just as Su Yanyi finished speaking, the System’s voice chimed in.
[Congratulations, host, for completing a Level Two task. You have been awarded one point, and your current point total is eleven. Please continue to strive forward!]
He really likes small animals, huh? Such a hobby, so out of sync with his usual self–how did it come about?
Su Yanyi looked at Qin Jiran with an undisguised, peculiar gaze that made Qin Jiran feel uneasy all over. He knew this hobby of his was something that should not be easily revealed. Sure enough, he was being laughed at.
"Little animals are really cute, haha," Qin Jiran explained weakly. His awkward demeanor once again elicited laughter from Su Yanyi.
Su Yanyi’s smile was neither showy nor radiant, so faint it was almost imperceptible, but it immediately captured all of Qin Jiran’s attention. He felt as if there was nothing more beautiful in the world than that smile.
"They are very cute," said Su Yanyi, who was also happy for completing a task. She even started to think that the Little Golden Turtle was not so troublesome after all.
Off to the side, the Little Golden Turtle blinked its small, golden bean-like eyes, turning its little head left and right—a closer look revealed it was quite cute.
After dinner, Su Yanyi started to read the five scripts given by the System. She found them all to be pretty excellent, including costume dramas, fantasy films, and suspense movies. The twenty songs that were gifted were also very interesting, which made her quite satisfied with the System. After some thought, she went to Qin Jiran’s study.
Su Yanyi still didn’t have the habit of knocking, or to be precise, she didn’t have the habit of knocking within her own sphere of influence, like at home or in the company, embodying the attitude that she had the final say in her domain.
She pushed the door open. Qin Jiran was working on a spreadsheet, seemingly related to the new drama team. Su Yanyi put the scripts and songs directly in front of Qin Jiran, and her gaze inadvertently scanned his desk, landing on a familiar teapot. The last time she had been there to tease Qin Jiran, he had used this teapot to pour tea for her. Seeing it again, she wondered...
"Do you like drinking tea?" Su Yanyi asked somewhat expectantly, and the System did not let her down, chiming in once more.
[Congratulations to the host for completing a Level Two task once again, adding one point. The current stage points are twelve. Please continue to work hard, Host!]
Oh, finding Qin Jiran’s private habits was just too easy, wasn’t it? She’d found two just in one evening!
"Yes, I always like to have some tea when I’m working at night. Would you like some? It’s Longjing tea today—I don’t know if you’d like it. Try it?" Qin Jiran was quite proactive, already pouring the tea and placing it in front of Su Yanyi while he spoke.
Su Yanyi didn’t have a preference for tea. After tasting a few sips and finding it quite nice, she pointed at the scripts and said, "Take a look when you have time. Keep the ones you like; send back the ones you don’t, and let someone else act in them."
Su Yanyi casually decided the fate of these five scripts that would have a significant impact on the future movie industry. It wasn’t that she didn’t care or didn’t recognize the quality of the scripts; rather, she felt that giving good things to the person she most wanted to give them to made her feel delighted.
"Thank you." Although Su Yanyi’s actions appeared casual, Qin Jiran’s expression became somewhat complicated.
If Su Yanyi had treated him coldly and distantly, maybe he wouldn’t have thought too much about other things. But now that Su Yanyi was so good to him, he couldn’t help but speculate wildly...
Could he start to think that maybe, just maybe, Yanyi felt something for him—something that was more than just friendship?