Born in the 1980s, she was remarried and became a stepmother; a cold, rough man doted on her, pinchi

Shi Ning stopped in her tracks, her eyes filled with displeasure as she stared intently at Chen Yu: "Ordinary friends? I don't think you two were talking about anything other than stationery. Those eyes, those smiles, they don't seem like those of ordinary friends at all."

Chen Yu sighed helplessly, knowing that Shi Ning had misunderstood, and hurriedly explained, "Shi Ning, you're really overthinking it. Li Yixiao has recently become interested in painting, and I happen to like it too, so we chatted for a bit. Besides, she just helped me solve a problem for a troublesome customer."

Shi Ning frowned slightly, her tone softening a bit, but she was still somewhat dissatisfied: "Even so, you can't get that close to other girls, can you? What will people think?"

Chen Yu scratched his head, looking somewhat aggrieved, and said, "I really didn't mean anything by it, it was just normal conversation. Shi Ning, please don't be angry. You know, you're the person I care about the most."

Hearing Chen Yu's words, Shi Ning's anger subsided somewhat, but she still felt a little awkward: "Hmph, I hope what you said is true. Be careful in the future, and don't let me see you being so intimate with other girls again."

Chen Yu nodded quickly: "Okay, I got it. By the way, why did you suddenly come today? Is something the matter?"

Shi Ning then remembered that she had come to bring food to Chen Yu. Her face flushed slightly as she handed over the bag in her hand: "I saw that you were busy selling stationery and was afraid that you would not have time to eat, so I brought you some food."

Chen Yu took the bag, a warm feeling welling up in his heart. He said with emotion, "Shi Ning, you're so kind, thank you. But don't work too hard. You don't need to bring me food anymore, I'll take care of myself."

Shi Ning rolled her eyes at him: "Stop talking nonsense and eat quickly before it gets cold."

Chen Yu smiled as he opened the bag, and was overjoyed to see it was full of his favorite foods.

He picked up a pastry, took a bite, and exclaimed, "Mmm, it's delicious! Your cooking is still the best to my taste!"

Shi Ning couldn't help but laugh as she watched Chen Yu wolf down his food: "Eat slowly, don't choke."

Meanwhile, Li Yixiao felt a little disappointed when she saw Chen Yu chasing after Shi Ning.

She knew that Shi Ning and Chen Yu had a good relationship. Shi Ning's reaction when she saw her and Chen Yu together made her realize that she and Chen Yu might still have a long way to go.

"Maybe I was too hasty," Li Yixiao thought to herself, lowering her head in frustration.

But she did not give up. She decided to continue to work hard and let Chen Yu see her good qualities.

Since then, Li Yixiao still frequently visits Chen Yu's stationery shop, but she no longer acts as enthusiastically as before, instead communicating with Chen Yu in a more natural way.

"Chen Yu, I recently painted another picture. Can you take a look and see if I've improved?"

Li Yixiao handed the painting to Chen Yu, her eyes filled with anticipation.

Chen Yu took the painting, examined it carefully, and said earnestly, "Yi Xiao, you've made great progress. The color scheme and composition of this painting are much better than the last one. However, the lines here could be smoother; it would be even more perfect."

Li Yixiao smiled happily: "Really? Thank you for your suggestion, I will continue to work hard. By the way, I heard you've been researching some new stationery designs lately, have you made any interesting discoveries?"

Chen Yu's eyes lit up, and he began to enthusiastically share his discovery with Li Yixiao: "I recently discovered a pen that can change color, which is very interesting. There's also a notebook with a cover made of a special material that is waterproof and wear-resistant."

Li Yixiao listened with great interest, occasionally raising questions and sharing her own opinions.

As time went on, Chen Yu and Li Yixiao communicated more and more. They not only talked about painting and stationery, but also about trivial things in life and their hobbies.

One day, Chen Yu twisted his ankle while organizing stationery.

Upon seeing this, Li Yixiao immediately ran over and asked with concern, "Chen Yu, how are you? Are you alright?"

Chen Yu winced in pain, but still forced himself to say, "It's nothing, I just twisted my ankle, it'll be fine in a bit." Li Yixiao, however, was worried and insisted on taking Chen Yu to the infirmary.

In the infirmary, the doctor examined Chen Yu and said it was just a minor sprain; he just needed some medicine and a few days of rest.

After Li Yixiao helped Chen Yu apply the medicine, she helped him back to the stationery store.

"Chen Yu, don't overwork yourself these next few days. If you need anything, just call me and I'll help you," Li Yixiao said earnestly.

Chen Yu looked at Li Yixiao, a surge of emotion welling up inside him: "Yixiao, thank you, you are so thoughtful."

Li Yixiao smiled and said, "You're welcome. We're friends, it's only right."

When Shi Ning learned that Chen Yu had twisted his ankle, she rushed over as well.

"Chen Yu, how could you be so careless? Does it hurt?" Shi Ning looked at Chen Yu with a pained expression.

Chen Yu smiled and said, "It's okay, I'm much better now. Yi Xiao took me to the infirmary and even helped me apply the medicine. She was a great help to me."

Shi Ning glanced at Li Yixiao, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes, but still smiled and said, "Yixiao, thank you for taking care of Chen Yu."

Li Yixiao quickly replied, "You're welcome, it's what I should do."

From then on, Shi Ning's attitude towards Li Yixiao gradually changed.

She began to realize that Li Yixiao was not the kind of person who would threaten her relationship with Chen Yu, as she had imagined.

Li Yixiao also understood that the relationship between her and Chen Yu needed time to develop, so she stopped rushing things and instead enjoyed every moment she spent with Chen Yu.

Chen Yu, Shi Ning, and Li Yixiao all participated in an event organized by the school exchange program.

One of the activities was a team game that required close cooperation among three people.

At first, Shi Ning was a little worried that Li Yixiao would compete with her for Chen Yu, but during the game, Li Yixiao showed a good team spirit and cooperated very well with Shi Ning and Chen Yu.

"Shi Ning, you take charge of the obstacles ahead. Chen Yu and I will cover you from behind," Li Yixiao calmly instructed.

Shi Ning no longer hesitated and acted according to Li Yixiao's instructions.

Chen Yu provided support from the sidelines, and the three of them worked together to successfully complete the game.

After the game, Shi Ning looked at Li Yixiao and said sincerely, "Yixiao, thank you. We had a very pleasant collaboration today."

Li Yixiao said with a smile, "I'm also very happy to be able to complete the game with you guys. Actually, the three of us can become very good friends."

Chen Yu nodded with a smile: "Yes, we'll play together often and help each other out in the future."

Shi Ning pursed her lips, even though she knew that Chen Yu had no love for Li Yixiao.

But she could tell that Li Yixiao did. (End of Chapter)