The Heiress's Game

The next morning at eight o'clock, sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the entire living room.

Bai Junze's apartment is located in the heart of Yunjing CBD.

The entire floor-to-ceiling glass wall overlooks the vast, azure sky of Yunjing. The living room has a ceiling height of at least six meters, a minimalist gray and white color scheme, and few but exquisite pieces of furniture, each one looking as if it had just been brought back from a design exhibition.

When Gu Yunjin arrived, Bai Junze was already standing at the door waiting.

He was wearing a light gray lounge shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, which made him seem less distant than when he was dressed in a suit and tie.

"Watch TV for a while. There's fruit on the coffee table. I'll make breakfast; it'll only take fifteen minutes."

Gu Yunjin sat on the sofa, picked up the remote control and flipped through a few channels, then picked up a washed strawberry and put it in her mouth.

The fruit platter on the coffee table was neatly arranged, with strawberries, blueberries, sliced ​​oranges, and kiwis.

The morning news was playing on TV. She turned the volume down, leaned back on the sofa, and looked around the overly empty living room.

Forty minutes have passed.

Occasionally, the sound of spatulas clattering and the gurgling of the faucet being turned on and off could be heard from the direction of the kitchen, interspersed with the muffled sound of the refrigerator door being repeatedly opened and closed.

A burnt protein smell wafted through the air, then was sucked away by the range hood with a buzz.

Twenty minutes later, Bai Junze still hadn't come out.

Gu Yunjin stood up and walked to the kitchen door.

On the countertop of the open kitchen, there is a tablet computer playing a video tutorial on how to pan-fry steak. The video is frozen on the frame where the chef says, "Pay attention to the oil temperature when flipping the steak."

A steak lay in the frying pan on the stove, its surface already showing a dark brown color that was hard to describe.

In the nearby trash can, there were several failed products that had suffered the same fate—some were burnt.

Some were still raw inside after being cut open, and one piece had a corner missing from its edge for some reason, as if it had bravely fallen to the ground and been picked up again while being flipped over.

Bai Junze stood in front of the kitchen counter, one hand supporting himself on the countertop, the other holding a spatula, his brows slightly furrowed, his gaze shifting back and forth between the steak in the pot and the tablet screen.

He heard footsteps, turned around, and met Gu Yunjin's gaze. He paused for a second, then very naturally turned off the tablet screen.

"I was hoping to show off a bit," he said, putting the spatula back on the stove, "but the steak had a mind of its own."

Gu Yunjin stared at him for two seconds, then burst out laughing.

Gu Yunjin rolled up her sleeves: "Let me do it."

She glanced at the ingredients on the counter—a few pieces of rotten steak, a bag of unopened flour next to them, and eggs and tomatoes in the refrigerator.

She picked up the bag of flour and looked at it, then checked the cabinet under the stove and found a pressure cooker.

"You must have flour, right? We can knead a dough, and cut the remaining steak into chunks to make braised beef noodles."

Bai Junze watched as she opened the flour bag, poured the flour into a clean bowl, added water and salt, cracked an egg into it with one hand, and then began kneading the dough.

Her technique was clean and efficient. When kneading the dough, the force of her wrist was even and steady. The dough rolled, folded, and pressed in her palm, and soon it turned from a clump of sticky dough into a smooth ball.

Bai Junze leaned against the kitchen counter, watching her movements, and remained silent for a long while before asking, "You actually know how to make this?"

"Just braised beef noodles."

"It's not that big of a deal, it's still quite remarkable."

Gu Yunjin covered the kneaded dough with plastic wrap and set it aside to rest before starting to process the beef.

"When I went abroad at the age of fourteen, my family sent two maids with me. Later, I no longer needed a guardian."

So I let them all come back. I've been all alone all these years.

Gu Yunjin poured the blanched beef chunks into the pot and stir-fried them. The oil sizzled and the aroma rose from the bottom of the pot.

"You know how Chinese food is in Britain and America. It's either completely modified and unrecognizable, or it's just fried chicken nuggets coated in a thick layer of sweet and sour sauce. It's okay to eat it for a couple of meals, but if you eat it too much, you'll really feel like throwing up."

I didn't like the Western food outside, so I started learning to cook it myself.

Bai Junze leaned against the kitchen counter, listening quietly.

"When I went abroad at the age of eighteen, my family brought me two chefs, a personal assistant, and an administrative secretary who was specifically responsible for liaising with the school."

I felt I was independent enough at that time because I didn't have bodyguards with me.

Gu Yunjin continued stir-frying the beef, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"That's normal. Many families are like this. I'm just an exception."

She poured the stir-fried beef chunks into the pressure cooker, added hot water and seasonings, closed the lid, set the timer, and then leaned against the countertop with her hands folded in front of her.

"But to be honest, I actually quite like it this way."

I can make all my own decisions without having to ask anyone for permission or consider anyone's opinion.

At first, there was no other way, but then I got used to it, and later I thought—it's pretty good this way.

Bai Junze looked at her. She spoke in a relaxed tone and with a calm expression, without complaining or implying any need for comfort.

That's really what she felt—being thrown out of the country wasn't a misfortune, it was freedom.

Growing up alone is not loneliness, it is independence.

He didn't know why, but suddenly felt a tightness in his chest.

The feeling was hard to describe; it was a bit like a bittersweet feeling that I didn't know how to express.

He didn't know where this bitterness came from; he only knew that it was truly stuck in his chest, neither rising nor falling.

Twenty minutes later, the pressure cooker valve closed, and Gu Yunjin lifted the lid, releasing a large plume of white steam with a rich, savory aroma.

Scoop the noodles out and put them in a bowl, pour over the dark brown braised beef broth, top with thinly sliced ​​braised beef, and sprinkle with a handful of chopped green onions.

"Try it," she said.

"Although it was cooked in a pressure cooker, the taste should be alright."

Bai Junze picked up his chopsticks, took a mouthful of noodles, and put it in his mouth.

The noodles are chewy, the braising sauce is rich, and the beef is stewed until tender and flavorful, with the heat warming you from your throat all the way to your stomach.

This bite of noodles reminded him of many years ago, a vague, long-lost feeling, like returning home on a winter night to find someone had left a light on and a pot of hot soup.

He put down his chopsticks, looked at her, and said seriously, "It tastes better than what you get outside."

Gu Yunjin nodded: "Of course."

That's all, that's all, it'll be back tomorrow.

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