I was criticized on a dating reality show, but I retaliated and became an internet sensation.

Shu Zi tossed her phone onto the sofa, stared blankly at the ceiling for a while, then resignedly got up and shuffled towards the kitchen in her slippers.

She flung open the double-door refrigerator with a "whoosh" and peered inside with anticipation—

It was completely empty and as clean as if it were brand new.

Undeterred, she opened the freezer compartment again.

Very well, apart from a few boxes of frozen dumplings (probably expired) and a few packs of face masks, it was completely empty.

Shu Zi stood in front of the open refrigerator, hands on her hips, and remained silent for three seconds in front of the spotless, cold interior.

Then, she took out her phone, opened Gu Yan's chat window, and typed aggressively:

"Gu Yan, my fridge is empty! There's no food!!"

A certain Mr. Gu, a despicable person: "Yeah, I know."

A little girl: "??? How did you know?"

A certain Mr. Gu, a despicable person, said: "Besides face masks and expired takeout, when has your refrigerator ever contained any vegetables?"

Shu Zi stared at the precise reply, her lips twitching slightly.

I wanted to refute him, but sadly I found that what he said... seemed to be true.

She has lived in this apartment for almost three years. Apart from Sister Wen coming to cook for her and bringing her groceries, her refrigerator is usually "neatly deserted".

The most frequent guests are mineral water and various skin care products, and occasionally a few takeout boxes that are forgotten to be thrown away and end up with "new life".

Holding her breath, she typed another line, trying to shift the blame:

"So what do we do now? Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice; you're useless as a chef."

A certain Mr. Gu, a despicable person, said: "I brought it."

Two concise words.

Shu Zi looked at the screen, and the corners of her mouth involuntarily turned up, her slight annoyance from before instantly vanishing.

Satisfied, she put her phone back in her pocket, closed the empty refrigerator door, walked back to the living room, and threw herself back onto the sofa, starting her "waiting to be fed" mode.

Not long after, the doorbell rang.

Shu Zi slumped on the sofa, too lazy to even move a finger, and called out towards the door:

"The door's unlocked! Come in! Don't you know the password?"

There was silence outside the door for a few seconds, with no movement.

Shu Zi sighed, struggled to get up from the sofa, shuffled to the door, yanked it open, and muttered, "You're not without hands..."

The words were stuck in his throat before he could finish speaking.

Gu Yan stood outside the door, carrying a heavy supermarket shopping bag in one hand, looking like he had just come from the supermarket.

The other hand... was indeed "unused" for entering the password.

The two stared at each other for a second at the doorway.

Shu Zi blinked, stepped aside, and her tone instantly shifted from resentment to a hint of guilt:

"Ahem... Come in, I really... don't have hands."

Gu Yan walked in carrying a bag, and with practiced ease, bent down and took out men's slippers from the shoe cabinet to put on (Shu Zi didn't even notice when he had put those slippers in there).

He changed his shoes, went straight to the kitchen, placed two large bags on the spacious island counter, and began to take things out in an orderly manner.

Shu Zi followed behind him like a tail, leaning lazily against the kitchen door frame with her arms crossed, watching him work with a leisurely air.

Gu Yan took out the vegetables, meats, and ingredients one by one, categorizing and placing them neatly. His movements were fluid and natural. Then he turned around and glanced at Shu Zi, who was blocking the doorway.

What are you doing standing here?

Shu Zi replied matter-of-factly, "I'm watching you cook so I can learn and support myself if you're not around one day."

Gu Yan raised an eyebrow, his tone tinged with helplessness: "Then don't block the way, go sit over there and watch."

Shu Zi said "Oh," moved half a step to the side, but still leaned against the door frame and didn't move.

Gu Yan ignored her, took his usual Chinese cleaver from the knife rack, and skillfully began to process the ingredients.

The knife blade struck the solid wood cutting board, making a steady, crisp "tap-tap" sound with a distinct rhythm that was strangely soothing to hear.

Shu Zi looked at his focused profile under the warm yellow light, then suddenly spoke, her voice exceptionally clear in the quiet kitchen:

"You've been cooking for yourself these past two years... while you're abroad?"

Gu Yan didn't stop what he was doing, nor did he turn his head: "Mm."

Shu Zi said "Oh" and didn't ask any further questions, but her gaze remained fixed on him.

The kitchen quieted down again, with only the rhythmic chopping of vegetables and the low hum of the range hood remaining.

After a while, Gu Yan seemed to remember something, and while processing the ribs in his hands, he spoke, his voice somewhat muffled by the noise:

"My dad said you can come over for dinner sometime."

Mentioning this, Shu Zi's eyes lit up, and her tone was tinged with craving: "Uncle Gu's sweet and sour pork ribs! I haven't had them in so long, just thinking about them makes my mouth water."

Gu Yan swiftly chopped the ribs into even pieces, his tone unchanged: "So, when are we going?"

Shu Zi tilted her head and thought for a moment, then sighed: "I don't know. I just finished recording a show recently, and I'm exhausted. I feel like my body has been hollowed out, and all I want to do is lie down."

Upon hearing this, Gu Yan turned to look at her. His gaze lingered for a moment on her face, which did indeed show signs of weariness, before turning back and saying indifferently, "Eating is not strenuous."

Shu Zi immediately retorted, spouting a set of fallacies:

"Who said that? Eating is hard work! You have to chew, right? Chewing requires using your masseter muscles, right? Using your masseter muscles too much will make your face bigger, right? And a bigger face won't look good on camera, right? This chain reaction is serious!"

Gu Yan paused almost imperceptibly while chopping vegetables, but didn't respond to her comment.

Shu Zi waited two seconds, feeling that her logic was impeccable, and then added smugly, attempting to apply double standards:

"However... sweet and sour pork ribs are an exception. Sweet and sour pork ribs have no calories and don't count as strenuous."

Gu Yan finally couldn't help but chuckle softly. He put the chopped ribs into a bowl to marinate, then turned around and started heating the pan: "Who made that rule?"

Shu Zi raised her chin, her expression resolute: "That's my rule!"

Gu Yan shook his head, a helpless yet indulgent smile on his lips. He didn't argue with her anymore and began to skillfully heat the oil and put the food in the pan.

Shu Zi stopped talking and just leaned quietly against the door frame, watching the man in the warm light, wearing a white shirt with the cuffs rolled up, washing his hands and cooking for her.

Who would have thought?

The ruthless and decisive CEO Gu, who is feared in the domestic business world, is currently wearing a pink floral apron (?? When did he take that out!), cooking a home-cooked meal for her in her kitchen.

Before long, three dishes and a soup were served, all of them delicious and visually appealing.

Shu Zi ate with great satisfaction, her chopsticks never stopping. Halfway through, she suddenly remembered something and mumbled:

"By the way, about the sweet and sour pork ribs, you and Uncle Gu should set a time, just let me know when you've set it."

Gu Yan looked up at her, raising an eyebrow slightly: "Didn't you say before that you were too busy lately and exhausted?"

Shu Zi swallowed the food in her mouth, her expression one of utter self-righteousness:

"No time? I can squeeze in! What's a little extra time for Uncle Gu's sweet and sour pork ribs? It's worth the effort!"

Gu Yan looked at her serious-sounding nonsense, his eyes filled with amusement, and nodded: "Okay, I got it."

After dinner, Gu Yan didn't let Shu Zi do anything. He sent her to the living room to rest, and then neatly cleaned up the dishes and kitchen himself, restoring everything to its original state before leaving.