Even as a "normie," I'm completely oblivious to it.

"..."

The rice was neatly arranged, with two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes, topped with a heart shape of small vegetables. The rice was still steaming, which, even though it was in an insulated container, meant that the dinner in the lunchbox hadn't been cooked for long.

You call this leftovers?

Noticing Su Zixiao's confusion, Qin Ruoke immediately offered an explanation.

"This...this isn't leftovers. I just made too much when I was cooking dinner. Don't worry...I haven't eaten any, so...don't be disgusted. But I'm not sure if it's enough for the two of you."

Yu Zhe closed the lunchbox: "No problem, no problem. In fact, it doesn't matter if it's your leftovers. Anyway, it's really a big help. Zi Xiao and I don't eat much, so this should be enough."

No, no, no, is that the problem?

That lunchbox just now looked like it had been made with a lot of effort. Zixiao noticed this blind spot: "Senior Qin Ruoke, is this lunchbox... meant to be taken to school tomorrow? If you need it, we can't accept it."

"No...no!" Qin Ruoke's eyes darted to the side. "This...oh right, I made it to practice before dinner. You know, I work for Luo Xiaomeng, so sometimes I need to seriously research new dishes, haha..."

Xiao Ruoke...you really are quite bad at lying.

Yu Zhe gently patted Zi Xiao's head, telling her not to ask any more questions, and that it was fine to take the lunchbox.

Although Zixiao was still a little confused, since her brother had already expressed his opinion, she stopped asking questions. After all, it would solve the immediate problem of dinner!

Seeing that Su Zixiao was no longer asking questions, Qin Ruoke breathed a sigh of relief.

This lunchbox... Actually, ever since Qin Ruoke moved here, she has been preparing an extra portion of this every evening for dinner. She always fantasizes about eating at Yu Zhe's place next door, but in the end, she doesn't have the courage to do so. So she can only make an extra portion, thinking about whether it's possible to send it to Yu Zhe.

Of course, she didn't have that courage either...

So basically, there's no point in making this meal every time. Qin Ruoke can only eat it as a late-night snack when she's studying, since she can't waste food.

But today Yu Zhe actually needed it, and Qin Ruoke secretly rejoiced, realizing that this lunchbox could actually be put to good use!

Yu Zhe took the lunchbox and handed Qin Ruoke a bank card.

"There's not much left here, but I've deposited two years' worth of your rent. Go withdraw it tomorrow and use it. The password is the initial password."

"?"

Qin Ruoke definitely didn't answer.

"What are you doing?" She pushed the card back. "Dinner shouldn't be this expensive, right? In fact, you clearly don't know that I'm not going to charge you."

"It's not because of dinner, Xiao Ruoke. Don't be stubborn. I did ask Luo Xiaomeng about your wages working for her."

"Two months of work is enough to pay one month's rent. I guess you'll be back to living frugally soon. It's not a matter of whether you want to accept it or not, but whether I want to give it to you or not, understand? I said you can accept it, so you accept it."

Saying these domineering words, Yu Zhe simply handed the lunchbox to Zi Xiao, then grabbed Qin Ruo Ke's hand and placed the bank card on it.

Qin Ruoke, who was completely defenseless against Yu Zhe's demeanor, was clearly stunned for a moment, and an unnatural blush appeared on her face when Yu Zhe touched her hand.

Before she could say anything more...

Yu Zhe then pulled Zi Xiao back to his side, deliberately quickening his pace. Once they arrived, he opened the door and waved goodbye.

"Little Ruoke, please accept this and don't give it back! Have a good sleep! Goodbye!"

"No... Yu Zhe..."

With a bang, the door slammed shut, before she could finish speaking.

Qin Ruoke held the bank card, looking at the empty corridor.

Sigh... When did I become so comfortable with being a submissive partner?

I really want to rely on him.

I don't know what kind of mentality this is. He'll definitely spoil her rotten.

Just kidding. Qin Ruoke will definitely work harder tomorrow so that one day she can repay Yu Zhe's kindness.

I felt a bit cold when I came out, but this winter doesn't seem so cold after all.

She gently closed the door. Good thing, she was sure she could get a good night's sleep.

If you're in my dreams, then it's sure to be a good dream.

61. Which one tastes better? (Bonus Chapter)

Qin Ruoke's cooking is indeed excellent; no wonder she worked at Xiaomeng's restaurant.

But Zixiao was different from Yuzhe. Watching Yuzhe happily eating across the table, she still felt that she had been too competitive today.

She shouldn't have been jealous of Yu Che just now, insisting that her brother come home for dinner. As a result, she didn't prepare dinner at home, and now her brother has to go to see Senior Qin Ruoke.

Oh dear, it's really my sister's fault.

Moreover, judging from the way my brother acted just now, it was as if he already knew that Qin Ruoke would cook an extra portion of dinner.

Zixiao, who was lost in thought, glanced furtively at Yuzhe as he took a bite of rice, then picked up her bowl to drink a big mouthful of soup.

Hmm? By the way, will there be soup in tonight's dishes?

Just as she put it to her lips, Yu Zhe cried out in panic, "Zi Xiao, what are you doing! That's vinegar!"

"Pfft! Cough...cough cough..."

Unfortunately, Zixiao didn't react in time and had already taken a big gulp.

Then he leaned on the table and started coughing violently.

So you can't get distracted while eating!

Isn't this the vinegar I forgot to put away during lunch?

This time, she's genuinely jealous!

This terrified Yu Zhe. He hurriedly got up, walked around the dining table, and went to Zi Xiao.

He first patted her back, but she still looked very uncomfortable.

How can you not feel uncomfortable after drinking a mouthful of vinegar!

"What should we do..."

"Um...it's okay, brother...I'll be fine after a bit...Oh?! Brother?!"

Zixiao suddenly felt a sense of weightlessness, and after regaining her balance, she found herself in Yuzhe's arms.

Yu Zhe hurriedly picked her up and rushed into Zi Xiao's room, laying her flat on the bed. He even thoughtfully took off her slippers and moved her legs onto the bed.

But he still looked flustered and took out his phone to search: What should I do if I accidentally drank vinegar?

Zixiao gradually recovered from her initial shock and noticed that a bead of cold sweat had appeared on her brother's forehead.

Suddenly, a warm feeling welled up in her heart, making Zixiao unable to help but smile.

"Hahaha... I've never seen my brother so flustered before."

Then Zixiao put down Yuzhe's phone: "Brother, just get me a glass of water, it's just that my stomach feels a little uncomfortable."

"Oh right! Water... I forgot about it."

Watching Yu Zhe rush out to pour water again, Zi Xiao gently lay down on her pillow, curled up, and was so happy that she wanted to roll around on the bed.

It's unbelievable that my older brother can be so flustered and at a loss.

This shows how important Zixiao is to him; he can't afford to let her down in the slightest.

Just now, Zixiao felt so jealous of the sudden hug she had just experienced! *cough cough*... just kidding.

Yu Zhe returned a while later with a large cup filled with warm water.

Zixiao sat up and took a few sips, her expression softening considerably: "Yes, I'm fine now, don't worry, brother!"

"Phew~ It's good that you're alright. You should be careful, who drinks vinegar like that!"

"Brother is right... I definitely won't do it again next time..."

After readily admitting her mistake, Zixiao rolled over and prepared to get out of bed: "I'll go wash the dishes."

"Stop!" Yu Zhe has returned to normal now. "Let me handle this. You clumsy little kitten, I was really worried you might cause another problem. So what's wrong? You don't seem to be in the right state."

You're usually jealous, and today you're drinking vinegar, so what are you jealous of this time?

"Is something wrong...?"

Zixiao lowered her head and thought about it, and came to the conclusion that this was indeed the case.

She'd let bygones be bygones with Yu Che earlier and would change next time, but right now she was quite concerned about another issue.

"Brother, who do you think tastes better, me or Senior Qin Ruoke?"

"what?!"

What language are you speaking? When did I ever "eat" you?

Realizing the ambiguity of her words, Zixiao quickly waved her hand and explained, "Food! I meant the food we made! Brother, which side do you think tastes better..."

Oh, now Yu Zhe understands.

But is this question important to Zixiao? She seems to have asked a similar question before.

In response, Yu Zhe simply asked, "Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?"

Zixiao became a little nervous when she heard this question. Isn't this the kind of question people usually ask when the answer is no?

"The truth..."

"That's simple, the truth is that your cooking is delicious."

I didn't expect Yu Zhe to say it so casually.

After making Zixiao feel all flustered, she finally calmed down. How mean of you!

But what Yu Zhe said was true. Even in front of Qin Ruoke, he would say that Zi Xiao's cooking was delicious.

Whether this evaluation is objective or not, Yu Zhe doesn't know, but in his subjective opinion, Zi Xiao's cooking is definitely more to his liking.

It felt like home.

"But none of your cooking tastes as good as mine."

Zixiao chuckled and lightly patted Yuzhe's chest: "Really, brother, when you praise me, don't compare yourself to me!"

"Then you'd better keep improving your cooking skills, and one day you have to surpass me in cooking."

"I think that's unlikely..."