The Price of a Glass of Milk

Although she had decided to work at the same company as Cai Lenghan, Zhao Wanru still had one concern:
"But... I don't know anything about business."

Cai Lenghan was stunned and asked back:
"Do you really want to work at the company?"
"Yes."
"Then, can you handle organizing paperwork?"
"I can."

Zhao Wanru nodded. Cai Lenghan curled his lips into a smile, but his heart felt incredibly bitter. The sweetness of that glass of milk had faded significantly. As it turned out, even that glass of milk came with a price. It seemed he truly had no right to enjoy sweetness for free.

Zhao Wanru felt extremely uncomfortable looking at Cai Lenghan's forced smile. There was not a shred of joy in it; in fact, she didn't know why, but she could feel a deep, bitter sorrow overflowing from his smile. The feeling was so intense that Zhao Wanru's nose tingled. She sniffled and said softly:
"Actually... I just wanted to..."
"It's fine, I understand," Cai Lenghan said in a low, hurried voice. "I will arrange for you to work as the CEO's personal secretary. You will have the right to know and express your opinions on all business matters of Shengli Company. I have to go to the office now. Go ahead and sleep first, no need to wait for me."

Cai Lenghan spoke quickly and practically ran out of the room. Zhao Wanru was dazed. Was Cai Lenghan trying to run away from her? She furrowed her brows, her doubts and worries deepening. Cai Lenghan was definitely hiding something from her. Not only that, she could guess that he had something on his mind. His mood was terrible. Yet, he was rushing out like this. The sky wasn't even fully bright, and mist still shrouded the front yard. Zhao Wanru looked at the gloomy sky with worry. It seemed Cai Lenghan hadn't even eaten breakfast.

Driven by worry for Cai Lenghan's health and the urge to find out what he was hiding or overthinking, Zhao Wanru decided to pay a visit to Shengli Company. This was both professional—a preliminary preparation for her future employment at Shengli Company—and personal, showing a wife's care for her husband. Thinking of this, Zhao Wanru's face flushed hot. Grinning, she went into the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Because she was anxious and pressed for time, and didn't want Cai Lenghan to go hungry for long, she made the quickest and simplest dish she knew: bread and sunny-side-up eggs.

Zhao Wanru had learned to cook since her college days. Actually, Zhao Zhihai and Lin Qinglian didn't care much about whether their beloved daughter could cook. They had even felt quite pained seeing Zhao Wanru burn her hands or cut herself with a knife a few times, and had suggested she didn't need to learn how to cook at all. But every time Zhao Wanru cooked for her parents, she could feel their joy and gratitude, and she also felt happy being able to personally care for her loved ones.

It was the same now. Zhao Wanru hoped that making food for Cai Lenghan would make him feel happy, touched, and comforted, knowing that someone cared deeply for him and wanted to take care of him. Not only that, Zhao Wanru also decided to cook for Cai Lenghan regularly in the future, both to improve his health and to warm up their relationship, so that silly block of ice would stop overthinking and hiding things from her. After all, wasn't it often said that the shortest way to a man's heart is through his stomach? In her past life, Zhao Wanru hadn't paid attention to this, indifferently letting Cai Lenghan suffer from stomachaches and ulcers, to the point where he almost had to have a portion of his stomach removed. Perhaps that was why the path to Cai Lenghan's heart had become so rocky, and their marriage had reached a dead end, leading to divorce and ultimately a tragic parting in death.

The more she thought about it, the more Zhao Wanru felt that the first thing she needed to do was to take proper care of Cai Lenghan's meals. And the starting point was today's breakfast. With her mind made up, Zhao Wanru focused on cooking, wanting this breakfast—simple as it was—to convey the cook's care and appreciation.