Gifts (1)

The man's voice was low and hoarse.

But Jiang Ru still recognized it instantly, calling out tentatively, "Li Xiao?"

Without waiting for the other party's response, she quickly held her belly and sat up from the bed. The bed made a "creak" sound, and she heard the man's tense voice reminding her from outside: "Slow down."

His deep voice carried a faint chuckle.

Jiang Ru didn't catch it. She turned on the light, found her shoes under the bed, stood up to open the bedroom door, and then went out to open the main gate.

The man hurried to the gate, a snakeskin bag slung over his shoulder and another luggage bag in his hand, stepping over the threshold.

Jiang Ru stepped aside, and then, as if remembering something, she turned to pull the light cord in the main room.

The light in the main room had been replaced. Jiang Ru had disliked how dim the original light was, making her a bit scared when she was home alone at night, so she had changed the lights in both the main room and the kitchen to one hundred watts.

The dazzling white light illuminated the entire main room, clearly revealing the man.

Having not met for nearly two months, Li Xiao had lost a round of weight, but his skin was slightly fairer, making his facial features appear even more defined.

But the biggest change was that he had cut his long hair, shaving it into a buzz cut.

A buzz cut was the easiest hairstyle to expose flaws, but on him, it was like adding flowers to brocade. The shape of his head was very nice, his nape was full, and without the long hair blocking it, the advantages of his handsome facial features were fully revealed. The proportions were just right, and his brows and eyes had become exquisite.

When he had long hair, he was a handsome rogue; with a buzz cut, he had a sharp, arrogant beauty, with a hint of dangerous bad-boy charm.

Moreover, this bad-boy charm was incredibly attractive, the kind where one clearly knew he was dangerous but still couldn't help wanting to get closer, full of masculine appeal.

For a moment, Jiang Ru stared blankly. The man felt a bit self-conscious under her gaze, thinking of the strange hairstyle he had just cut.

He had found the long hair to be a nuisance, so when he passed by a barbershop, he had simply cut it off.

He tossed the luggage from his shoulder onto the ground, raised his hand to rub his head, and turned to walk to the table. On the table, there was only a water bottle and a teapot, but no cups. The cup Li Xiao used to drink from had been washed by Jiang Ru and put in the cupboard, and her own cup was in the bedroom.

The man didn't care. He directly picked up the teapot, tilted his head back, and drank from the spout, looking extremely thirsty.

Seeing him like this, even though they hadn't met for a while and there was a sense of unfamiliarity, Jiang Ru couldn't help but feel a bit bad for him: "I'll go stir-fry a bowl of noodles for you."

She went straight into the kitchen.

She had eaten stir-fried noodles for dinner and had intentionally made extra, planning to save them for tomorrow. When she was home alone, she liked to be lazy.

She had just lit the stove when the man walked in, a white towel draped over his shoulder. He immediately went to the washstand, picked up the washbasin Jiang Ru usually used, and scooped a basin of cold water directly from the bucket.

Jiang Ru put a bundle of firewood into the stove. Seeing this, her lips twitched, but in the end, she held back and said nothing, though she thought to herself that she must wash that basin tomorrow morning.

She put water into the pot, then turned to take the noodles out of the cupboard. At the end of September, the weather was a bit cool, so the noodles wouldn't spoil overnight.

She also took out some green vegetables, carrots, a few bean sprouts, and two bird eggs that hadn't been eaten yet. She washed the vegetables, shredded the carrots, and beat the eggs in a small bowl.

Once the water in the pot boiled, she threw the noodles in to cook. After seven or eight minutes, when they were done, she scooped them out and placed them in a bowl of cold water. Then she washed the wok, added oil, and fried the eggs first. Once they were cooked, she broke them apart with the spatula, then added the vegetables and noodles to stir-fry over high heat, adding some fragrant sliced garlic and scallions, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and a pinch of salt.