Chapter 31: Yan Yichen’s Housekeeper (3)

Yan Yichen stared at her for a long moment before letting out a gentle laugh. “Is Miss Meng going back on her word?”

Meng Yi’er’s eyes dimmed, and she sighed helplessly, choosing to remain silent. Yan Yichen contemplated her troubled face for a very long time.

By the time Meng Yi’er returned home, showered, and lay down on her bed, it was nearly ten o’clock.

Yan Yichen hadn’t pressed her any further; he’d simply asked her to do the dishes. He’d ordered a whole table full of takeout—an extravagant spread. After both had eaten their fill, he sent her back to rest.

Lying in bed, Meng Yi’er tossed and turned, unable to sleep, replaying Yan Yichen’s parting words in her mind:

“Tomorrow at eight. Don’t be late.”

——

The following morning, Meng Yi’er arrived at Yan Yichen’s door with breakfast in hand. He opened the door, impeccably dressed.

He glanced at her coolly and walked straight to the sofa, raising a wine glass with elegant fingers to take a small sip.

“Miss Meng, you’re late—”

What a petty man! What a waste of such good looks!

Meng Yi’er raised the breakfast in her hand and waved it lightly in front of him. “Mr. Yan, I don’t believe I’m late. Since you can’t stomach my cooking, I bought you breakfast instead. You asked me to arrive at eight sharp, and I left at eight and bought breakfast as quickly as I could for you. Now it’s eight-twenty. I don’t think if I’d arrived at eight on the dot, you would have had a delicious breakfast at this time. Even though I was twenty minutes late, breakfast is ready and your time wasn’t wasted. Isn’t this the best of both worlds?”

Yan Yichen watched her in silence for a moment, then stood and went to sit at the dining table.

“What did Miss Meng prepare for breakfast?”

Seeing that he was no longer nitpicking, Meng Yi’er breathed a sigh of relief and piled all the breakfast onto the table before him.

Yan Yichen frowned slightly at the spread. What had this girl bought? Steamed buns, fried dough sticks, fried cakes, pan-fried buns, tofu pudding, soy milk, and porridge. Did she take him for a pig? Did she think he could possibly eat so much?

“Miss Meng, I hope you won’t make decisions on your own in the future. I have strict dietary requirements. Please see to it that these high-calorie, high-fat, unhealthy foods never cross my table again.”

Meng Yi’er rolled her eyes, barely restraining her irritation. “Then, Mr. Yan, what can you eat? Please let me know, and I’ll make sure to get it for you.”

Her bright smile was a little forced, each word enunciated with particular emphasis. Naturally, Yan Yichen could see her barely contained anger and chuckled softly.

“All right, I’ll stop teasing you. Sit down and eat with me.”

Is he toying with me?

Meng Yi’er’s cheeks flushed with indignation. She’d never served anyone in her life. Now, here she was, lowering herself to wait on him, and he still found fault! The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.

She shot a glare at the man already eating heartily—so utterly without a care. While cursing him silently, Meng Yi’er sat down at the table as well.

——

Around noon, Meng Yi’er’s phone suddenly rang. It was a call from Yu Mingxin.

She had barely answered when Yu Mingxin’s anxious voice came through, “Xiao Yi, are you free tonight?”

Meng Yi’er glanced sideways at Yan Yichen, who was reading a magazine nearby, and spoke quietly, “Mingxin, what’s wrong? I can’t say for sure about my plans.”

“Xiao Yi, there’s a banquet at Lingyun Grand Hotel tonight. My father insists that I attend. Truthfully, he wants me to meet someone for a marriage interview. You know I already have someone I like. I can’t possibly be with anyone else. But my father has already agreed to it, and if I don’t go, he’ll be terribly embarrassed. Could you come with me tonight? If anything comes up, you could help me out.”

Hearing the urgency in Yu Mingxin’s voice, Meng Yi’er, though not fond of such occasions, was willing to help her friend.

But—

Yan Yichen…

Meng Yi’er looked up to find him watching her with a curious expression. Embarrassed, she quickly looked away.

“Lingyun Grand Hotel… Mingxin, don’t worry. I’ll call you back in a bit.”

She hung up swiftly, then walked over to the sofa. After hesitating for two seconds, Meng Yi’er spoke up, “Mr. Yan, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”