Come To My Side

Today, Guan Xi didn't go to the office, and she didn't go home either.

She wasn't sure where to go, so she had her assistant, Yang Qing, bring her laptop to Jiang Suizhou's house. She decided to continue writing the French travelogue she hadn't finished last time. Her travelogue was more like a guide, but it included many detailed descriptions of her personal experiences and cultural aspects.

The Guan family excelled in many industries, with various branches of their businesses across the world.

After Grandfather Guan Hong stepped back, the Guan family was managed by his sons and grandsons.

Guan Hong had three sons: the eldest had two sons, the third son had a son and a daughter, and Guan Xinghao, the second son, had only one daughter, or at least that was the case until now.

Guan Xinghao was particularly skilled in the travel industry and had taught Guan Xi many things. However, even though Guan Xi learned, she rarely took her work seriously. Being pampered by her father, she was not very motivated when it came to tasks that didn't interest her.

However, she was indeed intelligent.

For example, she was very sensitive to travel-related matters, having traveled extensively herself. Over time, she had become a well-known travel blogger.

A few years ago, when Jiang Suizhou's company's [YouTravel] was launched, she registered an account in the platform's travel guide module out of boredom.

The first content she posted was her travelogue about a trip to Turkey. She described the course of her journey, criticized many aspects of popular hotels and tourist spots that other influencers heavily promoted, and recommended alternative ways to experience the destination.

Originally, Miss Guan was known for being highly demanding and critical. But her sharp and accurate critiques left no room for rebuttal, making it relatable for readers. Consequently, her ID stood out among the peaceful bloggers on [YouTravel].

Later, Guan Xi found it fun and went to several countries one by one. She enthusiastically wrote travelogues upon her return. During that time, she became the most popular blogger on [YouTravel] for high-energy travel experiences.

But Guan Xi is, after all, a bit lazy, so after writing a few times and getting a taste of it, she updated her posts less frequently.

The travelogue she was writing today was actually about a trip she took the month before.

While in the middle of writing her travelogue, she received a call from Auntie Zhen.

Aunt Zhen asked when she would be coming home, whispering that tonight, Guan Ying would personally cook dinner at home, and one of the dishes would be beef stew with potatoes, which was her mother's favorite.

Of course, Guan Xi knew that Wei Shaomin's favorite home-cooked dish was beef stew with potatoes. She had even gone to great lengths once to find the best chef in the city to prepare the dish for her mother.

Guo Xi had carefully reheated the food and driven for two hours to get home, just for her mother's sake.

Wei Shaomin was delighted at the time and commented on Guan Xi's effort, saying that she must have been very tired.

Despite her usual aversion to trouble, at that moment, Guan Xi didn't feel tired at all. She only cared about making her mother happy.

But now... her mother should be even happier. After all, it was a homemade meal made by her real daughter.

After hanging up the phone, Guan Xi thought that she should probably return home to assert her presence. However, a scene from last night when the family of three was making dumplings together suddenly flashed in her mind.

Forget it, she wouldn't go back today.

She will secure her position next time; there's no hurry to compete for attention with this newcomer, Guan Ying. A few days of her absence shouldn't matter.

Guan Xi comforted herself for a moment, trying to appear calm. But then, her face gradually drooped.

"Beef stew with potatoes... isn't it just beef and potatoes? It's such a simple dish; who can't make it."

Jiang Suizhou received a message from Guan Xi just as he was heading to a subsidiary company. He was sitting in the back seat, looking at his phone screen.

Guan Xi: 【Baby, when will you be back?】

Seeing the conspicuous Baby in the message, he called out to his assistant.

His assistant, Zhou Hao, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, turned around and asked, "What's wrong, President Jiang?"

Jiang Suizhou asked, "Has Guan Xi reached out to you recently about buying something?"

Zhou Hao thought for a moment and shook his head, "Miss Guan hasn't asked me to contact any brand partners recently; she also hasn't requested any special purchases."

"Nothing recently?"

Zhou Hao nodded decisively.

Jiang Suizhou didn't say anything more and replied to Guan Xi's message.

Jiang Suizhou: 【Are you still at home?】

Guan Xi: 【Yes, I'm waiting for you. So what time will you be back?】

Jiang Suizhou: 【Probably around 6 p.m.】

Guan Xi: 【Alright, I'll wait for you to come back for dinner.】

Jiang Suizhou: "......"

It seemed to be something significant.

Jiang Suizhou had a strong sense of time; if he said he'd be back by six, he wouldn't deviate much from that time.

At 6:10, he returned home. As he entered, he smelled something burnt and followed the scent into the kitchen. There, he found a woman busily working amid the chaos of pots, pans, and dishes clattering on the table.

Jiang Suizhou recognized the silhouette as Guan Xi, and he was momentarily stunned. He immediately stepped in and pulled her out, asking, "What are you doing? Where's Auntie?"

Guan Xi replied, "She's taking a day off today, so I'm cooking dinner tonight."

Jiang Suizhou's expression momentarily froze, "You're cooking? Are you trying to poison someone? Me?"

Guan Xi extended her index finger and waved it, "I won't poison you; I'm making something delicious. Look, it's already done."

Amidst the haze in the kitchen, Jiang Suizhou turned on the exhaust fan and gazed at a dish that was hard to identify. He asked, "What is this?"

"Beef stew with potatoes," Guan Xi replied, turning to him and taking off the silver-framed glasses on his nose. "It's fogging up; you'll see it more clearly this way."

Her tone was very self-satisfied, as if she were waiting for his praise, but Jiang Suizhou clearly couldn't do that with a clear conscience.

Seeing that he didn't say anything, Guan Xi carried the dish outside to the dining table. She came back with a pair of chopsticks and pulled Jiang Suizhou outside.

"Try it," she handed the chopsticks to Jiang Suizhou.

Jiang Suizhou said, "Give me a reason to use these chopsticks."

"It's my first time cooking," Guan Xi thought for a moment and said, "I cooked it myself; isn't that touching enough?"

"I dare not use them."

Guan Xi huffed lightly and sat down beside him.

She stared at the dish in front of her and muttered, "But I tried my best. If it doesn't taste good this time, it should be better next time."

Jiang Suizhou glanced at her; she had some smudges on her face after messing around in the kitchen. In his eyes, Guan Xi's face was finely crafted to the point that it was breathtaking. Yet, she allowed herself to be oily and dirty.

He instinctively reached out and wiped her cheek.

Guan Xi's thoughts were still on the dish she had prepared when her face was touched. She turned to look in confusion and saw that Jiang Suizhou's other hand had joined in. He pinched her chin while his other hand gently wiped her face.

"It's not something you should be doing. Why bother?" he asked lightly.

Guan Xi hesitated for a moment and replied, "But others would."

"Who?"

"Just... some people," Guan Xi replied. "If you come home to find someone close to you cooking for you, wouldn't you feel more loved?"

Jiang Suizhou said, "I'd only think that she's got too much free time and is looking for something to do."

"......."

"Go wash your face," Jiang Suizhou said.

Guan Xi asked, "You really won't eat it? I put in a lot of effort this afternoon."

"No."

Guan Xi gave him a disapproving look, "You have no taste."

She turned and left the dining room to wash her face.

Jiang Suizhou sat at the dining table, staring at the peculiar dish in front of him. After a moment of silence, he picked up his chopsticks and took a small piece of meat.

An entire afternoon of effort...

...and this was it?

Jiang Suizhou frowned.

After looking at it for a while, he put it in his mouth. However, after chewing twice, his expression changed, and he immediately stood up and rushed to spit it out.

She really wanted to poison him!

In the end, Jiang Suizhou had someone deliver a meal. After dinner, Guan Xi sat on the living room carpet and continued writing her travelogue.

Jiang Suizhou found her diligence quite refreshing.

"What are you writing?" he asked.

"My travelogue. It's been a while since I last posted," Guan Xi replied.

Jiang Suizhou knew that Guan Xi had an account on [YouTravel] because her account was quite famous. In a previous meeting, her account had been brought up as an example by his subordinates.

However, if he remembered correctly, she hadn't updated it for quite some time.

"Why did you suddenly become interested in writing this again?" he asked.

Guan Xi said, "I suddenly wanted to be diligent."

Diligent; a term unrelated to a salted fish.

Jiang Suizhou assumed that she was just in the mood and suddenly wanted to write. However, it was good because her unique style had attracted a lot of traffic to the [YouTravel] travelogue section.

"Tomorrow is Song Li's birthday; come with me," Jiang Suizhou suggested.

Guan Xi replied, "It's the thought that counts. Help me get a gift for him, I won't go in person."

"You're coming with me," Jiang Suizhou repeated.

Guan Xi turned to look at him and asked, "Will there be a lot of people at the party? Many girls?"

"Probably," he replied.

Guan Xi let out a soft huff and said, "I see. That guy Song Li always has no shortage of beauties around him."

Jiang Suizhou said, "So you're coming with me to save me from the trouble."

Guan Xi fully understood what trouble meant in Jiang Suizhou's context. Beautiful girls were quite fond of him, and if she didn't go, he would have to deal with a lot of them.

"What do I get out of this?" Guan Xi asked out of habit.

Jiang Suizhou pulled her up from the carpet and had her sit on his lap. He asked, "You have been scheming for so long, what do you really want?"

Guan Xi raised an eyebrow and seemed a bit puzzled for a moment. But she quickly realized that he was likely feeling uneasy because she had been acting unusual lately. Jiang Suizhou must have suspected that she would end up letting him spend a lot of money on her sooner or later.

What kind of peculiar masochistic tendency did Er Gou have? She genuinely hadn't shown any intention of making him spend any money recently.

"Well... even if there are no benefits, I would still go because you're my boyfriend," she replied.

Jiang Suizhou cast her a sidelong glance and said, "Guan Xi, can you be a bit more normal?"

"......."

"This year's new design from the fashion show will be sent to your place later, tailored to your size," Jiang Suizhou informed her.

Guan Xi's eyes lit up, "Chanel?"

"Yes," he confirmed.

"Great!" Guan Xi felt that her pent-up mood had been soothed, so she planted a firm kiss on his cheek. "Baby, you're amazing. I love you, I love you."

Jiang Suizhou still preferred the Guan Xi who danced at the mention of luxury goods. The Guan Xi who cooked in the kitchen seemed scary to him.

He straightened Guan Xi's face and leaned in to kiss her, "Don't cook anymore in the future."

"Why not?"

"It's a matter of life and death."