Xia Qingyu's cooking skills were surprisingly good.
The meal she prepared was a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate.
Xia Qingtian ate with immense satisfaction. "I never knew you could cook. You're much better than me."
Xia Qingtian had to admit that her survival skills were practically zero. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been publicly shamed online over a simple room-tidying incident, being roasted by Wen Ning.
"Tch." Seeing Xia Qingtian enjoy the food so much, a flicker of joy appeared in Xia Qingyu's eyes. She then let out a soft scoff. "There are many things you don't know about me..."
"This is delicious." Xia Qingtian licked her lips, then asked curiously, "I haven't asked yet, how did you get here?"
"You sent me the address before," Xia Qingyu replied. "I figured you'd be back around this time, so I came to try my luck. I didn't expect to run into your assistant."
"You met Xiaoxiao? How is she?" Xia Qingtian immediately asked.
"..." Xia Qingyu didn't answer, instead narrowing her eyes dangerously.
"Uh... no, I mean, did Xiaoxiao give you the key?" Xia Qingtian asked with an awkward laugh.
Xia Qingyu then proceeded to tell Xia Qingtian how she had run into Li Mengxiao, gained her trust, and successfully obtained the key to come and prepare a large meal.
She concluded by saying, "Your assistant isn't good. She trusts people too easily and has no sense of security."
Xia Qingtian's mouth twitched slightly. Xia Qingyu was indeed very strict in some aspects.
"Oh, Xiaoxiao is a bit silly, but she's not a bad person. She takes good care of me," Xia Qingtian said with a chuckle, speaking well of Li Mengxiao to Xia Qingyu.
"She's your assistant, not mine, so what does it have to do with me?" Xia Qingyu said haughtily, then turned away, refusing to look at Xia Qingtian.
Seeing this, Xia Qingtian could only laugh dryly and then stood up to clear the dishes.
"It seems you've learned a thing or two these past few days, even knowing how to clear dishes," Xia Qingyu mocked. "If you had been like this earlier, you wouldn't have been mocked by the entire internet."
"Please, don't!" Xia Qingtian immediately pleaded.
Anything but reminding her of that embarrassing past.
Xia Qingyu then fell silent, looking at Xia Qingtian with a smile. But after only a moment, her smile faded.
Did Xia Qingtian actually know how to clean up?
Washing dishes, water splashed two meters high. She didn't even seal the cling film before putting food in the refrigerator? And the refrigerator wasn't even turned on, its light not even lit.
What about the soup? Such hot soup, and she was putting it away without letting it cool?
"You go and stay over there!" Xia Qingyu, unable to watch any longer, shooed Xia Qingtian out of the kitchen and rolled up her sleeves to start working.
The pitiful, weak, and helpless Xia Qingtian leaned against the kitchen door, once again feeling like a useless person.
Watching Xia Qingyu tidily arrange the kitchen, Xia Qingtian asked curiously, "Why do you seem to know how to do everything?"
"I'm not like you, born a pampered young lady," Xia Qingyu said exasperatedly. "When I was little, my mother was busy with work and taking care of me. I started learning housework at five and knew how to cook for myself by nine."
"What about your dad?" As soon as Xia Qingtian asked, she regretted it.
However, in her past life, she had never actively sought information about Xia Qingyu's situation. Back then, she only hated her and couldn't imagine having such a conversation about family matters.
"Don't know, probably dead." Xia Qingyu seemed unfazed, shrugging her shoulders. "Haven't seen him since I was three. Sometimes I really envy you."
Hearing Xia Qingyu say this, Xia Qingtian felt even more keenly how excessive she had been in her past life.
Ultimately, all Xia Qingyu wanted was a complete family.
Even though her own mother had passed away, she had given her immeasurable love within her limited life.
As for her father, although he didn't support her dreams, there was truly nothing else to fault him on.
Now, the gentle Aunt Liu treated her very well. Compared to Xia Qingyu, she was far happier.
Xia Qingtian walked up behind Xia Qingyu and wrapped her arms around her shoulders, resting her chin on Xia Qingyu's slender shoulder.
Startled by the sudden embrace, Xia Qingyu could feel Xia Qingtian's breath near her ear.
Xia Qingyu was stunned at first, then her cheeks flushed. Her eyes, which usually looked sharply at Xia Qingtian, were now filled with a soft tenderness.
"Don't worry," Xia Qingtian said, taking a deep breath. "From now on, my dad is your dad, and Aunt Liu is your mom!"
"Isn't that stating the obvious..." Xia Qingyu said, turning the tap water on even higher and adjusting the angle of the plate in her hand.
"Ah!" Xia Qingtian was splashed in the face with water and instinctively took a few steps back.
"Tch." Xia Qingyu turned off the faucet and put away the washed plates.
After wiping her hands with a nearby tissue, Xia Qingyu said, "I'm going back."
"Going back? So soon?" Xia Qingtian asked as she wiped the water off her face.
"Mm," Xia Qingyu replied. "I bought you apples. Remember to eat them. Eat well for all three meals, and don't always eat junk food."
As she walked towards the door, Xia Qingyu nagged incessantly. Upon reaching the entrance and changing her shoes, Xia Qingyu turned back to Xia Qingtian and said, "When you have time, come back to the Xia family. My mom and Uncle Xia miss you."
"Oh, I already told you my dad is your dad now, why are you still being so formal? Why call him Uncle Xia? Just call him Dad." Xia Qingtian grinned mischievously.
"You are really..." Xia Qingyu clenched her fists, making them crackle.
As expected, Xia Qingtian was out of her mind! She even wanted to trick her into calling her Dad, taking advantage of her!
As expected, she shouldn't have been too nice to her!
"Take care, don't see me out! Come again next time!" Seeing Xia Qingyu about to get angry, Xia Qingtian quickly opened the door and waved goodbye.
"Hmph!" Xia Qingyu snorted haughtily again, then turned and left.
Only after Xia Qingyu had walked far away did Xia Qingtian slap her forehead. "I think I forgot to get the key back."
Leaving the residential area, Xia Qingyu walked straight into a nearby bookstore. She picked out two books and bought a cute keychain, attaching Xia Qingtian's house key to it.
Looking at the set of keys, Xia Qingyu smiled.
Today was not a wasted trip for her.
Just then, as she rounded a corner, she collided head-on with someone. Not only did her keys fall to the ground, but her newly bought books also scattered.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry!" The person who bumped into Xia Qingyu apologized profusely, then looked up with a surprised expression. "Xia Qingyu? Is that you!?"