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墨書 Inktalez
Yun Li had been back in the capital for over a month, and during this time, he hadn't seen Jiang Shiyu. The director's death had hit him hard, and he wondered how long it would take for Jiang to recover.
As Yun Li returned home from work, he noticed that the neighbors seemed to have finished their renovations and were moving furniture in. He glanced over briefly before opening his own door.
That evening, Shu Ran came over. Yun Li had cooked dumplings that his mother had made and brought from Jiangzhou; they could be stored in the fridge for quite a while.
As Shu Ran ate the dumplings, she glanced at her phone and said, "Did someone buy the place next door? I just saw people moving things in."
Yun Li nodded. "They've been renovating for a while now, but I haven't seen the owner."
"I was thinking of buying the house next to yours so I wouldn't have to run back and forth," she continued. "Do you mind me coming over every day?"
"Well, if he doesn't mind me bothering him, that's good enough," Yun Li replied. Shu Ran took a sip of water and wiped her mouth. "He's been busier lately; I wonder what he's up to?"
Yun Li reassured her, "He manages such a large company; he must be overwhelmed. Who knows, maybe he's preparing to propose!"
"Propose?" Shu Ran exclaimed, her eyes widening. "Then I need to prepare Hao Hao! Starting tomorrow, I'm going all out with my makeup. If it turns out like last time, I'll be so mad!"
The next day, Shu Ran indeed went all out with her makeup, looking exquisite as she even styled her hair perfectly.
When Yun Li returned from work that afternoon, he stepped out of the elevator and was greeted by the aroma of delicious food wafting through the entire building.
He thought to himself that it didn't seem this fragrant before. In their building of three units, one family with five members lived there; he remembered smelling their cooking but it never smelled this good. The neighbors had been empty for quite some time; it must be coming from there.
It should also be a family.
As Yun Li rummaged through his bag for his keys, he was about to insert them into his door when suddenly the door next door opened. A man stepped out wearing a white shirt with his hair slicked back. He had striking features and wore a black apron while carrying a bag of trash.
Yun Li froze, his gaze lingering on the man's face—how could it be him?
Jiang Shiyu merely glanced at him before walking past with the trash bag to toss it in the bin in the hallway.
Then he turned around and closed the door behind him.
Yun Li stood there momentarily speechless.
It was definitely him. The new neighbor who had just moved in was none other than him.
Yun Li inserted the key, turned it, and stepped inside. Her balcony was very close to the one next door, and a delicious aroma wafted in from that direction. Her stomach, which hadn't been particularly hungry, suddenly grumbled.
She tossed her bag onto the sofa and collapsed onto it. Pulling out her phone, she called Shu Ran. After a few seconds, the call connected.
"Ran Ran, I want to eat spicy hot pot tonight."
"Hao Hao, I'm not coming over tonight. Just order takeout!" With that, Shu Ran hung up. Yun Li stared at the call ended screen and clicked her tongue softly; it seemed Tianzhu was free now.
The sorrow of not being able to cook was magnified at that moment. Yun Li headed to the kitchen, opened the fridge, and decided to make spicy hot pot herself. She rolled up her sleeves, tied on an apron, and tied her hair back before turning on the stove and pouring in some oil.
As the oil heated up, she hesitated to drop the vegetables from the bowl into the pan. Soon enough, the oil began to smoke. Yun Li closed her eyes and tossed in the frozen meatballs without thawing or blanching them first.
The sizzling sound erupted as thick smoke rose. Yun Li quickly stepped back but still got splattered with hot oil. She didn’t have time to react; in a panic, she grabbed the lid and threw it on top of the pan, quickly turning off the heat.
Only then did Yun Li turn on the faucet to rinse off the spots where the oil had splashed. The stinging pain eased a bit under the water, but it still hurt as soon as she moved away from it. Looking at the chaos on the stove, Yun Li rubbed her forehead in frustration.
She had forgotten to boil everything first. Even though she had gone through it in her mind several times, once she started cooking, everything fell apart. She really wasn’t cut out for cooking.
The doorbell rang, and Yun Li went to open the door. Jiang Shiyu stood at the entrance, and the pungent smoke intensified around them.
"Did you blow up your kitchen?"
Yun Li opened her mouth to explain but ended up saying, "No, it just got too hot! Don’t worry; it won’t endanger your new apartment."
"Is the gas turned off?"
"It's off."
"I'll check it for you. It's dangerous if the gas isn't turned off properly."
Yun Li initially wanted to refuse, but his reasoning made sense. She had seen numerous reports online about gas leaks causing explosions due to improper use. She stepped aside to let him in.
Jiang Shiyu frowned as he noticed the splattered oil all over the stove. He turned to look at her, his gaze eventually settling on the back of her hand. It was burned.
"Do you have a first aid kit?"
Yun Li shook her head. She rarely got sick, and even when she did, she would toss the medicine around carelessly; after recovering, she often forgot where she had put it.
Jiang Shiyu walked outside and returned with burn ointment from his home. He stood in front of Yun Li, opened the cap, and squeezed out a bit of the medicine. He raised his eyes, signaling for her to lift her hand.
Yun Li raised her hand, revealing burns on both the back of her hand and forearm.
Jiang Shiyu's expression darkened slightly as he gently applied the ointment. Once he finished, he capped the tube and handed it to her. "Remember to apply this tomorrow." Without waiting for Yun Li to respond, he went back into the kitchen to clean up the mess.
Yun Li watched his busy figure, biting her lip as she glanced down at the ointment in her hand. Jiang Shiyu worked quickly, leaving the stove spotless with swift movements. After finishing, he pulled out a paper towel to wipe his hands and tossed it into the trash can.
Feeling a bit awkward, Yun Li touched her chin and said, "Thank you! I appreciate your help."
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