Sweet Chief Secretary - Chapter 471

Xia Yu always felt that it was inconvenient for her to stay at Wanru’s home. So, she asked Li Feiran out as her companion to buy a middling flat when they were off duty this day. It was enough for her to live alone. If it was too big, it would be a headache for her when it needed cleaning.

Even so, Li Feiran still sighed with emotion for quite a while. “You’re rich indeed. You want to pay it in one lump sum.”

“Haven’t you also bought your own house?” Xia Yu rolled her eyes at her sourly.

“But we’re different. I have a mortgage, and I have to pay the mortgage every month.” Li Feiran complained. She hadn’t had the money to buy any new clothes for two months.

“Your house is bigger than mine. Why don’t you mention that?” Xia Yu shook her head and said with a smile. This woman was so good at complaining of being hard up.

“Never mind. You win.” Li Feiran gave up refuting her. “By the way, you’re really not going to forgive Young Master Yan? Actually, he also has a lot of helplessness.”

“Talking about it at this moment seems to give Shen Mo the opportunity to defame us. Let’s put it aside. We will talk about this if we’re meant to be when the deadline of their one-year competition comes.” Xia Yu didn’t want to waste time dealing with journalists. Instead, she preferred doing something more meaningful.

For example, she could open one or two new chain stores of Ruyi Tower in S city. She had done a survey on the local market. This plan was feasible. So, she had submitted her preliminary proposal to her father, which had been approved in principle by him, only waiting to be pinned down at the high-level meeting. If so, she would be busy in the future.

As for Li Feiran, she was almost made to be a sacrifice in the fight for power between the brothers of Shen Group. She understood Xia Yu’s worries and scruples. Being separated from each other for some time was good for them, so she didn’t continue to persuade Xia Yu.

After these two people selected the flat together, Xia Yu bought it at once since she thought it was nice. Then they decorated it. Seeing that everything was ready, Xia Yu decided to move in on a fine day.

Cheng Xi got along with Xia Yu since he came to Wanru’s home. Xia Yu was very nice to him, so he cried when he knew that she was moving out. Xia Yu consoled him for a long time and promised to pick him up at school and take him to the amusement park once a week, which finally dispelled his sadness and made him smile.

Since Xia Yu moved into her new home, Shen Yan, Li Wen, and Zhang Peng had all paid a visit to her. However, the place where Xia Yu lived was an ordinary housing estate. Her friends’ arrival with their luxurious cars made those residents of the community curious about Xia Yu’s origin and come to ask about it.

Xia Yu could only tell them those people were her classmates to slight them over. This explanation was plausible for those who seldom came here. But Shen Yan came here several times a day.

Then someone started to ask Xia Yu whether he was her boyfriend. The eyes were full of envy. How couldn’t the person envy? Her boyfriend drove a luxurious car and changed it frequently.

The question embarrassed Xia Yu. She lived there because she needed tranquility. But Shen Yan’s appearance disturbed it. So, she warned Shen Yan not to visit her frequently many times.

But this man turned a deaf ear to her. He still went his own way. He always ate and drank at Xia Yu’s home while she could do nothing to him. This day, he called her again and said that he would dine at her home. Xia Yu had no reason to turn down, so she deliberately began packing up things and went down the stairs slowly after her colleagues were all off duty. As soon as she went out of the lobby, she heard the car whistle and then looked up at the opposite side of the road, only to find an off-road vehicle, the window of which had been rolled down.

Xia Yu felt relieved in her heart. Luckily, he didn’t drive the ostentatious Maybach today.

After she got into the car, Shen Yan couldn’t help asking, “Why did it take you so long?”

Xia Yu was too lazy to tell him the reason and closed the car door.

Shen Yan drove to the main road quickly and then asked, “Where are we going?”

Xia Yu turned her head and cast a look at him. She had planned to make the food ready at night before he arrived. But now she was picked up by him and went back with him. So, she answered coldly, “To my home first.”

The man next to her frowned. “Why not buy some ingredients first at the supermarket? I have opened the fridge, and there’s not much left except a few eggs in it.”

Why should he be so insightful? Did he really think that was his home? Xia Yu cast a look at him sourly and then turned her head back. “You go to my home first. I will go grocery shopping then.”

Shen Yan turned his head and looked at her. “Alone?”

Xia Yu said with indifference, “Or what?”

“We just go together.” These words came lightly out of his mouth.

Xia Yu turned her head in amazement and looked at him again. Shen Yan was holding the steering wheel and looking at the front. When he finally noticed the woman beside him was staring at him, he turned his head slightly and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“You mean you’ll go grocery shopping with me?” Xia Yu asked again.

Shen Yan frowned slightly. “Is there any problem shopping together since we are on the same way?”

These two people headed for the supermarket directly, which was not the small one opposite her community but a Wal-Mart in the new area.

They found a parking space close to the entrance elevator to park the car in the underground parking lot. After that, Xia Yu got out of the car first and looked up, only to see a large crowd of people waiting for the elevator at the nearby entrance.

Considering that there were many residential communities nearby, Xia Yu didn’t know who she would run across in the crowd.

“Why not move?” Shen Yan came over.

Xia Yu looked at him. “Should we really go inside?”

Shen Yan roughly realized what she meant. But he just wore a gloomy face silently and walked forward alone. “Go ahead!”

Xia Yu was stunned for half a second in situ and pulled him after coming forward. “You’re not afraid?”

“Of what?”

“Of being recognized by others?”

“Of course! If we’re recognized by others, I do not know what will happen this time.” Xia Yu was a little angry. After the farce of love letters and intimate photos last time, Xia Yu didn’t want to see that thing happen again, not to mention that this time it might get worse.

“How about you sit in the car and wait for me? I will come back to you after I buy the ingredients.”

Xia Yu tried to take the trolley beside her after saying that, but Shen Yan took it before her and held Xia Yu’s hand with one hand while pushing the trolley with the other hand.

“Come with me!” Xia Yu’s hand was held in his hand, and she was driven by him to take a few steps. The elevator entrance was ahead.

Xia Yu really felt speechless. “What do you want to do on earth?”

Shen Yan said calmly, “We are a couple indeed. Why should we be afraid?”

How lightheartedly he said! Was it interesting to be assailed with questions from others? Xia Yu’s heart quivered violently, but her body had been taken into the crowd of people who were waiting for the elevator by Shen Yan.

There were plenty of customers at the supermarket in the evening. Shen Yan appeared to be at a loss when pushing the trolley and standing in the crowd, not knowing how to get started in front of so many shelves and goods.

“You push the trolley and follow me.” Xia Yu said, and Shen Yan listened to her.

She walked through the crowd with him, looking for goods skillfully among the shelves. She took some plastic wrap and dishwashing liquid for home use. Then she went to the sauce section and got some seasoning for cooking.

She knew clearly what was sold in each area and where those things were placed.

Shen Yan admired her because she could find exactly what she needed in such a big supermarket.

“Are you a regular here?”

“No. I seldom come here.” Xia Yu answered when she was comparing two bottles of vinegar in her hands.

Shen Yan asked again, “Then how do you know where those things are placed?”

Xia Yu could not help laughing. “The layout of each supermarket is basically the same. And the most common public place I go to at ordinary times is the supermarket.”

As she had very few friends, she had very few places to go and spend her time. Besides her office, she could only go to those various supermarkets in different sizes and bookstores at best. In this way, she was really a dull woman in life, which even should have not been the feature at her age.

After all, she was only 26 years old. Most girls at her age were fond of hanging out, drinking, eating, killing time in a bar, or shopping. However, Xia Yu liked staying alone and cooking for herself. When she had free time, she fancied watching the news and reading to kill time. She seldom stayed up late and hardly woke up late without special circumstances.

Judging from her lifestyle, she didn’t look like a 26-year-old young girl at all. Instead, it seemed that she got into her late years ahead of time. But it didn’t mean that she lived untidily and perfunctorily. Instead, she managed the house in order and had a regular diet as well as a reasonable schedule.

She independently and quietly stayed in her own world. She was not easily disturbed by the outside world and did not like to disturb others.

Shen Yan stood there and looked at her, seeing her carefully compare two bottles of vinegar for a long while in her hands. Finally, she put one back to the shelf and placed the other one into the trolley.

Shen Yan could not help frowning. She had moved on, so he pushed the trolley to catch up with her and asked, “Any difference between those two bottles of vinegar just now?”

Xia Yu just answered without looking back, “Yes.”

Shen Yan asked, “What is it?”

Xia Yu said, “One bottle is balsamic vinegar. The other one is mature vinegar.”

“So?”

“Balsamic vinegar is made from glutinous rice while mature vinegar is made from sorghum. The former is suitable for stir-frying, and the latter is generally used when mixing cold dishes. Besides, there is rice vinegar, old vinegar, and fruit vinegar. They all have different uses.

Vinegar was a kind of acid. No matter what kind of vinegar she used, the taste would not be too different actually, but she still wanted to be as precise as possible. In her opinion, she wouldn’t tolerate any error. There should be plans, principles, and rules. Not even the slightest error could be accepted.

Xia Yu’s character was just so stubborn. To put it more orally, she was “zhou”, which meant that she was so hypercritical that she did not allow herself to make any mistakes. She wouldn’t allow herself to use the wrong vinegar even when she was cooking. But life always had exceptions. When you met a wrong person at the wrong moment, your life would go wrong out of control no matter how perfect your plan or principle was.

After they got the seasoning, they took the elevator to the first floor where there was an area of fresh products. The section of vegetables and poultry meat was crowded with many people. Shen Yan found that Xia Yu did the buying efficiently. Totally unlike others who just hung out in the supermarket without a purpose for a long time and got only very few things, she already had a rough list of things she wanted to buy in her heart and only went directly to the particular sections to fetch what she needed, then leaving without lingering on or wasting time everywhere. So, after a short while, their trolley was half-full with shrimps, ribs, and a fish. Then she turned around and went to the vegetable section. She selected vegetables skillfully and huddled in the middle of a group of mid-aged women. She put a head of broccoli, scallions, and a small bundle of celery into the trolley. However, when she turned her head and saw Shen Yan standing behind her, she took the bundle of celery out of the trolley and put it back on the shelve.

Shen Yan felt a little strange. “Why did you put it back?”

“You don’t eat celery, right?” She answered naturally while she was picking tomatoes. She put two tomatoes into a plastic bag and then turned around, only to find that Shen Yan looked at her with astonishment. She could not help smiling. “What?”

Shen Yan shook his head with his eyes flashing. “Nothing!”

“Then take this over there and weigh it.” Then Xia Yu handed the bag with tomatoes in her hand to Shen Yan.

Very soon, they almost got all the things they needed, so they queued up to check out while pushing the trolley. But suddenly, Xia Yu thought of something and asked, “Do you drink? If you want, I will fetch one bottle.”

Xia Yu had no habit of storing wine at home. She turned around to push her way out of the crowd lining up, but Shen Yan stopped her with his hand. “Never mind. I have one bottle in my car.”

After they checked out, they pushed the trolley and went to the parking lot. Shen Yan let Xia Yu get into the car first while he packed the things into the trunk. After that, he got into the car.

“Why not start the car?”

“How do you know that I don’t eat celery?”

“I remember that once I made a plate of sautéed celery with sliced meat, but you only finished the sliced meat in the end, leaving the celery aside.”