Secretly Married to the Ice-Cold CEO

Chapter 30: Chapter 30: Did Not Disappoint Him

The first time An Junxi saw someone eat as if it were an art form, Gu Yikun’s dining manners were so elegant it was almost absurd, like a noble from ancient times—natural and regal.

Every move reflected the upbringing of a distinguished family.

In contrast, she felt pretty clumsy herself.

Suddenly, An Junxi felt a bit uncomfortable. She subconsciously divided a piece of green vegetable in her bowl into three bites and, looking up, saw Jin Xiu grinning at her sneakily.

An Junxi glared at him without saying a word.

Jin Xiu pretended not to see it.

An Junxi realized this guy was quite the actor; when eating with her, he would talk non-stop, but wouldn’t say a word in front of Gu Yikun.

This father and son duo were indeed interesting.

Gu Yikun finished a bowl of rice and two bowls of soup, seemingly having a good appetite.

An Junxi had been silently observing him and, seeing he was about to put down his chopsticks, broke the silence at the dining table. "There are some snacks in the kitchen, a specialty from my hometown. Mr. Gu, would you like to try some?"

Gu Yikun didn’t usually have the habit of eating snacks after a meal, but since this meal hadn’t disappointed him, he figured the snacks would be okay too. He nodded.

The servant didn’t wait for An Junxi to act and turned to the kitchen, soon coming out with a small steamer.

When the steamer was opened on the dining table, the fragrant aroma of bamboo leaves filled the air. The small, delicate snacks rested on the bamboo leaves, looking so enticing that even if you were full, you couldn’t help but want to try one.

Gu Yikun picked one up and took a bite, finally speaking to An Junxi, "Did you make all of these yourself?"

An Junxi smiled, "Yes, in my hometown, this is called Songyun Cake. It’s fragrant and glutinous, not too sweet, and has a hint of bamboo leaves’ freshness, making it acceptable even for those who don’t like sweets."

Gu Yikun ate two and said, "I didn’t expect you to have such good cooking skills."

Jin Xiu ate three in a row. Hearing his father praise Sister Jun Xi, he himself showed a proud face since he was the one who chose her as his tutor. "Father, Sister Jun Xi knows a lot of things!"

Although An Junxi modestly said a few courteous words, she was quite happy inside.

Gu Yikun didn’t respond to her words, only saying, "Let Sister Li handle the kitchen tasks. I’m not an unkind boss who expects you to handle two people’s work on just one salary."

An Junxi was really worried that Gu Yikun wouldn’t let her enter the kitchen in the future. She quickly said, "It’s alright, cooking is simple. Doing it occasionally won’t take too much time."

Jin Xiu, afraid he wouldn’t get to eat Sister Jun Xi’s cooking anymore, helped by saying, "Yes, Father, Sister Jun Xi can finish cooking in under an hour!"

Gu Yikun took a napkin to wipe his mouth and said, "As you wish then."

After saying that, he went straight up the stairs.

Watching his tall back disappear around the stair corner, An Junxi patted her chest and said to Jin Xiu, "Your father is really... strict." His demeanor at the dining table was still business-like, making it not easy to be his subordinate!

Jin Xiu excitedly said, "Father usually doesn’t eat snacks, but today he had two Songyun Cakes. Sister Jun Xi, you are amazing!"

An Junxi was deeply surprised, "So he doesn’t like sweets!"

Jin Xiu nodded, continuing to polish off the remaining Songyun Cakes. After finishing, he said, "Anyway, I can tell Father likes your...cooking."

Jin Xiu spoke haltingly, causing An Junxi’s heart to skip a beat. The spoon in her hand fell onto the plate, making a crisp sound.

Jin Xiu looked up at her, puzzled. Sister Li hurriedly came in upon hearing the noise, "Did something get broken?"

An Junxi quickly covered up, "No, no. It just slipped for a moment."

She took a few deep breaths secretly; Jin Xiu’s words were quite startling!

Sister Li had the two servants help clean up the dishes. Seeing that almost all the food was eaten, she couldn’t help but give An Junxi a thumbs up, "Young Master had dinner outside before coming back, but still managed to eat more here. An Jun, your cooking skills are pretty good!"

Confirming again with Sister Li, An Junxi asked, "Did Mr. Gu really already eat?"

Sister Li replied, "Yes, I too saw Young Master with such a good appetite for the first time; seems like I’ll have to learn from you in the future."

An Junxi blushed, "It’s not about teaching or not teaching. We can exchange tips more often. I learned a lot from you too, Sister Li!"

"You sweet talker!" Sister Li regarded An Junxi like her own daughter.

An Junxi chatted and laughed with Sister Li for a while before returning to Jin Xiu’s study.

They read for a while, then Jin Xiu had to head to the gym for martial arts practice, with a coach already waiting for him.

Since it wasn’t convenient for An Junxi to go with him, she went for a walk in the garden.

Although called a garden, there weren’t many flowers, mainly green plants. An Junxi knew there was a separate greenhouse where the Gu Family kept rare and delicate flowers that couldn’t withstand the outside weather. Even inside the greenhouse, temperature and humidity were strictly maintained, so outside it was mostly green plants.

There were many plants in the yard that she didn’t recognize. Becoming engrossed, she used her phone to look up the ones without name tags and found many to be rare species, making her only more impressed by the strength of the Gu Family.

What is called a grand family? Here, even every plant might be worth enough for her down payment.

Truly remarkable!

Gu Yikun was reading a book on the balcony. When he casually glanced toward the yard while turning a page, he saw a crouching figure in the distance.

What was she looking at?

Gu Yikun couldn’t help but look seriously at that spot, but it was just grass.

He thought for a moment, then picked up his phone and dialed her number.

An Junxi was studying an ant nest. She had read a book before that described the world from a mental patient’s perspective. The book discussed how an ant nest was meaningful to them. When not viewed through the mindset of ordinary people, studying ant nests could indeed be quite interesting.

Some mental patients are seen as different because their thoughts and actions aren’t accepted by the majority. From another angle, ordinary people might also be incomprehensible to them.

Just as she was engrossed, her phone rang. An Junxi checked and was so startled she fell to the ground. Gu Yikun? Wasn’t he upstairs? Why was he calling her?

She looked up at the third floor and sure enough, saw Gu Yikun sitting on the balcony with his long legs crossed, watching her through the large floor-to-ceiling windows. He had changed into casual loungewear, looking like a lazy prince in a castle.

Though it was too far to see Gu Yikun’s expression clearly, she knew he was looking in her direction. Her heart beat uncontrollably fast. Thinking that sitting on the ground wasn’t very graceful, she stood up quickly, patted her clothes, answered the phone, and said, "Mr. Gu."

She didn’t have Gu Yikun’s number before and had asked Jin Xiu for it secretly, keeping it in her phonebook for when she might need it someday.

Gu Yikun observed her every move with a smile at the corners of his mouth, and asked, "Can you translate English?"