Shi Yan wiped away his sweat discreetly. What did he mean by saying that he was asking to be humiliated? He was probably referring to Xu Wei.
Xu Wei had already learnt of the matter in a report a while back. So when she heard Fu Tingyu’s words, it seemed like he was mocking her for being the scion of a wealthy family whose money had been ill-spent – money that would have allowed her more opportunities to see the world than most.
Her face paled with embarrassment. “I know. Why?”
Fu Tingyu asked calmly, “Then, what do you think is the difference between a fondant figurine model created by a famous artist and these two?”
From how his question was phrased, Xu Wei thought Fu Tingyu was assessing her ability to appreciate art.
She did not know much about the art of fondant making, let alone any distinguished figures who designed them, so she had little by way of knowledge to assist her in making useful comparisons.
“A fondant cake crafted by someone famous will certainly be more exquisite than those already out on the market, and its value would make it as priceless as any other work displayed in an art collection.”
Xu Wei was a worldly person. Although she lacked knowledge of the art form in question, she knew enough about the subject not to look dull.
“I think a regular cake in the market has more value than one made by some illustrious figure and put on a pedestal in an art collection. The difference lies in its meaning – the one perceived in the hearts of people.”
As Fu Tingyu allowed his words to hang in the air, the eyes he directed at the dancers grew warmer.
Xu Wei was intelligent enough to understand the underlying meaning in his words. Nonetheless, it did nothing to take away the sting of having her answer shot down so quickly. It left her feeling somewhat embarrassed.
Fiddling with the fondant figurine in his hands, Fu Tingyu asked, “Miss Xu, do you know who gave this to me?”
Fu Tingyu’s words snapped her out of the haze of awkwardness she had been mired in. She gave the fondant figurine another once over. How on earth would she know who had given it to him?
There were many women in the company with similar appearances. Just because there was a passing resemblance did not mean that the figurine was of her.
In any case, it could not have been Qin Shu who had given them to him.
Xu Wei looked at Fu Tingyu as if he had grown a second head. He was usually such a serious man. When did he become a love-sick romantic?
Fu Tingyu stared at the fondant figurine affectionately. Without waiting for Xu Wei’s response, he volunteered the answer on her behalf, “My wife gave it to me as a gift.”
The deep baritone of his voice rumbled as if he was speaking to himself.
Xu Wei listened slack-jawed.
Was the fondant figurine really from Qin Shu?
How was it possible?
Before she could react, Fu Tingyu’s voice sounded in her ears, “Is there something you need from me, Miss Xu?”
Recalling the purpose of her visit, she answered, “I just wanted to see if you were busy. Would you like to pay grandmother a visit with me? Xiaoyan isn’t around and she is rather lonely by herself.”
“My wife will be back in a few days. I will go and see grandma with her. Thank you for your concern, Miss Xu.”
The smile plastered on her lips froze in a comic caricature of a statue. Her cheeks flushed an ugly shade of reddish-purple. Fu Tingyu had not even bothered to look at her as he dismissed her invitation.
Xu Wei was at a loss for words. She had lost count of the number of times she had been disregarded so brazenly and the humiliation she suffered was at an all-time high.
“Is Qin Shu returning soon? Grandmother mentioned her a while ago. It will be a great showing of filial piety for her to visit grandmother. I shall go ahead of you to pay my respects.”
Xu Wei was not sure how she had managed to coerce those words out of her but she ultimately did so and left shortly after.
Her background was not enough to cultivate a relationship with him and if she wanted to become his woman, she needed to make use of all the cards available to her.
Gritting her teeth, Xu Wei clenched her red designer handbag and stormed out of the park.
Meanwhile, in a sprawling forest stretching across a seemingly boundless mountain range, the fragrant aroma of cooking meat wafted in the air.
Qin Shu stared hungrily at the piece of roasted rabbit meat in Han Xiao’s hands. It had been roasting over the fire pit for some time now and the aromatic smell of cooked meat lingered in the air. She could not help but swallow her saliva longingly.
Seeing that his roast rabbit was almost ready, Han Xiao picked up his clean hunting knife and severed its hind leg; plating it on a dish he had prepared earlier.
Han Xiao wielded the knife deftly, slicing the rabbit meat into thin and even slices.
Qin Shu observed his fluid actions with keen interest. He was surprisingly adept with a knife in hand.
The skilful weaving of his knife alone was enough to show how particular Han Xiao was.
If it had been Ye Luo preparing the meat, he would have simply torn the rabbit’s flesh and eaten with his hands. He would not have used a knife to slice off the meat piece by piece before consuming it.
Han Xiao placed the neat slices of rabbit onto a dish and passed it over to Qin Shu. “Eat.”
Qin Shu was practically starving. Her senses locked on to the fragrant dish of rabbit meat and soon she was shovelling food down her throat with a pair of clean chopsticks.
Han Xiao watched as Qin Shu cleaned the plate of cooked rabbit with ravenous ease. “How does it taste?”
It was her first time eating roast rabbit out in the woods. It tasted as good as any she had eaten in a restaurant, maybe even a little better.
“It’s delicious. It tastes even better than those prepared by professional chefs. Your knife work was simply exquisite. I don’t feel like I’m sitting in the middle of a forest eating roast rabbit but a Michelin starred restaurant that looks like one.”
The greatest honour a chef ever receives is the joy in which their customers partake in the food they have cooked.
Han Xiao was a little different from a regular chef, though. Where a normal chef enjoys praise from those who relish in their cooking, Han Xiao only wanted recognition from one special person.
Although it was too early for him to say whether Qin Shu was that special person, Han Xiao was still happy to hear that she liked his cooking.
On the surface, however, he betrayed none of his emotions.
Instead, he channelled his energy into the small hunting dagger in his hand and continued carving up the hapless rabbit.
He had plucked out its bones, sliced its meat into bite-sized chunks, and plated it before picking up his chopstick to eat the meal he had prepared.
Qin Shu finished her share of roast rabbit in record time, feeling a little stuffed. Being able to eat meat in a mountain forest was a luxury and a sense of satisfaction rolled off her delicate form.
Han Xiao cleaned up the mess after he had finished eating.
Qin Shu sat by the side as he worked. She had offered to help him clean up but he would not let her. Han Xiao seemed to think that where there were men around, women had no need to lift a linger or offer a hand.
It was hard to imagine that a cold and quiet man like Han Xiao would not only look good but also be a competent cook, a knowledgeable man and a repository of life experiences.
Inferior. That was what she was in every shape and form. A sheltered woman like her could not hope to hold a candle to him.
Han Xiao was calm, reserved, and responsible.
Once he had finished packing up, Han Xiao made his way to Qin Shu’s side and sat next to her. Her legs were splayed on the ground while her hands rested on her knees. She was staring at the dying embers of their bonfire.
“Since you already have a doctorate, why did you spend three years of your life in high school?”
Qin Shu hugged her knees, crossing her arms around her legs, and rested her chin on them. She had been meaning to ask Han Xiao this question for a long time now.
Han Xiao mulled over Qin Shu’s question, weighing the answers that sprang to mind.
“You don’t need to answer if it makes you feel uncomfortable. I’m just curious, that’s all. Everyone has their own reasons for doing the things they do.”
Qin Shu interpreted Han Xiao’s hesitation as reluctance. She thought her question might have been too invasive, putting him in a difficult position. Qin Shu knew better than most that a person had a reason for doing the things they did – she was no exception.
When she had been reborn in her present body, there were many who were not able to come to terms with her sudden change or the actions she took thereafter.
She knew herself best and no one could tell her otherwise.
Eventually, Han Xiao broke the silence and said, “I’m looking for someone.”
