CHAPTER 22: CHAPTER 22 SO THAT’S HOW IT IS

Kang Zhong called Qin Jiran to attend a press conference. The details were not explained, he only mentioned it was Su Yanyi’s instruction, and it might relate to their relationship. Although Qin Jiran was somewhat puzzled, he wasn’t too surprised. For people like them in the entertainment industry, it was quite normal to hold press conferences when encountering such matters, although for Su Yanyi, this was rare.

Su Yanyi was someone with a high-profile persona but acted in a low-key manner. She could control the direction of public opinion in most media, yet rarely exposed herself to it. Or it could be said that everyone knew who Su Yanyi was, but very few knew the specifics.

On the contrary, Qin Jiran was low-key in person but high-profile in his actions, frequently in the public eye. However, as a star, this was inevitable.

In fact, Qin Jiran also surfed the internet when at home and naturally wouldn’t miss topics related to him and Su Yanyi. The claims that Su Yanyi was keeping him as a kept man really made him frown, but Qin Jiran wasn’t someone to be trifled with. He quickly realized that such reports were manipulated and immediately had people investigate. However, the leads were blurry, and no useful information had been found so far. Yet, he didn’t expect Su Yanyi to act so swiftly.

That afternoon, an hour before the press conference, which also happened to be lunchtime, Qin Jiran arrived at Su Yanyi’s office with two meal boxes in hand. This was something Kang Zhong specifically mentioned over the phone later on, naturally, at the behest of Su Yanyi.

Before entering, Qin Jiran still had Kang Zhong announce his arrival. However, Kang Zhong directly told him that Su Yanyi instructed him to enter directly, not just this time, but from now on as well.

This special treatment left Qin Jiran momentarily stunned, and he knocked on the door with a serious expression. After hearing the words "come in," he seriously adjusted his attire before stepping in with a firm stride.

Su Yanyi had already stood up upon hearing the knock. Seeing Qin Jiran enter, she pointed to the lounge inside the office and said, "I’m going to wash my hands, you can set up the meal."

It was Qin Jiran’s first time entering this lounge. The deep blue tone felt somewhat cold but was clearly Su Yanyi’s own style - cold yet refined and delicate. A small four-person dining table was placed in the corner on the left. Qin Jiran set up the food he brought, and soon Su Yanyi joined him.

The two quietly began their lunch. The meal was simple: four dishes and one soup—minced meat with eggplant, steamed bass, sweet and sour ribs, spinach with shrimp, and mixed mushroom soup. Simple, homestyle, but delicious.

Su Yanyi was very satisfied. Since getting married, she had rarely eaten such homestyle dishes—most of her meals came from takeouts from various big hotels. That’s why she particularly appreciated Qin Jiran’s cooking skills—it had a taste of home.

Actually, choosing this man to marry was a very wise decision. It was only later that she didn’t understand how to cherish him, and she felt some regret for what she missed. But no matter, the past was past, and the present and future were what she should strive for.

"Jiran, let’s go public with our relationship," she said. Since she no longer considered divorce, she might as well use this opportunity to go public with their relationship, to give Wang Zhilin a secret setback. She didn’t believe that woman wouldn’t be jealous seeing them so affectionate. Hmph!

The word "affectionate" flashed through Su Yanyi’s mind without much attention or significance, probably not even noticed by herself. Whether Qin Jiran would agree with her way of showing affection would depend on the tacit understanding between them.

To go public with the relationship, to keep it private, or to maintain ambiguity—all these options had flashed through Qin Jiran’s mind. He had seriously analyzed the pros and cons of each choice and their potential consequences. He had speculated about what Su Yanyi’s choice might be and secretly considered what he most hoped for. So Su Yanyi’s choice wasn’t beyond his expectations—after all, based on his understanding of her, he knew she was a person who disdained lying.

"Okay, I will cooperate with you," Qin Jiran said calmly, his expression showing neither joy nor anger.

Su Yanyi was somewhat dissatisfied with Qin Jiran’s reaction!

She was speaking of making their relationship public now! How could Qin Jiran remain so calm! Shouldn’t he be over the moon? How could he just casually say "I support" with an emotionless face! This is just too disappointing!

Darling, at least give me a genuine smile!

Su Yanyi felt her anger was becoming hard to suppress, and her disappointment was off the charts! But even with a belly full of dissatisfaction and complaints, Su Yanyi still maintained a cool expression, calmly nodding her head.

It must be said, those with a cold exterior often have a blazing heart within.

And it must be said, many of those who seem high and mighty, occasionally have a bit of a split personality inside.

"There’s an hour and a half until the press conference, do you want to rest for a bit?" Seeing Su Yanyi’s reluctance to talk more, Qin Jiran thought himself quite perceptive and said, as he felt her indifferent demeanor clearly implied he should leave.

Su Yanyi grew even more displeased upon hearing this. This man finished eating and now wanted to leave; did he not want to be with her? That shouldn’t be the case!

Once again, it must be said, these two really lacked understanding between them, which was truly frustrating.

Su Yanyi felt that her most important task now was to make Qin Jiran smile, and to make him smile required spending more time together; naturally, she didn’t want to let him go.

Quite seriously, Su Yanyi asked, "What shall we have for dinner tonight?"

"..." Qin Jiran decided that once he got back, he must search online for what to do about severe hallucinations!

"Why aren’t you speaking?" Seeing Qin Jiran without a response, Su Yanyi asked again, impatiently.

"What do you want to eat? I’ll cook it for you." Hallucinations can wait, Qin Jiran thought; right now, the most important thing was to learn how to cook!

Suddenly, Qin Jiran had an enlightened feeling. So the recent changes in Su Yanyi were because of his cooking! No wonder ever since that morning after breakfast, Su Yanyi’s attitude towards him had changed so much. That was it!

Qin Jiran decided that he must seriously learn to cook from now on, even if it was just to spend a little more time with Su Yanyi, it would be totally worth it!

As the saying goes, to catch a woman’s heart, one must first catch her stomach; the ancients really did not deceive me!

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