The Secret Realm of Time, His and Her Life Through the Changes

Shang Yibo hung up the phone, handed it back to Zhou Yanruo, and said nothing.

He focused intently on picking through the vegetables, carefully selecting them, and finally put a bag of tomatoes and a bag of cucumbers into his shopping cart.

"You know how to make scrambled eggs with tomatoes, right? You also know how to make cucumber salad, right?" It was unclear whether he was talking to himself or asking Zhou Yanruo.

Next, they saw a small piece of sliced ​​winter melon, and both of them reached out to take it at the same time.

Zhou Yanruo withdrew her hand, clearly stunned for a moment, and stammered, "You want to make 'Winter Melon and Meatball Soup'? It's your specialty."

"What you like," Shang Yibo said in a deep voice.

“It’s what he likes,” Zhou Yanruo couldn’t help but sigh softly.

This time, it was Shang Yibo's turn to be stunned, thinking, "So she remembered everything."

Before he could ask, Zhou Yanruo's phone rang again.

This time, the caller was Qi Qingnan: "Yanruo, did you go grocery shopping with Yibo?"

We are at the "Haojiale" supermarket.

"My dear ancestors, can you please stop this nonsense? I'm begging you. I'm about to be scolded to death, and you two are leisurely shopping in the supermarket."

“Ding Jiajia called just now and asked Yibo to come back to the company, but he refused to go back. He insisted on having lunch first and then cooking for himself.”

"Then can you please not let anyone take pictures of you? Go check Weibo, photos of the two of you shopping at the supermarket have been posted online."

Zhou Yanruo subconsciously looked around. In the entire supermarket, apart from a few staff members arranging goods in the aisles, no one seemed to notice them.

Even so, Yibo really shouldn't be allowed to act recklessly. It's just that he's a child and he's being willful, and his half-baked manager can't be so unprofessional.

Zhou Yanruo approached Shang Yibo and whispered, "Yibo, let's go. Someone is filming you here, and it's already been posted online. I wonder what kind of trouble this will cause."

Shang Yibo followed Zhou Yanruo's gaze and looked around. He readily agreed, "We've bought almost everything. Let's go back to the apartment and cook."

As they went to pay, they passed by a fresh meat stall and bought another half pound of ground pork.

Forty minutes later, I returned to the apartment.

"You take a break, I'll go cook." Shang Yibo said naturally, and then took the ingredients directly to the kitchen.

Zhou Yanruo asked in surprise, "What can you do? Let me do it."

She followed Shang Yibo into the kitchen.

……

Soon, three dishes and a soup were served: smashed cucumber, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, boiled shrimp, and winter melon meatball soup.

Although it's simple, it looks quite presentable and has a great color, aroma, and taste.

Shang Yibo and Zhou Yanruo sat facing each other on either side of the dining table, both quite happy with their achievements.

"How could I not know? I can cook." Shang Yibo pouted and boasted to Zhou Yanruo, "Come and try my cooking."

"It really makes me look at you in a new light. You, a young master and a big star, can actually cook," Zhou Yanruo said with a smile.

Shang Yibo ladled a bowl of 'winter melon and meatball soup' and placed it in front of Zhou Yanruo, then handed her a spoon.

Zhou Yanruo took a small sip of soup, and the smile on her face instantly disappeared. She looked up at Shang Yibo in front of her, her eyes gradually reddening and becoming moist. She asked in a hoarse voice, "This taste... how could this be? How did you know that I put vinegar in my winter melon soup?"

Shang Yibo felt a sudden pang of sorrow in his heart, and he raised his eyebrows slightly to look at Zhou Yanruo without saying a word.

But her heart was surging with emotions, and she desperately wanted to say, "Thankfully, taste can never lie. Ruoruo, do you still like this flavor?"

Then, she said sadly, "It's a pity that this is the most pathetic time for me. The person you are thinking of now is so outstanding. I feel ashamed of myself."

Zhou Yanruo looked at Shang Yibo, who was standing there in a daze, and realized that she had been somewhat out of line.

Just one sip of soup reminded her of Wang Jie, and what was he doing with the child in front of her?

Zhou Yanruo quickly composed herself and said awkwardly, "Excuse me, I meant to say, the soup was delicious. Where did you learn to make it? You are…"

She hesitated for a moment, then said, "You remind me of a friend I knew a long time ago."

"Friends?" Shang Yibo drawled out his displeasure.

"You're friends, you're very similar."

"Oh? It looks a lot like her?" Shang Yibo stared at Zhou Yanruo inquiringly, waiting for her to continue.

“On a hot day like today, he likes to make me winter melon meatball soup. At first, he really didn’t know how to cook. Back then, the internet wasn’t as developed as it is now, where you can find everything on Baidu.”

"He tried many times and finally felt that he had mastered the cooking skills and could show off his skills in front of me."

"That day, around this time of year, the weather was very hot, especially in the south, where the weather is humid and muggy."

He said he was ready and could make me a "winter melon meatball soup," which is both cooling and refreshing, and also provides protein for nutrition. However, in the final step before serving, he added vinegar instead of some light soy sauce to enhance the flavor.

Zhou Yanruo's lips curled up involuntarily, and a smile appeared on her face. She seemed to be talking about something very distant, immersed in it, slowly savoring it.

She spoke very slowly, as if speaking too fast would cause the beautiful moments to disappear even faster.

"Who would have thought that, by sheer accident, the 'winter melon meatball soup' with vinegar would be unexpectedly delicious. It not only neutralized the greasiness of the meatballs but also enhanced the freshness of the winter melon soup. In the height of summer, when people have poor appetites, this soup can also help to stimulate their appetite."

Zhou Yanruo squinted her eyes, as if she could see those scenes if she focused them.

Shang Yibo narrowed his eyes as he saw Zhou Yanruo with her short, ear-length hair. As she lowered her head to drink her soup, her hair fell across her face. She tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled at him...

After a moment, Zhou Yanruo's eyes dimmed, and she murmured, "He's long gone."

"Gone? You mean, you witnessed his death?"

Shang Yibo was trying very hard to get the question out.

"I... I don't know. I lost contact with him. I heard about it from his friend later."

Zhou Yanruo was also forcing herself to answer Shang Yibo's questions as best she could.

Shang Yibo desperately wanted to know how he got back here. What had Zhou Yanruo gone through after he left?

He was pondering how to explain this matter to Zhou Yanruo.

But how could I explain something to Zhou Yanruo when I myself hadn't even figured it out?

He thought of the private message he received on Weibo that morning: "Who is your biological father? Why is that woman by your side? Don't you want to know? They're all keeping it from you, don't you want to think about why? You big idiot!"

After reading the private message, he immediately deleted it. Because his Weibo account requires regular updates and maintenance, his colleagues Qingnan and Ding Jiajia also have login access.

Who is the 'woman' mentioned in the private message? Is it Zhou Yanruo? Why her?

Shang Yibo spent the entire morning pondering who had sent him that private message. The sender must be someone he knew, or at least someone in his family. However, if they knew each other, why would they use this method? What was the purpose behind it?

However, regardless of the circumstances, he planned to ask Chu Fanqing about his biological father when he got home that evening. Simply running away wasn't the solution; it was time to get some things cleared up.

The phone, which was on the dining table, suddenly rang.

This time, Shen Yihua called personally: "Yibo, have you eaten yet? You should come to the company. Many people are working for you now. Don't run away, don't be willful, be responsible and take charge."

"You really like the character Ling Shaojing, don't you? Now, due to the impact of public opinion, the production company has notified us to postpone your joining the crew. Of course, I am still negotiating with them."

"Everyone will do their best for your business, but you can't afford not to try."

"Sister Yihua, I'll be at the company in an hour."

"Okay, that's right. I'll have someone clear out the fans around the company. You can drive the car into the yard and get out."