Don't meet me in your next life.

“So what you like to eat, I like too,” Ji Jinnian said.

Xiang Yi raised an eyebrow: "So, you're just teasing me on purpose?"

“That’s right,” Ji Jinnian readily admitted, then asked, “What kind of dishes would you like to eat?”

"I'm easygoing." Xiang Yi shrugged. She wasn't picky about food; whatever she thought tasted good was the best.

"Then...sauerkraut fish, Mapo tofu, and braised eggplant."

Xiang Yi nodded, picked up her handbag, stood up, and said, "Alright, I'm leaving."

"Wait!" Ji Jinnian grabbed her arm and smiled mysteriously.

Xiang Yi was pulled back by him, and looked at him with confusion: "Is there anything else?"

Ji Jinnian winked at her: "No. I'll wait for you."

After he finished speaking, he released her.

Xiang Yi stared at him suspiciously, feeling that Ji Jinnian was acting strangely today.

A moment later, his assistant came over with a tray, on which was a large bowl of steaming hot sauerkraut fish soup and a plate of braised eggplant.

He handed the chopsticks to Xiang Yi: "Try it."

Xiang Yi took the chopsticks, looked at the bowl of soup, then at Ji Jinnian, unsure of what to say.

His assistant was watching from the side, constantly giving her meaningful glances, signaling her to drink it quickly.

Xiang Yi bit her lip, picked up the soup bowl, scooped a spoonful and put it in her mouth.

The tangy flavor exploded in her mouth, stimulating her taste buds, and she immediately coughed.

She covered her mouth, staring at Ji Jinnian in disbelief: "You...how did you know...I...don't like...sour food..."

"Then I won't eat it." Ji Jinnian said, picked up her handbag, and got up to leave.

Xiang Yi quickly called out to him, "Wait a minute, don't misunderstand, I...I..."

For a moment, she didn't know how to explain it to him, so she just made up a reason: "I didn't know you liked sour food... I thought... I thought..."

The more she talked, the more agitated she became, and the less she could explain herself. Finally, she stomped her foot and shouted, "I'm not eating it! I hate sour food!"

Upon hearing this, Ji Jinnian finally couldn't help but laugh. He turned around, walked up to Xiang Yiyi, ruffled her hair, and said, "Silly girl, I was just teasing you!"

"You're the idiot!" Xiang Yi glared at him. "You're just messing with me on purpose!"

"How could I dare!" Ji Jinnian looked aggrieved, then reached out and patted her head. "Alright, let's eat."

Xiang Yi glared at him and sat down to eat.

After finishing her meal, she picked up her phone, ready to call Shen Mu, but hesitated for a long time before finally deciding not to press the call button.

She knew that she and he were no longer friends, and since she was still living at the Ji family's house, she would definitely anger him if she called Shen Mu rashly.

Forget it, let's wait until he goes back to China. Maybe he'll have forgotten about it by then?

She comforted herself with this thought, then put her phone away.

All she could see was his image.

Every time she thinks of him, a feeling of happiness wells up inside her; she is truly deeply infatuated with him.

Ji Jinnian watched her quietly from the side.

He knew that she was thinking about another man, a man named Shen Mu.

She loved Shen Mu more than she had imagined.

But it doesn't matter, as long as it makes her happy, he's willing to give anything.

---Aside---

When Xiang Yi returned to the hotel, it was already 9 p.m. It was the weekend, and she figured there shouldn't be anything to do, so she decided to stay at the hotel and sleep for the night.

But to my surprise, I had just lain down in bed when the doorbell rang.

As soon as Xiang Yi got dressed, she went downstairs and opened the door, only to find Ji Jinnian standing in front of her in a bathrobe.

"What are you doing?" Xiang Yi took a step back warily and asked him with a frown.

He's dressed so scantily, could he be plotting something against her?

“I want to talk to you,” Ji Jinnian said.

Xiang Yi was taken aback; she didn't want to be alone with him.

But she couldn't let him know she was staying at Ji Jinnian's house, so she said, "You can say whatever you want outside; you don't have to come inside."

“It’s inconvenient to talk inside,” Ji Jinnian refused directly.

"Then you can say it outside," Xiang Yi continued to decline.

Ji Jinnian noticed her hesitation, sighed, and said, "Can't you just let me in?"

Xiang Yi pursed her lips, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Alright then."

She stepped aside to let Ji Jinnian into the room.

The living room lights were off, but the moonlight streaming through the windows illuminated the entire room.

Xiang Yi stood in the entryway, watching Ji Jinnian take off his coat and drape it over the back of the chair.

He took off his suit jacket, rolled up his shirt sleeves to reveal a fine wristwatch, clearly indicating that he had just returned from the company and hadn't had time to change yet.

He sat down on the sofa, then glanced at Xiang Yi: "I'm hungry."

Xiang Yi looked at him and said, "You can eat something if you're hungry."

Ji Jinnian shook his head: "Your cooking isn't to my liking."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the clanging and clattering of stir-frying vegetables came from the kitchen.

He got up and walked to the kitchen doorway.

Xiang Yi was wearing a pink floral apron and holding a spatula, skillfully stirring the contents of the pan.

Her hair was pulled up high, revealing her beautiful forehead and slender neck. Because she was focused on cooking, she did not notice someone approaching until she heard his magnetic and deep voice in her ear.

She was startled and reflexively threw away the spatula, then turned to look at Ji Jinnian.

Ji Jinnian leaned against the door frame, arms crossed, looking relaxed and content.

Xiang Yi was taken aback for a moment, then realized what he meant by "the food I cooked didn't suit my taste".

"What would you like to eat?" she asked, trying to calm herself down.

Ji Jinnian shrugged: "Anything is fine."

Looking at his handsome face, Xiang Yi felt a pang of disappointment, knowing she wouldn't be staying long. "What do you want to eat? I'll go buy it for you."

"Whatever," Ji Jinnian said casually, his gaze never leaving her face.

"Alright then," Xiang Yi said helplessly.

"Wait for me a moment." Ji Jinnian turned and went into the bedroom. A little while later, he came out again. He changed out of his bathrobe, put on casual clothes, took his car keys, and went out the door.

Watching his departing figure, Xiang Yi couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, thinking that she had finally gotten rid of the plague god.

She took out her phone and dialed Shen Mu's number.

The phone rang twice before being answered, and Shen Mu's lazy voice came through: "Hello?"

Xiang Yi's nose suddenly stung, and her throat felt like it was blocked by a stone, making her choke and unable to speak.

"Hello... Yi Yi?" Shen Mu's puzzled voice came from the other end of the phone.

Xiang Yi tried her best to control her emotions and asked calmly, "Shen Mu, where are you?"

"What's wrong?" Shen Mu asked.

“I want to see you,” Xiang Yi said softly.

Upon hearing this, Shen Mu paused, seemingly considering something.

“Okay, where are you?” Shen Mu agreed.

Xiang Yi gave him her address, hung up the phone, and then sat at the dining table in a daze for a while.