Chicken Soup

At dinner, Li Changle looked at Wang Siyi and saw that she seemed relaxed, no longer troubled as she had been before. He breathed a sigh of relief.

At last, the woman was acting a little more normally. If this had gone on any longer, he'd been thinking of taking her to see a therapist.

"I'm planning to use the song Red Bean you wrote as the lead single for my new album. What do you think?"

Wang Siyi asked as soon as she'd finished eating.

This time, it was Li Changle's turn to be stunned. Had she worked things out?

But then he decided it made sense. She loved singing, after all.

Before, she'd been struggling because she didn't have any good songs or a good environment, yet she'd still been determined to sing and release a new album.

Now that he'd solved the song problem for her, she was bound to give it a try.

It was what he'd expected, but after seeing her cry so miserably before, he hoped nothing would go wrong this time.

"The song was meant for you in the first place. Sing it however you like."

Li Changle said it casually.

"No. You wrote it, so I have to ask for your permission."

"Then, yeah, I think that's fine."

Wang Siyi nodded. "Then I'll buy the song from you. I'll pay you the going rate for a top-tier musician—500,000 yuan per song. Give me your bank account number and I'll transfer the money."

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Li Changle had just taken a sip of soup. Hearing that Wang Siyi was going to give him money again—and 500,000 yuan this time—he choked.

Wang Siyi hurriedly got him a roll of tissues, then went around to pat him on the back a few times.

She asked anxiously, "Are you okay? Are you all right?"

Why was this woman always trying to throw money at him? Li Changle couldn't understand it.

"I don't want the money. Just count it as rent for staying here."

Once he'd caught his breath and felt like he'd recovered completely, Li Changle quickly said this to Wang Siyi.

"You're staying here because you saved me. That's one thing. You wrote a song for me, so of course I should pay you for it."

Wang Siyi frowned as she looked at Li Changle.

"Anyway, I'm not taking the money."

As if! Did he, Li Changle, need a rich woman to keep him? He was practically well-off himself now.

The first royalty payment for Legend of Sword and Fairy 1 had already come in. It was a seven-figure sum, and that was just last month's royalties.

When the money arrived, he'd sent 100,000 yuan home. He hadn't dared send more, afraid his parents would worry and think he wasn't doing legitimate work. Even so, the amount had shocked them.

And his royalties for finishing the book this month hadn't even been calculated yet. The payments would only keep growing from here.

Besides, he was now a platinum author on Chinese Web Novel Platform!

He was the first person in the platform's history to go from LV1 to platinum in less than three months. He was claiming the title of the fastest man on Chinese Web Novel Platform.

This rich woman was both beautiful and wealthy, but Li Changle was firm in his stance. No matter what Wang Siyi said, he wasn't willing to accept the 500,000 yuan.

"If you don't want the 500,000 yuan, then you have to agree to one thing."

Wang Siyi thought about it. He wasn't short of money anyway, so whether she paid him or not didn't matter. In that case—

A sly glint appeared in her beautiful eyes.

"You have to keep living here. You can't move out without my permission. Stay here and help me clean the house."

Uh...

Wasn't that worth much more than 500,000 yuan? Either of these apartments was worth several million. What she was saying was practically the same as giving him the place.

"I—"

"No refusing. If you do, I'll tell my dad you bullied me."

Wang Siyi said this to Li Changle with a huff.

"What! You can't falsely accuse an innocent person!"

Li Changle was horrified. Wang Weimin was absolutely the sort of father who spoiled his daughter, and he was pretty controlling, too. If Wang Siyi hadn't fallen out with him—

Li Changle could easily imagine Wang Weimin throwing him out one night.

If Wang Siyi told him that Li Changle had bullied her, Wang Weimin would probably come over with a watermelon knife and give him a talk about life and ideals. Then he'd be in for a rough time.

"Then you're not allowed to refuse."

"Fine, fine, fine. I'll live here. I'll stay until I'm old and never move out. Don't you dare regret it."

Li Changle was getting annoyed too, and he shot back a harsh threat. This woman was really something. He'd never met anyone so eager to keep him.

Wang Siyi wished he'd never move out for the rest of his life.

"You said it! Pinky swear!"

As soon as Wang Siyi heard him say he'd stay until he was old, she excitedly held out her pinky. Even if he'd meant it as a joke, what if he hadn't? She was going to hold him to it.

"Hey, hey, Wang Siyi, what's gotten into you? I was joking. Can chicken soup get you drunk, too?"

Li Changle felt like he couldn't handle this version of Wang Siyi. She was being clingy again.

"I don't care. I want to make a pinky promise, and you're not allowed to take it back!"

"Take back what?"

"You're not allowed to take back anything!"

"Fine, fine, fine. I won't."

Li Changle reluctantly hooked pinkies with Wang Siyi. He had no idea what she meant, but she just kept insisting that he couldn't go back on his word.

Was he the kind of person who didn't keep his promises?

Of course not. He'd been called Honest Young Man ever since he was a kid.

After they made their promise, the chattering Wang Siyi suddenly fell silent. She didn't say another word, and the air around her turned cool and distant again.

Looking at Wang Siyi, who seemed like a completely different person from a moment ago, Li Changle felt a shiver run down his spine. How could she switch personalities so quickly? It was absurd.

He wondered why Wang Siyi could seem like several different people. Could she have multiple personalities?

He remembered reading a novel in which the heroine had several personalities. Apparently, that was a psychological illness.

It was an illness. She needed treatment!

He hesitated over whether to ask Wang Siyi if she'd consider seeing a therapist. But then he thought it would be rather presumptuous. It wasn't very polite to ask something like that.

Then Wang Siyi suddenly raised her head and looked at Li Changle tenderly. She said softly,

"I'm leaving for Shanghai the morning after tomorrow."

Li Changle fell silent for a moment, then answered with a quiet acknowledgment.

"Tomorrow I want chicken soup—the kind I had the morning after I got drunk."

Wang Siyi made a request that seemed to come out of nowhere.

Chicken soup? Didn't she drink it every day? Li Changle thought the chicken soup he made tasted the same every time.

"You're having chicken soup tonight, aren't you? It's the same recipe. Does it taste different?"

Wang Siyi looked at Li Changle's puzzled expression. It seemed he didn't understand what had been different about that morning's chicken soup, either.

But Wang Siyi could clearly feel that the chicken soup that morning had warmed her heart more, and tasted sweeter.

"It was different. The chicken soup that morning was delicious."

Wang Siyi shook her head as she answered Li Changle.

"That's strange. Maybe the old hen was fresher in the morning? No, that can't be right. We slaughtered it fresh."

"Could it be that you'd been drunk the night before and felt unwell, so the soup seemed better to you at the time?"

Li Changle asked cautiously, testing the waters.

"I don't know. I just want chicken soup that tastes like it did that morning. I don't care."

How about getting drunk again tonight? Li Changle couldn't bring himself to say something like that, and he wouldn't dare do such a thing anyway.

Wang Siyi was a terrible drunk. Li Changle had seen plenty of drunk people, but he'd never met anyone else like her—someone who pounded on doors when drunk and became dozens of times more emotional than usual.

"Fine, fine, fine. I'll buy a chicken tomorrow morning. We'll have soup—damn it, if one bowl isn't enough, we'll have two!"

Seeing Li Changle like that, Wang Siyi wasn't angry. She just smiled, her eyes curving at the corners. He was always like this. In all the time they'd lived together, she'd never seen him lose his temper once. He had such a good disposition.

She could pick on him all she wanted; he'd never pick on her anyway. What could she say? He was too honest. Honest people deserved to be bullied. Hmph.

The next day, Li Changle got up at six and went to the market to buy a freshly slaughtered old hen and a bundle of ingredients. Then he got busy in the kitchen.

Wang Siyi seemed to have gotten up early, too. After washing up, she sat on the sofa watching Li Changle cook. Every now and then, she pointed her phone at him. He didn't know what she was doing, but he didn't ask.

"Breakfast is ready," Li Changle called.

Looking at the pot of chicken soup and the two bowls of noodles on the table, Li Changle felt a little helpless. She'd gotten up so early just to drink chicken soup. What a hassle.

And eating something so greasy in the morning wasn't good for her, either. But Wang Siyi never seemed to care about things like that. On top of that, Li Changle had never seen her exercise.

She'd been living here for two months, eating like crazy every day, and she was still just as slim. Li Changle's eyes practically turned into two sour lemons.

"Not bad."

Wang Siyi came over excitedly and served herself a small bowl of chicken soup. She skimmed off the oil, gently blew on it a few times, then took a delicate sip.

Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, though not enough to be obvious. She said nothing and silently drank the soup.

This chicken soup tasted much better than usual, but it wasn't the same as the soup she'd had the morning after she got drunk.

But she didn't tell Li Changle. He probably didn't know what had made that soup taste different, either.

Maybe it had just been a coincidence. Or maybe Li Changle was right and it was because she'd been drunk the night before.

After slowly finishing her soup, she stood up. This time, she wanted to clear the dishes and wash them herself.

She was leaving the next day, and she didn't know when she'd be back. Li Changle had always taken care of the dishes, and she wanted to do it at least once.

Li Changle didn't stop her. Surely this woman couldn't be so hopeless that she didn't know how to wash dishes.

"Crash!"

The sound of a plate breaking came from the kitchen. Li Changle covered his face with both hands.

"I'm such an idiot. I knew Wang Siyi was a woman who only knew how to eat, but I had no idea she really couldn't even wash dishes."

Li Changle stood up and couldn't help smacking himself in the mouth.

He saw that Wang Siyi was even bending down to pick up the shards, and hurriedly shouted,

"Don't move!"

Wang Siyi had just bent over. Her outstretched hand froze.

Li Changle hurried over and led her out of the kitchen.

"Fairies should just sit pretty and stay above the mundane world. Why on earth would you try washing dishes?"

"What about your hands? Are they hurt?"

Wang Siyi smiled sheepishly. Seeing that Li Changle had immediately worried about her instead of blaming her, she started grinning like an idiot again.

"Hey, what are you grinning about? I'm asking if you hurt your hands."

Sometimes Li Changle really wondered whether Wang Siyi had seven personalities. She was different every time he saw her.

"Oh—oh?"

"I'm fine. Sorry, I... I've never washed dishes before."

Wang Siyi lowered her head in embarrassment, her face turning a little red.

"As long as you're okay. Just sit tight. I'll handle this kind of thing."

After saying that, Li Changle went to get a broom and dustpan. He cleaned up the broken ceramic pieces, then washed the dishes again.

Wang Siyi was still sitting on the sofa with her head down, saying nothing. She looked a little dejected. "Am I completely useless? I can't even wash dishes."

"You're a fairy. You don't have to wash dishes. You just need to sing."

Seeing Wang Siyi look as if she were questioning her whole existence, he sighed.

Everyone was the same. No one was born knowing how to do everything. Breaking a dish the first time you washed one was perfectly normal.

"Oh."

"Can you take me to the airport tomorrow?"

Wang Siyi raised her head and looked at Li Changle hopefully.

"What time's your flight?"

"Half past nine."

"Sure. Let's have breakfast before you go. I'll make it for you tomorrow."

Li Changle thought about it, then said this to Wang Siyi.

Wang Siyi just looked at Li Changle, her expression gentle. He was always so thoughtful. When he was around, she felt completely at ease.

"Thank you."

Li Changle was lying in bed. It was already one o'clock, and he still couldn't sleep. Whenever he thought about Wang Siyi leaving and how little time she might spend here after that, his chest felt heavy.

Had he... gotten used to having her around?

Li Changle thought about it carefully. When he'd first moved in with Wang Siyi, seeing her enjoy the food he cooked had filled him with a sense of accomplishment.

Later, she left, and for a while he lost interest in cooking. He ordered takeout for several days.

Then she came back, and he found the joy of cooking again. And because she was so particular about food, his cooking seemed to have improved, too.

"Oh, I get it. Cooking for myself just doesn't feel rewarding."

That was what Li Changle told himself, but something still seemed off. Ever since Wang Siyi had gotten drunk, he'd been cooking more often and making a greater variety of dishes.

"Time to sleep. I still have to go to the market tomorrow morning."

With a jumble of unresolved thoughts in his head, Li Changle fell asleep.

But Wang Siyi couldn't sleep. She looked around the familiar room. She'd been living here for a month now.

Ever since she'd gotten drunk, she hadn't gone back to live in the apartment across from his.

She hadn't brought it up, and Li Changle hadn't noticed—or maybe he had noticed, but hadn't realized what it meant?

Wang Siyi was now certain of her feelings. She liked Li Changle. She was leaving this time only to find out whether he truly had feelings for her.

She couldn't bear to be away from Li Changle. If he didn't feel the same way about her, what was she supposed to do? Her thoughts kept swirling around, and she couldn't calm down for a long time.

The next day, Li Changle noticed that Wang Siyi had dark circles under her eyes, just like him. But she seemed to be in a bad mood. She didn't tease him or call him over to sit down.

Li Changle had made noodles—the same kind Wang Siyi had eaten the first time. They were simple noodles with chicken broth.

Wang Siyi absentmindedly took a sip of the broth, then her eyes lit up.

"How did you make this soup?"

Li Changle yawned. "I went to bed too late last night and got up too early. I'm a little tired."

Li Changle had noticed Wang Siyi frowning while drinking the chicken soup yesterday.

Li Changle couldn't figure out what had gone wrong, and decided to give it another try.

"I really like this flavor."

Wang Siyi said it out of the blue.

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