Su Miaoyin added Yan Ruanning on WeChat.
She stared at her phone for several seconds, confirming that the profile picture in her friend list was indeed Yan Ruanning, then took a deep breath and put her phone back in her bag.
Cheng Che came out of the kitchen carrying dishes.
A plate of stir-fried green peppers with pork, a plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes, a plate of stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and a pot of seaweed and egg drop soup.
The presentation isn't particularly refined, but the aroma is very strong.
"Dinner's ready." He placed the dishes on the coffee table.
Qin Lie followed them out of the kitchen, carrying bowls and chopsticks, and distributed them to everyone.
The four people sat around the coffee table.
Cheng Che and Qin Lie sat on one side, Yan Ruanning and Su Miaoyin sat opposite them.
Su Miaoyin was still a little reserved, sitting on the sofa with her back ramrod straight.
But her restraint wasn't because of Cheng Che, but because of the person opposite her.
Yan Ruanning was sitting directly opposite her.
Su Miaoyin glanced at it secretly, then glanced at it again, and then glanced at it once more.
Her heart was pounding, but she had to pretend to be calm.
Yan Ruanning, on the other hand, seemed quite natural.
She picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of stir-fried green peppers and pork, put it in her mouth, and chewed it.
"Not bad," she said casually.
She actually thought it tasted delicious, but she wasn't in a good mood, so it tasted bland.
Cheng Che smiled and said, "It'll have to do."
Qin Lie picked up a piece of scrambled eggs with tomatoes with his chopsticks, chewed it a couple of times, and nodded. "What do you mean 'make do'? It's actually quite good. When did you learn to cook, kid?"
"I learned it in high school. My family runs a breakfast shop, and I've helped out since I was little."
Upon hearing this, Yan Ruanning glanced at Cheng Che.
Her gaze lingered on his face for a second, then returned to him without saying anything.
Su Miaoyin also picked up a piece of meat, and after eating it, her eyes lit up.
"It's delicious," she said. "You're a great cook."
"Generally."
"Much better than me." Su Miaoyin put down her chopsticks, her tone serious. "I can only cook instant noodles, and I often overcook them."
Yan Ruanning picked up a piece of green vegetable with her chopsticks and said slowly:
"It'll be quite troublesome for a girl if she can't cook."
Su Miaoyin's smile froze for a second.
She could tell.
This wasn't just a casual remark; it was a direct jab at her.
She wasn't stupid; she had already realized that Yan Ruanning mistakenly thought she liked Cheng Che.
Su Miaoyin quickly made a decision in her mind.
Yan Ruanning's comment that "it's troublesome for a girl if she can't cook" is an implication that she is not virtuous enough and is not good enough for Cheng Che.
In other words, Yan Ruanning considers Cheng Che one of her own and is trying to make her back down.
But Su Miaoyin didn't care about Cheng Che at all.
She cared about Yan Ruanning.
If Yan Ruanning distances herself from her because of this misunderstanding, how will she ever get close to her again?
Moreover, Su Miaoyin didn't think that adding Yan Ruanning on WeChat would automatically improve their relationship.
Therefore, she has to pretend not to like Cheng Che.
Therefore, Su Miaoyin quickly adjusted her strategy.
She looked at Cheng Che, smiled, and spoke naturally:
"By the way, when are you coming to the music club next? Did you digest what I said last time? I can give you some advanced material."
Her goal was simple.
She wanted Yan Ruanning to know that she and Cheng Che were only teacher and student.
She cared about his musical talent, not him as a person.
Before Cheng Che could answer, Yan Ruanning spoke up first, "He's been learning music arrangement from me recently."
Su Miaoyin turned her head, paused for a moment, and asked, "You... taught him to compose music?"
"Hmm." Yan Ruanning's tone was casual. "He's already laid a solid foundation, so learning music arrangement is perfect for him."
Su Miaoyin's heart sank.
Yan Ruanning personally taught him how to compose music, which shows that their relationship was much closer than she thought.
But she couldn't back down; if she did, she wouldn't even have a reason to see Yan Ruanning anymore.
Then Su Miaoyin came up with a brilliant idea.
She sat up straight, looked at Yan Ruanning, her expression serious and her tone sincere. " Sister Ning, can I learn music arrangement from you too?"
Yan Ruanning was taken aback.
Su Miaoyin continued:
"Although I'm the president of the music club, arranging has always been my weakness. I'm okay at writing lyrics and melodies, but I always get stuck when it comes to arranging. If you're willing to teach me, I can pay tuition."
As she spoke, she took out her phone and opened the transfer interface. "You name the price for one lesson, I won't haggle."
Yan Ruanning's chopsticks stopped in mid-air.
She stared at the transfer interface in Su Miaoyin's hand, her mind racing.
Is this girl genuinely interested in learning music composition, or is she using it as a pretext to get closer to Cheng Che?
If I teach her, does that give her a reason to spend every day with Cheng Che?
Seeing that she didn't speak, Su Miaoyin quickly added:
"Don't worry, Sister Ning, I definitely won't disturb your and Cheng Che's teaching. I can sit in on your lessons, and I can practice on my own afterwards. I can ask you questions privately if I have any."
Her eyes were very sincere when she spoke.
She genuinely wanted to learn music arrangement and also wanted to take this opportunity to get closer to Yan Ruanning.
As for Cheng Che, she didn't care at all.
But to Yan Ruanning, the meaning of those words was completely different.
I sat in on your classes.
Isn't this just a way for him to use the guise of taking classes with me to legitimately stay by Cheng Che's side?
Yan Ruanning pursed her lips slightly.
Su Miaoyin added, "As for tuition, I'll pay double the market price. I really want to learn; I'm not joking."
Yan Ruanning stared at her for two seconds.
Then she smiled.
"Okay," she said. "Then you'll have to pay the tuition. It's a thousand yuan an hour, twice a week, with Cheng Che."
Su Miaoyin was overjoyed and immediately transferred the money for four lessons.
She thought to herself that seeing Yan Ruanning twice a week from now on would make the money well spent.
Moreover, by auditing Cheng Che's classes, he could secretly observe what kind of people Yan Ruanning liked and gradually adjust his own behavior accordingly.
As Yan Ruanning looked at the payment notification on her phone, she thought to herself:
Since you've delivered yourself right to my doorstep, I'll keep an eye on you. I want to see what you're up to.
Each with their own thoughts, they glanced at each other and smiled.
Cheng Che listened from the side, completely confused.
He glanced at Yan Ruanning, then at Su Miaoyin, and said with a smile, "Great, then I have a new junior sister."
Qin Lie, holding his bowl, watched the entire process from the side.
He lowered his head, took a mouthful of rice, and chewed it very slowly.
Then he leaned back on the sofa, looked at Cheng Che, and his eyes were full of "Are you really that clueless, or are you just pretending?"
Cheng Che glanced at him. "Why are you looking at me?"
"It's nothing." Qin Lie put down his bowl, stood up, and patted his shoulder. "I'm leaving now. Remember to check the agency contract tomorrow, and then remember to go to the filming location; we're shooting a commercial."
He walked to the door and glanced back.
Yan Ruanning and Su Miaoyin were still sitting on the sofa, each holding their phones, one looking at transfer records and the other looking at their friend list.
Cheng Che stood in the middle, looking bewildered.
Qin Lie closed the door, stood in the courtyard, and shook his head.
"That kid," he muttered, "Good luck to him."
Inside the room, Su Miaoyin stood up, picked up her bag, and glanced at Yan Ruanning: " Sister Ning, it's settled then. Twice a week, Cheng Che and I will go to class together."
"Um."
Su Miaoyin walked to the door, turned back to Cheng Che and said, "See you at the music club tomorrow. No, see you in class next week."
"Good."
The door closed.
Only Cheng Che and Yan Ruanning remained in the room.
Cheng Che sat down on the sofa, picked up a glass of water, and took a sip.
Yan Ruanning turned her head to look at him.
She lives across the street from you?
"Um."
"Do you see each other often?"
No, it just happened to be today.
Yan Ruanning stared at him for two seconds, then stood up and picked up her coat.
I'm leaving too.
"I send you."
"No need." Yan Ruanning walked to the door, glanced back at him, and said, "You'll be at the studio for class tomorrow. Two o'clock in the afternoon, don't be late."
"Good."
The door closed.
Cheng Che sat on the sofa, put down the cup, and let out a long sigh.
He felt a little tired after the meal, but couldn't quite put his finger on why.
He took out his phone and sent a message to Yan Ruanning.
[ Cheng Che: Let me know when you get home.]
The other party replied instantly.
[ Yan Ruanning: Mm.]
Then another one came along.
[ Yan Ruanning: Do you still have any houses for rent?]
Cheng Che stared at the message, momentarily stunned.
Renting a house?
How would I know? Shouldn't you ask Xiao Zhou about this?
Cheng Che scratched his head, but still opened the landlord's WeChat and asked.