If this is not love

Chapter 22 is still here (2)
What a friend, almost ruined her good deed! "There is no need for friends to report private matters to you."

"It's not a report, but a sharing with me. Xiaoxu, our relationship is far more than just friends. Not to mention other things, who is at your disposal like a nanny these days? Now that the price of goods is soaring, it is very expensive to hire a part-time worker , especially for a high-quality, hard-to-find man like me, you can't be hired by money."

Now flirt with her, talk about feelings?Ruxu narrowed her eyes and looked at him through the slits in her eyes. "I know, I owe you a big favor this time, and I will pay it back in the future."

"Don't change the subject, did he promise you?"

"Promise what?"

"Accept your feelings and be your boyfriend!"

"No, he won't take his feelings as a joke like some people. The women around him can change new ones at any time like clothes."

Hearing this, Tan Shaojie leaned back into the big black leather chair and turned around freely, "The person you're talking about, can't just happen to be me?"

Ruxu pouted contemptuously: "Congratulations, you got the answer right! You're quite self-aware when you'll be seated."

"Hehe." Tan Shaojie's mood relaxed following her answer.

"Yichen knew what I wanted, but he didn't refuse, which is very precious. I have enough patience, and I will wait for him slowly." She understood that Yichen was in a conflict of self-emotion, time can change everything, and Can prove everything.On the day Yichen makes a decision, it must be the result of careful consideration, and she respects it regardless of success or failure.

He sneered lowly: "Wait for him another ten years? How many decades are there in life?"

"I cherish time, and I cherish opportunities even more." Ruxu stood up straight, "By the way, don't come to me without something in the future, it's really boring like this."

"Of course I came to you because of something." Tan Shaojie picked up the documents she sent over to prove it.

"If there is nothing else, I'll go out first." After taking two steps, Ruxu turned back to face him, and said seriously, "Young Master Tan, I solemnly say 'thank you', you have worked hard teaching me how to cook, and thank you too Concerned about my affairs with Yichen." There was a smile on the corner of her mouth, "I made an appointment with him to meet again next weekend. Is this considered development? Heh, I'm in a good mood to share with you."

She left with brisk steps, but he was upset and melancholy, threw the documents aside with a bang, turned his chair and stared out the window in a daze.

The difficult week has finally passed, and the weekend is ushered in in a blink of an eye.

Ruxu cleaned up her desk, picked up her bag and prepared to go home.The glass door of the office was pushed open, and a gust of cold wind came in. When I looked up, I saw a familiar face.She immediately recognized that the person who came was Tan Shaojie's noble and sharp mother.

"A guest is coming. Ruxu, my child is sick, I have to rush home first, please entertain the guest."

"Xiaoxu, I have an appointment, let's go first, bye!"

In a blink of an eye, only Ruxu and Zhou Xinnian, who came here specially, were left in the office.

Ruxu had no choice but to put down her bag, and smiled: "You are Tan Shao's mother, how come you are free?"

Zhou Xinnian looked at her coldly, and sat proudly on the guest sofa. "Who else do I need to report to?"

"Of course not. Young Master Tan may still be in the office. I'll call him for you."

After a while, Tan Shaojie came out and was surprised to see his mother.In his memory, since his father established Rising Sun Office, his mother has never set foot here, even when she needs to walk by, she will deliberately take a detour.She came here suddenly today, did something happen?

"Mom, why are you here?" Tan Shaojie walked over quickly, with deep and complicated eyes hidden.After his parents divorced, they were almost incompatible for many years. He knew that his mother was full of resentment. She hated her father, and maybe she hated him too... After all, he said in court: I want to be with my father in the future. Life…

Ruxu poured tea and handed it to Zhou Xinnian.

Zhou Xinnian's gaze was sharper than last time, almost seeing through Ruxu.She didn't take the teacup, nor did she answer her son's question, but stared at Ruxu almost stubbornly.

Ruxu had never been seen like this before, and a chill ran through her heart.Putting the tea on the table next to her, she grabbed the bag again, "I'll go first, so I won't disturb your mother and son's conversation."

Tan Shaojie suddenly darkened his eyes: "You two know each other?" How is it possible?

Ruxu forced a smile, self-evident.

Zhou Xinnian admitted unabashedly: "I've seen it once. I ran into Miss Wang at the opposite intersection last week."

"Yeah! It was a coincidence last time. I didn't expect it to be Tan Shao's mother." Before Ruxu reached the door, Zhou Xinnian quickly jumped up from the seat and grabbed her arm.Ruxu withdrew her hands instinctively, "What's the matter?"

"It's okay, it's okay, what am I doing here!"

Only Tan Shaojie knew best that getting his mother to step into the office might be a big deal.He approached Ruxu unobtrusively, a little worried. "Mom, Lawyer Wang has to go back to catch a date! Don't waste his time."

"Miss Wang, in front of Shaojie, let me ask you again. What is your relationship with my Shaojie?"

When a scholar meets a soldier, there is no reason to explain it!Ruxu was caught immobile, and said helplessly, "I'm sorry, it's the same no matter how many times you ask me. I have various relationships with your Shaojie, except the one you imagined!"

Zhou Xinnian's face was pale, but she was still worried: "So, you are not Shaojie's girlfriend?"

"Yes, I never thought of being your son's girlfriend, and besides, I'm busy dating another outstanding man." Ruxu has studied psychology, and has met all kinds of people after work, like Zhou Xinnian In this way, whether it is intuition or judgment, she has come to a result - Zhou Xinnian is a mother with serious psychological problems.

Tan Shaojie, it turns out...you are so pitiful.

For some reason, Ruxu's heart softened suddenly, she gently pulled Zhou Xinnian's hand away, and emphasized again that there was more comfort in her words: "Mother Tan, you don't have to worry. Shaojie and I are really just colleagues. …just friends too.”

With these two simple sentences, Tan Shaojie stared at her in shock, a heat wave rolled in his chest, and a moving air rushed through his heart.Suddenly, he was very grateful to her. She didn't speak harshly to his mother, didn't get angry, and didn't leave in a huff. She is such a lovely, lovely woman. How can he take back his heart when she is like this?

Zhou Xinnian didn't believe it, "Are you colluding to lie to me together? Shaojie, tell yourself, if you are really an ordinary friend, why do you go to her house every day after work? Lawyer Wang, don't tell me, any ordinary friend or Colleagues, I will go to your house every day."

Ruxu and Tan Shaojie glanced at each other, she was very surprised, just about to answer, Tan Shaojie held her hand to stop her.

"Mom, you won't believe me, but I'm actually teaching Lawyer Wang how to cook."

"What?" What an incredible explanation.

"Lawyer Wang wants to learn how to cook a few delicious dishes, and hopes to win over her boyfriend. Anyway, we are all friends, so I will teach her with all my heart!" Tan Shaojie said while hugging his mother's shoulders, "Mom, I I know you don't believe it, if you don't believe it, we will go home now, I will make it for you, and I guarantee that you will be full of praise."

Zhou Xinnian didn't accept such words easily, "Since you are friends, why do you keep calling her 'Lawyer Wang'? It feels like you are deliberately putting aside the relationship, lest I object to your being together."

"Cough! Mom, you really know how to catch wind and shadows. I didn't call Xiaoxu 'Lawyer Wang' just because of your name. Usually, everyone in our firm calls her Xiaoxu or Xiao Wang."

Ruxu almost wanted to applaud, Tan Shaojie has a smart mother, even a title can elicit analysis.It's just that she really doesn't understand, how can a mother not want her son to find a girlfriend quickly?Unless...unless mom is particularly upset about her son's girlfriend.Inferred, that is to say—Mother Tan is very dissatisfied with herself?It just so happened that she never thought of being the daughter-in-law of the Tan family anyway.

"Shaojie, although you haven't grown up with your mother these years, your mother cares about you no less than your father. Mom knows your temper very well. Miss Wang accepted a case not long ago, and the plaintiff of the case happened to be Wei'an, but Ms. Wang helped the defendant, which made Wei'an lose the lawsuit. You and Wei'an are brothers and sisters. Not only did you not help Wei'an get justice, but you are also willing to teach him how to cook. Do you think your mother will believe this reason? If There is no special relationship, how could you be so kind to Miss Wang?"

Ruxu really wanted to tell the whole story of young master Tan's evil deeds towards her, to see if she still doubted her?

Tan Shaojie looked up to the sky and let out a long sigh, and vigorously hugged his mother towards his office.

Afterwards, Ruxu heard a series of explanations vaguely coming from inside.

"Mom, it's fine for you to doubt. Now let's go home first, shall we? My colleagues in the office can all see whether I treat Xiaoxu well or badly. Everyone even thinks that I am a heinous villain in front of Xiaoxu. The group of women wished they could drive me out with a broom, just to complain about Xiao Xu. Xiao Xu is very kind and saved me face, and didn’t mention the bad things I did in front of you just now.”

"However, Mom can't see at all that you are being mean to her."

"Hey! Maybe it's because I'm the person in charge here, so she's afraid of offending me! Speaking of which, Xiaoxu and I have been feuding since the first year of high school. We didn't like each other, and we quarreled when we met. It wasn't until recently that things got a little better. Actually I can’t even remember the number of times I bullied her. For a while, the female compatriots in the firm took turns to talk to me, which made me reflect deeply, and I almost didn’t write a letter of repentance.”

It was a bit exaggerated, but it was still close to the facts. Tan Shaojie knew that his mother was suspicious by nature, so he waited several minutes after Ruxu left, then picked up the keys and mobile phone, and dragged his mother away.

"Mom, it's a good thing all the colleagues in the office are gone, otherwise Xiaoxu and I will become the hero and heroine of tomorrow's gossip headlines if you say so. Don't let your son embarrass himself!"

Zhou Xinnian thought about it, but still felt something was wrong, and couldn't find evidence, so she had to give up temporarily. "Anyway... it's good that what you said is true. I recently helped you find a good partner again, this time..."

"Mom, aren't you hungry? I'm starving to death. Let's go. I'll treat you to dinner."

"I'm telling you the truth. Don't try to escape every time you introduce a girlfriend to you. You have to believe in my eyes. Could it be that a mother will harm her son?"

"Mom, I didn't escape, but I was really hungry!"

"You have to understand the painstaking efforts of being a mother. I also hope that you will start a family and have a child sooner." But after the tragedy caused by the eldest son's love, she vowed that Shaojie's wife must be chosen by herself.Unfortunately, she never seemed to have thought that Tan Shaojie had already grown up, a man with independent thinking and personality, and he had the foresight to choose his own partner.He has grown from rebellion to maturity. After many conflicts and struggles, he has learned to respect his parents. However, this does not mean that he is willing to accept everything arranged by his parents.

People are very strange. The mind can be closed by itself, but once it is opened, it will accept many new people and things, and it will also produce many inexplicable and complicated feelings.

Ruxu began to feel lonely.

In the past, when I went home from get off work alone, I would continue to work overtime and devote myself to work.Occasionally think of Yichen, feel lost and sad, but I can quickly adjust my state, read books, watch TV, listen to music, do yoga, browse the Internet news... In short, whatever I do, I will maintain a sense of fulfillment and peace in my heart.

However, now that it is not possible, she finds it difficult to do so.

Holding the book in his hand, he thought of Yichen's face in his mind; he opened QQ and silently looked at his profile picture, typed a few lines of words, but didn't send them out, and then deleted them word by word...

Maybe I don't have a new case on hand recently, so I'm not used to it because it's rare to be free.Watching TV makes me feel bored and I can’t watch the plot; doing yoga makes it difficult to meditate.Call Xin Ning, Shen Yitang answered, coolly said that his wife is resting, don't disturb her.

wife...

Ruxu muttered to herself, didn't she just succeed in proposing for the one hundred and first time?To be precise, Xin Ning is still only his ex-wife or fiancee, and the two have not officially married yet, so they are so strictly controlled, so she has no chance to talk to her sisters.

Going back and forth in the room, turning around a few times, Ruxu walked into the kitchen and started cooking.Strangely, an impetuous heart gradually became peaceful.

When holding the knife, she thought of Tan Shaojie teaching her the correct posture.Think of his quick and smooth knife skills when slicing potatoes.

"Wang Ruxu, hold the potato with your left hand, don't move around."

"Idiot, is this also called potato shreds? It's thicker than straw."

"Let's just give up! This young master really doesn't want to make things difficult for others. You don't have the qualifications to be a chef."

...

Every word he said was in my ears, and his tone was mostly harsh and vicious, and he was stingy with praise, for fear that he would not be able to hit her.However, no matter whether he criticizes or ridicules, every night, he finally taught her a new dish, and he ate up all the dishes she made while being picky.

"Bad guy, I really don't know what's in your heart?"

Taking a plate of potato shreds out of the kitchen, Ruxu tasted it herself, and suddenly found that she had succeeded without knowing it.The golden potato shreds are paired with a few slices of green and red peppers that are exquisitely shaped. It is delicious and delicious, and the taste is almost the same as Tan Shaojie's.

"Really, really! I made it, eh--"

Ruxu put down her chopsticks, quickly ran into the room to find her mobile phone, and excitedly dialed his number.

"Tan Shaojie, I have good news for you. I succeeded. I made a perfect shredded potato. It has a perfect color and fragrance, and it is definitely a masterpiece..."

The excited voice reached Tan Shaojie's ears through the phone.The corners of his beautiful lips curled slightly, and his words were imperceptibly low.

"Really? Congratulations."

"Thank you, huh. It's strange. I practiced the day before yesterday and yesterday, but when I fried it, it was either dipped in the pan or put too much vinegar. It tasted sour. But tonight I was obviously absent-minded, and I was thinking about things while I was cooking, but I succeeded. .”

absent-minded?Tan Shaojie smiled and said, "Are you sure you didn't cut straw, and the taste is not off?"

"Of course, I'm sure." The girl is in a good mood and doesn't care about the cold water you poured on her.

"Hearing is false."

"Seeing is believing!" She continued casually, but suddenly her eyes rolled, "No, it should be believing. Tan Shaojie, if you are not afraid of trouble... come and taste it now!"

Tan Shaojie was silent, only the whistling wind could be heard on the phone.

"Tan Shaojie...are you outside? Is it inconvenient?" Ruxu suddenly thought of something, and her happy and high-pitched voice fell by half in an instant.

"It's convenient, I'll be there in a while."

As a result, Tan Shaojie's so-called "one meeting" took one and a half hours, and when he arrived at Ruxu's house, it was almost eleven o'clock.While waiting, Ruxu thought many times that he would not come, and wanted to eat all the shredded potatoes by herself.Watching the food on the plate slowly cool down, she had the urge to pour it out again...

When the doorbell rang, her heart skipped a beat.

Tan Shaojie's black hair was a little disheveled by the wind, his expression was stern, and his eyes were dark.But on the pair of lifelike faces, he quickly changed his expression, and said with a smile: "It's so cold, I came here specially to check the results, I hope it won't disappoint."

Ruxu frowned, and squinted at him: "The day lily is cold, it's freezing."

On the dining table, the dish of shredded potatoes, which had been left out in the cold, was placed alone. Tan Shaojie raised his eyebrows and looked at her, "Although it's cold, it looks really good. I'm so hungry. I don't know if there are any at home." Meal? I want to eat." He automatically walked to the kitchen.

"You haven't eaten yet?" Ruxu stared at his back in surprise.What did he say just now? "Home"?He really regards this place as his own home, to be so comfortable in her room.

"Hmm..." Responded vaguely, turned on the rice cooker.

"Only this plate of potatoes, no rice, I ate out at night."

"Who are you having dinner with? Wang Yichen? Prosecutor Han Da?" Tan Shaojie stopped and immediately turned to stare at her.

Ruxu resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him, it's eleven o'clock and she hasn't eaten yet, what the hell are she up to?Hungry, she went to the kitchen to look for food everywhere, and even cared about who she would have dinner with... This man is really speechless.

"Answer me." There was nothing in the kitchen, he just came out with a pair of chopsticks.

"I ate it by myself at the noodle shop downstairs." After speaking, Ruxu couldn't help but sulk at herself.Why did she answer him seriously?She is not who he is, who she is having dinner with, there is no need to explain!Thinking of this, she immediately added, "Hey! You are more suspicious than a woman, why should you meddle in my private affairs?"

"Why are you nervous? Just asking, this is called 'caring', understand?" Tan Shaojie sat down at the dining table and pulled the potato plate in front of him, "Besides, I teach you how to cook for free, out of good intentions Good deed, help you chase men. I want to know your progress, is this also called paranoia?"

Ruxu wanted to refute, but didn't know how to refute, so she sat down opposite him. "From the day I decided to bravely pursue Yichen, I made it clear to Han Chen. So, don't talk about him in a mocking tone in the future. Han Chen and I will be a good pair of friends, but don't Could be lovers."

"That's right, you're not worthy of him!" Tan Shaojie stretched out his long arms and patted her head approvingly.

Ruxu patted his hand away, and frowned: "You have a small belly, you have no grace in front of Han Chen, and you are also in front of Yichen."

Tan Shaojie's stomach suddenly grumbled, "Heh, let's not tell you, hurry up and try your handicraft, I'm starving to death."

"Wait a minute." She hurried over, "Do you really want to eat? It's all cold."

"I made this trip just to taste it." He picked up some shredded potatoes.

"No! It's cold, and the last trace of aroma is gone, not to mention whether it tastes good or not, so don't eat it." Ruxu snatched the plate away.

"No! It's so hard to come here, why are you disappointed?" He chewed carefully.

"No! The dishes are cold like this, which seriously affects the taste and quality, and affects my cooking skills."

"No..." Tan Shaojie hung his chopsticks in the air, his black eyes filled with sparkling smiles, "Let's stop trying to do it, tell me, what can we do?"

Ruxu brought the plate into the kitchen, "I'll at least reheat it and process it."

Seeing her hurried figure, Tan Shaojie couldn't help laughing.I got up and followed, "I think it's better to make a new dish. If you want to be praised by the master, the reheated dish is definitely not as authentic as the original one."

Ruxu bit her lip, she could indeed consider redoing it, but unfortunately there are no potatoes at home.He took out a piece of beef from the refrigerator, "Tan Shaojie, why don't I try to make steak right away, and you can eat it later."

"Miss, I'm hungry right now, I'm afraid I won't be able to wait for your love." Tan Shaojie said while skillfully turning on the gas stove.As the saying goes, if he does it himself and has enough food and clothing, he must first solve his personal food and clothing problem.

Minutes later, the shredded potatoes were reheated and eaten up.Not only that, he also quickly ordered two bowls of noodles, added ham sausage and eggs, and sprinkled green onion on the soup, the aroma was tangy and the color was attractive.Ruxu wrote down the steps of his operation one by one, and nodded while eating: "Tan Shaojie, in fact, I can also cook noodles."

"Really?" Know how to make instant noodles!
(End of this chapter)