Chapter 16 Egg Noodles
Lin Li couldn't remember how long it had been since she had cried so hard. When An Ran told her that Cheng Xiang was seeing someone outside, she didn't cry. When Cheng Xiang left at the wedding, she woke up in the hospital, and the doctor said the child was gone. She cried, but she just stared at the ceiling with her eyes open and tears streaming down her face, because she knew there were people who were sadder than her.
When her father suddenly collapsed and was diagnosed with cancer, she was so panicked that she didn't know what to do. She was scared and anxious, and wanted to cry but had to hold it back because she was afraid that if she cried, her mother would not be able to bear it either. In the end, all her tears were accumulated.
Lin Li woke up in a daze, and then she realized that she had exhausted herself crying to sleep. The light in the room was still on, just like before she fell asleep. She turned her head and saw that it was still pitch black outside the window, with only a few twinkling stars in the night sky.
After staring outside for a long time, Lin Li slowly turned her head to look at the alarm clock on the bedside table. It was 1:32 AM.
"Gulu... Gulu..."
The room was too quiet, and the sudden gurgle in such a quiet room seemed a little abrupt.
Lin Li reached out and turned off the light in the room, ignoring the sound coming from her stomach, turned around and closed her eyes.
Maybe it’s because she just slept, but after ten minutes of closing her eyes, Lin Li tossed and turned several times, still not feeling sleepy at all. She opened her eyes in the dark, and the soreness from her eyes made her feel a little uncomfortable. She rubbed her eyes with her hands, and the feeling of hunger in her stomach quickly diverted her attention. She supported herself with her hands and sat up, half sitting on the bed. Touching her own stomach, and Lin Li couldn't help but smile bitterly.
She uncovered the quilt and got out of bed resignedly. Although she knew that she might not be able to eat much even if she found something to eat, she felt that she would not be able to sleep in her empty stomach either.
She opened the door and went out. It was dark outside. She reached out and opened the door on the corridor. She followed the light into the kitchen. She turned on the light and it illuminated the whole kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and found that there was no food in the refrigerator. There were only the eggs and ham that she left for breakfast tomorrow morning.
Reaching out to take an egg from the refrigerator, when Lin Li was still hesitating whether to boil an egg for herself to fill her stomach, a cold and slightly serious voice suddenly came from behind her.
----- please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/
Lin Li was so scared that she lost her grip on the egg and it fell to the ground. The eggshell broke and the egg liquid spilled all over the ground.
Turning around, she saw Zhou Han was wearing a dark blue shirt, but the cuffs of the shirt collar were unbuttoned, revealing her bronze chest muscles. He was holding a mug in his hand and staring at her. He didn't seem to have rested yet, because his clothes were still the ones he wore during the day and he didn't seem to have changed them.
Lin Li sighed, "Why are you out here in the middle of the night trying to scare people!"
Zhou Handing looked at her for a long time before he said, "These words should have been said by me."
Lin Li just listened and didn't take his words to heart. She turned around, took the rag on the kitchen counter, squatted down and cleaned up the egg liquid on the floor.
When she stood up and turned around to see Zhou Han, Lin Li suddenly recalled what he said that night. Her cheeks went embarrassingly red all of a sudden. She glanced away from him and turned to wash the rag in the sink.
"Looking for something to eat?" Zhou Han walked in as he spoke.
Lin Li didn't say anything. She just lowered her head to clean up the sticky egg liquid on the rag. After the night, she suddenly felt that she was transparent in front of him. His eyes are so sharp that with a glance, he can see through people's innermost thoughts very clearly, giving people a very insecure feeling.
Lin Li washed the rag in her hand and put it on the kitchen counter. She didn't look at him. With the heat still on her face, she turned around and went to her room.
Zhou Han held the mug and turned to watch her figure quickly enter the room. The speed was so fast that people thought she had just trotted back.
Lin Li hugged her legs and sat on the bed for a while. She didn't know what happened today. Her abnormal stomach was still growling non-stop, as if she would not let her sleep if she didn't give her food.
Lin Li touched her shriveled stomach, smiled bitterly, and murmured to herself, "I beg you.. please stop growling. Anyway, you can't eat much. It doesn't matter whether you eat or not ah!"
It was as if her stomach was deliberately acting up; the rumbling didn't subside at all—in fact, it grew even louder. Lin Li sat with her head buried between her knees for a long while before finally resigning herself to the situation, rubbing her stomach as she got up to open the door and step out.
----- please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/
Zhou Han looked at her and spoke slowly, his expression impassive: "If you hadn't come out in another five minutes, I was going to dump this bowl of noodles."
At his words, Lin Li noticed a bowl of cooked egg noodles sitting to his right. They appeared slightly overcooked—the noodles had absorbed most of the broth, leaving the dish looking rather dry and not particularly appetizing.
"You..." Lin Li looked from him to the noodles on the table, momentarily confused as to what this meant.
Zhou Han took another sip of coffee and said, "Sit down; aren't you hungry?" Although phrased as a question, he delivered it with the natural ease of a simple statement.
"I..." Lin Li began, but found herself at a loss for words.
Glancing at her briefly without another word, Zhou Han stood up, picked up his coffee, and walked straight toward the study.
Lin Li watched him enter the study and saw the door open and close behind him; only then did she look away and turn her attention back to the bowl of noodles on the table.
She slowly pulled out the chair and sat down. It was a simple bowl of egg noodles, garnished with a sprinkle of chopped scallions and accompanied by two slices of ham, fried until slightly charred at the edges.
She picked up the chopsticks resting nearby and slurped up a mouthful of noodles. Perhaps it was simply because she was famished, but the taste was surprisingly good; even though the noodles had gone a bit soft and mushy, Lin Li felt the flavor rivaled that of a professional chef's cooking.
It was hard to imagine a man like Zhou Han cooking, let alone doing it so well. The discovery left Lin Li in disbelief; as she ate, a smile played on her lips—one she didn't even realize was there.
----- please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/
Zhou Han finished processing the last document and reviewed it from start to finish. He closed the folder, set it aside, and checked the time—it was already 2:30 AM. He let out a long breath and leaned back in his chair, finally allowing himself to relax.
*Knock, knock, knock.* A sound came from the doorway.
Zhou Han furrowed his brows but didn't respond, remaining in his reclined position.
*Knock, knock, knock.* The rhythmic tapping sounded at the door once more.
Zhou Han straightened up in his seat and rubbed his aching brows before slowly saying, "Come in." His voice was heavy with exhaustion.
Hearing this, Lin Li finally pushed the door open and entered. In truth, she had been standing outside for quite a while, hesitating and wrestling with herself before finally knocking. Her reason was simple: she just wanted to thank him. After all, that bowl of noodles had been delicious.
What surprised Lin Li—perhaps because she was genuinely hungry—was that she had managed to finish the entire large bowl. While that amount wouldn't have been a big deal for her in the past, given her current condition, it was nothing short of a miracle; even now, she felt no urge to throw up.
"Um..." Lin Li stood in the doorway, nervously twisting her hands. She looked up at Zhou Han and, after a long pause, stammered, "Um... thanks for... thanks for tonight."
Zhou Han fixed his gaze on her. Only when she began to feel visibly uncomfortable under his stare did he slowly ask, "Thank me for what?"
"Thanks for the noodles; they were really good." Lin Li looked at him, offering a sheepish, awkward smile.
Zhou Han’s lips curled into a cold, mocking smile. "I thought you were going to thank me for scolding you back to your senses."
At his words, Lin Li felt her face flush instinctively, and she looked away to avoid his gaze. Flustered, she said, "I... I'm going to sleep now. You should get some rest too." She turned to leave.
"Wait a moment."
Zhou Han called out to stop her; he stood up from behind his desk and walked around it toward her.
Lin Li turned back, looking at him in confusion. "Is there something else?"
Zhou Han gazed steadily into her eyes for a long moment, then reached out, took her hand, and led her into the study to sit on the sofa. Lin Li was puzzled, wondering what he was up to; she simply stared at him and asked, "What—what is it?"
Zhou Han glanced at her briefly and said, "Just sit there for a moment." As he spoke, he stood up and walked out of the study.
----- please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/
While Lin Li was still wondering what he intended to do with these items, Zhou Han bent over, wrung out the towel, and folded it into a small rectangle. He then gestured for her to lean back against the sofa. "Tilt your head back and lean against the backrest."
Lin Li was confused, having no idea what he was planning. "What for?"
Zhou Han didn't answer; instead, he reached out and pressed down on her shoulders with a bit of force, guiding her to lean back. He then placed the hot towel directly over her eyes. Taking her hand and guiding it to the towel, he said in his characteristically cool, detached voice, "Hold it there—let it soak in properly."
Lin Li realized then that he had brought the hot water in specifically to apply a compress to her eyes. A wave of indescribable emotion washed over her; she was deeply touched that a man who appeared so rugged and aloof could possess such a tender, considerate side.
Moved, she held the towel in place. With a slight catch in her voice, she said, "Thank you."
Zhou Han simply glanced at her without saying a word, then turned back to his desk to start gathering the documents and materials he would need for the next day.
----- please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/
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