Li Yan certainly didn't have any bad intentions, nor did he have the thought of getting closer with her. Of course, it wasn't purely because of eating either. He just thought that she still had something on her mind. The crowded and noisy environment at KFC wasn't the right place for heart-to-heart talks. Perhaps at her home, she could open up better and talk about her problems.

"Of course... if you have time and don't mind the trouble." After some hesitation, Huang Ying agreed.

She saw Li Yan as a good friend who had helped her a lot. Although it was nighttime and they were alone, it was just cooking and eating, not "stir-frying," so it wasn't really a big deal.

"Hehe, I'm just there to eat a free meal, what trouble could it be? Let's go, accompany me to the company parking lot to get the car."

The place wasn't far from Paradise Group, so the two of them just walked over. Li Yan had worked at the company's security team for just one day, but because of a suspicion of "guarding against someone stealing," news of it spread on the same day, causing all the security guards to have no good feelings towards their deputy leader. However, the leader, Yang Dalong, took Li Yan to the Jie Rui Company headquarters to solve the Kawada issue, which changed the perception. So, over the past week, he had used his influence to basically eliminate everyone's dissatisfaction with Li Yan.

Although there was no more dissatisfaction, there was no particular affection for him either, as they weren't familiar with him. But they still recognized him. Seeing him around on a weekend evening, the security guards at the parking lot assumed he was there for inspection and came out to greet him.

Neither Li Yan nor Huang Ying expected this. Huang Ying felt a bit embarrassed and stood behind him with her head lowered. If she'd known, she would have waited outside. Could it be like last time when rumors spread about him and Director Hai Fu...

"Um, hello, I'm here to get my car..."

Even though he spoke sincerely, the security personnel still didn't quite believe him. Watching them go inside, they whispered among themselves about this new deputy leader.

Walking into the spacious parking lot, there were only a third of the cars parked due to it being a weekend, and not many people were using their vehicles, so fewer streetlights were on, making it relatively dim. Huang Ying followed Li Yan inside. She didn't have a car herself and wouldn't typically come here. This was her first time, and she was surprised to see how big the company parking lot was, with so many cars still parked even on the weekend.

Li Yan soon spotted his apple-green little QQ, with no other cars around it. As they walked over, he heard a faint sound coming from a direction where cars were parked closely together. He paused slightly, trying to recognize what the sound was.

As he continued forward, Huang Ying also heard the sound behind them. She tugged on Li Yan and quietly asked, "Li Yan, did you hear something from over there?"

Li Yan whispered, "It's nothing, might be someone over there, won't be any ghosts, don't worry."

Girls tend to be more afraid of the dark and ghosts. Huang Ying looked at the dimly lit row of vehicles and felt a bit tense. However, she recognized that it wasn't a ghost, but a girl's voice, which made her a bit worried. Could someone be injured? Or sick?

She tugged on Li Yan again and softly said, "Shall we go over and check it out?"

Li Yan was taken aback, "Check it out? Better not..."

"Listening to the sound, it's already weak and pained; maybe someone is sick and collapsed there. If not treated in time, it could be serious..."

Because of her mother's illness, Huang Ying was more sensitive to sickness and understood life could slip away at any moment. Thinking that a colleague might have collapsed by the car without anyone noticing, she felt she couldn't just ignore it! Not to mention a colleague, even if it were a stranger, one should help!

Saying this, Huang Ying briskly walked over there first.

Li Yan was slightly dizzy, quickly followed her. What was going on? Given his experienced ears, he recognized the sound immediately, which is why he pretended nothing had happened and walked on. He didn't expect Huang Ying's ears to be so good, much less for her pure heart to mistakenly think someone was sick!

By the time he caught up with Huang Ying, she was already near the row of cars but hadn't pinpointed which car the sound came from. Li Yan grabbed her hand from behind, then whispered "shh," signaling Huang Ying to remain quiet and not to walk over.

Huang Ying looked up at him with a bit of confusion. In the dim light, her face was filled with doubt. Her impression of Li Yan was that he was very willing to help others. With such a situation, why was he hesitating? Could it be... his eagerness to help was only for me?

While her mind was filled with associations, Li Yan had already figured out the sound was coming from a specific car. He bent down to her ear and quietly said, "Don't walk over, just look from here at the white sedan up ahead, the sound is coming from inside. It's not someone who's sick..."

Huang Ying felt a tingle in her ear as she listened to him, her eyes already looking over. Although she didn't see much, she noted the white sedan. Yet, her rationality told her that Li Yan probably understood better than she did. His reluctance to approach must mean he already knew the secret...

Li Yan saw she still seemed unmoved. Having given her a heads-up, he believed she wouldn't scream, so he gently pulled her hand, taking a few steps forward.

After a few more steps, from their angle, they could clearly see the situation inside the white sedan. Filled with curiosity and skepticism, what Huang Ying saw was a reclined seat with shadows!

Even the purest individual would understand what was happening now.

Realizing this, she quickly let go of Li Yan's hand, turned, and left briskly. It was too awkward, how could she face Li Yan after this!

Li Yan quickly caught up, grabbed her hand again to keep her from running off, and led her to his car, opening the door for her to get in.

...

The car quietly left the parking lot. The security guards didn't recognize the cautious Huang Ying, and seeing Li Yan's car was just a micro QQ, they didn't believe for a moment that Li Yan had come here just to pick up his girlfriend for a date.

While walking down the street, Huang Ying remained silent with her head lowered. Li Yan broke the silence, "Don't take it to heart, the fact that you didn't recognize it proves you're a pure-hearted girl. Your mind was focused on helping others, so you thought someone was sick; I'm not as pure, so I realized it was someone on a date. Don't feel embarrassed..."

"Hey! Didn't you say you lived nearby? Aren't you going to tell me how to get there, or I'll take you far away and sell you, and you won't help me count the money!" Li Yan didn't want to press her shyness too hard, so he directly changed the subject.

Hearing this, Huang Ying snapped out of it, hurriedly told him how to go, and they first headed to a nearby supermarket, bought some not-so-fresh vegetables, and then went back to her house.

Huang Ying rented a small two-bedroom apartment. The place wasn't very big, with only a few pieces of furniture. She was the sole earner, and rented two bedrooms because she used to live with her mother, and her brother would also return to stay during vacations.

"Sit down and relax for a bit, watch some TV, and I'll speed things up." Huang Ying placed the groceries in the kitchen and made Li Yan a cup of tea before heading back to the kitchen to get busy.

"Do you need me to lend a hand?"

"Hehe, no need, you're a man, just wait and eat." Huang Ying smiled, letting him wait outside.

Li Yan was a bit speechless. No need to help, just wait and eat because he's a "man," not because he's a "guest"? What is this? Traditional thinking?

Watching her put on an apron and busy herself in the kitchen quickly washing the rice and vegetables with her slender figure, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly. For a man, in this day and age, having a pure, shy, filial, and diligent traditional girl is indeed a kind of happiness!

Standing in the kitchen doorway, admiring the charming little chef at work was a bit awkward, so Li Yan retreated to the living room. As it wasn't appropriate to snoop around, he just sat and watched TV.

Then Yu Xiaodi's call came in! The young girl had a tinge of grievance in her voice, subtly suggesting that she didn't cling to him and hadn't called him for a week, yet he hadn't thought of her once...

Li Yan felt a bit embarrassed. He had been so busy these past few days, busy playing with Beihai Country girls during the day, that he really had forgotten to call her. Today, having just returned and with so many things happening, he had forgotten again. What's more, he was now at someone else's house, so it wasn't convenient to talk much, so he quickly promised to visit her tomorrow before hanging up.

Huang Ying was quicker at cooking than she was at work. In just about half an hour, as the rice was steaming, she had already prepped a few small dishes.

Serving them up for tasting, Li Yan couldn't help but praise them.

It was indeed just ordinary home-cooked dishes, without the distinctive style of a particular cuisine, and the cooking process wasn't as elaborate as required in restaurants, with ingredients and spices even more lacking than in restaurants. However, because of this, it wasn't overdone, but rather more casual and natural. Moreover, the little chef had clearly put thought into each dish, making them not only delicious and refreshing but also appealing, achieving a harmony of color, aroma, and taste.

"This is delicious! Whoever marries you in the future will be really fortunate."

Seeing how Li Yan was digging in with great appetite, clearly enjoying himself and not just paying lip service, Huang Ying smiled in satisfaction. However, upon hearing his compliment, she blushed. "You're exaggerating..."

"Really, it seems many girls nowadays don't know how to cook, and many men who enjoy good food have to learn to cook themselves." When Li Yan said this, he was somewhat nostalgic. Among the girls he knew, Zhang Yurong probably didn't know how to cook, Yue Yao wouldn't either, Yu Xiaodi couldn't, and Wen Qianyi probably wouldn't... At least, he hadn't had the chance to see them cook yet. (To be continued, to see how things unfold, please log in to www.qidian.com for more chapters, support the author, and support legitimate reading!)

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