Chapter 19

Guan Shanyan was a well-known fashion designer, the rising star of the industry. Publicly, he always appeared stylish and elegant.
Few could imagine him cooking in an apron.
Shen Youwei rarely saw him like this. She lingered in the kitchen for a while. She had to admit, his posture and figure were excellent. Even a simple apron somehow became a fashionable piece on him.
“Cooking in an apron makes me husband-like?” Guan Shanyan glanced at her and returned to his work. “Don’t unmarried people need to eat too?”
“You don’t understand. Being ‘husband-like’ is a vibe,” Shen Youwei explained knowingly. “It’s a compliment online in Chinese.”
“Oh, thanks then,” Guan Shanyan said. “And thanks on behalf of real husbands, like my dad.”
“…” Apparently, he still didn’t get it. No one would consider someone like his adoptive father husband-like.
Although he technically was husband-like.
“Lunch is almost ready. Go sit in the dining room first.”
“Okay.” Shen Youwei replied, remembering the old duck soup.
Lunch was plentiful. Guan Shanyan, wearing gloves, peeled several shrimp and placed the bowl in front of her: “Your ordered dish.”
“Thanks.” Shen Youwei looked at the shrimp and blinked. People need competition, on the day she first moved in, he refused to peel shrimp for her. Today, with Luo Yu around, he was suddenly so attentive.
She happily finished the shrimp. Guan Shanyan asked: “When did you and Luo Yu get so close?”
Shen Youwei lifted her bowl, blowing on the hot soup: “What do you mean? He’s my biological brother.”
“But you didn’t see each other much before.”
“Since you went abroad, we’ve seen each other more.”
Guan Shanyan: “…”
He removed his oil-stained gloves, tossed them in the trash, and ladled soup for himself: “So he’s been coming to see you often these three years?”
“Mm.” Shen Youwei nodded. “Maybe it’s the bond between siblings. We quickly became close.”
Guan Shanyan snorted: “If you’re really that close, you didn’t refuse when he gave you the studio?”
“Even siblings keep accounts.”
“Oh? Should I give you one then?”
“Of course, anything free is welcome.” Shen Youwei never hesitated to take advantage of Guan Shanyan’s generosity.
“…” Guan Shanyan paused, a slight smile on his lips: “Want more shrimp?”
“Yes.”
He set down his soup bowl, put on another pair of gloves, and helped her peel the shrimp.
They cooked plenty for lunch, then had another meal in the evening to finish the leftovers. Shen Youwei felt full and decided to go downstairs for a walk: “I’m going to exercise a bit.”
Guan Shanyan, tidying up the dishes, glanced at her: “I see, you just don’t want to clean the kitchen.”
“Uh” She really didn’t. “Isn’t there a dishwasher? You don’t have to wash by hand.”
“The dishes won’t walk themselves to the dishwasher.”
“If they could, you’d be scared again.”
“…”
Shen Youwei saw that he had gone silent and quickly opened the door, running outside. She greeted all the dogs and cats she passed in the neighborhood before finally returning, feeling satisfied.
When she came back, she was carrying two more bowls of iced jelly.
Guan Shanyan noticed the bowls in her hands and raised an eyebrow: “I thought you said you were going to exercise after eating? Is this your idea of exercise, eating more?”
“…” Shen Youwei placed the bowls on the coffee table and removed her mask. “I saw a stall selling handmade iced jelly while walking and bought some. I even got one for you!”
“Oh, thanks.”
“But I realized walking around the neighborhood at night is dangerous. Besides the iced jelly stalls, there are barbecue stands, braised food stalls, and spicy hot pot sellers,” she patted her chest dramatically. “It’s too risky.”
Guan Shanyan: “…”
He glanced at the bowls on the table, walked to the fridge, and took out some small snacks.
Seeing him approaching with snacks, Shen Youwei stepped back repeatedly: “Don’t come closer! I really will eat them.”
“…” Guan Shanyan placed the snacks on the coffee table and sat down on the sofa. “Want to watch a movie?”
Shen Youwei blinked and sat beside him: “What should we watch?”
“You pick.” Guan Shanyan handed her the remote.
Looking at the remote he offered, Shen Youwei felt a little dazed. Back in her first year of high school, she and Guan Shanyan had done the same thing, huddled on the sofa with a pile of snacks, watching a movie.
Then, Guan Shanyan had also handed her the remote, letting her choose.
She picked a horror movie, the really scary kind.
Throughout the movie, Shen Youwei kept letting out sharp screams. Guan Shanyan didn’t make a sound, but careful observation would reveal he had actually left the room for a while.
After so many years, Guan Shanyan had handed her the remote again.
Shen Youwei took it and, predictably, chose another horror movie.
Guan Shanyan: “…”
He knew it.
Although scared, Shen Youwei loved watching horror movies. Even though she screamed like a boiling kettle, her eyes never left the screen.
“Pause for a moment, I’m going to change into something comfortable!” She pressed pause and quickly ran to her room.
The “comfortable clothes” Shen Youwei referred to was the camisole dress she had worn last night, though this time she remembered to put on a robe over it.
Hugging the cushion behind her, Shen Youwei was finally fully prepared: “Let’s start!”
“…” Guan Shanyan silently pressed play for her.
The movie began with eerie music and dim visuals. Shen Youwei reached for a snack and bit into it, realizing it was a preserved plum: “Huh, you actually bought such retro snacks?”
Guan Shanyan picked one from the jar too: “Just saw them and bought some. You used to love these.”
“I still do.” Eating the plum, she felt as if the past had been perfectly recreated. “I remember when we stayed up watching horror movies back then, we had preserved plums too, so accurate!”
“Mm.” Guan Shanyan nodded. “If my parents had come home halfway, it would’ve been even more accurate.”
Shen Youwei: “…”
Memories of that night suddenly struck her.
Her godparents had errands and couldn’t come home that night, so the two of them, taking advantage of the empty house, bought a lot of snacks to stay up watching movies.
Halfway through, her godmother unexpectedly returned, catching them red-handed.
“They shouldn’t come home halfway this time, right?”
A faint laugh came from the side, followed by Guan Shanyan’s voice: “Even if they did, they couldn’t do anything to us.”
“You’re right.” She felt a subtle pang of sadness. That night now seemed so far away; in the blink of an eye, she and Guan Shanyan had grown up.
Guan Shanyan seemed to notice and glanced at her: “This horror movie is too touching?”
“…” Shen Youwei finished the preserved plum in her hand and began eating the iced jelly.
Time truly flew. Shen Youwei had grown older, but her courage hadn’t increased much. She still screamed during scary scenes, just like that night years ago.
Guan Shanyan, however, had grown braver over the years. Perhaps due to better control over his special abilities, he now looked at monsters on screen and felt they might not even be a match for him.
He had become a little arrogant.
As the light and shadows of the movie flickered across them, Guan Shanyan reached for a preserved plum, and his little finger accidentally brushed against Shen Youwei’s hand.
Shen Youwei almost dropped the plum. The skin on her hand slowly started to feel hot.
Yesterday she had teased him, saying he reacted so strongly just seeing her in a camisole. Now, she was feeling the same flutter from such a tiny touch.
Outside, the wind picked up and lightning streaked across the sky, lighting the room briefly before plunging it back into darkness.
The plum in her hand finally fell onto the table and rolled off the edge.
Guan Shanyan glanced outside and went to close the window: “It’s going to rain.”
“Oh.” Shen Youwei replied calmly and bent down to pick up the plum.
The movie’s protagonist hadn’t escaped danger yet, but Shen Youwei didn’t care anymore.
She was more concerned with herself.
She knew she liked Guan Shanyan. Even after being rejected for three years, she still liked him.
Yet, how could such a tiny touch make her heart race?
This was pathetic!
No, it wasn’t her fault. Such unconscious teasing was often the most lethal. Her reaction was perfectly normal.
She wasn’t desiring his body.
Guan Shanyan returned after closing the window and saw Shen Youwei distractedly sitting on the sofa.
Her robe had slipped down her arm as she bent to pick up the plum, half covering and half revealing her body, visually even more stimulating than last night.
Guan Shanyan pressed his lips slightly, planning to find an excuse to return to his room. At that moment, Shen Youwei looked up and met his gaze.
At first, she didn’t realize what he was staring at, then she saw that her robe had slipped.
He really cared about her camisole!
Shen Youwei instantly felt much more at ease. She had confessed to Guan Shanyan before, openly admiring his body, and yet he, posing as a brother, was so concerned about her camisole!
She thought to herself, what a hypocritical brother!
“What’s wrong?” Shen Youwei deliberately left her robe loose and walked toward him. “What are you standing there for?”
She deliberately moved closer. Guan Shanyan stepped back slightly.
Shen Youwei leaned forward again. Guan Shanyan raised his brows but stayed in place. Their faces were now very close; he looked down at her, his breath brushing her neck.
“Having fun?” His voice, tinged with a citrus scent, whispered near her ear, this time not perfume, but the same brand of body wash they used at home.
Shen Youwei froze. This was unexpected. She instinctively tried to step back, but Guan Shanyan mirrored her earlier movements, stepping forward as she retreated.
“W-what are you saying? I don’t understand.” She feigned confusion, stepping back two more paces.
The coffee table behind her scraped sharply against the floor. She lost her balance and started to fall.
Guan Shanyan’s hand caught her waist, steadying her. The small vase she had knocked into the air paused mid-fall.
Under his gaze, the vase slowly floated back and gently landed. Shen Youwei regained her composure and pushed him away: “Thanks, I can stand on my own.”
Guan Shanyan withdrew his hand and stood upright. Shen Youwei adjusted her robe and, pretending to be casual, coughed lightly: “I think I knocked something over just now.”
“Some snacks spilled.”
“Oh, good that the vase is fine.” Shen Youwei breathed a sigh of relief.
Guan Shanyan nodded: “My mom loves that vase. If it broke, you’d be in trouble.”
Shen Youwei paused and teased: “If it did break, I’d tell her you broke it.”
“…” Guan Shanyan chuckled at her boldness: “You really are like those videos where the cat causes trouble and blames the dog.”
“You called yourself the dog, remember?”
Guan Shanyan: “…”