Chapter 58: That Blessing
November was, in Mu Le’s opinion, the most boring month.
The reason was simple. Xiao Yuze had finally been called back by his father, so she couldn’t see him anytime like before.
Actually, Mu Le knew that the reason Xiao Yuze seemed so free before was because he was staying with her.
Or more accurately… because he was worried about her.
He had already earned most of his school credits, so he didn’t really have much to do at school. The reason he spent time with her was simply because he didn’t want her to be alone.
After all, she had gone through such a big change, no one could be sure if something unexpected might happen.
Now that a few months had passed, and seeing that the girl had slowly become more cheerful again, no longer lost in the past or worried about the future, Xiao Yuze finally turned back to his own responsibilities.
After all, he was different from Mu Le. His family had a large business that he would inherit in the future. Before he was fully capable of handling it, the pressure on him was actually very heavy.
And since his parents had put all their hopes into him, he couldn’t let them down.
Besides, if he didn’t work hard now, how would he support a family in the future? Right?
Mu Le’s sensitive nature probably noticed something too. So even though Xiao Yuze spent less and less time with her, she didn’t complain.
Besides, Mu Le was not the type to cling to someone.
Everyone has their own things to do. Just like she needed to write her novels, Xiao Yuze also had his own responsibilities.
Understanding this, Mu Le wouldn’t act selfishly and force him to stay with her.
But even so… when she was alone at home, she began to feel a bit lonely.
This hadn’t happened before. At least, a few months ago, she was already used to Xiao Yuze leaving early and coming back late.
But now…
“So sleepy…”
In November, the weather was already quite cold. Curled up on the sofa, Mu Le wrapped herself tightly in a warm, soft blanket while pressing the remote control.
She kept changing channels, but after a long time, nothing caught her interest.
It was only a little past nine at night, yet she already felt very sleepy.
Was she going into hibernation or something? she thought randomly while watching a cliché war drama on TV.
Just as she was about to fall asleep, the sound of the door opening woke her up.
She looked up, and sure enough, at the entrance, Xiao Yuze was walking in while taking off his coat.
“You’re back?”
Mu Le got up from the sofa, wearing her pajamas and slippers, and ran toward him.
“By the way… you’re much earlier than usual today. Did you slack off at work?”
Xiao Yuze, who was about to say something, couldn’t help but smile helplessly at her words. But when he saw her only wearing thin pajamas, he frowned slightly.
“Yeah, I came back early for you before finishing my work. So… shouldn’t I get a reward?”
As he spoke, he naturally put the coat he had just taken off onto Mu Le.
It was too big for her, making it look a bit awkward.
Mu Le didn’t refuse. In fact, she was a little cold, and the coat still had his body warmth, which felt very comforting.
And the smell on it gave her a sense of security.
But her attention wasn’t on that. She had worn Xiao Yuze’s clothes more than once before.
She gave a soft snort without any real anger, then pulled Xiao Yuze to the dining table and pushed him into a chair.
“Fine, I’ll reward you.”
“Oh? Did you learn a new dish?” Xiao Yuze raised an eyebrow and smiled.
Mu Le didn’t answer. She just walked toward the kitchen in her soft slippers.
Recently, because she was bored staying home alone, Mu Le had started learning how to cook.
Mu Le actually wasn’t completely unable to cook before. It’s just that she could only make very simple things.
For example, frying eggs or cooking rice.
What she was best at was tomato scrambled eggs. That was the only dish she felt confident about before.
Speaking of it, Mu Cheng was the one who taught her how to make it. According to her father, as long as she could cook tomato scrambled eggs, she wouldn’t starve even if she lived alone.
Back then, Mu Le felt quite speechless about that. It sounded like if you couldn’t cook, you would just starve to death.
But at that time, Mu Cheng was very enthusiastic, and Mu Le happened to be a little interested, so she learned a bit.
When it came to cooking, Mu Cheng, who had been single for many years, was very skilled. In this aspect, even Xiao Yuze couldn’t compare to him.
But Mu Le had never really been interested in cooking. It felt troublesome. Before, most of their meals were prepared by Xiao Yuze, or they would just go out to eat together.
When she was alone, she would simply order takeout. In today’s world, with phones and computers, it was basically impossible for Mu Le to starve.
Recently, Xiao Yuze had become busy again. Mu Le was too lazy to go out by herself, and she naturally preferred staying indoors.
She ordered takeout a couple of times, but soon lost her appetite.
It wasn’t really that the food tasted bad… it was probably because she was eating alone, so she didn’t feel like eating. Sometimes, when she looked at the leftovers, she would think about this.
Later, out of boredom, she suddenly had an idea. She downloaded a few recipe books online and went into the kitchen to try cooking.
Since she already had some basic skills, she didn’t completely mess up the kitchen at the start.
Of course, she didn’t make any strange “dark dishes” like in anime, those that smoke or bubble and look like they could send you straight to hell after one bite.
But the food she made at first was definitely not delicious. It was even a bit hard to eat.
She couldn’t control the heat well, and didn’t know how much seasoning to use. So it wasn’t surprising that it didn’t taste good.
If it were before, with Mu Le’s personality, she would probably have given up quickly.
After all, this wasn’t something she was interested in.
The reason she kept going wasn’t just because it was a little fun. The real reason was probably… boredom, and also because she wanted to do something for Xiao Yuze.
Recently, Xiao Yuze had been coming home very late. Even though he hid it well, Mu Le could still see the slight tiredness on his face.
Was he facing some kind of problem?
Mu Le noticed it, but didn’t ask. Because she knew that even if she asked, she wouldn’t be able to help much.
She was aware of that.
Every day, she watched him come home tired, eat, take a shower, and sometimes it was already midnight.
Since she couldn’t help him with work, she felt that she should at least do something in daily life.
At least let him know… that she was still there with him.
At first, Xiao Yuze was very surprised when Mu Le prepared late-night food for him. He tried it with some doubt, but found that it actually tasted quite good.
He thought it was just a passing interest, and had even prepared himself to force it down no matter what.
But later, Mu Le kept cooking for him every day, and he slowly got used to it. And since she really put effort into it, her cooking improved quickly. It seemed like she had a natural talent.
That feeling was actually very nice.
After a long day full of all kinds of things, coming home to find someone waiting for you, and even making food for you…
How should he describe it?
It felt like… an old married couple.
In fact, sometimes Xiao Yuze himself found it strange. They had never even confessed their feelings, yet the atmosphere between them was something even real couples might not have.
When did it start? Sometimes he thought about it, but couldn’t remember.
Just like Mu Le didn’t know when she started to like him.
They hadn’t said anything, hadn’t done anything special, yet everything seemed to be understood without words.
Sometimes, some things don’t need to be explained. They just happen naturally.
There is something called fate. Xiao Yuze thought that he and Mu Le must have shared many lifetimes of connection.
Even in the next life, fate would surely bring them together again. Just like now, without needing words, already knowing that this is the person.
That feeling of “it has to be you” is very special.
Yet at the same time, it feels so natural and warm.
In a lifetime, we meet so many people. To meet someone you like, and who also likes you back…
That is probably a blessing earned over many lifetimes.