Marriage First, True Love Later

Su Yicheng opened the door and came in. He raised his eyebrows slightly when he smelled the aroma of food. Just as he was about to call out to Anran, he saw a figure quickly come from the kitchen. When he saw her, he smiled faintly. &Quot; you’re back. &Quot;

Su Yicheng nodded. &Quot; yes. &Quot;

Anran stepped forward to take the briefcase from his hand and said, ” “Go wash your hands first. We’ll eat after you’re done.”

Su Yicheng looked at her amusedly. He felt that something was wrong and that something was off.

Anran felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze. She stepped forward, pulled him over, and said, ” let’s go. Go wash your hands. &Quot; After pushing him into the bathroom, Anran took his briefcase and went into the study.

After su Yicheng finished washing his hands, he came out and sat in front of the bar. He looked at the table full of dishes on the bar: sweet and sour ribs, egg tofu, boiled yellow croaker, and tomato egg soup. Each dish looked good and smelled especially fragrant.

An ran gave him the food she had prepared and sat down opposite him.

Su Yicheng looked at the dishes on the table, then raised his head to look at Anran. He couldn’t help but be a little suspicious. &Quot; did you make all these? ”

Anran’s eyes flickered, but she didn’t answer him directly. She handed him the chopsticks and only said, ” “Try it first.”

Su Yicheng looked at her in amusement, took the chopsticks, and directly picked up a piece of sweet and sour ribs and put it in his mouth. The sweet and sour taste was just right, and the meat was soft. It could be said that it was done very well, so well that it was as good as the ones made in a restaurant.

He looked up at an ran and saw that she was staring at him with wide eyes, as if waiting for him to say something.

Suppressing the urge to ask her if she was the one who did it, su Yicheng nodded and said with certainty, ” “Delicious!”

Anran was amused by his serious expression and said, ” “This is the take-out I ordered from the restaurant in front of our community. It’s a master’s cooking, of course it’s delicious.”

Su Yicheng also laughed, picked up a piece of rib, and put it in her bowl. &Quot; “Why did you suddenly want to order takeaway today?”

“I quit my job today.” An ran told him honestly. She didn’t have any intention of hiding anything from him.

Su Yicheng wasn’t surprised. Ever since she told him what would happen if she lost her job last night, he had vaguely guessed that her work there wasn’t going well, and that she would resign sooner or later. However, he was surprised that she had acted so quickly and so urgently. “Then let me take care of it in the future,” he said with a faint smile.

Anran also laughed. Although she knew he would say this, hearing it again still made her feel so sweet that she was sick of it. She scooped him a bowl of soup and said, ” “It’s because I know that I’ll be relying on you in the future, so I’m preparing a delicious meal to please you.”

Su Yicheng took a big gulp of the soup. &Quot; if you were the one who cooked today, I would have finished it all. &Quot;

“Really?” An ran asked, raising her eyebrows.

“Of course!” Su Yicheng replied noncommittally.

An ran had a strange smile on her face and said to him, ” wait a minute. &Quot; Then, she hurriedly rushed down from the high chair and brought over the thing on the counter that had not been poured out yet, but it was charred and couldn’t be seen what it was. She then put the plate on the bar counter, looked at su Yicheng with a smile, and said, ” “I made this,”

Su Yicheng looked at the black thing on the plate, and his expression didn’t change at all. He raised his chopsticks and reached out toward the black thing, then picked up a piece. Just as he was about to put it into his mouth, Anran suddenly grabbed his hand and jokingly scolded him, ” idiot, you’re really eating it. &Quot;

Su Yicheng smiled and said with a serious face, ” I’ll eat if you want me to. &Quot;

They weren’t sweet words, but they made an ran’s heart feel so sweet that it was a little greasy. She deliberately turned her head and did not look at him. She got up and took the black thing away. This time, she poured it directly into the trash can on the side.

What Anran didn’t notice was that the moment she turned around, su Yicheng’s lips curled up into a sly smile as he looked at her back.

After dinner, Anran returned to her room to take a shower, while su Yicheng returned to the study to continue his unfinished work. Recently, because of the technology City project, it was only in the beginning stage, and there was a lot of work to be done during this period. After the bidding was over, there would probably be a lot of social events. He knew that someone wanted to pull him down from his position, and there were too many people around him who were watching him fall from his position. As for Anran’s resignation, he could vaguely guess that he should thank Anran. She had quit her job because of him. He shook his head. He should be glad that an ran never asked him for anything, so he didn’t have to worry about her dragging him down.

Anran pushed the door open with the freshly brewed tea and placed it on his desk. When she turned around and was about to leave, su Yicheng suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her over to sit on his lap. He then buried his head in her neck and took a deep breath. She smelled the fragrance of the shower gel after her shower.

Anran placed her hand on her waist and asked gently, ” what’s wrong? ”

Su Yicheng shook his head and buried his head in her neck. He didn’t look up and only said in a muffled voice, ” “I’m a little tired,”

Anran turned her head, reached out, and touched his head. Her heart ached as she said, ” “If you’re tired, then rest early. We’ll see tomorrow.” In the past few days, it seemed that since his promotion and the launch of the technology City project, he had been very busy. Every night, he would come out of the study after 11 O ‘clock. After washing up and going to bed, it was almost 12 o’ clock.

Su Yicheng shook his head and hugged her even more tightly in his arms. He only said, ” “Let me hug you for a while.”

An ran leaned against him and combed his hair with her fingers.

Su Yicheng hugged her for a while before letting her go. He leaned over and pecked her on the lips. &Quot; I don’t know when it’ll be ready tonight. Go to bed first and don’t wait for me. &Quot;

Anran looked at him for a while before nodding. Before she left, she still felt a little worried. &Quot; if you’re tired, then rest early. We’ll look at it tomorrow. &Quot;

Su Yicheng nodded, grateful for her thoughtfulness.

After returning to her room, Anran didn’t feel sleepy. She sat at the head of the bed and read a magazine for a long time. She thought about how she had met Chengxiang at the supermarket in the afternoon and suddenly remembered that she hadn’t contacted Lin Li for a few days. Even when she called her yesterday, she didn’t answer.

As she thought about this, she took out her phone and called Lin Li. The call went through, but no one picked up. In the end, Anran had no choice but to send Lin Li a text message and tell her to call her back when she saw the message. Anran was a little worried that something had happened to Lin Li, but she could only worry and not do anything else. After all, the two of them were too far apart, and it wasn’t easy to care about them.

When she received Lin Li’s call again, it was already two days later. At that time, Anran was still working hard in the kitchen to improve her cooking skills. After a few days of intensive training and countless times of cooking until the dishes were so black that they couldn’t be recognized, Anran finally mastered the skill, and the ingredients in the pot finally returned to their natural color. Although the taste was still a little unsatisfactory, at least it wasn’t completely black.

When Lin Li called, she was cutting onions in the kitchen. The smell of onions made her eyes tear up uncontrollably. Anran was regretting that she hadn’t planned to stir-fry the beef with onions. She should have ordered stir-fried beef with green pepper or something better. Just as she was remorseful, the phone on the side of the counter rang. Anran didn’t look at it and took it. She said in a sobbing voice, ” Hello? ”

The person on the other end of the phone was stunned and didn’t speak for a long time.

“Hey, say something.” An ran said as she pushed the onions further away from the anvil. However, when she spoke, her crying voice was still very heavy, as if she had suffered a great grievance, which made her sound pitiful.

“Anran, are you crying?” Lin Li asked uncertainly on the other side of the phone.

Hearing the voice on the other end of the phone, Anran suddenly took her phone away and looked at the number on the screen. It was indeed Lin Li. She had been worried for several days, and now she was angry and shouted at her, ” “You still know how to call me!” It was just that the voice was obviously sobbing, and the imposing manner was weakened a lot.

After being yelled at like this, Lin Li became even more uncertain. She clearly heard her crying, but from her tone, she didn’t seem like someone who was crying at all. Anran, are you not crying? ”

Hearing this, Anran covered her face with her hands and said with tears in her eyes, ” &Quot; I’m dying from the smell of onions. Don’t you think I’ll cry? ”

On the other side of the phone, Lin Li heard this and only reacted after a while. She chuckled and said, ” I thought you were crying because of your family’s rich man su. &Quot;

Anran couldn’t stand the smell anymore, so she rushed out of the kitchen with her phone in her hand. &Quot; “Don’t try to change the topic. Tell me, where have you been these past few days? I called you but you didn’t answer my calls. You didn’t even reply to my text messages. What do you think you’re doing?”

On the other end of the phone, Lin Li was silent for a while, then said indifferently, ” “An Zi, come out and meet me. I’m going back to Jiang city.”

Anran didn’t know how to react to this. After a while, she asked with uncertainty, ” “What did you just say? you’re back in Jiang city?”

“Yes.” Lin Li faintly replied, ” an Zi, come out and meet me. &Quot;

&Quot; wait for me at the old place, ” Anran said directly without asking. Then, he hung up the phone, took off his apron, grabbed his wallet and keys, and left.

After marrying su Yicheng, she really hadn’t driven for a long time. She was originally a mechanical idiot, and after not driving for so long, she was really a little rusty when driving. When she turned the corner, she almost hit someone, but fortunately, it was just a false alarm.

The so-called “old place” was actually just the café near the school that she, mo Fei, Lin Li, and Cheng Xiang used to go to together. Although after graduation and Mo Fei’s departure at the time of graduation, they hadn’t been there together for a few years.

When Anran parked the car in front of the cafe, she pushed the door open and went in. At the seat that the four of them usually sat in, she saw Lin Li. Lin Li also looked at her at the same time, a faint smile on her face.

It wasn’t the weekend, but the café was full. The waiters were in a hurry, and everyone was busy.

Anran walked over to her and stared at her without blinking. Her long hair had been cut short, and it only reached her ears. She wasn’t fat to begin with, but after not seeing her for only a month, she was even skinnier and more bloodied than before. She was as thin as a piece of paper, and it seemed like a gust of wind could blow her away.

Lin Li chuckled, looked at her, and said, ” my new hairstyle. Doesn’t it look better than in the photo? ”

Anran rolled her eyes at her and threw her bag and car keys on the table. She sat down in front of her and glared at her. She said in an angry and distressed tone, ” &Quot; don’t you need to eat? are you saving food for the country or something? ”

Lin Li chuckled and only said, ” “I didn’t lose much weight. You know I’m not fat.”

Anran’s anger flared up when she heard that. She glared at her. &Quot; so you know you’re not fat? then what are you trying to do by making yourself look like this? ” He was so angry. Angry that she didn’t know how to cherish herself at all!

“Alright, we haven’t seen each other for so long. Are you sure you want to scold me until I’m drenched in blood?” Lin Li looked at her and asked.

Anran glared at her for a long time before she retracted her accusing gaze. In fact, she just felt bad for her. She felt bad that she didn’t cherish herself at all. She actually got herself into this state in such a short time. She really felt bad for her!

Although she was angry, an ran still opened her mouth and asked, ” “Why did you suddenly come back?”

Lin Li smiled faintly, picked up the cup on the table, and took a sip. She then said indifferently, ” “Actually, I came back a few days ago. I’ve been looking for a house and a job these days.”

Upon hearing this, Anran’s eyes widened and she looked at her angrily. &Quot; Lin Li! &Quot;

Lin Li reached out to hold her hand and said teasingly, ” &Quot; don’t be angry. You get old easily when you’re angry. If you get old, be careful that your rich man su will go and find young and beautiful women. &Quot;

Anran was still staring at her. She was angry. Angry that she had only called her a few days after she had returned!

“Alright, I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to rely on you for everything. It’s time for me to grow up properly and find my own house and job. Actually, it’s not as difficult as I thought. It’s just that I relied too much on you and Chengxiang in the past, and you protected me too well. If I continue to be protected by you like this, I think I will lose the ability to survive. So this time, I want to rely on my own strength to arrange myself.” Lin Li said indifferently, her face calm.

“What’s going to happen?” Anran asked. She knew Lin Li too well. When she left, if something hadn’t happened that forced her to come back, she was afraid that she would never have returned to Jiangcheng.

Lin Li stared at her for a long time before she said, ” it’s my father. He was diagnosed with Stage 2 stomach cancer and is now in the city Hospital. &Quot;

An ran was stunned. She didn’t expect this. He remembered that when he first saw father Lin, he was still in good spirits and had better stamina than young people. He didn’t even pant when he climbed stairs, but how did he get stomach cancer so soon? “How, how could it be like this!”

Lin Li smiled bitterly, rubbing the mouth of the cup with her hand. She only said softly, ” “Who knows?”

Anran looked at her, and her heart ached. She reached out to hold her hand and softly called out, ” Lin Li … &Quot;

Lin Li raised her head to look at her and shook her head lightly. &Quot; I’m fine, really. &Quot; She knew that Anran was worried about her. In fact, when she first found out about her father’s condition, she really wanted to break down. Too many things had happened in such a short time, and they were all out of her tolerance range! However, it was proven that a person’s potential was limitless. When she thought she couldn’t make it, she made it. Now, he had to slowly accept it, because there was no other way. The truth was already like this, and there was no use in avoiding it. He could only face it.

Afraid that she wouldn’t believe her, Lin Li grabbed her hand and tried to make herself look fine. She chuckled and said, ” “Actually, if you think about it, it’s not that bad. Fortunately, we found out about it earlier. We’re in the second stage now, and there’s still time for treatment. If it were the third stage, by then, we wouldn’t even be able to cry.”

“Lin Li!” Anran’s heart clenched tightly. She suddenly felt that God was being unfair to Lin Li. In such a short time, she had experienced so much, and every time, it was testing the limits of her heart.

Lin Li looked at her steadily, as if she was making a promise, and said, ” “An Zi, I’m really fine.” He turned his head and looked outside. It seemed that school had just ended, and many students were coming out of the campus. He turned his head to look at Anran and said, ” “Recently, I’ve been thinking that everything was too smooth for me in the past. I’ve lived for 28 years, and my life has always been too smooth. My parents loved me, and I even got together with Chengxiang as soon as I entered school. Chengxiang loved me so much, and it could be said that my previous life was too beautiful. In the past, I was always very headstrong, like a child, and I didn’t know what to do because I knew that behind my back, my parents would help me, Chengxiang would help me, and you would help me too. If anything happened, there were too many people waiting to solve it for me, so I didn’t have to worry or be afraid.” She suddenly chuckled. &Quot; hehe, I used to live like a child and was protected too well by everyone. &Quot;

“We want you to continue being a child, to live like that, and to smile like that.” When he was happy, he would laugh out loud and shout without caring about his image. When he was unhappy, he would frown. All his happiness and unhappiness, all his emotions, were displayed on his face, and people could tell at a glance. She liked that kind of Lin Li. Everyone liked that kind of Lin Li.

Lin Li shook her head, a bitter smile on the corner of her mouth, and said indifferently, ” how can I be a child forever? children will grow up one day. I’ve been very lucky to be a child for 28 years. Now, it’s time for me to learn to grow up. &Quot;

&Quot; Lin Li … &Quot; Anran looked at her with a pained expression.

Lin Li shook her head at her and said, ” okay, I came to you today to ask you to help me find a job. Because of my father’s condition, my mother and I plan to settle down in Jiangcheng first, so I want to find a job first. Is your company still hiring? if you are, you can use your connections to get me in. &Quot;

Anran was stunned. She looked at her with embarrassment and said, ” “I, I just resigned.”

“Eh, why?” Lin Li was a little surprised. &Quot; you’ve been there for seven years! &Quot; She knew that it had not been easy for Anran in the past seven years. From a sketch artist to a designer, she had worked step by step and had put in so much sweat and energy to get to where she was now. Besides, she had always known that Anran was actually a very nostalgic person. Back then, she had been suppressed by Huang Dexing. At that time, she had asked her to leave, but she had insisted on not leaving. She said that even if she didn’t miss the people there, she couldn’t leave just because she had worked so hard there for so long.

Anran roughly told her about the recent events, about the sample room, the design plan, and Huang Dexing’s requirements.

Lin Li said with some resentment, ” there are really all kinds of birds in a big forest. The earlier this kind of company leaves, the better. There’s really nothing good about it! &Quot;

Anran looked at her. Lin Li had really changed. Besides, she wasn’t as agitated as she used to be when she said she would teach those people a lesson. If this was the price of growing up, then it would be too painful!

Suddenly thinking of something, Lin Li stared at her with some bad intentions. After a while, she said, ” &Quot; an Zi, after all this, it turns out that you didn’t find yourself a sugar daddy, but a high-ranking official. You’re too capable! &Quot;

Anran rolled her eyes at her, amused and annoyed. She only said, ” &Quot; there’s no rush for work. The most important thing now is to treat father Lin’s illness. By the way, where are you guys living now? have you found a house? ”

Lin Li shook her head. &Quot; dad is in the hospital now. Mom and I are temporarily staying in a hotel near the hospital. We’ve been looking for a suitable one these few days. We’ll move in once we find one. &Quot;

Anran nodded and suddenly thought of the single apartment she and su Yicheng used to live in. She said to Lin Li, ” “The apartment we used to live in is empty now. Why don’t you and mother Lin move there first?”

Lin Li shook her head. &Quot; there’s no need. I can settle my house and work myself. Now that dad is old, it’s time for me to grow up. Under his protection, I’ve lived a carefree life for so many years. Now, it’s my turn to take care of them, so there are many things that I have to learn to deal with in front of my senior. &Quot;

Anran looked at her and sighed silently. She only said, ” “Don’t be polite with me if you’re in trouble. Even if you want to grow up on your own, let me help you.”

Lin Li looked at her for a while before nodding with a smile.

Anran also smiled and reached out to hold her hand. &Quot; take me to see father Lin. &Quot;