The Beauty Is Seducing Me Again Chapter 8

Chapter 8 008 “Miss Shen, are you hungry too?”

The night was deep, and silence reigned.

Chen Xiaonuan stayed in the room, boredly watching advertisements. She had already watched several episodes of a mindless urban drama, and the female lead wasn’t even half as pretty as Miss Shen.

She thought that if Miss Shen’s aura were used for acting, she would definitely have a huge number of fervent fans.

Perhaps, she would be one of them.

An underwear commercial was playing on the TV, and Chen Xiaonuan’s chuckles echoed in the room, sounding peculiar.

“Oh dear, what nonsense am I thinking?” Chen Xiaonuan muttered, patting her head.

The commercial finished, and the TV started playing the drama again, but Chen Xiaonuan had no interest in watching anymore. She lay sprawled on the sofa, her eyes seemingly devoid of all worldly desires.

At this moment, the events of the day flashed through Chen Xiaonuan’s mind like a revolving lantern: Shen Qing’an’s beautiful eyes, the slippers that were two sizes too big, and her wearing a light purple silk nightgown… all were vividly imprinted in her memory.

Perhaps because she had slept too much this afternoon, Chen Xiaonuan wasn’t sleepy at all; in fact, she felt energetic enough to run two laps around the villa downstairs.

“Grumble… grumble…” Her stomach protested with a sound.

Chen Xiaonuan covered her empty stomach, frowning for once. Thinking that Shen Qing’an hadn’t come down to eat dinner with them, she hadn’t eaten much herself.

The clock on the wall dutifully ticked on. Chen Xiaonuan looked up; it was already eleven o’clock at night.

At this hour, Aunt Liu and the other servants should already be resting.

Chen Xiaonuan really felt too embarrassed to call them up from the servant quarters to cook for such a small matter, especially since she genuinely disliked bothering others.

Chen Xiaonuan hesitated repeatedly, then patted her chest as if to cheer herself on.

There was no helping it; man is iron, rice is steel, and one missed meal makes one frantic. She was simply too hungry to bear it.

Chen Xiaonuan tiptoed out of the room. Only a few dim wall lamps were lit in the corridor, and it was silent. Relying on her memory, she cautiously headed toward the kitchen downstairs.

Her footsteps were light, and coupled with the ill-fitting slippers she was wearing, she made almost no sound as she walked.

Just as Chen Xiaonuan was about to reach the staircase, a nearby door suddenly opened from the inside.

Warm yellow light spilled out from the doorway, and Shen Qing’an’s figure appeared simultaneously.

Shen Qing’an had just finished working; a hint of fatigue lingered on her face, and she was still wearing the light purple silk nightgown. She held an empty water glass, preparing to go downstairs to pour water.

She immediately spotted Chen Xiaonuan sneaking toward the staircase. Shen Qing’an paused, her cool gaze instantly locking onto Chen Xiaonuan.

“What are you doing here?” Her voice was particularly clear in the quiet corridor, carrying a hint of alertness.

Chen Xiaonuan froze, startled by the sudden sound, like a frightened little rabbit. She turned around and saw Shen Qing’an standing behind her.

She became inexplicably nervous, her speech faltering, her tongue tied: “I… I, Miss Shen… you’re done with work… I didn’t, didn’t do anything.”

Shen Qing’an’s gaze lingered on the nightgown she was wearing for a second. Although she hadn’t worn it, it was still her nightgown. It was a bit large and ill-fitting on Chen Xiaonuan, but it was clear that Chen Xiaonuan had a full figure, stretching the nightgown into a pleasing curve.

Her eyes darkened slightly, then fell back to Chen Xiaonuan’s face, clearly not believing her explanation.

Shen Qing’an frowned slightly, standing silently in front of Chen Xiaonuan, waiting for a reasonable explanation.

Under her scrutiny, Chen Xiaonuan felt completely exposed.

Blushing, she confessed in a very low voice: “I didn’t eat enough tonight, and now I’m a little hungry. I wanted… I wanted to see if there was anything to eat in the kitchen, but I ran into you as soon as I came out.”

After speaking, Chen Xiaonuan immediately lowered her head, not daring to maintain eye contact with Shen Qing’an for long, afraid that Shen Qing’an would say something to send her away.

Unexpectedly, the anticipated cold words did not come.

Shen Qing’an looked at the girl before her, remaining silent for a moment.

The dim light in the corridor softened the overly severe contours of Shen Qing’an’s face. The girl in front of her, wearing her nightgown, was quietly telling her she was ‘hungry’.

The displeasure and resistance from earlier in the day seemed to be interrupted at this moment by a subtle, indescribable emotion, so fast that Shen Qing’an couldn’t grasp it.

“Hungry?” Shen Qing’an repeated, her tone unreadable. “What do you want to eat? I’ll call the Auntie from the servant quarters to get up and cook.”

“No, no need!” Chen Xiaonuan quickly looked up, waving her hands urgently. “It’s too late! Let’s not disturb the Aunties’ rest. I’ll just look myself and find some biscuits or bread or something to fill my stomach.”

Shen Qing’an didn’t understand what Chen Xiaonuan was saying, as if calling the cooking Auntie up late at night was a huge fuss. But for Shen Qing’an, it was routine. The Shen Family paid the Aunties thirty thousand a month; it wasn’t so they could do nothing in the Shen Family Villa.

She didn’t consider herself a philanthropist.

Seeing that Shen Qing’an didn’t object, Chen Xiaonuan hesitated, then asked softly, “Miss Shen, do you know what food is in the kitchen? Or what ingredients are left in the fridge, like noodles or eggs?”

Shen Qing’an, who was usually omnipotent, was stumped by the question.

Kitchen? Ingredients? This was definitely an unfamiliar territory for Shen Qing’an. She could accurately predict the trends of major global financial markets, but she absolutely couldn’t say what was on the second shelf of her own kitchen fridge.

A momentary blank appeared in Shen Qing’an’s mind. Subsequently, a fleeting, barely noticeable hint of embarrassment crossed her face.

“…I don’t know,” she finally answered dryly, her tone slightly stiff.

Chen Xiaonuan looked at Shen Qing’an’s clearly stumped, even slightly bewildered expression. For some reason, she suddenly found the Miss Shen in front of her a little cute.

This thought flashed by, startling Chen Xiaonuan herself. She quickly shook the terrifying notion out of her head.

“Alright, then I’ll go down and take a look.” With that, Chen Xiaonuan tentatively started walking downstairs, not hearing Shen Qing’an call out to her.

Shen Qing’an stood rooted to the spot, looking at the slender back, and followed her on an impulse.

Perhaps it was because this was her home, and she had a responsibility to ensure that the outsider wouldn’t mess up the kitchen in the middle of the night, and not because she was attracted to the girl.

She was just driven by curiosity, Shen Qing’an found a suitable excuse for herself.

Hearing footsteps behind her, Chen Xiaonuan turned back, surprised to find that Shen Qing’an had followed her. She was a little taken aback.

Chen Xiaonuan said, “Miss Shen, are you hungry too?”

Shen Qing’an paused. She wasn’t hungry. But she saw Chen Xiaonuan’s dark eyes, which were still moist even under the dim light. She was silent for a moment, then nodded.

“Mm.” A response so soft it was almost inaudible.

Chen Xiaonuan took it as truth and immediately felt she had found a companion. The tension of sneaking around for food in someone else’s house late at night dissipated considerably, and she even felt a touch of the tragic sentiment of ‘fellow sufferers of hunger’.

“That’s great. I’ll see what’s in the kitchen. It would be perfect if I could make some hot noodle soup.”

Shen Qing’an didn’t reply, following her into the kitchen.

Chen Xiaonuan opened the double-door refrigerator. The ingredients inside were dazzlingly abundant and neatly categorized, but most were unprocessed, high-quality market goods.

She rummaged around for a while, her eyes lighting up: “There are eggs! Wow, and there’s even a small bunch of greens. Ah, and there are dried noodles too! This is great!”

It was as if she had found a treasure. Was it really that big of a deal? It was just ordinary greens and eggs, things that cost only a few dollars, yet she was acting so happy.

Shen Qing’an thought internally, not realizing that her own mood was being infected by Chen Xiaonuan’s cheerfulness.

Chen Xiaonuan happily turned around and saw Shen Qing’an standing with her arms crossed, her eyes carrying an unfamiliar scrutiny of the kitchen, looking somewhat at a loss.

Hmm, Miss Shen really is a little cute.

The thought popped up again. Chen Xiaonuan forcibly suppressed the rising corners of her mouth and volunteered, “Miss Shen, would you like green vegetable and egg noodles? They’re simple and quick to make.”

Shen Qing’an answered succinctly: “Fine.”

Having received tacit approval, Chen Xiaonuan immediately got to work. She found a pot, filled it with water, and set it to boil. She washed and sorted the small greens and cracked the eggs, setting them aside.

Shen Qing’an stood beside her, quietly watching Chen Xiaonuan’s series of skilled movements. She could occasionally hear Chen Xiaonuan’s continuous murmuring, though she didn’t know what kind of random things she was muttering about.

She wondered why someone would love to talk to themselves so much, their words bubbling up like boiling water, even talking to the scalding water in the pot.

Inside the spacious kitchen, a warm, domestic atmosphere gradually spread.

The water boiled, the noodles went in, the greens were blanched, and the eggs were beaten in, forming beautiful egg ribbons. Chen Xiaonuan then found salt and a little sesame oil for seasoning.

Before long, an enticing, rich aroma wafted out.

Shen Qing’an hadn’t felt hungry initially, but as the substantial aroma filled her nostrils, her stomach began to feel empty, giving rise to a long-lost anticipation for food.

Two steaming bowls of green vegetable and egg noodles were placed on the dining island—clear broth and white noodles. The vibrant green vegetables and golden egg ribbons adorned the dish. It looked like a very simple bowl of soup noodles, yet it was filled with the warmth of home, making one involuntarily swallow.

Only one warm yellow spotlight was on in the dining area, softly illuminating this small space.

The two sat facing each other across the island.

The atmosphere was slightly subtle, quiet enough that only their faint breathing and the slight slurping sounds of Chen Xiaonuan eating the noodles could be heard.

Chen Xiaonuan was famished. She ate in small mouthfuls, but quickly. The level of the soup visibly dropped significantly, and her cheeks were slightly flushed from the heat.

“Chen Xiaonuan?”

“Huh?” Chen Xiaonuan looked up, confused. “What is it?”