The Beauty Is Seducing Me Again Chapter 9

Chapter 9 009 “Miss Shen” “Miss Shen” “Miss Shen”…

Shen Qing’an’s first thought was that her lips looked plump and rosy from eating.

“Ahem.” As if to hide her embarrassment, Shen Qing’an coughed and said, “You have a little bit of egg flower on the corner of your mouth. Wipe it with a tissue.”

“Oh, oh, oh, okay.” Chen Xiaonuan quickly pulled out a tissue and wiped her mouth. Sure enough, it was a small piece of egg flower. She must have eaten too quickly and eagerly, which is why it ended up on the corner of her mouth.

Chen Xiaonuan smiled, her eyes shining like they held a Little Sun: “Miss Shen, hurry and try it! See if the noodle soup I made suits your taste.”

Shen Qing’an nodded, picking up a few noodles with her chopsticks and bringing them to her mouth with graceful movements.

The taste was acceptable, even simple, without unnecessary flavors. But the broth was refreshing, the noodles were perfectly cooked, and the egg was tender. In the quiet of the night, it seemed to possess a kind of magic, offering a comforting strength.

Perhaps because Shen Qing’an had spoken first, the tension between the two disappeared, and Chen Xiaonuan’s inherent chattiness began to surface.

“The salt is just right this time!” Chen Xiaonuan evaluated herself as she ate, her eyes curved into crescents. “I was worried it would be too salty or too bland, which would ruin the taste of the noodles. I didn’t expect it to be perfect this time.”

Shen Qing’an ate quietly, not responding.

Chen Xiaonuan didn’t mind and continued chattering away: “Miss Shen, your kitchen is really big, and the ingredients are so complete. There are more ingredients than in the back kitchen of a restaurant! And there are so many things I’ve never seen before. It’s just too clean. I almost couldn’t find which cabinet the dried noodles were in at first, ha ha ha ha ha… Auntie keeps things too tidy.”

“Mm.” Shen Qing’an gave a simple syllable in response, indicating she was listening.

That single response greatly encouraged Chen Xiaonuan, and her floodgates opened completely: “This kind of egg noodle is the easiest to cook—quick and convenient. And it’s hot, so after eating, you feel all warm. When I was at the orphanage, if I got hungry at night, Director Mother would secretly cook me a small bowl. She’d add a little lard and soy sauce, and it would be so fragrant, it could make your head spin!”

“But it’s definitely not as good as your family’s eggs. The yolk color is especially beautiful. They must be those really good free-range eggs, right? I heard free-range eggs are expensive, and it’s hard to buy real ones in Quanhai City.”

Shen Qing’an replied, “Probably.”

She wasn’t clear about the source of the eggs at home; Butler Xu and the nutritionist were responsible for those things.

“I knew it!” Chen Xiaonuan sounded excited, as if she had found a kindred spirit. “The taste is different! It’s best for Auntie Shen to eat this kind of egg during her recovery period; it’s very nutritious. Oh, right, Miss Shen, do you know what Auntie Shen usually eats for breakfast? The doctor said it should be light and nutritious. Actually, a little millet porridge in the morning is quite good for the stomach…”

Chen Xiaonuan babbled on, moving from noodles to eggs, and then from eggs to Yuan Yanyu’s diet. Her thoughts scattered wildly, making it impossible to guess what she would say next.

Shen Qing’an mostly listened quietly, occasionally giving Chen Xiaonuan a brief response when the girl looked at her inquiringly.

But this did not dampen Chen Xiaonuan’s desire to chat. She seemed very used to this kind of one-way output; as long as the other person didn’t express clear annoyance, she could happily continue talking to herself.

Shen Qing’an ate her noodles, listening to the soft, slightly excited murmuring by her ear. It was completely different from the meeting arguments and project reports she usually heard at work. It was full of life’s trivialities and meaningless leisure. It was a little noisy, but surprisingly, it didn’t evoke any feeling of dislike.

It was like a cold lake surface being hit by tiny pebbles, sending out ripples that broke the long-standing stillness.

Soon, the bowl of noodle soup was empty.

Chen Xiaonuan drank the last mouthful of soup contentedly, put down the bowl, and subconsciously patted her slightly bulging stomach. Then, without warning, she let out a small burp.

“Burp~”

The sound wasn’t loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet dining room.

Chen Xiaonuan instantly froze, her cheeks turning visibly red, all the way to her earlobes. She quickly covered her mouth, her eyes wide, looking at Shen Qing’an across from her with utter horror.

At this moment, Chen Xiaonuan wished she could find a hole to crawl into.

Oh God! Her world was collapsing. She actually burped in front of Miss Shen! It was so undignified, truly embarrassing.

Shen Qing’an, who was eating her noodles, paused. She looked up at the girl opposite her, who was so mortified she looked like she was about to smoke. Those eyes, usually so clear, were now filled with panic and remorse.

Shen Qing’an gave a silent assessment: she truly looked like a kitten that had accidentally broken a vase.

A faint smile surfaced, fleetingly brushing Shen Qing’an’s heart like a dragonfly skimming water, so fast that she didn’t even notice it herself.

Shen Qing’an calmly put down her chopsticks and wiped her mouth with a tissue, acting as if she hadn’t heard anything.

Shen Qing’an’s nonchalant reaction only made Chen Xiaonuan feel more mortified. She covered her face and wailed softly, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Miss Shen, I didn’t do it on purpose.”

“Are you full?” Shen Qing’an changed the subject, her voice sounding as steady as usual.

“…Mm.” Chen Xiaonuan peeked at Shen Qing’an through the gaps in her fingers and responded quietly.

Shen Qing’an had also finished her bowl of noodles. The two sat opposite each other in silence for a moment. The feeling of fullness late at night dispelled sleepiness, and the atmosphere was subtly quiet.

Chen Xiaonuan put down her hands, her eyes darting around, trying to find a topic to break the awkwardness. She suddenly remembered that after dinner, Yuan Yanyu had taken her to the third floor and mentioned that one room was specifically for playing games, equipped with various gaming devices.

Her eyes lit up. She looked at Shen Qing’an, her tone carrying a hint of tentative expectation: “Miss Shen, um… we just finished eating, and it seems… we’re not very sleepy, are we?”

Shen Qing’an questioned her with her eyes: So?

Chen Xiaonuan mustered her courage, her voice full of excitement, and suggested, “Auntie Shen told me there’s a game room on the third floor. Can we go up and play for a while to help digest?”

After speaking, she quickly added, “Just for a little while! We’ll come down after playing for a bit!”

Shen Qing’an raised an eyebrow. If Chen Xiaonuan hadn’t mentioned it, she would have almost forgotten that such a room existed in the house. The last time she had set foot in the game room was probably when she was in university.

She looked at Chen Xiaonuan’s expectant eyes. The refusal that was on the tip of her tongue turned into: “Alright.”

“Yay! That’s great!” Chen Xiaonuan was so happy she almost jumped off the high stool, but she quickly realized she had overreacted and quickly restrained herself, though the smile on her lips couldn’t be suppressed. “Then, should we go up now?”

Shen Qing’an didn’t speak, rising and walking toward the stairs. Chen Xiaonuan scurried happily behind her.

The third floor was quieter than the second. Shen Qing’an pushed open a door and turned on the light.

The room was large but simply furnished. One wall was a giant screen, facing professional gaming chairs. Next to them were several sci-fi-looking VR headsets and various controllers.

“Wow!” Chen Xiaonuan exclaimed sincerely, like Grandma Liu visiting the Grand View Garden. “This… this is too cool.”

She had only seen similar equipment in arcades at the mall. She hadn’t even played them when she worked part-time there, but the equipment in the mall was far less advanced than this.

Shen Qing’an walked up to the equipment, performed a few simple operations, and the large screen lit up, displaying a complex system interface.

“What do you want to play?” Shen Qing’an asked.

Chen Xiaonuan leaned over, looking at the dazzling array of game icons on the screen, feeling dizzy: “I, anything is fine. Miss Shen, you choose. I haven’t played any of these.”

She had only played the simplest matching games on her phone.

Shen Qing’an glanced at her and casually selected a cartoon-style racing game that supported two-player combat. The controls were relatively simple, making it suitable for beginners.

She handed Chen Xiaonuan a controller and briefly explained the basic button functions: “The left side controls direction, and these buttons on the right are for acceleration, braking, and using items.”

Chen Xiaonuan took the controller, looking like she was facing a formidable enemy, listening with partial understanding.

Her small face was tightly strained, and she nodded repeatedly: “Oh, oh, left… right… item…”

The game began.

Shen Qing’an operated her car flawlessly. Her race car sped smoothly along the track, cornering, accelerating, and avoiding obstacles with swift, perfect movements, as if she had practiced countless times.

Chen Xiaonuan, on the other hand, was a disaster. Her car wobbled, constantly crashing into the guardrails, spinning in place, or even driving in the reverse direction on the track.

Chen Xiaonuan’s palms were sweating from nervousness. Her fingers completely ignored her brain’s commands, randomly pressing buttons, while she continuously let out small gasps of surprise.

“Oh no! I crashed again!”

“Ah! Why am I going backward?”

“Wait for me, Miss Shen! You’re driving so fast!”

“Help me…”

The result was predictable. In the first round, Chen Xiaonuan suffered a crushing defeat, lagging behind by two full laps.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. Let’s try again, just one more time, I think I’m starting to understand.” Chen Xiaonuan cheered herself on.

In the second round, she was still stumbling, but at least she managed to finish the entire course, albeit far exceeding the game’s time limit.

In the third round, Chen Xiaonuan tried to use an item. A missile launched, missed Shen Qing’an ahead, and instead blew her own car into a dizzy spin.

Fourth round, fifth round…

After playing seven rounds in a row, Chen Xiaonuan had zero victories, completely and utterly dominated by Shen Qing’an. Her initial excitement gradually turned into frustration. Her head drooped, her mouth turned down, and her gaze at the screen was filled with reluctance and disappointment.

“How… how is this so hard?” Chen Xiaonuan muttered softly, a hint of grievance in her voice.

Shen Qing’an put down her controller, looking at the girl’s dejected appearance, like a puppy drenched in rain.