Volume 1, Chapter 4: No Sweets

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Ding Wen arranged the meals neatly. The four or five-layer insulated lunchboxes clearly contained specially prepared dishes—three sets in total.

Ding Wen placed the black lunchbox in front of Gu Qingchen and opened the lid. The first layer held steamed pork ribs with rice flour, the second was stir-fried pork, the third was soup, the fourth layer contained rice, and the fifth was a piece of glutinous rice cake.

The meal was exquisite, beautiful, and nutritious. Feng Xi had only seen such refined food online; indeed, the meals wealthy people ate were unlike anything she had ever encountered.

Ding Wen pushed the pink lunchbox toward Feng Xi and handed her a chopstick case. “This is for you. I wasn’t sure what you liked, so the housekeeper just made a bit of everything.”

Feng Xi smiled gently. “Thank you, Mr. Gu.” Even if it were just simple steamed buns and pickles, she would savor it with delight.

Gu Qingchen said nothing but watched quietly as Feng Xi opened her lunchbox. Her first layer was sweet and sour pork ribs, the second honey-glazed chicken wings, the third soup, and the fourth rice.

Between the two of them, there were already five dishes and two soups. Feng Xi marveled inwardly at how complicated the cooking process must have been.

Feng Xi glanced at Ding Wen’s lunchbox—it was exactly the same as Gu Qingchen’s.

Curious, she wondered why her dishes differed from theirs. Were these all the favorite dishes of Gu Qingchen’s beloved from the past?

But then she thought again; even twins have their differences, let alone someone she didn’t even know. Feng Xi decided not to speculate about that person’s tastes and simply ate according to her own preferences.

She began eating. Although she wasn’t fond of sweet foods, the meals prepared by the Gu family’s housekeeper were truly a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate. Even the plain rice was fragrant. It was the first time she had eaten such delicious food, and it made her fingers twitch in anticipation.

Feng Xi ate heartily, pretending not to notice the way Gu Qingchen and Ding Wen’s gazes occasionally drifted toward her.

The sweet and sour pork ribs and honey-glazed chicken wings were Ye Qinghe’s favorite dishes, and Feng Xi ate them with gusto. However, the soup contained carrots, which Ye Qinghe never ate, but Feng Xi drank it all, savoring every drop.

Gu Qingchen felt an inexplicable tug at his heart. He had tried to find common ground between Feng Xi and Ye Qinghe but had been fervently searching for differences instead. When he finally noticed the distinctions, it was like a bucket of cold water had been poured over him—an emotion he couldn’t quite put into words.

He involuntarily treated Feng Xi as if she were Ye Qinghe, but reality reminded him they were two separate individuals. Feng Xi was Feng Xi, Ye Qinghe was Ye Qinghe, and there was no connection between them.

Gu Qingchen bitterly smiled, mocking his own naivety.

He and Ye Qinghe’s families were close. Since they could remember, they had been part of each other’s lives—through kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, university, and even studying abroad. They had never been apart for so long.

From the age of eighteen, they had been officially together for ten years.

If not for that incident, they should have been married this year.

One day in April, Gu Qingchen’s father, Gu Xun, was placed under investigation and detained by the disciplinary committee. No one could contact him. The committee thoroughly examined all of Gu Xun’s social connections.

When the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked. Suddenly, everyone avoided the Gu family, even trying to kick them when they were down, eager to trample on the once-glorious Mayor Gu.

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The Ye family was among those who severed ties, unilaterally breaking off the engagement and quickly finding a new match for Ye Qinghe. Gu Qingchen felt Ye Qinghe must have been pressured by her family, so he sought to confront her. On the way, a truck suddenly rushed out and nearly killed him.

Gu Qingchen lay in the hospital bed for three months, undergoing three major surgeries. When he awoke, Gu Xun was already free. The disciplinary committee found nothing, and within days, Gu Xun was reinstated, restoring the Gu family’s prestige.

However, Ye Qinghe never appeared, and rumors of her engagement surfaced. Gu Qingchen held a grudge in his heart, training like a madman and pushing himself to the limit.

Gu Qingchen stared blankly, and Feng Xi suddenly looked up, meeting his sorrowful eyes.

The clarity in Feng Xi’s gaze snapped Gu Qingchen back to reality, and he lowered his head to eat.

Feng Xi thought she might have misread it, but she sensed a flicker of panic in Gu Qingchen’s eyes.

Could it be he was reminded of someone by the sight of the food?

Feng Xi had long been undernourished and had a small appetite. The food was delicious and fragrant, but her stomach was already full. She put down her chopsticks, unsure of what to do as the two men ate heartily in front of her.

Ding Wen, who preferred strong flavors, had been eating rehabilitation meals for a month and was tired of the blandness. He stretched his neck and swallowed a mouthful of rice, “What’s wrong? Not to your taste?”

Gu Qingchen also looked up at Feng Xi. She smiled awkwardly, “No, it’s delicious. I just don’t have much of an appetite in the evening.”

Gu Qingchen narrowed his eyes. “How’s the sweet and sour pork ribs?”

The portion was large, but Feng Xi had only eaten two or three pieces, as if untouched.

“Very good,” she said softly, “salty and sweet, just right.”

“Then why don’t you eat more?” Gu Qingchen pressed.

Feng Xi scratched her head, “Um... I don’t really like sweet food.”

Ding Wen’s eyes widened. “Wow! It’s my first time seeing a girl who doesn’t like sweets. Did you dislike sweet things since you were a child?”

Feng Xi smiled sheepishly. Who doesn’t like sweets as a child? But back then, her grandfather was poor—they barely had enough to eat, let alone treats like candy. Only during festivals would her aunt secretly take a few hard, frozen candied fruits from the ancestral altar and share them with the children. Feng Xi, trailing behind her cousin, sometimes got one or two pieces.

Having eaten so little sweets for so long, as she grew up, she simply lost the craving.

“I haven’t liked sweets since I was little.”

“That’s rare,” Ding Wen chuckled. “When I was young, I schemed with my mom over a few pieces of candy and got scolded plenty.”

Gu Qingchen kicked him under the table. Ding Wen looked at Gu Qingchen and suddenly realized—Feng Xi’s files showed she was adopted and had no mother.

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Ding Wen fell silent and focused on his meal.

Gu Qingchen ate slowly and carefully, with impeccable manners. Looking closely, one could see the tail end of his chopsticks was engraved with the characters “Qingchen” in small seal script, seemingly handcrafted.

The small seal script was rounded and full, the two characters “Qingchen” resembling two graceful clouds.

Seeing Feng Xi staring at his chopsticks, Gu Qingchen cleared his throat softly, “What’s wrong?”

Feng Xi smiled, “Nothing, I just suddenly noticed your name carved on your chopsticks.”

Ding Wen leaned over to look, eyes wide with realization. “I wondered if it was some obscure brand name, but it’s actually Mr. Gu’s name—just a bit hard to read.”

Gu Qingchen put down his chopsticks. “You recognize small seal script?”

Feng Xi nodded. “My grandfather’s medical books often feature brush calligraphy, including quite a bit of small seal script.”

Ding Wen laughed. “Truly a top scholar!”

Feng Xi smiled shyly.

Gu Qingchen gently traced the characters “Qingchen” with his fingertips and sighed silently.

The three exchanged a few simple words. Ding Wen was witty and humorous, sharing many stories from his school days and showing great interest in traditional Chinese medicine. Gu Qingchen occasionally chimed in. When Ding Wen joked, Gu Qingchen clapped and laughed heartily. The atmosphere among the three was especially warm.

After finishing the meal, Ding Wen packed away the lunchboxes. “Feng Xi, shall we go? I’ll walk you out.”

Gu Qingchen said, “Thank you, your work hours are over today.”

Feng Xi nodded. “Alright, but I can go back by myself. No need for Assistant Ding to escort me.”

Ding Wen put on his coat. “I’m about to finish work anyway. There are bodyguards here, so I’ll just take you on my way.”

Feng Xi didn’t refuse further. When they went downstairs, Ding Wen pulled a paper bag from his briefcase and handed it to her.

“This is a new phone I bought this afternoon. It has Mr. Gu’s business card inside. Keep his number and contact him promptly if anything comes up.”

Feng Xi did not take it. The bag looked exquisite, but she only had a few hundred yuan and couldn’t afford it. “No, thank you, Assistant Ding. I already have a phone.”