Chapter 226

Chapter 226: Is the Noodles Cooked by the President's Wife Personally Something He Can Eat? The man's eyes revealed exhaustion as he gently shook his head. Chu Tang said, "Go upstairs and get some sleep." Jiang Shixu replied in a gentle voice, "Alright." Not far away, voices rose and fell one after another. Chu Tang looked over and saw that the rescue team had arrived. Yang Mengyuan was also awakened by the noise. She came downstairs, rubbing her eyes and asking, "What's that sound?" Chu Tang turned to look at her and answered, "The rescue team is here." Yang Mengyuan walked over and saw the man standing in front of Chu Tang. Her footsteps suddenly halted. "And this is?" "He's..." Chu Tang paused for a moment before saying, "He's the gentleman who called last night. His surname is Jiang." "Oh, oh, so he's that gentleman." Yang Mengyuan's voice rose at the end, her tone subtle, and the look she gave Chu Tang carried a hint of gossipy curiosity. At that moment, Lin Sen, the assistant who had deliberately gone off to give them some distance, also walked over. He looked at Chu Tang and greeted her, "Miss Ruan, good morning." Chu Tang smiled back and replied, "Good morning, Assistant Lin. You must have worked hard." Then she introduced him to Yang Mengyuan, "This is Mr. Jiang's friend, surname Lin." Yang Mengyuan greeted them, "Mr. Jiang, Mr. Lin, nice to meet you. Don't just stand there—come inside and have a seat." "Mengyuan, they've been traveling since last night and haven't slept a wink. Can they go upstairs and rest for a while?" "No problem, I'll arrange it. There's still an empty room upstairs with a bed. Let me go tidy it up—just give me a few minutes." "Thank you." "Don't mention it." "Miss Ruan, this is a new phone we bought for you." Lin Sen handed over a phone box. Chu Tang looked up at Jiang Shixu, but the man said nothing. Lin Sen spoke up at the right moment, "We bought this when we arrived in Haicheng city proper... Mr. Jiang bought it for you." That was close—he almost said the wrong title. When Miss Ruan introduced him to her friend, she didn't mention that he was the CEO's assistant. She probably didn't want her friend to know their real identities and feel burdened by it. Good thing he corrected himself in time. Chu Tang took the phone. "Thank you." They hadn't arrived in Haicheng until 3:30 in the morning, when all the phone stores were already closed. But getting a phone was effortless for Jiang Shixu—one phone call and someone would deliver it to his door. Yesterday afternoon, when he called and learned her phone had been ruined by water, he remembered to buy her a new one even before getting any sleep after arriving in Haicheng. Warmth flowed through Chu Tang's heart, and her eyes felt hot. She looked at Jiang Shixu. "You haven't eaten yet. Let me make you some noodles—eat before you sleep." The man gazed at her with tender eyes and replied softly, "Alright." Yang Mengyuan quickly said, "Chu Tang, I can't have you doing that yourself. Let me do it." Chu Tang looked at Yang Mengyuan, pressed her lips into a smile, her almond-shaped eyes brimming with laughter. "Let me do it." Yang Mengyuan understood the meaning behind Chu Tang's look almost instantly. A knowing smile spread across her face—an expression that said, "I get it, I understand everything." "Alright then, you cook the noodles, and I'll help you light the fire. You probably don't know how to use a wood-burning stove." "Okay." Chu Tang cooked two bowls of tomato and egg noodles and set them on the table. "Come eat, you two." Lin Sen secretly glanced up at Jiang Shixu. Is the noodles cooked personally by the president's wife something he can eat? If he eats this bowl of noodles, will the president fire him afterward? Lin Sen's inner thoughts: Very touched, but dare not touch. Jiang Shixu glanced at him sidelong, as if guessing what he was thinking. "Eat." Only with Jiang Shixu's permission did Lin Sen dare to sit down. He picked up his chopsticks and said to Chu Tang with a smile, "Thank you, Miss Ruan." Jiang Shixu sat down, picked up his chopsticks, but handed them to Chu Tang. "Tangtang, you haven't had breakfast either. You eat first." Yang Mengyuan stood off to the side with an auntie-like smile on her face. Chu Tang shook her head. "I'm not hungry yet. You eat first—I'll eat later." Across the table, Lin Sen was eating with great relish, slurping his noodles noisily. "So delicious!" Jiang Shixu looked at Chu Tang again. Chu Tang smiled helplessly. "I just woke up and don't have an appetite yet. You eat." Only then did Jiang Shixu pick up his chopsticks. It had been a long time since he'd eaten noodles cooked by Chu Tang. He missed it. It still tasted the same as before. When Jiang Shixu and Lin Sen arrived, they had brought a suitcase and a backpack. When the car reached the county and the road turned from concrete to muddy paths, it was no longer drivable, so Lin Sen had picked out a few changes of clothes, stuffed them into the backpack, and carried it the rest of the way. After the meal, they took a shower and changed into clean clothes before going to sleep. ... The rescue team distributed disaster relief supplies to the villagers and cleared the roads blocked by mud, rubble, and garbage. The village's electrical lines were also repaired. When Jiang Shixu woke up, it was already four o'clock in the afternoon. The weather was beautiful, with bright sunshine. Looking down from the second-floor window, Jiang Shixu saw Chu Tang in the courtyard, eyes half-closed, basking in the sun with a look of pure contentment. The man's lips curled upward involuntarily, forming a smile. For some reason, seeing Tangtang soaking up the sun, he was reminded of a little turtle poking its head out from a rock to sunbathe. Not gonna lie, that's pretty cute. ...... Ever since they got back from Haicheng, the dynamic between Chu Tang and Jiang Shixu had shifted in subtle ways. The main change was in how Chu Tang treated Jiang Shixu. She no longer gave him the cold shoulder like before, or spoke to him with that faintly sarcastic edge. Though they hadn't fully reconciled, there was now a vague, undeniable tension between them—something almost flirtatious. Even Shu Mingyue could tell there was a story there. That afternoon, Shu Mingyue came to the law firm to find Ruan Chutang. In the office, Zhou Xueluo was pouring herself a cup of tea while asking sourly, "Spill it—what happened between you and A Xu? Before, you were ice-cold to him, but now you two are making googly eyes at each other?" Chu Tang laughed, shooting her a mock-annoyed glance. "Googly eyes? Don't start spreading rumors." "Hmph, I've seen it more than once." Shu Mingyue muttered. "Before, when you looked at him, your eyes were freezing. Now it's different—your eyes are all sparkly, like little stars. You two aren't about to rekindle an old flame, are you?" Chu Tang answered at a tangent: "I'll take that as a compliment about my pretty eyes." "Don't change the subject. Spill it now—did something happen between you two?" Suddenly, Shu Mingyue clapped a hand over her mouth, eyes going wide. "Wait... you two... you didn't, did you?" "..." Chu Tang was speechless. "I say, Miss Shu, have you forgotten we're supposed to be love rivals? Since when do love rivals interrogate each other like this? Didn't what? What are you even talking about? What kind of nonsense goes through your head all day?" "Why, thinking about A Xu, of course. What else would I be thinking about?" Shu Mingyue mumbled under her breath. "Do you actually see me as a love rival or a friend?" Chu Tang looked at her with amusement. "You're interrogating me like I'm a criminal, but you sound like my bestie." "What's that word again?" Shu Mingyue twisted her mouth. "Frenemy—yeah, that's it. We're frenemies. Love rival plus bestie." Chu Tang couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Miss Shu, that's not what 'frenemy' means." Love rival plus bestie? Since when did that exist? "I don't care." Shu Mingyue huffed. "I want to be with A Xu, to be his number one. But I also want to be good friends with you—number two." Chu Tang teased her back: "Miss Shu, you can't have your cake and eat it too. Why do you want both?" Shu Mingyue tilted her head, utterly unapologetic. "You said it yourself—I'm a young miss. What's wrong with being a little demanding?"