She's Too Sweet - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

In that moment, Su He instinctively wanted to flee.

However, Xie Lou raised an eyebrow, leaning his tall frame against the wall and folding his arms.

“Su He?” He elongated the final syllable playfully.

“Xie… Xie Lou,” Su He stammered, her voice dry. His features were the same as before, except for his voice, which was no longer harsh and grating like a duck’s quack. Everything else about him remained as it was back then.

He had that sharp, intimidating presence—yet calm and dignified, like a refined gentleman.

Liu Ma looked at them, surprised.

“Do you know each other?”

Xie Lou raised an eyebrow. “What a coincidence.”

“Mm.”

Su He hesitated, wanting to leave.

“I’m hungry. There’s food in the kitchen. You can cook,” Xie Lou interrupted her, walking past the sofa to stub out his cigarette.

Su He froze, the words she wanted to say caught in her throat. She glanced at Liu Ma, who smiled and gently guided her. “Come on, Miss Su, would you like me to help?”

Su He passively shook her head, unable to move forward or retreat, so she braced herself and walked into the kitchen.

The kitchen was well-stocked, and the ingredients were fresh—likely prepared with her in mind.

She set down the knife she had been holding.

Liu Ma stood beside her, explaining, “Young Master’s stomach isn’t very good. He’s picky with food—likes it spicy, doesn’t care for sweetness. You can decide what to make.”

Su He paused, eyeing the fresh vegetables on the counter, then asked, “What’s wrong with his stomach?”

“He can’t go without eating. If he gets hungry, it hurts.”

Su He nodded in acknowledgment.

In her mind, memories of Xie Lou from high school flashed by—he always had that lazy demeanor, often surrounded by a group of people, heading to the barbecue stalls by the school.

He would drink beer like it was water. She remembered several times, sitting in the car, watching him wipe the beer off his neck while biting into skewers. His brows would carry a smile—lazy and mischievous.

And those skewers? Always drenched in chili.

He loved food with a strong, spicy kick.

Su He prepared home-style dishes, making sure to lean towards stronger flavors, but to avoid making it too intense, she simmered black fungus with pork ribs, adding a touch of scallions for freshness. As for the rice, she added corn kernels for a sweet, light touch, but not greasy, and lastly, she stir-fried green vegetables with garlic—crisp and refreshing.

This meal was balanced, considering both nutrition and his tastes.

Liu Ma watched from the kitchen for a moment and nodded, “Not bad.”

“Better than me,” she added.

Su He smiled slightly and carried the spicy chicken and soup on a tray out to the table.

As soon as she stepped out, she saw him lounging on the couch, playing a game on his phone, his long legs crossed over the coffee table. Upon catching the aroma, he looked up. “Hmm? Smells good.”

“Spicy chicken?” he asked.

Su He nodded, placing the dish on the table.

Liu Ma brought over the rice and vegetables.

When the game page finished, Xie Lou put down his phone and walked over. He lazily leaned on the table, grabbed a pair of chopsticks, and picked up a piece of the spicy chicken.

After eating, he tilted his head and looked at Su He.

Su He felt a little nervous.

Xie Lou smiled slightly, “Su, not bad.”

It was a smile that was neither a smile nor a grin, leaving her unsure of his meaning.

Su He couldn’t control the flush on her face.

He noticed and chuckled lightly before sitting down.

Her face turned even redder; his laugh felt too loaded with meaning.

She almost wanted to flee.

When she was chasing him, she never expected it would come to this. Had she known it would end like this, she would have been more restrained. After all, she had invested so much time and effort, and failing to win him over was already embarrassing, but what was even worse was that today, four years later, she hadn’t improved but had become more downcast.

“I… I’ll go back,” Su He couldn’t take it anymore. Seeing him enjoying his meal, she grabbed her utensils and tried to escape.

“Hey?” Liu Ma was taken aback.

Su He quickened her pace.

“Stop.” The cold, sharp voice of a man hit her ears, stopping her in her tracks.

Su He froze in place.

Xie Lou wiped the red oil from the corner of his mouth with a napkin, then looked at her back for a long time before speaking with a hint of impatience, “What’s wrong? Are you still secretly in love with me?”

“Damn—”

At that moment, Su He’s scalp went numb.

Liu Ma was also shocked.

“I didn’t expect this, so sentimental,” Xie Lou lazily propped his chin up and smiled.

It was both mocking and playful.

Su He closed her eyes for a moment, then turned her head to look at him.

She opened her mouth, and the words came out from her throat.

“Where did you get that from?”

* * * * * * * * * *

Su He successfully got hired, becoming Xie Lou’s personal chef.

The pay and benefits were quite good. Young Master Xie, aside from being picky, loved home-style dishes the most, and Su He could satisfy that.

As for working hours, they were very flexible. Understanding that she still needed to go to school, Su He only had to cook dinner on weekdays, and Xie Lou took care of lunch at school himself.

Liu Ma, now old and with poor health, officially retired and went home to enjoy her old age after passing on everything to Su He.

Before leaving, Liu Ma whispered to Su He, “Xie Lou is picky, but otherwise, he’s fine. And… he’s very clean when it comes to relationships.”

The implication was clear: you used to have a crush on him, but as long as you don’t have any other thoughts about him, this job will last.

Su He understood, pursing her lips and smiling as she nodded.

But inside, she thought to herself:

If it wasn’t for his provocations, I might not have stayed to serve him.

She crossed the pedestrian bridge, returned to the old East District of Huadong, and when she turned around, she noticed how the new and old districts were separated by just one pedestrian bridge, yet they felt like two different worlds.

Su He had a bowl of soup noodles downstairs before going home to sleep.

Next came the seven-day military training.

This year’s freshmen were more numerous than usual, with about twenty adult learners. They all got on the same bus to the training base. Wen Man, dressed in camouflage, fiddled with her hair, looking much younger.

Su He, with her small face and slim figure, looked no different from the freshmen.

What felt a bit out of place were the other ten or so adult learners, all in their thirties, wearing camouflage as well, and they looked more like they were there to supervise the freshmen. The new students seated in front kept turning around, curiously glancing at them.

Wen Man pouted and leaned closer to Su He’s ear, whispering, “They’ll end up just like us one day.”

Su He smiled slightly but didn’t reply.

She glanced out the window.

She thought to herself, life’s regrets must be made up for.

* * * * * * * * * *

At the East Campus Cafeteria of Hai University

Xie Lou lowered his head, carefully picking through the meat and vegetables on his plate.

Chen Yao, carrying a plate of fried rice and a bottle of cola, slid into the seat across from Xie Lou. Seeing him scrutinizing his food with a picky look, he clicked his tongue, “Young Master Xie, still being picky?”

Xie Lou put down his chopsticks, leaned back, and lazily tilted his head.

Chen Yao stuffed a spoonful of rice into his mouth, swallowing before saying, “I found out something.”

“Hmm?”

“Su He is actually a self-study student, a freshman!!”

“Oh.” Xie Lou expressed.

“She’s just starting university. One would think, what has she been doing all these years?” Chen Yao, now in his third year with just one year left before graduation, remembered that Su He was in the same high school class as them. Logically, she should be a third-year student by now. But now, it turned out that not only was she not in her third year, she was also a self-study adult student.

“Her family went bankrupt, so she couldn’t… even continue her studies?” Chen Yao was very curious.

Xie Lou’s long fingers were playing with a cigarette, but he didn’t respond.

In his mind, he recalled the incredibly flavorful spicy chicken dish she made, and her soft, beautiful face…

Perhaps, she became a chef?

He raised an eyebrow…

At that moment, three girls appeared in front of them, with the one at the front holding a tray that only had some vegetables and white rice. Her gaze slowly drifted toward Xie Lou.

Chen Yao turned his head to look, then screamed.

“Your childhood sweetheart and girlfriend.”

Xie Lou put down his cigarette, his tone cold and indifferent: “She is my ex.”

“What?” Chen Yao thought he didn’t hear right. “You two… really broke up?”

“Mm.” Xie Lou responded.

“Dammit… all because she’s going abroad?” Chen Yao was shocked.

Xie Lou didn’t respond again, slipping his hands into his pockets. “I’m leaving first.”

With that, he turned and walked off, not even sparing a glance at Xiao Cen.

Xiao Cen watched him leave, her hand trembling slightly. After a long while, she threw the tray in her hand aside, no longer wanting to eat, and turned to leave.

Behind her, the two girls were left looking at each other, clueless.

Chen Yao, still holding his straw, was just as confused.

They were supposed to be childhood sweethearts.

These two had finally gotten together, and now, they were breaking up?

Breaking up?

Could he even believe in love anymore?

* * * * * * * * * *

Military training was exhausting, but it passed quickly. On the last day of return, both Su He and Wen Man were feeling the aftereffects of the training. Wen Man had pulled a muscle while stretching and still felt pain from time to time. Su He’s skin was fair, and her neck had reddened from the sun, while the areas covered by her clothes had some bruises.

As soon as the car returned to the school, Wen Man drove off; she had to attend a meeting.

Su He returned to the dorm alone. As she entered, the other two roommates were already inside, collapsing onto their beds, unwilling to get up.

“I’m exhausted. Finally, I can lie on a soft bed,” said the baby-faced Chi Ying, burying her face in the blanket.

Chen Lin, who was the same age as Wen Man, bent over to organize her shoes. “I haven’t been this tired in a long time. Though I occasionally go to the gym, it still doesn’t compare.”

“You still go to the gym? I wish I could just live in my blanket every day,” Chi Ying said, half-opening one eye to glance at Chen Lin. Chen Lin smiled and pinched Chi Ying’s chubby cheek. “If we don’t exercise, are we just waiting for our bodies to go out of shape? We’re not like those real college students. Their life is just beginning.”

“Hey, have you guys noticed that there’s an incredibly handsome guy in the third year?” Chen Lin suddenly asked, sitting on Chi Ying’s bed.

Su He, who was wiping her face, turned around with a puzzled expression.

Chi Ying, however, flipped over and sat up. “Yeah, yeah! Is it the guy who lives on the sixth floor of the boys’ dorm? I just walked past the dorm, and he was coming down, smoking.”

“Yeah, that’s the one! The guy who got slapped when we went to the disciplinary office to pay fees last time.”

Su He froze for a moment, finally realizing who they were talking about.

She silently put down her towel, tied her hair up, and was about to head to the bathroom when her phone rang.

She walked over to her bed, peeked at the screen.

“It’s time to cook, slacking off… hmm?” — Xie Lou.