C9 Giftgiving

She quickly stammered, "No, it's not like that. Last time was an accident. I promise it won't happen again."

Seeing that Qin Xiao didn't seem interested in responding, Jee Ange added, "I'll really do my best this time. I've practiced a lot... I promise nothing will go wrong." Her voice grew softer, lacking confidence.

Watching her flustered attempts to explain, Qin Xiao's lips curled slightly. This silly woman, sometimes she could be a bit endearing.

"Alright, go cook. Just make whatever you can," he said, getting up and heading to the study.

Jee Ange stood alone in the spacious living room. She thought to herself, I have to do my best; I can't let Mr. Qin down.

Despite her good intentions, the meal ended in disappointment. Although Jee Ange could cook, something about Qin Xiao made her nervous and clumsy.

The Qin family was accustomed to gourmet meals prepared by professional chefs, and compared to that, Jee Ange's cooking fell short.

Qin Xiao rubbed his forehead, thinking, Damn woman, I really shouldn't have expected too much from you.

Feeling embarrassed, Jee Ange approached Qin Xiao and whispered, "Mr. Qin, I..."

"What is it? Hmm?" Qin Xiao suddenly moved closer, startling her. As he advanced, she retreated until her back was against the wall.

She turned to leave, but he caught her wrist, pinning it to the wall. They were so close, she could count his eyelashes.

"Why are you running? I'm not going to eat you."

His deep voice in her ear made her blush.

"I'm not... not running."

At that moment, Qin Xiao looked at the woman in front of him, puzzled by his own actions. What am I doing...

Both of them stood in silence, staring at each other for one, two, three seconds. Their hearts raced faster and faster until suddenly, Qin Xiao let go. Jee Ange was taken aback, and after a moment of hesitation, she quickly ran off, leaving only a hurried, "Goodbye, Mr. Qin."

From that day on, whenever Jee Ange saw Qin Xiao, she would go out of her way to avoid him.

Once, while going upstairs, she ran into Qin Xiao. "G-Goodbye, Mr. Qin," she stammered before dashing away. Another time, while sweeping the front porch, she saw him returning from work. "G-Goodbye, Mr. Qin," she repeated, and once again, she ran off...

After the nth time she ran away, Qin Xiao could only shake his head in exasperation. This woman was a bit quirky, but somehow intriguing.

And so, they peacefully coexisted for about two weeks.

One Sunday, Qin's mother suddenly felt like going to the mall. Unfortunately, her close friends were either on vacation abroad or tied up with work and couldn't join her.

Just as she was fretting over this, she spotted Jee Ange watering flowers in the yard. With a bright smile, she invited Jee Ange to accompany her to the mall.

Jee Ange was taken aback. Why would she, a housekeeper, be asked to go shopping? It seemed so inappropriate. "Mrs. Qin, maybe I should stay..."

Despite Jee Ange's repeated attempts to decline, Qin's mother insisted and took her to the mall.

Jee Ange had never been to such a place before. The mall was lavishly decorated, exuding a sense of luxury that was far beyond her family's means. But then again, for someone as distinguished as Mrs. Qin, it was only natural to frequent such places.

Half an hour later, Jee Ange was loaded with bags of Mrs. Qin's purchases. Just as she was about to sit down and take a break, Mrs. Qin pulled her into another store for more shopping.

"Ange, what do you think of this one?"

"It's nice, very classy."

"Miss, could you wrap this up for me, please?"

"Ange, Ange, how about this one?"

"Yes, it's beautiful."

"Please, wrap this one up too."

...