Chapter 147: The Habit
The dishes had already been arranged neatly across the table by the time Qing’er and the other servants quietly withdrew from the room.
The fragrance of freshly cooked food quickly filled the chamber, yet Wang Gege seemed to have little appetite. She absentmindedly poked at the rice inside her bowl, her thoughts repeatedly drifting back to what had happened outside the courtyard earlier.
She had merely hugged him out of happiness but he had instinctively pushed her away.
The more she thought about it, the more embarrassed she became. Perhaps she truly had crossed the line. Although they were husband and wife in name, they had never really spoken about such matters. Maybe, to Xie Rong, her actions had simply been too sudden.
She quietly sighed before reaching for the bowl of lotus root soup Qing’er had placed before her.
However, just as she was about to take a sip, something caused her hand to pause.
Her gaze unconsciously shifted toward Xie Rong, who was seated opposite her.
He had already picked up his spoon.
Instead of drinking the soup immediately, he casually stirred it three times in a slow clockwise motion before placing the spoon neatly against the side of the bowl. Only after waiting for a few moments, allowing the rising steam to gradually lessen, did he finally lift the bowl toward his lips.
The movement was so natural that it was obvious he had never consciously thought about doing it.
Yet Wang Gege remained completely still.
Her eyes slowly widened as she continued staring at him.
That habit...
Her fingers unconsciously tightened around the spoon in her hand as a memory she had long believed was buried quietly resurfaced.
For the three months after the man he hated the most was transferred to the branch where she worked as a CEO, she had deliberately stayed behind every evening, finding one excuse after another to continue working long after everyone else had gone home. She had thought that if she remained at her desk long enough, he would eventually grow tired of waiting.
He never did.
Instead, every night, he would quietly appear outside her office carrying two paper bags filled with late-night supper.
Without asking whether she wanted them and without giving her the chance to refuse. He would simply place one meal in front of her before taking the seat beside her desk.
The two of them rarely spoke.
Most nights, the only sounds inside the office were the turning of documents, the tapping of keyboards, and the occasional clink of spoons against porcelain bowls.
No matter what he bought for her, he always chose the same thing for himself.
A bowl of mushroom soup and before taking the very first sip, he would absentmindedly stir it three times in a slow clockwise motion before quietly waiting for the steam to settle.
It had become such a familiar sight that, one evening, she could not help asking, "Mr. Xu... Why do you always stir your soup that way?"
He had not even looked up from the bowl. "It cools more evenly."
She had frowned at the answer, finding it rather unbelievable. To her, stirring the soup three times clockwise could not possibly make any difference, yet that freaking CEO never bothered explaining further. He simply continued eating as though the conversation had never happened.
At the time, she had merely dismissed it as another one of his strange habits.
Yet now, watching Xie Rong repeat every single movement without the slightest difference, Wang Gege found herself unable to look away.
It was too identical. Not only the three slow circles but even the way he rested the spoon against the rim of the bowl before waiting for the steam to lessen.
Her grip around the spoon unconsciously tightened.
"Husband..." Wang Gege suddenly looked up. "May this wife ask something rather strange?"
Xie Rong hummed softly, "Go ahead."
She looked at the bowl of soup in front of him before asking, "Why do Husband always stir the soup in the same direction before drinking it?"
Xie Rong’s hand paused instantly. "What does Furen mean?"
"Like this..." Wang Gege picked up her own spoon and slowly demonstrated it, making three gentle circles inside the bowl before resting the spoon against the rim.
"This wife finds Husband’s way of stirring hot soup rather unique."
"Ah... really?" Xie Rong smiled faintly before lowering his gaze to the bowl. "It is merely a habit." He picked up the spoon once more and absentmindedly repeated the same three circles. "This way, it cools more evenly."
The moment those words left his lips, Wang Gege abruptly rose to her feet.
The chair scraped harshly against the floor, the sudden sound echoing throughout the chamber.
Even Xie Rong was startled. His brows knitted together almost instantly.
"What happened, Furen? Is something wrong?"
Wang Gege simply stared at him.
Her lips parted slightly, yet no words came out.
The bowl of lotus root soup before her had long been forgotten.
That answer was exactly the same. Not a single word is different.
"Furen?" Xie Rong called once more, his voice carrying a trace of concern. "What is wrong?"
He had already risen from his seat and taken a step toward her.
Only then did Wang Gege suddenly come back to her senses.
"No! Stay there!"
Her voice came out far louder than she intended.
Both of them froze.
Wang Gege stared at him with widened eyes, her breathing slightly uneven. Only after realizing what she had just done did she hurriedly shake her head.
"This wife... this wife is fine." She forced a smile onto her face, though it was noticeably stiffer than before. "I merely remembered... someone. Nothing is wrong."
Her fingers unconsciously tightened around the edge of the table. "Please... allow this wife a moment."
Xie Rong stopped where he was. Although he did not understand what had suddenly frightened her, he quietly withdrew the foot he had just stepped forward with.
"Very well."
But Wang Gege’s frowns deepened and she hastily turned around. "This wife... would like to be alone for a while."
Xie Rong remained standing beside the table, quietly watching the doorway long after she had disappeared.
His brows gradually drew together, "What just happened?"