202: Kobayashi is so nice - 1

On the second evening, Lin Wanxing pushed open the door to apartment 1601, carrying groceries she had just bought.

As soon as she stepped into the entryway, she froze for a moment.

The living room was spotless, with clean windows, a dust-free floor, and even the air carried a faint scent of lemon-scented cleaner.

Su Ning was on her hands and knees, scrubbing the TV stand with a rag, huffing and puffing, as if trying to etch the words 'virtuous and capable' onto her forehead.

"I'm back."

Bending over to change her shoes, Lin Wanxing couldn't help but laugh: "Is all this really necessary, Xiao Su? It's just Jiang Ye's mom coming over. You've cleaned it up so much it looks like nobody even lives here."

She took off her coat and habitually reached to open the entryway closet to hang it up.

Su Ning, who had just picked up a broom nearby, caught sight of this and hurriedly called out to stop her: "Sister Wanxing! Don't!"

Unfortunately, the warning came too late. Lin Wanxing had already casually pulled the closet door open.

The next second—

With a crash, snacks, tissue boxes, packages, clothes hangers, water cups... all sorts of miscellaneous items cascaded out like an avalanche, piling up around her feet with a clatter.

"..."

Lin Wanxing remained frozen in the act of opening the door, staring at the 'ruins' at her feet for a full three seconds before turning back to Su Ning with speechless exasperation.

Su Ning let out an "Aiya!" and quickly threw down the broom, rushing over to frantically stuff the items back into the closet:

"Don't just stand there, Sister Wanxing, help me! Auntie will be here any minute!"

Lin Wanxing picked up a remote control from the pile of clutter, then looked up at the completely empty coffee table in the living room, a few dark lines appearing on her temple:

"Xiao Su, you... even 'plugging one's ears while stealing a bell' has its limits, doesn't it?"

She picked up a few boxes of tissues: "Even if we're hiding things, couldn't we just put them in our own bedrooms? Why stuff them in the closet?"

"No, no! Absolutely not!"

Su Ning shook her head vigorously, her expression serious: "A girl's bedroom should be even cleaner than the common areas! What kind of impression would it give if it were messy?"

"Uh..."

Seeing Su Ning's look of being on high alert, Lin Wanxing was utterly speechless. She could only shake her head: "Alright, alright, do whatever you want. I'm going to start cooking."

Today was 'Parent Visit Day.' Jiang Ye had asked her in advance to help cook a home-style meal.

After all, no parent wants to see their child eating takeout all the time.

Among the three of them, only Lin Wanxing knew how to cook, so the heavy responsibility of 'head chef' naturally fell on her shoulders.

She set the groceries she was carrying down on the dining table, went back to her room to change into loungewear, put on an apron, and then ducked into the kitchen to start washing and chopping vegetables.

Over twenty minutes later, while Lin Wanxing was in the kitchen 'battling' a sea bass, she heard Su Ning's phone ring in the living room.

"Oh, oh, okay, got it... Yeah, I'll come down right now!"

After hanging up, Su Ning called out loudly while changing clothes:

"Sister Wanxing, Auntie is at the entrance of the complex! I'm going down to meet her! The Stinky Kid said he's stuck in traffic and will be here in about ten more minutes!"

"Mm, go ahead."

Lin Wanxing responded without looking up, continuing to focus on scoring the sea bass with a flower knife pattern.

————

Not long after, the door opened again, accompanied by Su Ning's exceptionally enthusiastic voice:

"Auntie, please come in, come in! Watch your step over the threshold! Oh, the slippers are over here, brand new, brand new! I'll get them for you!"

"Aiya, Auntie, just give me your coat, I'll hang it up for you! ...Uh, that closet... right, the closet door is a bit tricky, let me hang it, let me hang it!"

Stir-frying in the kitchen, Lin Wanxing listened to the bustling, even overly enthusiastic, commotion from outside and couldn't help but sigh and facepalm.

She really didn't know what Xiao Su was thinking.

This is Jiang Ye's own mother. Even if someone were to curry favor, it should be Miss Ye's business. Why are you fussing around like a little daughter-in-law... She shook her head, wiped her hands on her apron, walked out of the kitchen, and politely greeted:

"Hello, Auntie. I'm Lin Wanxing."

"Oh, so you're Little Lin?" Aiya, hello, hello! I've heard Xiao Ye mention you so often. You're really both beautiful and virtuous!"

Then... Lin Wanxing tilted her head slightly.

Uh... Why does it feel like this Auntie, whom she's meeting for the first time, is looking at her with a somewhat... strange expression?

Where is this inexplicable kindness and fondness coming from?

Meanwhile, Xu Man, who had just finished changing her slippers, was smiling warmly on the surface, but inwardly, her mind was churning with thoughts.

She scrutinized Lin Wanxing, whom she was meeting for the first time. Her gaze traveled from the other's face down to her neck, then to the full bust line outlined by the apron strings, the slender waist, the perky buttocks, and the straight, long legs.

Her first instinct was a sinking feeling in her heart, silently exclaiming, "My son's days are numbered!"

Her second thought was—Hmm... looks like she'd be good at nursing babies.

The more she looked, the more satisfied she became.

Lin Wanxing was tall and slender, with excellent posture and a dignified, graceful demeanor. Unlike Su Ning's delicate liveliness or Ye Cheng's dashing and heroic aura, she possessed a gentle, mature, and steady kind of beauty. Every word and action seemed poised and graceful.

When her gaze fell on the apron Lin Wanxing was wearing and the grease on her hands, Xu Man's favorable impression of her shot up even higher.

In this day and age, especially among young women in Sheng Shengtian, being able and willing to cook isn't as common as it was for her generation.

Being skilled at cooking was, in her view, definitely a huge plus.

Lin Wanxing felt a bit uncomfortable under Xu Man's increasingly kind and increasingly affectionate gaze. She instinctively wanted to scratch her head but stopped halfway when she saw the grease on her hands, remembering the hot oil in the wok:

"Auntie, please have a seat and chat with Xiao Su for a bit. I still have dishes cooking in the wok. We can start eating once Jiang Ye gets back."

"Okay, okay, go ahead with your work!"

Xu Man nodded repeatedly with a beaming smile: "Ah, that Stinky Kid! He's really got good fortune! Hmm... Really, thank you for all the trouble, Little Lin. You've worked hard."

"???"

A few small question marks floated above Lin Wanxing's head. She felt there was something odd about how that sounded, but couldn't quite pinpoint what exactly was off. She could only nod politely before turning around and ducking back into the kitchen.

Su Ning, who had been paying close attention the whole time, saw that the exchange was over and hurriedly stepped forward to guide Xu Man to the living room sofa.

After settling Xu Man down, she scurried off to fetch a glass of water.

Xu Man leisurely surveyed the room's environment. She lightly wiped the bottom of the coffee table's pillar with her finger and secretly glanced at the crevices of the sofa cushions, smiling inwardly.

Hmm, clearly just tidied up in a last-minute rush.

Trying to fool a seasoned cleaning expert like her with these little tricks was still a bit too naive.