"Are you doing your PhD? You've been on the West Coast for five years."

"Yeah, but I had other things to take care of, so I took a leave of absence."

Chen Cheng watched her unpack. The two 28-inch suitcases the Meng Family had sent her were truly packed full of New Year's goods.

Xu Qin was opening the suitcases right now just to see if there was anything she could use to host Chen Cheng.

Otherwise, she would have to make him eat instant noodles with her.

"Gurgle~" As soon as she opened the first suitcase, Xu Qin's stomach protested.

Hearing the sound from her stomach, Xu Qin blushed instantly. She looked up, feeling embarrassed, and happened to meet Chen Cheng's gaze.

Chen Cheng smiled, "Haven't eaten?"

Xu Qin nodded, "Yeah." Without even looking at the contents of the first suitcase, she hurriedly opened the second one.

Chen Cheng thought for a moment, then stood up and walked toward the kitchen behind him, "Do you have anything to eat in the fridge?"

This woman would be moved by a bowl of plain porridge. She had a nanny here, so she probably didn't know how to cook at all.

If she wanted to eat, she had to rely on herself.

It was evening by the time he left the airport, and after going to the hospital to find her, Chen Cheng was hungry himself.

Xu Qin watched his back, her eyes lighting up. She thought for a moment and said, "There should be some frozen meat."

Chen Cheng's mouth twitched. "Should be"? She didn't even know what was in her own fridge.

Better find it himself.

Chen Cheng opened the fridge and took a look. In the refrigerated section, apart from two lunch boxes and her facial masks...

...there were just some leafy greens that were about to turn yellow, probably bought by the nanny before she returned to the country.

He opened the freezer and took a look; there were actually quite a lot of things.

There were even frozen dumplings and sweet rice balls. Chen Cheng checked them, but unfortunately, they were all expired.

Chen Cheng casually tossed them into the trash can nearby.

Looking at the instant noodle seasoning packets in the trash, his mouth twitched again. What kind of life was she living?

He turned his head and continued searching through the fridge.

He managed to find a few vacuum-packed steaks, and his eyes lit up. He muttered, "At least we won't go hungry."

Suddenly, Chen Cheng curled his lip. This was probably the biggest price he had ever paid to pick up a girl.

It was almost nine o'clock, and he was still hungry.

Chen Cheng took out three pieces, placed them in the kitchen sink, pressed the drain plug to close it, and turned on the faucet to let some cold water in.

The best way to thaw meat is actually to use cold water. But not by soaking it directly in the water, as that would make the meat fall apart.

Having vacuum packaging is ideal; it ensures the texture of the meat while allowing it to thaw quickly.

For a normal steak thickness, soaking in cold water for thirty minutes is perfectly sufficient.

While waiting for it to thaw, Chen Cheng familiarized himself with Xu Qin's kitchen.

He found some pots, spatulas, seasonings, dinner plates, and so on that he would need.

"Chen Cheng, there's ham here."

Chen Cheng was taken aback. The "porridge sister"—this was the first time she had called him by his name.

He turned his head to look and saw her smiling brightly as she displayed the ham in her hands.

Chen Cheng recognized it at a glance as Huajin ham.

But this stuff was incredibly salty. Eating a slice or two raw was fine, but any more than that was too much.

Seeing her so happy, it seemed she liked it.

A whole Huajin ham is divided into five parts: the trotter, the hock, the upper part, the middle part, and the dripping fat.

What Xu Qin was holding were the trotter and the hock, which are the pig's foot and the hind leg.

Chen Cheng smiled, "Eat it raw?"

Xu Qin's eyes were full of smiles, "It can be used to make soup stock."

Chen Cheng curled his lip, "With this fridge of yours, you have nothing, so how are you going to make stock?"

"Uh..." Xu Qin was embarrassed instantly. She was busy to begin with, spending over twelve hours a day at the hospital, and when she got back, she still had to study cases and think about treatment plans.

The nanny had gone back, so there was no one to restock.

"Then..."

Chen Cheng smiled and shook his head, "There are steaks in the fridge; I put them in the sink to thaw. It'll take about another half hour."

Xu Qin nodded with an awkward smile, "OK~"

She continued unpacking her 'express deliveries'. There were two suitcases: one full of New Year's goods—ham, dried fruits, snacks, and supplements like donkey-hide gelatin and bird's nest.

The other suitcase was full of new clothes and two bags.

Taking the bag out of its dust bag, Xu Qin's eyes lit up. She looked it over, then put it on her shoulder to try it on.

A faint smile flashed across Chen Cheng's face. Didn't she dislike Fu Wenyin?

She certainly seemed to enjoy receiving things, though.

Putting aside the upbringing methods, at least materially, the Meng Family had never mistreated their adopted daughter, Xu Qin.

Even Meng Yanchen, their biological son, would be questioned if his bill was over a hundred thousand.

When they took Xu Qin to buy clothes and bags, they would always sit in a VIP room and watch models try them on.

With that kind of setup, one trip would easily cost a million or so.

Fu Wenyin had been overbearing her whole life, but in the end, she learned a lesson from the two children she had raised.

The problem was still in the way they were raised from a young age.

That was what had raised Xu Qin, whom netizens called an 'ingrate', and the broken, repressed, and even depressed Meng Yanchen.

Chen Cheng stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the falling snow while waiting for the steak to thaw.

His eyes gazed out at the moonlit, snow-covered lake as he pondered his own origins.

He didn't know how long Chen Cheng had been standing there when Xu Qin's voice suddenly rang out behind him.

"If we're having steak, do you want to have some wine?"

Chen Cheng looked back at her with a surprised expression.

"Are you sure you want to drink with a strange man you just met?"

"Uh..." A flash of embarrassment crossed Xu Qin's face.

By now, the temperature in the room had risen.

Xu Qin had also taken off her down jacket, wearing a white knit sweater on top and washed jeans on the bottom. She stood with her hands behind her back, awkwardly picking at her fingers.

"Just a glass. Otherwise, eating just meat is a bit greasy."

The corners of Chen Cheng's mouth curled up. Well, well, she was a bit of a drinker.

His mental portrait of her was becoming more complete.

She just liked excitement; whatever Fu Wenyin didn't want her to do, she wanted to try even more.

Chen Cheng smiled, "Then I'll accept your invitation."

"But you seem to drink often."

Xu Qin froze for a moment. She knew that some families or some men didn't like women drinking.

But she couldn't gauge this person's thoughts, and she didn't really care to, so she nodded, "Yeah, I'm pretty tired after work."

"Sometimes I like to have a drink before going to sleep."

Chen Cheng smiled and raised an eyebrow. You know, this Xu Qin might actually be able to hit it off with him.

Especially when it came to drinking.

He was a true boozehound; if he wasn't drifting through the years like the wind, he was seeking out rivers.

The two stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window and chatted for a while longer before Chen Cheng went to pan-fry the steaks.

As Chen Cheng fried the steaks, Xu Qin decanted the wine and set the table, continuing to chat all the while.

When it comes to chatting, if both people are interested, there's a lot to talk about.

From the Bay Area to LA, to Binzhou where Xu Qin went to school.

As an Overseas student, she had been to many places and was 'well-traveled', so they could talk for ages about interesting things she'd seen in various places.

After frying the steaks, Xu Qin looked at Chen Cheng's plate and pouted, asking:

"Why are yours two pieces?"

[Chapter 400, simply a milestone.]

[The plain porridge plot is unconventional. There are too many people directly scolding her, so the author won't follow the same old routine.]