Beneath the Marriage Pact

Chapter 3: Tech Tyrants, Life Idiots (1)

When Shen Zhixia followed Uncle Zhao into the kitchen of Ling Xu 'an's villa, her first reaction was, "This place is larger than the entire house she rented in the small town." The built-in smart refrigerator was flashing cold light, the marble countertop was filled with a full set of silver kitchenware, and even the sink was sensor-only the coffee machine, which shouldn't have malfunctioned, was emitting black smoke and the air was filled with a burnt smell.

"This is..." Shen Zhixia was startled by the sight before her suitcase was even in place.

Uncle Zhao scratched his head, looking helpless: "Miss Shen, please don't be offended. Our boss... I never got along well with these appliances. The last time I wanted to heat up some milk, I turned the microwave into a spark."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ling Xu 'an was seen standing in front of the coffee machine with his back to them, the sleeves of his dark grey shirt rolled up to his forearm, revealing his well-defined wrist. He frowned so much that he could kill a fly, his fingertips pressed randomly on the touchscreen of the coffee machine, the red words "Overload Warning" on the screen flashed dazzlingly, and black smoke was still coming out of the steam outlet intermittently.

"Mr. Ling, Miss Shen has arrived." Uncle Zhao whispered.

Ling Xu 'an paused for a moment, did not turn back, but forced a sentence through his teeth: "Understood." No sooner had he finished speaking than the coffee machine went black with a "click".

Shen Zhixia couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.

Ling Xu 'an turned around, his face not so good, and his eyes swept over her with a hint of coldness: "Funny?"

"No." Shen Zhixia quickly stopped laughing and forced herself to be serious, "Just felt... Mr. Ling's 'destructive power' on home appliances is more powerful than your business mergers and acquisitions." She walked over and pointed at the black-screen coffee machine, "Is this an Italian import? It's said to cost a million, and you just broke it?"

"The operation logic is unreasonable." Ling Xu 'an turned his face away and said in a tough tone, "The design is too complicated."

"Complicated?" Shen Zhixia crouched down and tapped the button on the side of the coffee machine with her finger. "Mr. Ling doesn't even bother to read the instruction manual?" She pressed the third button, and the black touch screen suddenly lit up, showing "Temperature zone adjustment in progress", and the burnt smell gradually faded.

Ling Xu 'an's ears were visibly red, and he coughed and reached out to pull Shen Zhixia up: "Mind your own business."

Shen Zhixia didn't get up. Instead, she pointed at the screen and explained, "Look, the first key is the power button, the second is the extraction mode, and the third is the temperature zone. You just used the temperature zone key as the start button and kept holding down the extraction key. It would be strange if it didn't work." She looked up at him, with a hint of teasing in her eyes, "Tech tyrants have things they can't handle?"

"It doesn't matter." Ling Xu 'an's hand froze in mid-air, suddenly withdrew, turned towards the living room, took two steps and then stopped, turned back and threw out, "Uncle Zhao, deal with the coffee machine."

"No, Mr. Ling!" Uncle Zhao quickly stopped him. "This machine still works. Miss Shen just fixed it..."

"I said to get rid of it." Ling Xu 'an's tone was unquestionable, but before entering the living room, he quickly glanced back at the operation interface of the coffee machine, his ears reddened even more.

Shen Zhixia looked at his back and couldn't help laughing. This man is rather awkward.

After helping Shen Zhixia carry her luggage to the guest room, Uncle Zhao secretly said to her, "Miss Shen, please be more understanding of our boss." He hasn't touched these appliances much since he was a child. There used to be servants to take care of them, but later he found it troublesome and dismissed them. He lives here and often has conflicts with the appliances."

"Quit the servants?" Shen Zhixia was a little surprised. "He lives in such a big villa all by himself?"

"Yeah." "Mr. Zhao sighed." The boss said he was afraid that someone would leak the company's secrets, and even the cleaning was done once a week. The last time I came to deliver the documents, I saw that his fridge was full of fast food and almost scared to death."

Shen Zhixia recalled Ling Xu 'an's bewildered look in front of the coffee machine operator just now, and suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable. Such a large villa, looking glamorous, is actually very desolate.

She went to the kitchen, looked at the coffee machine that had been "saved", and suddenly wanted to make a cup of coffee for Ling Xu 'an. She rummaged through the coffee beans and followed the steps she had just fumbled through. Soon, the rich aroma of coffee filled the entire kitchen.

"What are you doing?" Ling Xu 'an's voice came from the door.

Shen Zhixia was startled, and the coffee cup in her hand nearly dropped to the ground. She turned around and saw Ling Xu 'an in his home clothes, his hair a little disheveled and his eyes a little softer than before.

"I'll make you coffee," she said. She handed over the cup. "Have a taste? If it doesn't taste good, take it as an 'apology' to you -- I shouldn't have laughed at you just now."

Ling Xu 'an hesitated for a moment, then took the cup. The coffee was at just the right temperature, with a slightly bitter burnt aroma on the palate and a hint of sweetness on the aftertaste. He seldom drinks coffee made by others. Most of the time, he drinks instant coffee or asks his assistant to buy it.

"It's okay." He took a sip, his tone flat, but his eyes turned to the coffee machine. "How do you know how to do it?"

"Read the manual." Shen Zhixia raised an eyebrow. "Unlike some people who buy a million-dollar device and don't even read the manual."

Ling Xu 'an's ears turned red again. He put down his coffee cup and turned towards the study: "Don't wander around the kitchen for no reason. Oil spills on clothes are hard to wash."

Shen Zhixia looked at his back and said with a smile, "Mr. Ling, next time you want coffee, remember to press the third button!"

The door slammed shut, and Shen Zhixia, imagining Ling Xu 'an going crazy inside, laughed even more happily.

In the evening, Shen Zhixia was hungry and wanted to find something to eat. She opened the fridge and, as Uncle Zhao had said, it was full of fast food and a few unopened bottles of mineral water.

"This is just too bad." Shen Zhixia sighed and rummaged through the kitchen, finding only a bag of noodles and a few eggs.

She tied on an apron and was about to cook a bowl of plain noodles. Just as she had boiled the water, she heard footsteps behind her.

"What are you cooking?" Ling Xu 'an stood at the kitchen door, his eyes fixed on the noodles in the pot, with a hint of curiosity.

"Cook the noodles." Shen Zhixia added noodles to the pot. "Are you hungry? Would you like a bowl too?"

Ling Xu 'an did not speak, but walked to the table and sat down, staring at Shen Zhixia's movements. He seldom watched people cook. When he was a child, the cooks in his family worked in closed kitchens and he didn't even know how to cook noodles.

Shen Zhixia served the cooked noodles in a bowl, added a poached egg and handed it to Ling Xu 'an: "Have a taste? I learned the skill of cooking noodles from my foster mother, so it shouldn't be bad."

Ling Xu 'an picked up the chopsticks, hesitated for a long time before picking up a noodle and putting it in his mouth. The warm noodles slid down his throat, with a hint of salt and egg aroma, much better than the fast food he had eaten.

"How about it?" Shen Zhixia looked at him with anticipation in her eyes.

"Just so-so." Ling Xu 'an was stubborn, but he picked up the speed of eating noodles and finished a bowl of noodles in no time.

Shen Zhixia looked at his empty bowl and couldn't help laughing: "Do you still want to eat? There's more in the pot."

"No need." Ling Xu 'an put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth. "I'm going to the study to deal with my work." He stood up, walked to the kitchen door and stopped again, then turned back and said, "noodles... Don't overcook."

Shen Zhixia was stunned for a moment, then realized that he was teaching her how to cook noodles next time? She smiled and nodded: "I know, Mr. Ling, I'll cook you 'unbreakable noodles' next time."

Ling Xu 'an said nothing and walked quickly into the study. The moment she closed the door, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but rise slightly.

When Shen Zhixia finished tidying up the kitchen and was about to return to the guest room, she passed by the door of the study and heard a slight noise coming from inside. She approached curiously and saw Ling Xu 'an holding a mobile phone and taking pictures in the direction of the coffee machine.

She couldn't help pushing open the door: "Mr. Ling, what are you doing?"

Ling Xu 'an was startled and his phone almost dropped to the ground. He quickly hid the phone behind his back, looking a little unnatural: "Nothing, shooting... "Take pictures of the documents."

"Take pictures of documents?" Shen Zhixia raised an eyebrow. "The document is on your desk. What are you shooting towards the kitchen?" She walked over to get his phone, "Let me see."

"Don't move!" Ling Xu 'an held the phone up high. "Private phone, you have no right to view."

Shen Zhixia stood on tiptoe and still couldn't reach it. She gave up and said with a smile, "Mr. Ling, could it be that you are taking pictures of the operation interface of the coffee machine and saving it in the memo?"

Ling Xu 'an's face turned red instantly. He turned his face away and said in a tough tone, "Nonsense. I was just checking the surveillance in the kitchen to see if there were any safety hazards."

"Surveillance?" Shen Zhixia pointed to the ceiling. "Isn't the surveillance in your villa in the living room and at the door? How could there be surveillance in the kitchen?"

Ling Xu 'an was speechless by the question. He coughed and grabbed the documents on the table: "I'm going to work. You go out."

Shen Zhixia laughed as she left the study and, before closing the door, teased, "Mr. Ling, if you can't remember the steps, just ask me directly. Don't secretly take pictures."

In the study, Ling Xu 'an looked at the photo on his phone - it was the operation interface of the coffee machine, and he had marked "1= power, 2= extraction, 3= temperature zone" on the photo. He saved the photo in a memo called "Appliance Operation" and, remembering the noodles that Shen Zhixia had cooked just now, couldn't help adding a sentence in the memo: "Don't overcook the noodles."

Leaning back in his chair and looking at the screen, he couldn't help but lift the corners of his mouth. Perhaps it's not a bad thing to have someone at home.

When Shen Zhixia returned to her guest room, she took out her laptop and tried to organize the account books, but couldn't help but think of Ling Xu 'an's flustered look when he hid his phone, and the corners of her mouth turned up involuntarily. She opened the visitor account given by Ling Xu 'an, and just as she accessed the basic information of the "Starlight Project", she heard a loud "clank" downstairs.

"What's wrong?" She grabbed her coat and rushed downstairs, only to see Ling Xu 'an squatting on the living room carpet, clutching a deformed remote control in his hand, next to the overturned smart vacuum cleaner, still spinning in place and making a "beep beep" alarm.

"It's nothing." Ling Xu 'an's ears were still red, and he hid the remote behind his back. "The robot is malfunctioning."

Shen Zhixia walked over, crouched down and poked the still spinning robot, and couldn't help laughing: "Mr. Ling, could it be that you wanted it to clean the carpet and instead pressed it to 'collision mode'?"

The smart vacuum cleaner is a top-of-the-line model with three modes - obstacle avoidance, fixed-point cleaning, and collision test - the latter is for factory inspection and is not used at all in normal times.

Ling Xu 'an's Adam's apple rolled, neither admitting nor denying, just reaching out to retrieve the robot: "Don't touch it, it's dirty."

"You've let it bump into the carpet for five minutes, and now you think it's dirty?" Shen Zhixia held his hand, her fingertips accidentally touching his palm, and both of them were stunned for a moment. She quickly withdrew her hand and pretended to study the robot: "Look, there's a reset button here. Press it and it will return to normal."

She pressed the small round button on the top of the robot, and the machine, which had been spinning wildly, suddenly fell silent and began to sweep along the corner obediently.

Ling Xu 'an watched her proficient movements and then looked at the deformed remote control in his hand. Suddenly, he felt a bit frustrated. He can handle project codes worth hundreds of millions, but he can't handle appliances worth several thousand.

"Let me fix the remote control for you." Shen Zhixia reached for it. "It's just that the shell is deformed. It should still work when broken back."

Ling Xu 'an hesitated for a moment and handed her the remote control. Shen Zhixia found a small screwdriver, carefully pried open the deformed shell, and then used pliers to twist it back to its original position bit by bit. The sunlight shone through the floor-to-ceiling window on her face, and her eyelashes cast a faint shadow under her eyes, looking rather serious.

"All right." She handed him the fixed remote control. "Don't fight the robot next time. It can't beat you."

Ling Xu 'an took the remote control, his fingertips touching her nails, a little cold. He made a "mm" sound and turned towards the kitchen: "I... Go and get a glass of water."

Shen Zhixia watched his back and suddenly noticed that he was walking more slowly than usual, as if waiting for her to follow. She held back her laughter and followed him into the kitchen.

Ling Xu 'an opened the fridge, took two bottles of mineral water and handed her one: "Thank you."

"Thank me for what?" Shen Zhixia took the water, unscrewed the cap and took a sip.

"Fix the remote control." Ling Xu 'an's voice was a little low, his eyes drifting towards the coffee machine, "and... Coffee and noodles."

Shen Zhixia was stunned for a moment, then laughed: "It's just a matter of raising a hand. If Mr. Ling really can't handle the appliances, he can call me next time. Anyway, I live here and it's convenient."

Ling Xu 'an's ears turned red again. He turned his face away and pretended to look out of the window: "No need. I can handle it myself." That's what he said, but in his mind he opened his phone memo and added a line under "Appliance Operations" : "Shen Zhixia: Can fix remote controls, make coffee, cook noodles."

In the evening, Shen Zhixia was sorting out the account books in the guest room when she heard a knock on the door.

"Come in." She looked up and saw Ling Xu 'an standing at the door with a tablet in his hand.

"Chen Mo has handed out something. Look." He handed her the tablet. "It's the information of Qin Zheng Logistics Company."

Shen Zhixia took the tablet and quickly glanced through it. According to the information, Qin Zheng's logistics company was located near the old site of the Qin family, and the warehouse number was exactly "No. 3" - matching the "Warehouse No. 3 shelf" written in his mother's account book.

"Shall we go and have a look tomorrow? Shen Zhixia looked up and asked.

"Um." " Ling Xu 'an nodded, his eyes fixed on the account book on her desk. "How is the account book being organized?"

"I haven't finished reading it. Some of the numbers are not quite right." Shen Zhixia pointed to one of the pages. "It says' sample shipping fee 'here, but it doesn't specify what samples are being transported."

Ling Xu 'an leaned in to look. Their shoulders accidentally touched each other, and he could smell the faint fragrance of gardenias in her hair. He quickly stepped back and pointed to the date on the account book: "This date is exactly the day before your mother passed away."

Shen Zhixia's heart sank sharply: "You mean my mother might have sent some samples to the warehouse before she died?"

"It's possible." Ling Xu 'an nodded. "Go to the warehouse tomorrow. Maybe we can find some clues."

He said, then turned to leave and stopped again: "Tonight... Lock the door."

"Got it." Shen Zhixia said with a smile, "Isn't Mr. Ling afraid that I'll be bullied by your robot?"

Ling Xu 'an's face turned a little red. He didn't say a word and walked out quickly.

Shen Zhixia looked at his back, then lowered her head to look at the warehouse photo on the tablet, and suddenly felt more at ease in her heart. With Ling Xu 'an around, it seemed that the dangers hidden in the shadows were not so terrifying.