The night passed without a word. By the time he opened his eyes again, the sun had long since broken away from the horizon and was hanging high in the eastern sky.
Accompanied by vague noises of commotion and the rumbling sound of heavy machinery moving, the disturbance drifted up continuously from downstairs. The noise made Andrew frown subconsciously.
However, when he pulled open the curtains and looked outside, he realized the sky was already bright, and the commercial street not far below was already bustling with activity. After snapping back to reality and glancing at the clock on the wall, Andrew realized that the time had long passed his usual waking hour. The hands had even crossed the half-past eight mark.
Sleeping in this late was a first for him in many years; he was finally starting to get used to life without the old geezer.
Even from such a high floor, he could faintly hear the loud voice of someone commanding operations below. Although his keen hearing played a part, the other person's voice was evidently not to be underestimated.
Looking down from the window, three massive pieces of machinery on transport trucks immediately caught Andrew's eye. As the saying goes, giant mechas are a man's romance.
As someone who used to be able to watch an excavator work for a whole day, these three obviously larger machines instantly captured Andrew's attention.
That extra-large, 1400kg Ether-mixed electric demolition saw—no matter what anyone says, as long as a human sees a chainsaw bigger than themselves right in front of them, they will subconsciously get goosebumps all over.
The other two were also unique in their own right: one possessed an equally massive impact hammer, while the other had two enormous excavation arms. Their designs looked incredibly oppressive.
However, their current movements completely threw away any so-called dominance.
The three mechas were lined up in a row, all trying to huddle aggrievedly behind a tall woman with black hair tied in a ponytail, wearing red goggles on her head. Although their massive sizes couldn't be hidden no matter what, that sense of grievance was obvious no matter how you looked at it.
And what surprised Andrew was that the person opposite them wasn't some strong or fierce Brown Bear Thiren, but a... little girl with messy red hair tied into twin tails?
At least from Andrew's perspective, she seemed about the height of a primary school student, yet the ferocity of her aura didn't lose out in the slightest. Carrying a hammer that was almost as tall as she was, her aggressive stance even gave Andrew the feeling that she had the upper hand.
Between the two parties, the one who was meekly trying to mediate with kind words was actually the Brown Bear who looked the biggest and fiercest.
To be honest, this unique combination left a deep impression on Andrew, even seeing it just once.
Observing the direction the other Bear Thiren workers around them were heading, Andrew noted they were going precisely toward the venue invaded by the Diablos yesterday. And the content of their argument seemed to be whether these three newly developed prototype machines should first work on the construction site outside the Hollow or be taken into the Hollow for testing first.
As the saying goes, gossiping is human nature.
Just as Andrew wanted to prick up his ears to try and hear more clearly, a faint smell of burning wafted into his nose.
As the saying goes again: the spectator often becomes the spectacle.
When the three people downstairs began to look up towards his floor in unison, Andrew suddenly realized something. Something on his floor was burning, and the smell was getting stronger at an extremely fast rate.
"Fi... Fire?!"
Seeing the black smoke drifting in through the gap in the door, Andrew, sensing something was wrong, immediately rushed out the door.
In the living room, the originally exquisite ceiling was already completely shrouded in the drifting black smoke, making it a bit difficult to see the situation above. But what made him relax slightly was that, at least, he didn't see any massive source of fire.
Tracing the source of the black smoke to the kitchen, Andrew discovered Evelyn, who was awkwardly holding a spatula and constantly stirring something in the kitchen.
Her subconsciously pursed lips and her movements, as if facing a formidable enemy, made her look like she was manufacturing something that would explode in the next second. But even with such caution, it couldn't change the result in the pot which was already thoroughly burnt.
"Eve?!"
?!
Andrew's sudden voice made her turn her head in panic. A flush of embarrassment appeared on her face, looking a bit like a child who had done something wrong.
It was only then that Andrew saw Evelyn's current state clearly. Always careful to maintain her image, she now had soot unknowingly wiped across her face and body. Her hair, smoked black, stuck messily to her cheeks, making the usually capable and dashing woman look quite disheveled.
Seeing this, Andrew stepped forward without hesitation, immediately taking the pot from Evelyn's hand, and then turned off the flame on the stove.
Then, Andrew looked down into the pot in his hand. Amidst the patch of scorched black granular objects, one could barely distinguish that this thing probably, possibly, should have originally been a portion of fried rice. It was just a bit dark.
After taking the pot, Andrew first immediately moved it away from the stove, then hurriedly turned on the range hood. After a flurry of operations, at least the black smoke that was spreading rapidly began to gradually dissipate.
Beside him, Evelyn held the spatula with both hands, looking a little at a loss.
When she came to the living room this morning, Evelyn discovered that Andrew, who usually rose early, still hadn't gotten up. Looking at the empty kitchen, she remembered the messy fried rice Astra Yao had made the first time she visited, and thought of Andrew's care for them previously. Thus, the idea to try and imitate Andrew's cooking to make a breakfast immediately sprouted.
It was also a return favor for Andrew's care over the past two days; Evelyn was the type to act as soon as she spoke.
But clearly, while Andrew's movements looked smooth and simple at the time, Evelyn realized the various troubles involved only when she actually tried it. Like eggshells falling in when cracking eggs, or not knowing at what stage to add the next ingredient.
Although she was relatively at ease with knife work due to her experience using daggers, in other aspects...
The clump of white mixed with brown fried rice on the table was the final result.
Watching Andrew's movements as he served the fried rice onto a plate, she said with some embarrassment:
"I'm sorry, Andrew, I..."
But before she could finish her sentence, Andrew had already picked up chopsticks and put a mouthful of fried rice directly into his mouth, right under Evelyn's surprised gaze.
Her original embarrassment instantly turned into apprehension.
Under her nervous gaze, Andrew swallowed the fried rice in his mouth without hesitation, then gave a thumbs up and said:
"It's quite good, Evelyn! To be able to make it like this on your first time cooking, it's way better than my first time!"
No matter how naive a person is, they can distinguish how such food actually tastes. But after hearing Andrew's praise, Evelyn's originally apprehensive heart couldn't stop being replaced by joy.
As if to prove his words were true, this messy portion of fried rice was quickly devoured by Andrew like a whirlwind scattering clouds.
It could only be said that although it was dry and hard due to being burnt, and had a scorched taste, it was at least edible. As for the flavor...
Actually, it was better than Dry-fried Cabbage with Honey Mushrooms. One has to know, Andrew could force that stuff down and lie against his conscience saying it was delicious; Evelyn's cooking was actually much more acceptable to him.
Putting the plate into the sink, Andrew looked at Evelyn and said:
"However, there are still some areas for improvement. Do you want to do it again with me? How about I teach you hand-in-hand this time?"
In a dim room, Astra Yao opened her somewhat bleary eyes. Through the thick curtains, a sliver of bright sunlight shone on her body, making her feel warm and fuzzy. Gently stretching her body, her perfect curves couldn't be hidden even by the goose-down duvet.
She rubbed her eyes, her mind starting to work again, only to discover it was already past nine o'clock.
"Eh?! Eve didn't call me to get up! What about the event?!"
Just as the words left her mouth, Astra Yao, remembering that she was off today, patted her own little head in annoyance.
"No, no, I can't get into the habit of thinking about work during rest time."
As her stomach let out a rumbling protest, Astra Yao thought for a moment and felt that since there were no outsiders in the house right now, she chose to push the door open and walk out directly in her nightgown.
The spacious living room was filled with the aroma of food, though it seemed there was still a faint trace of a burnt smell lingering?
Not seeing Evelyn in the living room made Astra Yao a little puzzled.
"Hmm... Has Eve not gotten up yet? No way, right?"
But glancing at Evelyn's tightly closed door, Astra Yao still prepared to go check the kitchen first.
However, halfway through the living room, Astra Yao suddenly noticed something was wrong with her sharp senses.
She could already see Andrew's figure in the open kitchen. Although Andrew was standing in front of the stove, his position was clearly a bit off. He was a little too far from the stove, and under his arms, there seemed to be a pair of much slenderer arms!
Although Andrew's palms were huge, almost covering the other person's hand holding the spatula, Astra Yao, who had observed Andrew cooking very carefully last night, believed she absolutely could not be mistaken!
And there were only three people in this house in total, so the person being held in Andrew's arms... the answer was self-evident.
It wasn't really jealousy; she was just extremely surprised. Surprised that her Evelyn, who usually treated others coldly, stern and unsmiling like a robot no matter who it was... could make a move so quickly!
Clearly, just last night when she heard Andrew had a girlfriend, she was ready to give up, but this morning they were already sticking closely together!
One could only say, as expected of the highly action-oriented Evelyn!
Originally, she was a little worried that Evelyn, who seemed coldly indifferent to this aspect, would be left behind. Now it seemed the one who should work hard was actually herself.
Astra Yao couldn't help but nod secretly in admiration from the side.
Subsequently, she didn't choose to walk into the kitchen to disturb the two of them. Instead, she stealthily tiptoed back to the dining room and secretly sat down on a chair by the dining table, watching with a beaming smile as Evelyn stirred the food in the pot under Andrew's guidance.
In front of the stove, Andrew was positioned to see the state of the food in the pot clearly, while Evelyn was subconsciously leaning back to avoid the sputtering from the pot. One leaning forward and one leaning back caused Evelyn to unknowingly press tightly into Andrew's embrace.
At the same time, her two hands—one holding the pot handle and the other holding the spatula—were firmly grasped within Andrew's palms. And with Andrew lowering his head to explain from time to time, Evelyn's ears had unknowingly turned bright red.
Finally, as the clams put into the pot were quickly cooked under the sauce, a portion of Clam Chowder was poured by Andrew into a porcelain bowl on the side.
Looking at the Clam Chowder she had successfully made, which was perfect in color, aroma, and taste, Evelyn couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, while her confidence in herself also increased a lot.
She learned quickly. The two dishes Andrew guided her through just now, she had learned after doing them once under his lead. Since she learned the first fried rice very quickly and seeing that time was still sufficient, Andrew went with the flow and taught Evelyn a soup that could serve as a set.
And just then, Evelyn, coming back to her senses, felt the broad and hot body behind her. The strong muscles pressed tight against her back, coupled with both hands being firmly wrapped, gave Evelyn the subconscious feeling of being completely held in his arms.
Such intimate contact, plus the fact that without her suit jacket, she had an area on her back not covered by clothes... this sensation was even more obvious.
Although she didn't want to admit it, temporarily, she didn't really want to leave.
Evelyn, with a flushed face, wasn't planning to point this out before Andrew spoke. While conflicted about her own greediness, she couldn't help but hope to maintain this state and learn another dish.
Amidst such complex emotions, Evelyn turned around and, through the gap in the partition, saw an extra person at the originally empty dining table. She also saw the smile all over Astra Yao's face as she sat by the table.
Inexplicably, a feeling like being caught stealing food made Evelyn subconsciously break free from Andrew's embrace.
"Miss!"
For some reason, she had an urge to say Miss, I'm sorry.
Accompanying Evelyn's movement, Andrew also immediately noticed Astra Yao. Without thinking much, he immediately waved his hand and said:
"Good morning, Astra. Come and taste the new dish Evelyn made. She learns super fast."
Astra Yao, however, didn't feel anything was wrong at all. Already hungry, she immediately and impatiently carried the bowl to the dining room.
Then, while Andrew was still cleaning up the kitchen, Astra Yao directly and gently poked the waist of the crimson-faced Evelyn, whispering:
"I couldn't tell, Eve, you're actually so amazing! Quick, tell me, how did you manage to do that?"
Hearing this, Evelyn became even more shy, stammering for a long time before whispering:
"It... it just became like that naturally."
Upon hearing this, Astra Yao nodded even more satisfied and said:
"Very good, that's how it should be. If it turns out the other party isn't what we speculated, the two of us will attack together!"
"Miss, you better stop talking..."
Just as the two were in the dining room, Andrew, who was busy in the kitchen, suddenly received a phone call from Von Lycaon.
"This is Von Lycaon of Victoria Housekeeping. Sorry to disturb you, respected Store Manager, but could I take up a little of your time?"
____
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