Standing Next To You-Chapter 544: Under the Street Lamp

The sun was starting to set by the time Fei Chuan and Assistant Chen arrived at the villa. As they entered the living room, the aroma of food greeted them.

The butler, who was busy cleaning up someone’s trash, met them and instantly brightened upon seeing them. "Master, you have arrived! Your visitor is in the kitchen."

Assistant Chen noticed the butler carrying various broken plates and glasses and quickly stepped in to help. The two went outside while Fei Chuan headed straight to the kitchen.

Melanie was wearing an apron, her golden curls tied up as she transferred the cooked dishes into a bowl. When she nearly dropped it, Fei Chuan swiftly stepped forward and caught the bowl.

Melanie finally noticed his presence, her entire face lighting up.

"Fei Chuan, you’re here!" she beamed excitedly, letting go of the bowl and hugging him. The bowl tilted, almost spilling its contents.

Fortunately, Fei Chuan was already supporting it, but he couldn’t avoid her embrace as he couldn’t let go of the bowl.

"Careful." Fei Chuan steadied the bowl with one hand while placing his other on Melanie’s back, unintentionally creating a posture that seemed like a hug.

Melanie blushed. Fei Chuan’s deep voice and masculine scent sent her reeling. This simple embrace was worth crossing countries and waiting for hours. She peeked at the camera she had set up nearby.

Thankfully, she had been filming herself while cooking and had captured this rare moment on video. She wanted to replay the scene over and over, savoring Fei Chuan’s scent and warmth.

Fei Chuan finally steadied the bowl in his hand and stepped back from Melanie’s embrace.

Melanie smiled happily. "Are you surprised to see me?"

Fei Chuan nodded. "Yeah. Why did you come here?"

Melanie pouted. "You suddenly left and returned to Country C. I’ve always wanted to visit with you, but you went ahead without telling me. I had no choice but to come here and look for you."

"I had business to attend to here. I thought William told you."

"Brother won’t tell me anything." Melanie’s expression soured as she recalled her brother’s betrayal. If he hadn’t pushed her to go on that cruise, she wouldn’t have missed the chance to travel to Country C with Fei Chuan.

Fei Chuan didn’t pursue the topic further. Instead, his gaze shifted to the several burnt dishes on the counter. "Are you experimenting?"

Melanie’s smile turned stiff. She hurriedly covered the burnt food. "Yeah... I’m not familiar with the recipe yet."

"I see. You must have been bored waiting for me."

"I’m not! I enjoyed touring the villa. Your butler let me in after I introduced myself. You don’t seem to have strict security here." Melanie frowned, slightly concerned that anyone could enter so easily. After all, she hadn’t struggled at all to get in.

"You don’t look like someone who came here to commit a crime," Fei Chuan said, setting the bowl down. "So, how was the cruise?"

Melanie’s eyes brightened. She loved traveling and visiting exotic places, and she eagerly began recounting her trip. At first, she spoke enthusiastically, but when she remembered the opportunity she had missed because of it, her expression dimmed.

"It’s such a pity that I missed the chance to go to Country C with you," Melanie sighed. "I wanted to be on the same flight as you, arriving in your home country together."

What she had looked forward to the most was spending thirteen uninterrupted hours with Fei Chuan on the same plane, sitting side by side.

Thirteen hours alone together—wasn’t that a perfect opportunity to nurture Fei Chuan’s feelings for her?

Fei Chuan remained silent. He was holding himself back from outright crushing whatever hope lingered in Melanie’s heart, but for William’s sake, he restrained himself.

"Should we continue our conversation in the living room?" he asked, changing the topic again.

"Ah, wait! I cooked dinner for us. This is your favorite dish, right? Want to have a taste?" Melanie eagerly scooped up a spoonful from the bowl.

Fei Chuan stared at it. It was one of his favorite dishes. But... remembering the blackened pans behind her, he couldn’t help but doubt its taste—or whether it was even edible.

Fortunately, before he could refuse, Assistant Chen and the butler arrived.

"I just ate something, so my taste buds might not be reliable. Chen Li, why don’t you give it a try instead?" Fei Chuan smoothly redirected.

Assistant Chen glanced at Melanie’s stiff smile and glaring eyes before looking at his boss—who clearly wasn’t giving him any room to escape.

Thinking quickly, Assistant Chen grabbed the butler’s arm. "He’s got a perfect score in cooking and tasting skills." He then turned to the surprised butler. "You go ahead and taste it."

The butler, oblivious to the underlying tension, happily accepted. He took the spoon still hovering in the air and had a taste.

After a moment, he nodded and said, "It’s good."

Seeing him still standing fine after eating it, Fei Chuan finally agreed to allow the dish onto tonight’s dinner menu.

Dinner went livelier than usual, thanks to Melanie’s constant chatter. However, Fei Chuan remained mostly silent, only responding with a sentence or two when asked.

"Ah, I’ve eaten a lot." Melanie rubbed her full stomach, then glanced at Fei Chuan as an idea popped into her head. Her eyes sparkled as she suggested, "How about we take a little walk? It’ll help us digest."

Fei Chuan had no intention of agreeing, but remembering William’s words, he reluctantly nodded. He had to accompany Melanie and be a good host.

Fei Chuan led the way, and Melanie eagerly followed. As they walked past the gate, she turned to him.

"So, how was the xiaolongbao? Did you like it? Or was it too bland?"

"It was good. Your cooking skills have improved," Fei Chuan replied.

Melanie’s smile widened. "Really? I combined everything I’ve learned from traveling to different places to make sure your dumpling soup was the most delicious one you’ve ever tasted. I know I still have a long way to go, but I’m glad you liked it. My hard work paid off."

Fei Chuan gave a faint smile. One of Melanie’s good qualities was her dedication—despite her privileged background, she was a hard worker.

Just then, a small gust of wind blew past, and a tiny particle got into Melanie’s eye. She stopped abruptly, squeezing her eyes shut and trying to blink it away, but the irritation only worsened.

"I—I can’t open my eye..." she muttered in frustration as tears began to form.

Fei Chuan stopped as well, stepping closer and bending down slightly. "Let me see."

Melanie tilted her chin up. Fei Chuan was careful not to touch her, leaning in to examine her eye—but he couldn’t see anything.

"Maybe you should rinse it with water. Let’s go back. I’ll guide you."

"Um... can you try blowing on it instead?" Melanie asked hesitantly. "One time, when I got sand in my eye in the desert, a kind passerby blew it away for me. It might help." freewёbnoνel.com

Fei Chuan didn’t think too much about it. He leaned in, close to her face, and gently blew.

Melanie felt his warm breath against her skin, and her face grew even redder. She tried to open her eyes, and on the third attempt, she finally managed to.

Wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes, she murmured with a blush, "Ah, I can see now. Thank you."

Fei Chuan straightened. "No problem."

Melanie smiled shyly, but then her gaze shifted past him, catching sight of a figure not far away.

It was already dark, but under the glow of the streetlamps, she could see the person clearly.

She looked familiar.

And her expression...

Fei Chuan, noticing Melanie’s sudden distraction, instinctively turned to look behind him.

The moment his eyes landed on the figure, he froze.

It was none other than Bei Sangyun.