He had always been the one asking if he liked his mother, helping to coax Huo Rou to go to work, and eating meals with him.
He was so clever when he was a spy.
Now...
He cleared his throat, "I got rained on too."
An An tilted his head and looked at him doubtfully for a long time before he seemed to understand.
"Come in," Huo Rou called from inside, suppressing a smile, before An An could speak.
Qin Ningyi strode into the room, his long legs carrying him past An An.
"Mom, why does Dad seem a bit off today?" An An closed the door and returned to Huo Rou's side, holding a towel to dry her hair.
"He seemed so smug when he came in," An An whispered into Huo Rou's ear.
While mother and son were sharing whispered affections, Qin Ningyi took a few tissues from the table, hastily dried his hair, and then turned into the kitchen.
"Where's the ginger?" a sound came from the kitchen.
"Go check," Huo Rou instructed An An, the little helper of the house, to see what was happening.
An An trotted to the kitchen, "Dad, what do you need ginger for?"
"I got rained on, drinking some ginger soup will warm me up and prevent a cold," Qin Ningyi said, skillfully grabbing a pot and starting to fill it with water.
An An found a piece of ginger in the cabinet and handed it to Qin Ningyi, "Is one piece enough?"
"Yes, it's enough."
An An had never heard of ginger soup before and watched attentively from the side.
Qin Ningyi skillfully sliced the ginger into thin pieces and boiled them in water, then asked An An to find some brown sugar to add.
"Will it really work?" An An asked doubtfully, smelling the spicy aroma slowly wafting from the pot.
Qin Ningyi nodded.
"But Mom had a cold before, and even Uncle Shen's medicine didn't help," An An was still worried. He thought for a moment and then ran out again.
"Mom, go take a hot shower quickly!" An An pulled Huo Rou towards her room without a word.
"Hurry up and wash, don't catch a cold. Uncle Shen isn't here, so it will be even worse if you get sick." An An efficiently prepared a towel and handed it to Huo Rou.
Warmed by her son's care, Huo Rou gently rubbed his face and went into the bathroom as he instructed.
When Huo Rou came out with her wet hair wrapped in a towel, she smelled the spicy aroma of ginger soup wafting from the living room.
The smell was familiar, accompanying her brief childhood.
"Come here quickly and drink this bowl of ginger soup," Qin Ningyi said, putting down his phone and looking up to beckon Huo Rou.
Huo Rou walked over wearing a black pajama set. The outfit was as neat as sportswear, and a beauty emerging from a bath is graceful, leaving only the word "beauty."
Looking at An An, Qin Ningyi felt relieved that Huo Rou was wearing this type of pajama.
Huo Rou didn't think there was anything inappropriate about appearing in front of people wearing this outfit. If Qin Ningyi had known she had worn it in front of more than just An An, he might not have been so relieved.
She obediently walked over and sat by the dining table, picked up the bowl of ginger soup, and the heat entered her nose, warming her entire body.
Taking a sip, she found it wasn't as spicy as she remembered, but rather sweet.
"Why is it so sweet?" Huo Rou put down the bowl and looked at Qin Ningyi in confusion.
"Secret recipe," Qin Ningyi's heart settled. It seemed Huo Rou liked it.
Huo Rou drank the entire bowl of ginger soup in one go, but still couldn't suppress her curiosity, "What did you put in it?"
Qin Ningyi watched the water droplets sliding down her temples, got up, and took off the towel wrapped around her hair, holding it to dry her hair.
His movements were gentle, but his voice carried a hint of teasing, "You're a kitchen novice, so don't ask too many questions. If you want anything to eat in the future, our father and son will cook for you."
An An, hearing that Qin Ningyi included him, nodded in agreement with Huo Rou.
Huo Rou, unwilling to admit defeat, wanted to retort, but then remembered that he had already seen her looking disheveled on video last time. It seemed anything she said would be unconvincing.
Just as she was about to lower her head and not answer, Qin Ningyi quickly cupped her chin.
"Don't move, I'm drying your hair." Qin Ningyi withdrew his hand and continued to dry her hair earnestly.
Huo Rou knew he had always been a pampered young master, and since they met, he had been very patient with her. But she hadn't expected him to be so gentle and meticulous.
"An An, where's the hairdryer? Get it," Qin Ningyi said after drying most of the water, intending to blow-dry Huo Rou's hair.
Huo Rou suddenly became shy, having not had this kind of treatment in many years, "No need."
Qin Ningyi blowing her hair was really too far from his usual image.
"Let me show off," Qin Ningyi chuckled and playfully ruffled her slightly damp hair.
Huo Rou hesitated, wanting to speak but ultimately deciding not to spoil his enthusiasm.
Hearing that he was going to blow-dry Huo Rou's hair, An An quickly ran to his bedroom and took out a small hairdryer.
The hairdryer was so small that it looked like a toy in Qin Ningyi's hand.
"Hairdryer?" Qin Ningyi plugged it in, turned it on, and the wind was pitifully weak, not even a third of the wind from downstairs.
"This is my hairdryer, Auntie bought it for me specially," An An explained.
"A Rou, what about yours?" Qin Ningyi smiled somewhat helplessly.
"Mom doesn't have one!" An An said this with annoyance, as if a child had finally found an adult to complain to.
"Mom never uses a hairdryer to dry her hair. Everyone has advised her, but she refuses. Uncle Shen bought her one, but Mom didn't bring it when she went back last time."
Huo Rou stood up nonchalantly and walked towards the balcony, "Actually, I don't like using hairdryers. The natural wind dries it quickly."
"Nonsense," Qin Ningyi grabbed her hand and pulled her back. Due to the momentum, Huo Rou bumped into him, and Qin Ningyi sat down on a stool.
A beauty in his arms, warm and soft.
Qin Ningyi finally believed that what Zhao Hengyu had said was true, that he needed to take the initiative.
An An covered his eyes when Huo Rou was pulled into Qin Ningyi's embrace, and giggling, he returned to his bedroom.
"You..." Huo Rou didn't expect that after their time at the amusement park, this person seemed to have a changed core. His previous politeness was gone, and his gentlemanly demeanor occasionally disappeared.
Now, he didn't even care about the image of a stern and dignified father?
Huo Rou turned her head to speak to him, using a clever move with her hands to try and stand up and escape his embrace.
As her hand pressed against Qin Ningyi's chest, his eyes darkened. He held the hairdryer to her waist with his left hand and forcefully supported the back of her head with his right, his fingers gently burying themselves in her wet hair.
Qin Ningyi, in his twenty-plus years of life, knew for the first time.
It turned out that kissing was addictive.
If it weren't for the water droplets sliding down his right hand, silently accusing him, he would have truly lost track of time.
When they separated, there was a haze in both their eyes, as if a rain had fallen into their hearts and then risen again.
"Don't move," Qin Ningyi said in a low, hoarse voice, with a hint of passion, holding her tightly.
"Let me dry your hair."