Everyday Romance After Becoming a Billionaire

Chapter 10: Chapter 9: Did You Grow Up Eating Cuteness?

A three-bedroom, one-living-room starter home. It wasn’t large and had a rustic Style, reminiscent of a first love.

Su Ran had been here countless times, always for some supposedly unavoidable reason.

The floorboards were warped. The power was out. She’d cut her hand. She’d bombed a test. A few times, she didn’t even bother coming up with an excuse—she just demanded he come over.

And when he came, she was as good as gold.

But if he didn’t?

The girl’s mood would sour in the blink of an eye. She’d pester him relentlessly, giving him no peace, and the next time she saw him, she’d probably bite him.

A perfect angel one moment, a little demon the next.

Ning Wenwen.

He stepped inside, took off his shoes, and placed them in the shoe cabinet.

"Wenwen, where are your dad’s slippers?"

"You can wear these."

Ning Wenwen slipped off the pair of large, size-41 slippers she was wearing, her small, bare feet padding onto the cool floor.

Her feet were small and plump, her ten little toes wriggling with life.

She was adorable and brimming with youthful energy. Still young and developing, she showed a great deal of promise for the future.

"Why were you wearing your dad’s slippers instead of your own?"

"I... I just bought them. I was just testing to see if the soles were soft."

"Oh."

Su Ran slid his feet into the slippers. They were still warm from her.

"So which room has the warped floorboard? I’ll go fix it for you."

"It’s in my room."

Ning Wenwen led him barefoot into her bedroom. It was a cute, pink-themed girl’s room with several potted succulents on the balcony, and the whole space was filled with a girlish fragrance.

"It’s that floorboard right there."

"It really is warped."

"Of course it is! Did you think I was lying?"

She pouted, looking all wronged and unhappy.

It might have seemed overly dramatic, but it wasn’t off-putting. On the contrary, it was incredibly cute. That must be the special privilege of a girl her age.

Su Ran shook his head and chuckled. "All right, I’ll fix it." He walked over, put a piece of tape on the warped plank for grip, and gave it a hard kick. The board snapped right back into its groove. He ripped the tape off, tossed it in the trash, and dusted off his hands. "Okay, all fixed. If it happens again, just give it a good kick like I did."

Wenwen bit her cherry-red lips and whimpered, "But I’m just a girl. Girls aren’t very strong, you know."

As a self-proclaimed tough guy, Su Ran couldn’t stand this kind of sugary, cutesy talk.

"Alright, alright, enough with the cutesy act. You’re giving me goosebumps."

"Cutesy, cutesy, cutesy! Blep~"

Wenwen stuck out her tongue at him before turning and walking out of the room.

’Wow, she’s sticking her tongue out, too? That’s just too much. Did she grow up on a diet of pure cuteness?’

The tough guy in him was going absolutely insane. He really wanted to grab her tongue and tie it in a knot just to see her try sticking it out then.

Humming, "You love me, I love you, oh so sweet and yummy..." Wenwen skipped back to the dining area, her bare feet making happy little taps on the floor as she busied herself with afternoon tea.

A cake was baking in the oven, a juicer whirred with fresh mangoes, strawberries, and cherries, and in a glass, soda bubbled as it mingled with ice cubes.

The sun was bright, and all was right with the world.

A young girl’s peaceful afternoon at home.

"Wenwen, I’m heading out now."

"Wait just ten more minutes! Stay and have some of my cake before you go."

"I can’t, I have something to do."

Su Ran was quite friendly with Wenwen’s parents, but with them not being home, it didn’t feel right to stay for too long.

Wenwen’s brow furrowed as she stared at the deliberately distant expression on Su Ran’s face.

"What could a single guy like you possibly have to do? It’s not like you have a girlfriend."

Oof...

"Wenwen, that’s a low blow. You’re not supposed to hit a guy where it hurts."

"Come on! I learned how to make this cake on TikTok yesterday and I just wanted you to try it, but you won’t even give me ten minutes! That’s so mean! Hmph, I’m not talking to you anymore."

The girl planted her hands on her hips and turned her head away, pouting. "You’re so heartless," she muttered. "Fine, go. It’s clear you don’t even see me as a friend. We don’t have to see each other ever again. Let’s just go our separate ways and forget we ever knew each other."

Su Ran was completely helpless against this little tormentor.

Who could possibly say no to a cute young aspiring chef?

Sigh... Fine. He gave in.

As Su Ran walked over, Ning Wenwen saw that he had given in once again. She grabbed his arm and beamed, her smile radiant. "I knew you were the best!"

Su Ran looked down at her. "Smells good. What kind of cake is it?"

Wenwen tilted her head up. "I saw on your feed that you failed to make a yogurt cake, so I wanted to give it a try and hopefully succeed."

Su Ran glanced at the discarded cake attempts in the nearby trash can. ’She must have tried quite a few times,’ he thought.

He smiled knowingly.

"I’m sure you’ll succeed this time."

Wenwen nodded.

"It’ll definitely work! Oh... go have a seat. I’ll pour you a glass of the fresh juice I made."

Wenwen had always been this enthusiastic with him. She was a recent graduate from the third year of his old experimental junior high school.

Wenwen propped her chin in her hands on the table, watching contentedly as Su Ran sipped the juice she’d made for him. "Is it good?"

Su Ran deliberately put on a serious face. "It’s awful," he said with a look of disgust.

"No way! Let me try." Wenwen snatched the glass back. "It’s not bad, it’s actually pretty good... Hey! Su Ran, you lied to me! You’re the worst! You can’t have any more, hmph."

Su Ran laughed. "Well, you lied to me once, and I lied to you once. Now we’re even."

"When did I lie to you? Don’t be ridiculous," she said, her voice faltering as a blush crept across her pink cheeks.

Su Ran just smiled without saying a word. ’Earlier, under her bed, I saw a wrench. No doubt for prying up that floorboard,’ he thought.

DING!

The oven timer went off.

"I’ll get it."

Su Ran stopped Wenwen, slipped on a pair of oven mitts, and took the cake out, setting it on the table. Wenwen eagerly scooped out a spoonful, only to find the inside was still a runny mess.

"It failed again! This is so frustrating..."

After accumulating so much experience from her previous failed attempts, Wenwen had been sure this time would be a success. That’s why she’d invented an excuse for Su Ran to come over—so they could share the finished yogurt cake together. The fact that it had failed again was incredibly disheartening.

Su Ran understood her good intentions, of course. "Are there any more eggs in the house?" he asked. "If there are, we could try one more time."

"They’re all gone. Not a single one left."

Wenwen looked at the failed cake in disgust and promptly scraped it into the trash. Out of sight, out of mind.

"No need to get upset. How about this? I passed by a new dessert shop on Construction Road. My treat. How does that sound?"

"I don’t want to go. I’m not in the mood anymore."

"Alright, well, I guess I’ll get going then."

"You! Argh—"

Wenwen let out a frustrated scream.

’I failed over and over again trying to make you a yogurt cake, and you won’t even try to comfort me? You’re just going to leave? How can you be so heartless?’

She bit her lip, looking utterly wronged.

Su Ran smiled. "Alright, stop fussing. Go get changed so we can go get some cake."

Wenwen took a deep breath to compose herself and stood up. "Wait for me, I’m just going to change." With that, she disappeared into her room.

Su Ran took the opportunity to clean up the messy pots and pans.

「A moment later.」

Wenwen emerged with her hair tied up in a bun. She had changed into a denim overall dress with a pink t-shirt underneath and had a small bag slung over her shoulder, the very picture of girlish cuteness.

"Huh? Did you clean all this up for me?"

"Just thought I’d tidy up while I waited."

"Su Ran, you’re the best!"

Moved, Wenwen hugged Su Ran’s arm, clinging to him sweetly.

"It’s nothing. I see you as my little sister, so it’s only natural I’d do these things."

"Who wants to be your little sister? Hmph!"