"Ding dong."
William took a deep breath and rang the doorbell.
As soon as the door opened, a wave of warm air hit his face. Unlike the cold air outside, Tiffany's home was nice and warm.
She was dressed lightly, wearing a pale yellow apron over denim shorts and a white shirt.
"Come in." Tiffany said with a smile.
William didn't know what to do with the flowers. It was his first time giving flowers to someone, so he wasn't sure if he should hand them over right away or wait until later.
Tiffany seemed to notice his awkwardness, so she took the flowers and said, "They're beautiful, thank you."
"Uh-huh."
That bouquet had cost William a few hundred bucks. Price doesn't always mean quality, but still, expensive things usually have a reason to be expensive.
Standing in the entryway, he could smell the rich aroma of meat in the air. From a distance, he saw three dishes already set on the dining table in the living room—two plates of stir-fried vegetables and a plate of white-cut chicken.
"There's also a soup, almost ready. Go ahead and sit down." Tiffany said before heading back to the kitchen.
William looked around. The layout of the place was very stylish, just like Cynthia's room when he first saw it. Clearly, a lot of thought had gone into it. The 150-square-meter flat felt incredibly spacious, no less than the big villa he lived in. Outside the living room windows, he could even see the lights of the Bund. No doubt, this was a high-end apartment.
After standing in the living room for four or five minutes, William saw Tiffany serving the soup and immediately went to the kitchen to help. Together, they carried a steaming bowl of winter melon pork rib soup to the table.
"Smells amazing."
Just the aroma was enough to make his mouth water. Who would've thought that behind Tiffany's elegant looks was a hidden master chef?
But Tiffany poured cold water on his excitement: "Don't get too happy yet. I like lighter flavors. You might not be used to it."
"It's fine. I can even eat the food I cook myself, so I think I'll manage."
"Pfft."
Tiffany couldn't help but laugh at his self-deprecating joke. She told him to wait a moment, then untied her apron and went to get the rice.
Once they were both seated at the table, Tiffany said, "Aren't you hot?"
William was still wearing his winter coat, and with the floor heating on, he was definitely starting to sweat.
"A little."
"Take it off, you can hang it over there."
Tiffany pointed to a coat rack.
After hanging up his coat, William felt much more comfortable. He picked up his chopsticks and looked at Tiffany.
She smiled lightly, picked up her chopsticks, and said, "Go ahead, try my cooking."
Like a command, William went straight for the ribs. The soup was clear, and the thin slices of winter melon were cooked until light shone through them—a sign they were packed with flavor.
The taste didn't disappoint. Though the seasoning was light, it brought out the natural freshness of the meat. If he were eating alone, William would've already lifted the bowl to drink the soup—but Tiffany hadn't given him a spoon.
His fault. He forgot to grab one when bringing the soup over.
Tiffany hadn't started eating yet. She just watched William and asked, "Is it good?"
"It's good." William nodded firmly.
"Then eat more."
Her effort had paid off. She had even asked Aunt Lisa what William liked to eat. Good thing William told her early—otherwise she wouldn't have had time to cancel her meetings and buy groceries.
It might just look like three dishes and a cold plate, but Tiffany had spent the whole afternoon preparing them.
After they finished eating, William moved on to something he was even better at than cooking—washing the dishes.
After washing the dishes and stepping out of the kitchen, William suddenly felt like he was back at Aunt Lisa's house. The next thing should have been the whole family sitting in front of the TV in the living room watching a variety show. But now, it was a different place, and the one sitting in front of the TV was Tiffany.
"All done?"
"Yeah."
Tiffany patted the empty spot next to her. "Come sit, I cut some fruit."
William went over and sat down. He ate a couple of pieces of fruit and was just about to bring up the collaboration when Tiffany suddenly pulled him into a discussion about the variety show on TV.
"I heard you guys are doing a show too?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"Can you get me two tickets for a live show?" Tiffany looked at William with high hopes. "I've always wanted to see a live recording. That's been my dream since I was a kid."
William tilted his head. With Tiffany's money, going to a variety show should be easy.
Some shows even pay people to attend.
He didn't really get it, but he still said, "I'll check with Cynthia. She's the one who handles communication with our partners about the show. I need to ask her first."
"Oh." Tiffany's excitement dropped by half. "You seem to get along well with her."
"Not really. I've known her about as long as I've known you," William said casually.
Tiffany said without thinking, "That short and you're already living together?"
William quickly explained, "We just share the same house. It's more like neighbors in an apartment building. Other than meal times, we hardly interact."
"I see." Tiffany popped a strawberry into her mouth, then suddenly said, "Then how about I move in too?"
Her words shocked William so much he almost dropped the strawberry in his hand. "Huh? Why?"
"To work together better," Tiffany explained. "You know how hard it is to make music. Since you want me to help make music for the game, we'll definitely need to discuss things. And some things are hard to explain without showing on an instrument. Instead of going back and forth every time, wouldn't it be easier to live closer? Of course, just upstairs or downstairs."
Her explanation left William speechless. What she said made sense, but also didn't.
No company collaboration ever required moving in together. If this were in a drama, people would call it ridiculous.
William politely declined. "I don't think that's a good idea. I'll get my driver's license soon, so going to the music shop or coming here won't be a problem. Plus, if we live together, your work schedule might get messed up. That's not good for you either. I think it's better to keep things as they are."
"Yeah." Tiffany nodded with no expression.
William quickly added, "Since you agreed to the collaboration, I'll have Cynthia contact you soon to discuss the details. It's getting late, and I still have work to finish. Let's call it a day. Thanks for having me."
"Okay then, I'll walk you out." Tiffany got up, her face showing no emotion. After seeing William to the door, she just said, "Be careful on the way," then shut the door.
Her change in attitude left William a little confused. She was fine when he came, but now it felt completely different. William had a feeling he did something wrong, but he couldn't figure out what.
What he didn't know was that after shutting the door, Tiffany leaned against it, breathing a little fast. As soon as she heard William enter the elevator, she rushed to the living room, grabbed her phone, and called Lisa.