YABE - 51

After Jiang Xu got home and went upstairs, the first thing he did was call Zhou Yi.

Recently, Zhou Yi’s father had been extremely busy, and when he picked up the phone, his tone was less than friendly: “Big Brother, what do you want now?”

“Zhou Yi,” Jiang Xu said seriously, “I have a favor to ask of you.”

His tone was so solemn that Zhou Yi paused, his earlier impatience fading: “What is it? Speak first.”

“You must promise me first.”

“Just hurry up and say it!” Zhou Yi started to get impatient again.

Jiang Xu: “Teach me how to cook.”

Zhou Yi: “….”

Without changing his expression, Zhou Yi hung up the phone.

By Friday, Jiang Xu calculated that he only had two days left.

There wasn’t much time to waste, so Jiang Xu went straight into his bedroom, turned on his computer, and glanced at the Hello Kitty carpet on the floor. He hesitated for a moment.

Sighing, he crouched down, grabbed one corner of the carpet, and prepared to pull it up—but after a brief pause, he stopped himself.

He let go, his fingertips brushing against the fluffy surface of the carpet twice before finally standing up.

“Fine, I’ll just leave it there.”

Truthfully, the more he looked at it, the more he thought it wasn’t so unbearable—just a bit eye-catching.

Comforting himself, Jiang Xu sat back down in front of the computer and began researching recipes, cooking videos, and other related content online.

As he studied, he found cooking to be an incredibly fascinating thing.

After over two hours of deep diving, he felt as if his inner energy channels had been unblocked, leaving him restless with excitement.

Jiang Xu believed he could now prepare a full Manchu-Han Imperial Feast.

He grabbed a piece of paper and pen, jotting down all the ingredients he needed based on the cooking videos he’d watched earlier. Then, wearing a mask, he headed straight to the nearby supermarket.

It was already late, so the supermarket wasn’t crowded. The man, covered from head to toe, held a piece of paper in his hand, meticulously comparing items and tossing them into his shopping cart.

He returned home with two large shopping bags, entered the kitchen (where he had never cooked anything beyond heating milk), tied his uncut hair into a small braid, rolled up his sleeves, and confidently took out the vegetables and meat, arranging them across the entire counter.

An hour later, the man stared blankly at the pile of trash before him and called Zhou Yi.

The call was answered by the young assistant who had worked with him on the set of Bitter Bird . The assistant spoke cautiously: “Teacher Jiang, Zhou Yi said that if you call him again to ask about cooking, he’ll quit.”

Jiang Xu remained calm: “Let him answer. I’m not asking about cooking this time.”

The assistant seemed to hesitate but eventually passed the call along.

After a short wait, the familiar voice of a man came through the line with a casual “Hello.” Jiang Xu quickly spoke: “Zhou Yi, when making braised pork ribs, do you add—”

“Beep beep beep—” The call was abruptly cut off.

Jiang Xu: “….”

And so, without any guidance whatsoever, Jiang Xu appeared empty-handed at Wen Siyu’s doorstep on Friday evening.

The little girl, having received his message, ran out to greet him. She peeked around behind him, then stood on her tiptoes to whisper near his ear: “Teacher Jiang, have you considered my suggestion?”

Previously, Wen Siyu had told him that since her father hadn’t explicitly asked him to cook, he could always hire someone else to prepare the meal instead.

Although, deep down, Wen Siyu knew perfectly well that her father’s intention was for Jiang Xu to cook personally.

Jiang Xu chuckled and pinched her nose: “No, I’m afraid your father will take a liking to the chef and reject me completely.”

“So should we go buy groceries now?” Wen Siyu walked beside him. “Did you drive here? I can show you the way.”

Jiang Xu nodded, and the two walked side by side toward the entrance of the residential complex. Just as they were about to leave, Wen Siyu suddenly stopped in her tracks. Jiang Xu also halted, looking at her quizzically.

The little girl opened her small bag, rummaged around, and pulled out two disposable masks. She unwrapped one and put it on herself, then handed the other to him.

Jiang Xu was momentarily stunned, then couldn’t help but laugh softly.

“Mrs. Jiang is very concerned about her idol image, huh?” He raised an eyebrow teasingly.

With the lower half of her face covered, only her big round eyes visible, Wen Siyu rolled her eyes: “Who do you think made me like this?!”

Jiang Xu accepted the mask she handed over, unwrapped it, and put it on. Now both of them were fully masked, resembling people preparing for virus prevention. Wen Siyu looked at him and laughed: “Hey, Teacher Jiang, it’s fine in winter, but wouldn’t people think we’re crazy if we went out like this in summer?”

Jiang Xu reached out, took her hand, and led her forward: “Then we won’t go out in summer. We’ll stay at home and play video games.”

“You mean co-op gaming?” Wen Siyu sounded doubtful, her tone filled with distrust. “Will I lose fans?”

Jiang Xu: “?”

“You don’t trust me?”

“I absolutely don’t trust you,” she replied bluntly.

Jiang Xu: “….”

This was Wen Siyu’s second time going to the supermarket with Jiang Xu. She still remembered the first time—they had followed Zhou Yi around like two clueless children, unable to recognize anything beyond basic vegetables. This time, without Zhou Yi present, Jiang Xu purposefully searched for items, appearing thoroughly prepared.

The two of them walked to the refrigerated section, where various dairy products caught Wen Siyu’s eye. Her face lit up as she dashed over, grabbed two packs of cheese sticks, and ran back, holding them up in front of her. With a bright smile and wide eyes, she tilted her head up to look at the man: “Teacher Jiang, this cheese is ridiculously delicious.”

Time seemed to rewind to that summer half a year ago. The girl, dressed in fresh, clean summer clothes, had nervously helped him lower the brim of his hat, afraid that someone might recognize him. Her fair, innocent face had glowed with excitement as she told him: “Teacher Jiang, this cheese is super yummy.”

Back then, he had been racking his brain for ways to get closer to her. Now, she was already his.

Underneath his mask, Jiang Xu’s lips curved upward little by little. His deep brown eyes softened under the harsh white lights of the supermarket.

He nodded, reached out to take the two packs of cheese from her hands, and tossed them into the shopping cart: “Alright, let’s buy more. Why didn’t you grab the strawberry-flavored ones?”

Wen Siyu grinned: “Because I’m planning to buy strawberry-flavored milk—it’s also super tasty!”

Jiang Xu let her pull him along row by row. When they left the supermarket, the man carried three large shopping bags, while Wen Siyu held a small cake in her arms.

She shifted the cake to her other hand, freeing one hand to quietly reach out and tug on one side of one of Jiang Xu’s shopping bags.

Jiang Xu turned his head to look at her.

Wen Siyu blinked, her eyelashes fluttering innocently: “We can each hold one side of this bag.”

“…”

Jiang Xu turned his head away, allowing her to take one side of the bag without saying a word.

Even after all this time, her words and small gestures still managed to catch him off guard.

The two strolled home together. Wen Jingyao was on the phone by the window when they arrived, and Jiang Xu finally got to see the true face of this elder figure. He was slightly surprised.

There were no visible traces of age on the man’s face—he still looked quite young. Especially his eyes: large, almond-shaped, slightly rounded, with drooping corners that gave him an entirely non-threatening appearance.

However, when he raised his gaze to look over, that gentle, unassuming demeanor vanished without a trace.

His sharp, angular eyes exuded piercing intensity and an overwhelming aura of dominance.

Jiang Xu was momentarily stunned before bowing politely. Wen Jingyao’s gaze lingered on his face for a moment, then nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Wen Siyu tugged Jiang Xu into the kitchen. As he followed her lead, watching her face, he suddenly smiled.

“So you’re this happy to finally meet your parents?” Wen Siyu asked, puzzled.

Jiang Xu shook his head: “I was just thinking earlier, when I saw Director Xu—I wondered who your adorable face resembled. Now I finally know.”

“You better not let Mr. Wen Jingyao hear you describe me as ‘adorable.’ If he does, he’ll kick you out in seconds,” Wen Siyu muttered. She leaned on the counter, watching the man unpack item after item from the bags.

“Teacher Jiang, are you really going to cook yourself?” She asked, a piece of cheese dangling from her mouth.

At that exact moment, Wen Siyuan happened to come downstairs. Hearing her question, he raised an eyebrow and chuckled: “I’ve already ordered pizza. Siyu, do you want some?”

Wen Siyu frowned: “Brother, you’re being so unfair! I believe in Teacher Jiang’s cooking skills, okay?” After a pause, she added: “I’ll have a Hawaiian pizza, nine inches.”

Jiang Xu: “….”

The siblings huddled together to discuss what to order for takeout, while Jiang Xu ignored them and continued working on his own tasks. Since his knife skills were beyond saving, the dishes he had prepared didn’t require much precision.

After a while, Wen Jingyao finished his call and walked over. Seeing Jiang Xu busy in the kitchen, he feigned surprise: “Why is Mr. Jiang cooking? When hosting guests, there’s no reason to let them do the work themselves.”

Wen Siyu couldn’t help but roll her eyes behind his back.

Jiang Xu smiled: “My cooking skills are quite average—just a few simple home-cooked dishes.”

“Home-cooked dishes are great! I love home-cooked meals,” Wen Siyu quickly chimed in.

Wen Jingyao shot her a sidelong glance. The little girl immediately fell silent, pouting as Wen Siyuan pulled her into the living room.

Finally, the scene was cleared. Wen Jingyao stood at the entrance of the kitchen, speaking slowly and deliberately: “Mr. Jiang, how old are you this year…?”

“27,” Jiang Xu replied, slicing beef.

“And your family…?”

Jiang Xu raised his head: “My parents live abroad.”

Wen Jingyao nodded: “About the incident between you and Siyu that caused a stir online…”

“That was my oversight, and I deeply regret it. I truly apologize for letting Siyu suffer because of it. I assure you, nothing like that will happen again.”

Wen Jingyao’s eyebrows rose slightly: “Why do you keep cutting me off?”

Jiang Xu: “….”

Isn’t it because you always stop halfway through your sentences?!

Jiang Xu finally realized that Wen Siyu’s earlier comment—”My dad and brother have similar personalities”—wasn’t just said casually.