It was eight in the evening and Bai Yulin went into the study after knocking once. She saw a super busy Ji Haishan behind his desk, typing something onto his laptop while referring to a file in his hand.
He had been working from the afternoon until evening. And like his usual habit, he had a glasses on. Again, Bai Yulin didn't think her original body's eyes were short-sighted but nevermind.
He looked very focused on what he was doing and Bai Yulin almost felt bad to interrupt him. But she had just finished setting up the table. They needed to eat dinner soon or else the food would get cold.
Bai Yulin walked closer towards Ji Haishan as he flipped one page over the file. He saw her and said "Hey."
"Dinner's ready. Let's eat? You can continue later." Bai Yulin's voice was soft and almost coaxing. It sounded as if she was being careful with him and his mood.
Ji Haishan instinctively raised his brow. He got a warm feeling settling over his chest and he liked how it spread around and tickle his heart. He felt cared for and he felt like he mattered.
It was a nice feeling.
"Yeah." came his short answer before he got up and put down his glasses.
Ji Haishan followed Bai Yulin out of the study and they began eating. He was pleasantly surprised when he saw she had prepared noddles for them tonight.
"It's handmade." Bai Yulin chuckled after seeing his impressed look.
"I learned how to knead noodles from my mom." she added, pouring two glasses of watermelon juice for them.
"It looks tasty." Ji Haishan couldn't begin on how to have a taste. Should he eat the noddles first? Or should he sip on the broth?
He was ecstatic and Bai Yulin didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The last time she checked, he was the better cook than her.
Ji Haishan didn't wonder for too long as he took his chopsticks and slurped on the noddles. His eyes circled dramatically after having a taste.
Bai Yulin gulped down her nervousness as she stared at him. She didn't know why she was getting nervous as if she was being evaluated by Gordon Ramsay at Hell's Kitchen.
"It's.. delicious." Ji Haishan muttered. His voice was low and it was almost unnoticeable if Bai Yulin didn't pay attention on him.
"The thickness of the noddles.. it's passable." Bai Yulin cracked a smile at his sudden comment. She should take note of that.
Then Ji Haishan took another slurp before he said "But your broth is delicious. I like- no, I love it."
Bai Yulin saw how Ji Haishan was beaming. He really wasn't lying. She knew he was a picky eater because he only ate what he cooked. And sometimes only a handful of outside food got an A from his evaluation.
Looking at his face, she could see the truthfulness in his eyes. He really liked her cooking and she felt butterflies making a rampage inside her stomach.
Bai Yulin was very happy.
At first, she was apprehensive because the first time he had eaten her food, he cried. So Bai Yulin was definitely successful this time around!
"Sorry if the noddles are a bit out of size. It's been so long since I last practiced." Bai Yulin smiled genuinely.
So this was how Ji Haishan felt everytime she ate his cooking.. she thought.
It was a blissful feeling from looking at your loved ones eating your food.
Bai Yulin ears gradually became red as she thought of Ji Haishan as her loved one.
'I have to confess first before that can happen..' she mused.
Ji Haishan happily ate on her noddles as he shook his head, saying "But it's passable, I told you. It isn't necessarily bad."
Bai Yulin chuckled, not believing in his words. She also began to eat and soon, they were drowned in multiple conversations. Chattering and talking about things they found interesting.
Ji Haishan forgot how tired he was earlier when he had to work non-stop with several important documents.
When they were almost done eating, the topic went back to the food. They talked about different kinds of noddles. Ji Haishan also complimented Bai Yulin's appropriate use of veggies with the braised pork chops. It was well-balanced and suited the taste greatly.
Soon, the conversation went towards his father where Ji Haishan talked about his recipes from when he was young. Bai Yulin paid every attention towards the details not because she was interested in the recipes but because she just wanted to know more about Ji Haishan's father.
She knew Ji Haishan's relationship with his father was great. She could practically hear it from his tender tone and his longing eyes.
Though it was a delicate topic, she found that he didn't mind sharing more of it to her day by day. And it made her happy that he trusted her.
Suddenly, in his fit of excitement, Ji Haishan blurted out how Bai Yulin's cooking was almost identical to his father's.
Bai Yulin was surprised. She asked "Really?"
Ji Haishan having realized his slip of tongue then stuttered "Y- yeah..! It kind of reminds me of him."
Bai Yulin saw how flustered he looked and she put down her chopsticks. Taking her breath, she then decided to go even further.
"Ji Haishan, if you don't mind.. can you tell me more about him?" her dark eyes bore onto her own green ones. And for a moment she saw a flicker of surprise within those two emerald orbs.
Ji Haishan knew exactly what she was asking about. He knew he had secrets. And if Bai Yulin needed to pretend to be him and play his role well, she would need to understand his family situation.
He was aware of it but..
"I'm sorry." he said suddenly. Bai Yulin's whole stature dropped and she was barely holding on onto a smile.
She pursed her lips and answered in a calm voice "It's fine. I guess I'm just nosy and-"
"It's not like that." he cut her off immediately. He didn't want her to misunderstand.
"I don't know where to start." he replied honestly. It was true when someone said this was a sensitive topic for Ji Haishan.
He really wasn't comfortable in telling anyone at all. But he guessed Bai Yulin should be the first person he told his story to. He wanted her to be the first.
Bai Yulin could hear him suck in a deep breath before he begin "As you know, my name previously was Lu Haishan. And my dad's name is Lu Muxing."
Bai Yulin saw him shift for a comfortable position as he added "I was just a normal boy from a normal family, just like you. Typical middle class family."
Bai Yulin had expected that, knowing Ji Haishan was originally a Lu and not Ji.