Gu Xiao patted the edge of his bed. "You can sit here or look around while I prepare dinner."
"It's okay, I can help you."
"No. I can't let a guest do that. You can rest a bit," he smiled, and pulled Lan Yuning to his bed.
Without sparing a single second, he dashed out of his room and left Lan Yuning alone. He immediately ran to Gu Heiyu's room and slammed the door shut.
Gu Heiyu, who was lying on her bed, put her phone down and clicked her tongue. "What do you want from me after throwing me down the bus like that? You should've told me you were bringing someone home. Now he probably thinks I look like I don't shower—"
"You look like that every day. Wait, no. How do I make fried rice?" he whispered.
"You don't even know how to make fried rice?"
"This is different. Can't you just explain it to me?"
"Heat one tablespoon of butter in the pan. Make sure you don't throw the entire block in there, alright? Just one tablespoon. Whisk three eggs and then scramble them until they are fully cooked. Make sure they aren't black like last time. They need to be yellow."
He repeated, "One tablespoon of butter. Do not burn the eggs."
"Remove the eggs and then add carrots and onions to the pan for around four minutes. Then add in garlic and stir for another minute. Then add in the rice and peas and stir for four minutes. When the rice is brown, add the eggs and stir them with soy, oyster, and sesame oil. Then cook it for another minute and put the green onions on."
Gu Xiao blinked twice and looked at his sister like he was listening to a foreign language. "What did you just say? So, I just throw everything in the pan?"
"Ok. You got it! Now get out! Also, was that your student president that you always talked about?"
He nodded, and she smirked, almost holding a sort of secrecy behind that mischievous grin. "Make sure to ask him for help."
"Why?"
"Just do it."
Gu Xiao walked back to the kitchen with a pale face, and there stood Lan Yuning. When he saw him, his heart skipped impulsively.
"Is everything alright?" Gu Xiao asked.
"I want to help you, but you disappeared."
An awkward laughter left his lips. "A problem just came up, but it's all fine now. I'll separate the frozen dumplings first from the freezer. The pots are in that drawer. I'll also fry some rice since we have some vegetables from this morning. Is there anything you can't eat?"
"No. I can eat anything," Lan Yuning said and opened the drawer, taking out the large pot.
Their kitchen was small, so it was easier to find what they needed. Maybe that was why it always appeared so messy. Well, it only looked messy when Gu Xiao used the kitchen.
While Gu Xiao diced the green onions, Lan Yuning boiled the water over medium-low heat. He was glad his back was faced towards him since he was currently drowning in a state of panic.
Gu Xiao had no idea what he was doing.
He didn't know if he was chopping the green onions correctly. He kept telling himself it was just cooking. It was just fried rice.
In truth, he hadn't cooked in a long time since all he had eaten for the past months was instant foods, and Gu Heiyu rarely allowed him to cook because of the mess he always made.
He stole a secret glance at Lan Yuning, who was putting the dumplings in the pot. The moment Lan Yuning's gaze made just a tiny shift to his side, he instantly whipped his head around to his chopping board and started panicking in his thoughts. Suddenly, Gu Xiao remembered something and grabbed an apron.
"Lan Yuning, here."
Lan Yuning turned around, the fingertips of both his hands smeared with oil from trying to make the dipping sauce. Gu Xiao slipped the neck strap over Lan Yuning's head, though it wasn't a struggle since the other was shorter than him.
Holding onto the two ribbons, Gu Xiao leaned in, wrapping his arms around his waist and Lan Yuning immediately froze. The petrichor lingered in the air, and the drops of rain on the roof pattered down the windows.
The subtle wind travelled in and brushed Lan Yuning's short black hair, softly swaying with the gentle breeze as his head buried in the taller one's shoulder.
Both of them attempted to steady their heartbeats along with the gradual rush of heat coursing throughout their bodies.
The ribbon kept slipping from Gu Xiao's sweating fingertips. He never knew tying a bow, or just a knot would be so difficult. Finally, after a minute, he tied a double knot and stepped back.
"Thank you." Lan Yuning tried his best to not let his facial expressions go out of control and didn't dare look up at Gu Xiao.
"It's alright." Just those two words suffocated Gu Xiao as his heart continued to beat uncontrollable against his ribcage.
With a dizzy mind, he scurried away back to his station and kept clenching and relaxing his fists that it started sweating. He needed to control himself. He needed to swallow down his thirst.
Gu Xiao stole a glance at the boy, who was mixing the condiments together. Just seeing him in an apron with his sleeves rolled up, revealing his slender wrists and pale forearm, and even the mole on his right wrist swallowed him in this unexplainable agitation.
Gu Xiao had never been so bewitched by any person as he was by him. One false step, and he may make a mistake that will lose him. So, he needed to be cautious of his words and actions.
It was only then, did this question arise in his mind: Did he like Lan Yuning?
"Gu Xiao."
"Yes!" he beamed and faced him, still trying to recover from his thoughts. With the sudden gleam of energy, Lan Yuning scratched the nape of his neck that was flushing tints of pink.
"Can I put the dumplings in the pot now?"
"Yes." His voice sounded robotic, and even the stance he took appeared mechanical.
To think there would be a time where he would completely lose his composure because of this strange thought provoking him was something he would've never imagined. What exactly were his feelings towards Lan Yuning? It was this desire to keep him in his arms and not let him go that dragged his heart into peculiar places.
With an absent mind, Gu Xiao put a tablespoon of butter and spread it across the pan. While putting all the vegetables and rice in the pan, he kept thinking about Lan Yuning.
Just the thought of him made him breathless and rub his head in aggravation again. There was nothing he could do to cool him down, and it made it worse that the heat arising from the pan exemplified the humidity surging in his blood.
What he needed to focus on wasn't his convoluted emotions, but to ensure his fried rice wasn't going to burn. What Gu Xiao didn't know, was that Lan Yuning was also feeling the same confliction.
When Gu Xiao looked at his fried rice, he was actually surprised that he remembered what his sister said.
His dish ended up appearing better than he thought, that he started praising himself in his head. Nothing was black. There was no smoke. He wasn't harmed. The neighbours were not harmed. No one was harmed.
While Lan Yuning went to the living room to set the plates and utensils down, Gu Heiyu instantly dashed out and took a quick taste of everything her brother made.
"How is it? Is it bad?" he whispered.
"It actually tastes edible."
"Edible?" he repeated, feeling quite offended. "You make my cooking skills sound worse than they actually are. Anyway, can you take these to the table? I need to go take the clothes from outside because I think it's raining."