#Warm and Cute #Close Proximity #Happy Ending #Modern #Romance
"What is your dream?"
When Bu Meng was ten years old, her teacher asked her this question. She blinked her big, watery eyes, thought for a moment, and said, "A manga artist. I want to be a manga artist like Hayao Miyazaki."
It was 2002 at the time, and Miyazaki's *Spirited Away* had just been released. Bu Meng was deeply in love with the characters Chihiro and Haku, as well as No-Face and the bathhouse.
So, she also wanted to use her pen to create a world like that.
Fifteen years later, at the age of 25, Bu Meng, perhaps because of her unwavering childhood dream, actually became a manga artist and published several best-selling books.
Although she wasn't as famous as Hayao Miyazaki, she was still somewhat well-known in the domestic manga circle.
But her mother... no, it should be her stepmother, didn't like her career choice. As her stepmother put it:
"This kind of job is unstable, relying on inspiration and personal preferences. What if one day you suddenly can't draw anymore? What will you do then?"
"A girl should be like our Bu Tian, studying hard, getting a job in a big company in the future, with a pension and retirement benefits. That's stability."
Bu Tian was her eight-years-younger half-sister, her stepmother's biological daughter.
Bu Meng wasn't convinced and argued back a few times, but she didn't expect her stepmother to bring up her own mother. Her father even sided with her stepmother.
Feeling wronged, Bu Meng ran back to her apartment.
But when she got to the door, she realized that she had left her apartment keys at that house.
This was the final straw. Exhausted, hungry, and feeling utterly wronged, she sat down at the door and started to cry.
Yan Shu happened to come home at that moment and witnessed this scene.
In the dimly lit hallway, a woman with long hair in a white dress was squatting on the ground, crying. To be honest, Yan Shu was a bit creeped out.
He silently chanted a few lines of "Amitabha" in his mind before daring to approach her. He carefully reached out to pat Bu Meng's shoulder.
"Miss, are you okay?"
Bu Meng lifted her tear-streaked face, startling Yan Shu so much that his scalp tingled. He took several steps back before regaining his composure.
After taking a closer look and confirming that she was indeed a person and not something spooky, he cautiously stepped forward again.
"What's wrong? Do you need help?"
Bu Meng, still sobbing, hiccuped and said in a pitiful, tearful voice, "I'm hungry."
"..." Yan Shu was a bit embarrassed. It was the first time he had seen someone crying so hard simply because they were hungry.
He glanced at his own tightly closed apartment door and roughly understood what was going on.
He opened the door to his apartment and extended his hand to Bu Meng. "If you don't mind, you can come to my place. I'll get you something to eat, so stop crying."
Bu Meng, after crying for so long, had her eyes swollen from the tears. She blinked a few times before she could clearly see what the person in front of her looked like.
Tall and handsome, with a light blue shirt that seemed to suit his style. Then she looked at the hand he offered—long, slender, and fair, with distinct knuckles. Hand-obsessed Bu Meng was instantly captivated.
She was so entranced by his good looks that she absentmindedly took his hand and followed him home, just as absentmindedly.
When Bu Meng sat down on Yan Shu's sofa, although she wasn't crying anymore, she was still hiccuping from all the crying.
Yan Shu, inexplicably touched by her vulnerability, felt as though he had brought home a stray kitten.
He took some ribs out of the fridge, prepared rice wine, sugar, salt, and other seasonings, and then got to work.
He blanched the ribs to remove the scum, mixed rice wine, soy sauce, sugar, and vinegar in a 1:2:3:4 ratio to make the sweet and sour sauce, sliced ginger, peeled garlic, and set them aside. After washing the ribs, he put them in the pot, added the ginger, garlic, water, and the sweet and sour sauce... and thirty minutes later, the sweet and sour spare ribs were ready.
The perfectly balanced sweet and sour sauce coated the succulent ribs. Yan Shu brought the ribs to Bu Meng, and her eyes lit up.
"Eat," Yan Shu said.
Bu Meng nodded, picked up a piece, and placed it in her mouth. Her eyes sparkled with delight.
The taste was perfectly balanced—not too sweet, not too sour, not greasy at all. The texture was rich and delicate, and the meat was cooked to the perfect tenderness. None of the flavors were overpowering.
Bu Meng was so taken by the dish that she forgot all about her manners, devouring everything and even mixing the remaining sauce with rice to eat three more bowls.
After she had eaten her fill, her feelings of being wronged dissipated.
Yan Shu called the property management to unlock her door. Before returning to her apartment, Bu Meng said to Yan Shu, "Handsome, your cooking skills are top-notch. If you made a living off of this, you'd definitely make a fortune."
As a Michelin three-star chef, Yan Shu smiled subtly, hiding his accomplishments and fame.
"I'll consider it in the future."
Bu Meng usually stayed home working on her drawings, relying mostly on takeout and instant noodles to get by. Occasionally, she would cook, but the results were far from impressive.
It's easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard to go back to being frugal. After tasting the gourmet food made by the handsome guy next door, eating her own cooking felt like one of the ten tortures of the Qing Dynasty.
After much thought, Bu Meng went to the supermarket, bought a bunch of ingredients, and then knocked on Yan Shu's door.
When Yan Shu opened the door and saw the beautiful girl standing outside, he was a bit bewildered.
Who is she? What is she doing here? Does she have some ulterior motive?
"Um, Yan Shu, last time you treated me to sweet and sour spare ribs, so this time, as a courtesy, I'd like to treat you to hot pot."
Yan Shu then remembered that this was the same girl who had cried from hunger the other day. He was about to decline her invitation, but then she put on a pitiful expression and said, "Eating hot pot alone is so sad."
Feeling a pang of sympathy, Yan Shu agreed.
But when he got to her place, he realized he had been tricked.
Hot pot, she said—where's the hot pot? The ingredients still in their bags didn't quite match the promise of hot pot.
Bu Meng gave a triumphant smile, then feigned embarrassment, "Sorry, I've been so busy that I didn't have time to prepare. You can sit down; I'll just wash and chop the vegetables... It should only take two or three hours."
Yan Shu could easily see through her little ploy. With a sigh, he resigned himself to his fate and rolled up his sleeves, "I'll do it."
This was exactly the outcome Bu Meng wanted, so she didn't refuse. Watching Yan Shu head to the kitchen, she happily followed, "Need any help?"
Yan Shu glanced at her and said, "Yes."
Bu Meng eagerly asked, "What should I do?"
"Keep your mouth shut and don't drool all over the place, it'll mess up my work."
Uh, rejected.
With the chef's orders given, how could Bu Meng not obey? While Yan Shu was busy in the kitchen, she opened a bag of chips and got back to her drawing. Before long, Yan Shu called her to the dining table.
Bu Meng put down her work and ran over, unable to help exclaiming, "What a feast!" The steaming hot red and white broths, the array of ingredients beautifully arranged on white porcelain plates, all looked and smelled absolutely mouthwatering.
Her glowing expression gave Yan Shu a sense of accomplishment. He pulled out a chair for her, made a gesture of invitation, and then said, "Come on, don't hold back your desires. Go ahead and unleash your true nature."
Bu Meng's reaction, as she described it, was like a wild horse breaking free from its reins.
But Yan Shu didn't agree with that. He had his own unique perspective: "This isn't a wild horse breaking free. You're more like a pig that's been let out of its pen to forage."
Alright, well, since she was at his mercy, if he said she was a pig, then a pig she was.
Bu Meng loved spicy food, but Yan Shu had a much milder palate. As Bu Meng began to sweat from the spiciness, she noticed that Yan Shu was only eating from the white broth. She asked, "Don't tell me you can't eat spicy food?"
Yan Shu nodded, "Is it that strange that I don't eat spicy food?"
Bu Meng tried a piece of meat from the white broth, then stuck out her tongue in disdain, "This bland broth and flavorless meat—I'm not saying anything, but your taste is really mild, like a little girl's."
Yan Shu chuckled and retorted mercilessly, "If eating from the white broth makes my taste like a little girl's, then what about you eating from the red broth? Does that make you a burly guy with an eight-pack?"
From that moment on, Yan Shu started calling Bu Meng "Bu Dahan" (Bu the Strong Man).
Bu Meng had an unusual name. When she ate sweet and sour spare ribs at Yan Shu's place, she hadn't mentioned her name. After finishing the hot pot, Yan Shu asked, "Dining buddy, I still don't know your name."
She proudly announced her full name, "My name is Bu Meng."
"Not cute?" Yan Shu frowned. He bent down to look at her face, studied it carefully, then curled his lips into a smile, "Pretty cute, actually."
Bu Meng was 25 years old, which wasn't that old, but her stepmother was eager to marry her off, and her father listened to whatever her stepmother said. So, her family started arranging blind dates for her.
Bu Meng couldn't refuse, so she had no choice but to go along.
She had seen all kinds of strange characters in her life; if one came, she would take care of one, if two came, she'd take care of both. She treated it as adding a little fun to her life.
The first blind date was with a doctor, and they arranged to meet at a café.
Her stepmother was worried that she might cause trouble, so she followed along, from watching her get dressed at home to seeing her sit down in front of the blind date. Only then did her stepmother leave.
The guy was polite, well-mannered, and gentle, but unfortunately, not Bu Meng's type.
Bu Meng was uninterested, responding with one word for every sentence he said, making the situation somewhat awkward.
Later, the doctor suggested they go out for a meal. Bu Meng thought for a moment and came up with a plan. She said, "I don't really want to eat a full meal. How about we have some noodles instead? Zhajiangmian."
This was the only sentence Bu Meng actively said during the entire date.
The doctor naturally didn't refuse, which was exactly what Bu Meng wanted.
At the restaurant, as soon as they sat down, Bu Meng waved over the waiter to order.
"Waiter, I'll have five pounds of zhajiangmian."
Her voice was loud, and as soon as she spoke, not only the doctor and the waiter but even the other customers in the restaurant turned to look at her.
Five pounds of noodles— even a pig doesn't have that kind of appetite.
The waiter had never encountered a customer ordering noodles by the pound and was stunned for a moment before reacting.
The five pounds of noodles were brought out in bowls, one in front of the doctor, three in front of Bu Meng, with the rest still being prepared.
The doctor had only taken a few bites before Bu Meng started attacking her second bowl.
Maybe Bu Meng's eating was too ferocious because the doctor soon found an excuse to leave without finishing his noodles.
Bu Meng, satisfied after finishing her three bowls of zhajiangmian, let out a contented burp. Watching the doctor flee, she smirked to herself, "What a coward, and he still dared to come on a blind date with me."
The waiter, noticing that they were on a blind date and that the man had left, kindly asked, "Do you still want the rest of the noodles?"
Bu Meng thought for a moment, "Pack them to go."
As night fell, Bu Meng hopped back to her apartment with two pounds of packed zhajiangmian. Just as she was about to take out her keys to open the door, she changed her mind and went to knock on Yan Shu's door instead.
After a while, Yan Shu opened the door. Bu Meng dangled the packed noodles in front of him, "Want some zhajiangmian? It's super tasty."
Yan Shu half-closed his eyes and poked her forehead with his finger, "You little glutton, are you trying to trick me into cooking for you again by bringing me the ingredients?"
He still remembered the spicy hotpot incident vividly.
Bu Meng felt a bit embarrassed, "Last time was an accident, but this time I'm sincere. I specifically brought this back for you."
Yan Shu stared at her for a long time before reaching out to take the noodles from her hand, "Come in and eat together."
Bu Meng followed him inside. Yan Shu divided the noodles into two portions, offering one to her, but she refused.
No way. She had already eaten three bowls at the restaurant, and even her burps still tasted like zhajiangmian. If she ate any more, her stomach might give out.
Yan Shu found this odd. Since when did someone with such a big appetite refuse food? Something was definitely up.
Just as he was about to question her, Bu Meng's stepmother called, scolding her loudly.
"You're really trying to drive me mad! During the blind date, he took you out to eat, and you said you wanted noodles. Fine, noodles it is, but why did you order five pounds? Who would marry a woman who can eat three big bowls of noodles?"
Her stepmother's thunderous roar came through the phone loud and clear, and Yan Shu had to stifle his laughter. So that's what happened—no wonder she didn't want to eat anymore.
Bu Meng hung up the phone, turned around, and saw Yan Shu trying hard not to laugh, his face turning red.
She scowled, "It's not very nice of you to laugh at me like that."
"Alright, alright, I won't laugh," Yan Shu said, standing up. "Three big bowls, huh? That appetite really lives up to the name Bu Dahan, but you might get indigestion. I'll make some soup for you."
Yan Shu took out some seasonal vegetables from the fridge, diced them, sautéed them with olive oil, then added tomatoes and seasonings, covered the pot, and let it simmer for about two minutes before adding some water to make a soup.
Bu Meng, drawn by the delicious aroma, ran over to watch, her eyes gleaming as she stared at the pot, "What are you making?"
"Vegetable tomato soup, good for digestion."
Bu Meng was instantly smitten, holding her face in admiration, "Chef, you're so considerate and virtuous. In my heart, you're as great as my mom."
Yan Shu was speechless.
The blind date that day was a failure. Her stepmother scolded her and then arranged another blind date for her.
This time, her stepmother monitored the entire process.
The next blind date was with a returnee master's degree holder, who wore gold-rimmed glasses and a suit, looking like quite a gentleman.
Since he was a returnee, the location was set at an upscale Western restaurant, according to his preference.
However, as soon as they arrived at the restaurant, this so-called gentleman revealed his true colors, boasting nonstop about his glorious past abroad.
Bu Meng felt awkward listening to him, but her stepmother thought he was a promising young man and whispered to her to be more proactive.
Proactive? How? By bragging about how popular her comics were and how famous she was in the domestic comic industry?!
After finishing his tales, the returnee began to brag about his taste.
"This restaurant is one of my favorites. The owner is a chef from a Michelin three-star restaurant abroad. He returned to China a couple of years ago to open his own place, and the menu reflects his unique style."
Bu Meng, resting her chin on one hand, nodded and said, "But I have a Chinese palate, and I can't get used to half-cooked steaks with blood. I prefer youtiao and soy milk over bread and milk."
This made the situation awkward.
Bored, Bu Meng took a photo of the restaurant and posted it on her social media with the caption: "My blind date is a returnee. Should I order a medium-rare steak and ask for chopsticks right in front of him?"
Unexpectedly, Yan Shu sent her a private message shortly after.
"Do it. I'll personally serve it to you."
"…"
About ten minutes later, Bu Meng saw Yan Shu, dressed in a chef's uniform, bringing a steak to her.
Yan Shu placed it in front of her, "Miss, here is your medium-rare steak and chopsticks."
Bu Meng was stunned for a moment before she responded, "Th-thank you."
But why was Yan Shu here? Was this where he worked?
After serving the dish, Yan Shu glanced at the returnee before walking away.
The returnee suddenly asked her, "Was that Yan Shu just now?"
"Yes."
"You know him?"
"Yes."
"Did you know he's the owner of this restaurant?"
"…" That, she really didn't know.
This blind date, because her stepmother was with her, didn't allow her to cause any trouble, but she really didn't have any good feelings toward the returnee.
After leaving the restaurant, her stepmother went home by herself. Bu Meng didn't want to go back, so she quietly slipped back into the restaurant to find Yan Shu.
Seeing her looking a bit down, Yan Shu took her to the kitchen and made her a diamond-shaped wine jelly.
The sparkling wine jelly, a beautiful dessert, was sweet and delicious with a hint of alcohol, instantly lifting Bu Meng's spirits.
As deep autumn arrived and the weather cooled, the autumn heat hit hard. Bu Meng, not being careful, caught a cold.
She bundled herself up tightly, but while working on her illustrations, she couldn't stop sneezing.
That evening, when she went out to take out the trash, she happened to run into Yan Shu, who was just coming home from work.
With only her eyes showing through all the layers, Yan Shu had to take a good look before recognizing her.
He asked, "Caught a cold?"
Bu Meng's loud sneeze was all the answer he got.
"Did you take any medicine?"
"I did, but it doesn't seem to be helping," Bu Meng's voice was nasal, sounding particularly pitiful. "I think my taste buds are broken; nothing tastes good."
Yan Shu couldn't help but smile. Only a true foodie would still be thinking about food while sick.
And so, Yan Shu took her back to his place. As she curled up on the sofa, Yan Shu asked her what she wanted to eat.
She thought for a moment and said, "Luo Si Fen (snail rice noodle). Whenever I get a cold, a bowl of Luo Si Fen always makes me sweat it out and feel better."
Sick people are like royalty, so Yan Shu had no choice but to go downstairs to the supermarket to buy the ingredients and then make it for her.
He prepared the soup by simmering pork bones, soup stock, ginger, dried dates, goji berries, and shiitake mushrooms in water.
The fried tofu skin was cut into pieces, and the dried sour bamboo shoots were stir-fried in chili oil before being added to the broth with the tofu skin and brought to a boil.
The rice noodles were cooked separately in clear water and then served in a bowl, topped with the bone broth.
Bu Meng, wrapped up like a little caterpillar, squeezed beside Yan Shu and added cilantro and green onions to her bowl.
The sour and spicy Luo Si Fen made Bu Meng eat with tears and a runny nose, while Yan Shu sat across from her reading a book, occasionally looking up at her, always with a satisfied smile.
He suddenly thought of a saying: When looking for a partner, it's best to find someone who complements you.
For example, if you like eating sunflower seeds, you should find someone who likes eating the shells. If you like eating crayfish, you should find someone who enjoys peeling the shells. If you like hitting people, you should find someone who enjoys getting hit.
In that sense, a chef and a foodie are a pretty good match.
He liked cooking, and she liked eating… Yan Shu glanced sideways at Bu Meng. Big eyes, long eyelashes, skin especially fair from staying indoors so much, a petite frame—her name suited her well, as she was indeed soft and cute like her name suggested.
Yan Shu's gaze was so obvious that Bu Meng stopped eating and looked up, asking, "What are you looking at?"
Yan Shu didn't look away, staring intently at her. "I suddenly realized, you're quite appetizing."
Bu Meng's face flushed red, and in her panic, she choked on the Luo Si Fen broth.
Yan Shu hurried over to pat her back, his tone a bit helpless, "What are you so scared of? It's not like I'm really going to eat you."
Hearing this, Bu Meng started coughing even harder.
It took a while for Bu Meng to finally stop coughing. Yan Shu poured her a glass of water and had her rest on the sofa while he cleaned up the dishes and washed them.
When he returned to the living room after washing up, he found that Bu Meng had fallen asleep.
Bu Meng had thoughtfully taken a blanket from Yan Shu's room, wrapped herself up tightly, and curled up in a corner of the sofa like a little ball.
Yan Shu walked over and squatted down in front of her, noticing a few stray hairs scattered across her cheek.
He gently brushed them aside.
"You really are like a little kitten—greedy for food and sleep."
He looked at his front door, then at his bedroom, and couldn't help but wonder what her reaction would be if she woke up in his bed the next morning. The thought brought a small, mischievous smile to his face.
With that in mind, Yan Shu scooped up the curled-up Bu Meng, blanket and all, and carried her into his room.
Bu Meng woke up in the morning because of hunger.
First, she sniffed the air, then slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was a white ceiling.
White?
The ceiling in her room was sky blue!
Bu Meng was startled. She quickly sat up in bed and looked around, realizing this wasn't her room.
Her heart skipped a beat, but after calming down, she lifted the blanket and saw that she was still fully clothed, letting out a sigh of relief.
In her simple mind, as long as her clothes were still on, she was safe.
She thought back on her activities from the previous night, making sure she hadn't done anything reckless after dinner, then got out of bed.
Not finding her shoes, she walked barefoot out of Yan Shu's room.
The air was filled with the aroma of yam. Bu Meng walked to the kitchen door, and sure enough, Yan Shu was busy in the kitchen.
A thick pumpkin and yam porridge was bubbling in the pot, emitting a rich fragrance.
Bu Meng's stomach embarrassingly growled.
Hearing the noise, Yan Shu turned around. Seeing Bu Meng standing there with messy hair, he smiled and said, "You're awake. Go freshen up; the porridge will be ready soon."
Bu Meng was instantly captivated by that smile.
After freshening up at her own place, Bu Meng returned to Yan Shu's dining table, her face flushed. The fragrant and thick pumpkin and yam porridge was served in a white porcelain bowl, with steam rising from it.
Bu Meng stirred the porridge with a spoon, then looked up at Yan Shu across from her.
"Yan Shu, last night..." She hesitated, her tone shy. "Where did you sleep last night?"
Yan Shu looked at her. "Where do you want me to have slept?"
Bu Meng choked on her own saliva.
Seeing her face turn beet red, Yan Shu's eyes filled with amusement, and his heart seemed to swell with something warm and full.
After finishing her meal, Bu Meng hurried back to her own home. She intended to work on her illustrations, but her face only grew hotter, her mind increasingly restless and unsettled.
She covered her face and flopped onto her bed, rolling around in a flurry of confusing emotions.
How did she end up sleeping at Yan Shu's place? And waking up in his bed, no less.
Could it be that her innocence was ruined by a moment of recklessness after dinner?
At 25, this was the first time Bu Meng had ever experienced such a strong, ambiguous emotion, and it left her feeling completely at a loss.
That evening, she didn't go to Yan Shu's place for dinner as usual. Instead, she stayed home and worked on her drawings. But as she drew, the male lead's face in her comic started to look more and more like Yan Shu.
It's over, she really has developed feelings for Yan Shu.
Bu Meng hid at home for a whole day. Early the next morning, her stepmother called and told her to come home.
Bu Meng refused without thinking, "I have a cold today, so I can't go on a blind date."
"It's not a blind date. Hurry back, the kid from the Zhang family next door is back and wants to see you."
The kid from the Zhang family next door—this was Zhang Wanle, who had watched her grow up since she was little.
Zhang Wanle was three years older than her and had always been the perfect child in everyone's eyes. He excelled in school and stayed abroad to work after studying there.
When Bu Meng's mother passed away when she was little, she ran away crying and hid in a park. It was Zhang Wanle who found her and brought her home.
They had always had a good relationship. She used to follow him around, calling him "Wanle Ge" (Brother Wanle), but they lost touch after he went abroad.
She didn't even know he had returned this time.
Bu Meng quickly gathered her things and hurried out. In the elevator, she bumped into Yan Shu, who was heading to work.
Yan Shu asked her, "Where are you going?"
Normally, she wouldn't go out, and lately, she'd been going on blind dates. Today, she was dressed so nicely—was she going on another blind date?
For some reason, Yan Shu felt a bit displeased.
Bu Meng glanced at him, "My dad wants me to go home."
Only then did Yan Shu relax. He reached out and straightened her slightly messy hair.
"It's good to visit home more often, strengthen your ties with your family. Come back early tonight; I'll make lemon tarts for you."
Bu Meng nodded.
It had been a long time since they last met, and when Zhang Wanle saw Bu Meng, he immediately pulled her into a hug, then held her face and said, "Bu Meng, you've gained weight."
Bu Meng pushed him away. "What kind of talk is that? This isn't called gaining weight, it's called being well-rounded."
Bu Meng's half-sister, Bu Tian, chimed in from the side, "Honestly, Sis, you really have gained a lot of weight since the last time you came home. You don't even cook, so how did you manage to gain weight eating instant noodles?"
The last time she was home was before she met Yan Shu.
Bu Meng laughed it off and changed the subject.
After dinner, Zhang Wanle insisted on driving Bu Meng back to her apartment. On the way, he couldn't help but ask, "Why don't you just live with your family? Why do you insist on living on your own? After all these years, you still haven't accepted your stepmother, have you?"
He was referring to Bu Meng's stepmother.
Bu Meng turned her face towards the car window and said nothing.
Zhang Wanle asked, "Do you dislike your stepmother?"
"I don't dislike her, I just really miss my mom."
Bu Meng's mother had passed away when she was only seven years old. Later, her father remarried and had a half-sister, Bu Tian. Bu Meng always felt that the three of them were a family, and she was the odd one out.
She started boarding school in middle school, rented an apartment off-campus in college, and had been living on her own ever since.
When Zhang Wanle dropped her off, he insisted on coming up to see her apartment.
Bu Meng didn't refuse, so she led Zhang Wanle to the elevator. When they reached her floor and the elevator doors opened, they saw Yan Shu waiting by her door.
Yan Shu had been smiling, but when he saw Zhang Wanle stepping out with Bu Meng, his face fell.
"Why did you come back so late?" Yan Shu didn't hide his displeasure. He stared at Zhang Wanle, his gaze unfriendly.
"There was something at home. But why are you still standing here so late? Aren't you cold?" Bu Meng, oblivious to the tension between the two men, asked.
Yan Shu glanced at Bu Meng. "Cold? I'm feeling pretty hot right now."
Before Bu Meng could react, he turned and went back to his apartment, slamming the door loudly behind him.
Zhang Wanle was a bit taken aback. "Your neighbor isn't very friendly."
"He's only like this today." Bu Meng felt embarrassed. She didn't know what was up with Yan Shu today; he seemed like he'd taken gunpowder.
Bu Meng led Zhang Wanle into her apartment. Zhang Wanle looked around, inspecting everything. When he opened the fridge and saw only drinks inside, he couldn't help but frown, "Are you really living on instant noodles like Bu Tian said?"
"I don't eat at home."
"Takeout? That's not nutritious either."
"Not really." Bu Meng felt a bit awkward. She couldn't possibly admit that she was eating at her neighbor's place all the time.
At that moment, Yan Shu came in with a plate of tarts.
He glanced at Zhang Wanle before placing the tarts on the coffee table in front of Bu Meng.
Zhang Wanle immediately noticed something was off. No wonder there was nothing in her fridge—someone was feeding her regularly.
Bu Meng tried a tart, then invited Zhang Wanle to join her.
"Wanle Ge, let me introduce you. This is my neighbor, Yan Shu. He's a very skilled Michelin three-star chef. His food is amazing, you should try some."
Under Yan Shu's sharp gaze, Zhang Wanle sat down next to Bu Meng and picked up a tart. He took a bite and teased, "Why do I taste something sour?"
Bu Meng took another bite. "It's not sour at all."
Yan Shu flicked Bu Meng's forehead lightly, then moved even closer to her and said, "Of course it's sour. We ran out of lemon juice, so I used aged vinegar."
Zhang Wanle smiled. "Too much aged vinegar isn't good for your health."
"I like it."
After Zhang Wanle left, Yan Shu lingered in Bu Meng's apartment, saying with a strange tone, "You're bringing just anyone into your home. Do you have any sense of safety?"
"Wanle Ge and I grew up together. We're very close, so it's fine."
Yan Shu raised an eyebrow. "Childhood sweethearts?"
"You could say that."
Yan Shu snorted coldly, then angrily stomped back to his apartment.
Childhood sweethearts?
What's so great about that!
Recently, Yan Shu noticed that Bu Meng had been frequently going home. Previously, she wouldn't even go home once in two months, so why had she suddenly become so diligent?
One time, Yan Shu encountered Bu Meng in the elevator as she was returning home. He glanced at her and asked in an odd tone, "Why do you suddenly like going home so much?"
Bu Meng turned to him, "Didn't you always encourage me to go home? You said I shouldn't be at odds with my family."
Yan Shu's expression remained calm, but inside, he was fuming. He had told her to go home to reconnect with her family, but now that she was going home, who knew which wild man she was reconnecting with?
Yan Shu was very displeased that Bu Meng was going home so often, but he couldn't stop her because he had no reason to. If she wanted to go home, what right did he, an outsider, have to stop her?
That evening, after work, he drove home and saw from afar that the lights in Bu Meng's house were still off.
She hadn't returned yet.
Yan Shu rested one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the car window, tapping the wheel rhythmically. The more rhythmically he tapped, the more unsettled he felt.
He waited for nearly half an hour before he saw Zhang Wanle drive Bu Meng home.
After seeing Bu Meng enter the building, Yan Shu followed her inside.
He trailed behind Bu Meng as she entered the elevator. When she noticed him, she smiled brightly and said, "Yan Shu, why are you home so late?"
Yan Shu snorted coldly, "Later than you."
Bu Meng was puzzled by his tone; she hadn't done anything to upset him recently. She frowned, "You seem to be in a bad mood."
Yan Shu snorted again, "Who says I'm in a bad mood? I'm perfectly fine."
At that moment, the elevator doors opened, and Yan Shu stormed off to his apartment, slamming the door behind him.
Bu Meng was left confused, wondering why he had gotten angry for no apparent reason.
Over the next few days, Bu Meng continued going home every day, and Zhang Wanle kept driving her back at night.
Watching this made Yan Shu miserable, and it even distracted him at work, leading to him accidentally cutting his hand.
One day, on his way home, Yan Shu ran into Bu Meng again. Looking at her, he couldn't help but ask, "How long has it been since you came over for a meal?"
"Huh?" Bu Meng hadn't heard him clearly.
Yan Shu thought for a moment and said, "Come back early tomorrow; I'll make you something delicious."
The next day, Yan Shu only worked half a day before returning home.
He bought fresh fish, cleaned and deboned it, and cut it into evenly sized slices before marinating it with spices.
He made a huge pot of Sichuan boiled fish, preparing two versions: one non-spicy for himself and a spicy one for Bu Meng.
He timed it perfectly, expecting Bu Meng to arrive soon, and waited at the door. But instead of her arrival, he received a call from her.
She said, "Yan Shu, I won't be coming back to the apartment tonight. Wanle's family has some issues, so I'll be staying over at his place."
In an instant, Yan Shu felt as if someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over him, leaving him cold and desolate.
He stood at the door for a long time before putting away his phone and heading back inside.
He looked at the steaming boiled fish on the table and suddenly understood the bleakness felt by those wives in TV dramas, waiting for their husbands who never come home.
His heart felt empty, and he could only fill it with food.
He sat at the long table and silently ate both portions of the boiled fish by himself.
The spice hurt his stomach, but all he could think about was how he had really been abandoned by that little girl who used to come over for meals.
The result of overeating and over-spicing was that his stomach hurt so much he couldn't sleep the entire night.
The next day, when Bu Meng returned, she found Yan Shu looking pale as he was about to leave for the hospital. She was startled and quickly ran over to support him.
"How did you end up like this after just one day?"
Yan Shu had wanted to push her away in his anger, but he was too weak from the pain and ended up leaning heavily on her.
Yan Shu, who was over 180 cm tall, was much too large for the petite Bu Meng, making it difficult for her to help him inch by inch towards the elevator.
It took all of Bu Meng's effort to get Yan Shu into the car and drive him to the hospital, where they found out he had acute gastroenteritis.
After getting an IV and some medication, it was already noon by the time they were done.
Though the treatment had helped a bit, Yan Shu still looked pale, lying weakly on the bed with no energy at all.
Where was the cheerful chef who used to cook delicious meals for her?
Bu Meng went out to buy him a bowl of porridge and brought it to his bedside, but Yan Shu was ungrateful.
"I don't want it," he said grumpily, turning over and pulling the blanket over his head.
Bu Meng tried to coax him, "Even if it doesn't taste as good as your cooking, you still need to eat something, or your stomach will hurt again. You'll only make yourself suffer."
Yan Shu ignored her.
He was angry!
And the culprit who made him angry and caused his stomach pain was completely oblivious to it.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.
Yan Shu continued to ignore Bu Meng, leaving her puzzled, but she couldn't be bothered to argue with a patient.
Since Yan Shu had to stay in the hospital, Bu Meng returned to her apartment that night. The next morning, she woke up early to buy ingredients and made chicken soup for him.
Yan Shu felt stifled in the hospital, lying in bed with a defeated look, as if he'd given up on everything.
As he was lying there, he noticed a young girl, who looked like a middle schooler, peeking into the room with a mixed-race boy by her side.
Yan Shu asked, "Who are you looking for?"
The girl, a bit shy, held the boy's hand as they entered the room. "My name is Bu Tian, I'm Bu Meng's sister. My sister said she'll be here soon and told me to wait here for her."
Yan Shu let out an "Oh" and said, "Come on in then, it's not good to stand outside. Your sister will be here soon."
Bu Tian walked in and said to the boy, "Did you hear that? Sister Bu Meng will be here soon, so stop fussing."
Yan Shu glanced at the boy and couldn't help but ask, "Whose child is this?"
"He's the son of our neighbor's brother. His parents have been busy lately, so my sister's been looking after him. Today, my sister didn't go, so he insisted on coming to find her."
A ray of sunlight seemed to pierce through Yan Shu's previously cloudy mood. He quickly asked, "So, your sister's been going home these past few days to take care of him?"
Bu Tian nodded.
In that moment, Yan Shu felt as if a thousand small fireworks were going off in his heart—so all this time, he'd been getting jealous over this little kid!
When Bu Meng arrived at the hospital with the soup, she pushed open the door and saw Yan Shu playing a mobile game with Zhang Wanle's mixed-race son in his arms.
Yan Shu looked up and, seeing her, smiled brightly. "You're here?"
Bu Meng was startled. How could the gloomy person from yesterday suddenly be in such a good mood today?
"Your sister went home," Yan Shu said.
"I know." Bu Meng set down the thermos, opened it, and poured out a bowl of chicken soup. "I made some chicken soup for you. Would you like to have a bowl?"
"Yes," Yan Shu replied, his tone now sweet and compliant, completely different from the previous day.
Bu Meng's immediate thought was: *Yan the Chef, have you been possessed?*
After finishing the chicken soup, Yan Shu started chatting with Bu Meng about random things.
"So, how long has Zhang Wanle been married?"
"Almost five years now. Their son is over three years old."
"Is his wife a foreigner?"
"Yes, a blonde beauty with blue eyes. The couple is planning to move back to their home country, so they've been busy lately and asked me to help take care of the child."
All the gloom that had been hanging over Yan Shu for the past few days suddenly vanished.
That evening, when Zhang Wanle and his wife came to pick up their son, Yan Shu greeted them with a big smile and even complimented him, "Your son is really handsome, takes after you."
Zhang Wanle, an old hand at these things, had noticed Yan Shu's feelings from the first time they met. He patted Yan Shu on the shoulder and said meaningfully, "I told you before, drinking too much old vinegar isn't good for your health."
Bu Meng, not understanding what they were talking about, leaned in to ask.
Zhang Wanle just smiled without saying anything, while Yan Shu patted Bu Meng's head and said, "This is something you don't need to know—it's a little secret between us men about you."
A few days later, Yan Shu was discharged from the hospital. As they reached the hospital entrance, Yan Shu looked back reluctantly.
Bu Meng asked him what was wrong, and he said, "I've gotten used to being waited on hand and foot these past few days in the hospital. Now that I'm out, I'll have to cook for myself again."
Bu Meng laughed. "If you don't mind my cooking skills, I could cook for you every day!"
Yan Shu raised an eyebrow. "The only people who can cook for me every day are my mom and my wife."
Bu Meng shrugged. "Then never mind."
But Yan Shu grabbed her hand. "I've got a mom, but I'm still missing a wife."
Bu Meng's stepmother called to tell her she had arranged another blind date. Bu Meng didn't want to go, but her stepmother insisted, "This will be the last one. If it doesn't work out, I won't push you anymore."
With no other choice, Bu Meng put on makeup and went to the date.
As she stepped out the door, she bumped into Yan Shu. He looked her over and asked, "Another blind date?"
"Yeah."
"Well, go ahead. It's about time you got married."
Bu Meng was speechless.
When she arrived at the restaurant, the man hadn't shown up yet. Bu Meng rested her chin on her hand, gazing out the window. Not long after, Yan Shu appeared in her line of sight.
Wearing a white shirt and bathed in bright sunlight, he looked even more handsome, his features as refined as jade.
He smiled at her and then walked into the restaurant.
Bu Meng's eyes followed him, watching as he stepped through the sunlight streaming in from the windows, passing one table after another, and walked toward her.
"Yan... Yan Shu?" Bu Meng asked in confusion. "What are you doing here?"
Yan Shu pulled out a chair and sat down across from her, casually saying, "Whatever you're here for, I'm here for that too."
Bu Meng was completely baffled.
Seeing the confusion on her face, Yan Shu couldn't help but smile. "You're here for a blind date, so I'm here to date you. How about it? Want to start a relationship based on eating meals together?"
And just like that, Bu Meng somehow ended up as Yan Shu's girlfriend. But for her, it seemed that only the title had changed.
They were still neighbors. He went to the restaurant during the day while she stayed home working on her drawings. When mealtime came, she would naturally head over to his place to eat.
Yan Shu was the owner of the restaurant and didn't usually work much. After getting together with Bu Meng, he went to the restaurant even less.
Bu Meng once asked him, "Why did you suddenly decide we should date?"
Yan Shu thought about it seriously and said, "Well, you keep coming over to my place to eat, so I feel a bit short-changed. I figured I should compensate by claiming your heart."
Bu Meng was clearly unsatisfied with that answer.
"People always say you should find someone who complements you. I can cook, and you can eat. We were meant for each other."
"But there are so many food lovers in the world..."
"But I only met you." Yan Shu pulled her into his arms. "After meeting you, I happened to fall for you too, and now there's no room for anyone else."
During the Lunar New Year, Yan Shu took Bu Meng home to meet his parents. Yan's father was very enthusiastic, asking if Bu Meng liked stone pot fish.
Before Bu Meng could respond, Yan Shu answered, "Your daughter-in-law isn't picky. She'd even eat the stone pot itself, let alone the fish."
Bu Meng: "..."
To be honest, having a food-loving girlfriend like Bu Meng saved Yan Shu a lot of trouble. Other girls might want lipstick, lip gloss, blush, eye cream, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, serum, sunscreen, primer, BB cream, CC cream...
But Bu Meng's daily routine was: sitting and eating, lying down and eating, eating at home, eating out, eating boiled, grilled, braised, or steamed... Basically, everything could be solved with food.
One time, while they were having hotpot at home, they got into an argument. Bu Meng threw down her chopsticks and stormed back to her own place.
Yan Shu wasn't worried. After dipping the beef in the broth for a few minutes, he went out to the balcony and shouted, "If you don't come back soon, the beef will be all gone!"
Bu Meng couldn't stand it anymore and ran back. "Damn it, leave some for me! If you finish it all, we're breaking up!"
...
After all, they were both adults who knew better than to let an argument get in the way of something as important as eating.