Bae Juhyun finally felt somewhat relieved. She sat properly on the sofa at Liu Xin'an's place and looked around before her gaze settled on the fried chicken Liu Xin'an had brought in.
After this period of time, the coating on the fried chicken had visibly sunk in, and she clearly understood why Liu Xin'an hadn't continued eating. Still, she had to admit that his considerate nature warmed the heart of someone who was going through a low point in life.
But then, Bae Juhyun encountered a problem she had to face.
That was, if the takeout were to arrive soon... should she go to the door to pick it up directly?
Because she hadn't revealed her identity to Liu Xin'an, she had no reason to ask the delivery person to leave it at the door and wait for them to leave before picking it up.
The delivery person didn't know this wasn't her home, and even if it were, it wouldn't be reasonable to be so cautious when she wasn't alone at home—Liu Xin'an was also there...
However, if she were to pick up the takeout at the door openly, she would surely be recognized by the delivery person.
That would be troublesome, not everyone was as unaware of her as Liu Xin'an.
Her face remained expressionless, but underneath she was becoming increasingly anxious.
The best outcome wouldn't be too troublesome—just ask Liu Xin'an to pick it up for her.
But... fundamentally, she had only known Liu Xin'an for one day, and it was a spur-of-the-moment decision to come to his house today.
Once she had calmed down, she started to regret her impulsive action.
Liu Xin'an might not believe it if she said it out loud, but she really was a very shy person.
Pretend to go to the bathroom because she was busy? No! How could she possibly use the restroom at the home of someone she had only known for one day!
Make an excuse to go back to her own place? But the delivery person had already brought the meal, and besides... she didn't want to go home so early. Chatting with Liu Xin'an truly relaxed her, and it allowed her to temporarily set aside the things that were causing her immense pain...
Bae Juhyun, feeling lost, kept checking her phone for the delivery person, who was getting closer and closer according to the map, while her beautiful eyes flickered restlessly.
"Um..."
"Um..."
They seemed to have thought of something simultaneously and started speaking at the same time, then stopped with a mutual understanding.
Bae Juhyun reacted quickly, smiling at Liu Xin'an and signaling for him to speak first.
Liu Xin'an didn't demure; he glanced at the TV remote lying beside Bae Juhyun.
"How about watching some TV? I'm not very familiar with the artists and celebrities around here, so it's a bit difficult for me to watch alone. Since you're here now, perhaps you could introduce me to some?"
Watching TV was just a pretext for finding a topic of conversation. Liu Xin'an had realized that Bae Juhyun was not the type to initiate topics easily.
The brief silence from a moment ago made him anxious, as he was very keen to find a topic to break the dullness.
But coincidentally, the topic he chose was the very last thing Bae Juhyun wanted to talk about!
Her expression changed slightly. Bae Juhyun, normally expressionless, tended to give off an "antisocial" vibe, but now, with her brows slightly furrowed, that feeling intensified.
"Are you really interested in artists?"
Liu Xin'an nodded, then quickly shook his head.
"I wouldn't say I'm interested, but it feels like a lot of things here are related to artists. It would be a pity to miss out on an encounter with a celebrity someday just because I didn't recognize them."
Liu Xin'an's words left Bae Juhyun at a loss for what to say.
After all, sitting next to Liu Xin'an was a bona fide superstar,
Uh... just one who had to lay low for a while recently due to some negative publicity.
"Umm... Do you really need to know? Isn't it the same if you don't know?"
"Ah? I'm okay either way... Do you dislike artists?"
Liu Xin'an seemed to catch on to Bae Juhyun's reluctance to discuss artists and inquired curiously.
Bae Juhyun, cornered by her own words, struggled with what to say next. She was forced to continue the conversation according to Liu Xin'an's lead.
"Right! I really don't like artists. I feel like they're just some lucky people living off their fame and reaping benefits."
Anyway, since she had to distance herself from the topic of "artists," Bae Juhyun decided to make her stance even more clear.
That would prevent Liu Xin'an from bringing up artists with her in the future.
The resigned Bae Juhyun didn't even realize how odd the "future" she was thinking about sounded in this context.
"Well... it's said that some artists have spent years practicing before they get their chance to debut, right?"
The local entertainment industry was highly competitive, which Liu Xin'an already knew when he was in China.
So, to carve out a niche in the fiercely competitive world of entertainment, at least in terms of skills, they were to be trusted.
Bae Juhyun's opinion was somewhat extreme.
Bae Juhyun felt warmed by his words. She knew she was being sarcastic, but Liu Xin'an's defense of artists inevitably pleased her.
After all, she was one of the artists being defended.
"But you have a point as well."
"..." The warmth in her heart instantly cooled.
Bae Juhyun bit her lower lip, reverting to her emotionless facade.
She really was making things hard for herself!
No matter what, Liu Xin'an would not bring up the topic of "artists" for a while, at least.
Since this was Bae Juhyun's "minefield," he simply decided not to bring it up.
"Ding-dong"
The ringing of the doorbell caused the slightly awkward pair to look towards the door as if they had a tacit understanding.
"Crap," was the first thought that flashed through Bae Juhyun's mind.
Meanwhile, Liu Xin'an turned his gaze towards Bae Juhyun, who was sitting a bit more inside on the couch.
He knew it was Bae Juhyun's takeout arriving, after all, the girl had just made a point of asking if she could have the address written as his place.
What confused him, though, was that Bae Juhyun did not get up to get the takeout. Instead, she just sat stiffly on the inside of the couch, silent as a statue.
Liu Xin'an wasn't very good at guessing what the other person might be thinking, so after a moment's hesitation, he stood up.
"It must be your takeout that's arrived, let me go get it."
He thought maybe Bae Juhyun hadn't realized it was her own takeout, so he reminded her, and then said very politely,
Normally, anyone would reply "No need, no need, I'll get it myself," right?
But how could Bae Juhyun dare to go over there? She looked at Liu Xin'an and showed a very bright smile on her face.
This was the signature smile she would give to her fans as an artist.
Usually, no fan would remain uncharmed under her trademark smile.
Liu Xin'an wasn't a fan, but he was a normal person with a healthy sense of aesthetics.
"Then I'll trouble you."
With a tone slightly tinged with coquettishness, her words instantly revitalized Liu Xin'an. He waved his hands with a chuckle, completely forgetting the intention behind his words from a moment before.
"No trouble at all, wait a sec."
Then he walked towards the entrance.
It wasn't until the sound of the door opening that Bae Juhyun pinched her own thigh, her small face turning red with effort.
She really wanted to find a crack to crawl into!!
———
It wasn't until he had picked up the mixed rice that Bae Juhyun had ordered that the bewildered Liu Xin'an finally snapped back to reality.
Had he... been enchanted?
Thinking about this made Liu Xin'an's face start to heat up, so he quickly leaned against the wall at the entrance, taking deep breaths to adjust his mindset.
Everyone loves beauty, and as a perfectly normal man, being unable to resist the cute pout of a pretty girl was natural.
He wasn't some steel-hearted guy, after all.
However, Bae Juhyun's move made him a bit wary at heart.
As a very rational adult man, this kind of heart-pulled sensation was something he simply could not accept.
He took one last deep breath and emerged from the entrance with a natural composure.
Bae Juhyun had also adjusted her mood by then; what a joke, acting natural in front of the camera or other people was her specialty!
"Thanks a lot!"
"No big deal, but you really shouldn't open the door directly like this when you're alone at home; it's very unsafe."
"Hmm, I usually ask the delivery guy to leave it at the door and only take it after confirming no one's around," Bae Juhyun said softly. Then, she took her takeout from Liu Xin'an's hands with eager anticipation and her eyes lit up upon opening the lid.
Perhaps because she felt so relaxed here, her appetite suddenly became hearty.
The salivation it caused made her quickly take out the accompanying utensils and scoop up a full spoonful of the mixed rice before placing it in her mouth.
With each distinct grain coated in sauce, Bae Juhyun showed an expression of bliss.
"Mmm~ this is really delicious."
Liu Xin'an had never seen such a sight; the reactions of an artist tasting delicious food had been etched into Bae Juhyun's DNA; she instinctively exhibited them.
However, the sight of a delighted Bae Juhyun eating happily also whetted Liu Xin'an's appetite, and he quickly picked up his now-cold fried chicken to eat heartily.
This was perhaps the most awkward meal Liu Xin'an had ever had since birth, with no movie to accompany their food, the living room filled only with the sound of their swallowing.
A serving of mixed rice was a bit much for the petite Bae Juhyun; she ate half before putting down her spoon contentedly, then took the water Liu Xin'an had given her and sipped it slowly.
Liu Xin'an, who had deliberately slowed down his eating, also finished his remaining few pieces of fried chicken around the same time.
"You're really enjoying that," he teased with a smile, successfully making Bae Juhyun blush in embarrassment.
"This mixed rice is really good; you should try it when you have time."
"Send me the name of the... ah, by the way, what social media do people usually use around here?"
He had WeChat and QQ, but Bae Juhyun certainly didn't.
As the first foreign friend he'd made since coming here, Liu Xin'an thought it was necessary to exchange contact details.
In this society, it's really not feasible to live without friends.