After the delay, Xiang Ri's return home was postponed by a full hour. By the time he walked through the door, it was already past two in the morning.
Despite his exhaustion, his boundless energy spurred him on. After a soothing bath, he stubbornly stayed up for over an hour watching TV before finally succumbing to sleep on the sofa.
When he awoke, sunlight was already streaming through the windows, and a quilt had mysteriously been draped over him.
The sight of the quilt filled Xiang Ri's heart with warmth. Yet, try as he might, he couldn't deduce whether it was Chu Chu or Shi Qing who had covered him. One thing was certain, though: An Xiao Niu couldn't have been responsible—she would probably prefer to see him catch a severe cold.
Stretching lazily, Xiang Ri cast the quilt aside and climbed to his feet. A glance at the clock revealed it was already 10:30 in the morning.
"Hey, you're awake?"
The sudden voice startled Xiang Ri, and he turned to see An Xiao Niu standing behind him, dressed in casual loungewear. He asked with some confusion, "You're not in class?"
"Nope, no classes this morning," she replied casually, then, as though realizing her tone was too gentle, she snapped, "You pig! Sleeping until now! Do you even know what time it is? You might as well skip breakfast!"
Xiang Ri stared at her in astonishment. Overnight, it seemed she had become a completely different person. Rising to his feet, he reached out to touch her forehead. "An Xin, are you alright? Don't scare me."
"Idiot!" An Xiao Niu swatted his hand away, her expression fierce. "Touch me again, and I'll chop your hand off!"
Hearing her outburst, Xiang Ri let out a sigh of relief. "Now that's the An Xin I know!"
"Go to hell!" Her glare was fiery, and his words only fueled her anger. "You're always provoking me! You promised to make me happy and take care of me forever, but it was all lies!"
"..." Xiang Ri felt a headache brewing. He had only said those words to comfort her, but it seemed she had taken them seriously. Of course, he wouldn't admit it now. Feigning ignorance, he replied, "Did I say that? I don't recall."
"You jerk!" An Xiao Niu fumed, enraged by his shamelessness. In a fit of pique, she grabbed his quilt.
"Hey, don't take my quilt just because you're angry!" Xiang Ri protested, holding onto it tightly.
"This is *my* quilt!" she declared loudly. "Give it back!"
"Yours?" Xiang Ri scrutinized the quilt and suddenly realized why it had seemed unfamiliar. It was, in fact, An Xiao Niu's. He then asked a foolish question, "But why is your quilt on me?"
"You…" Her anger reached new heights as she pointed a trembling finger at him. "I woke up in the middle of the night and saw you sleeping on the sofa. I didn't want you to catch a cold, so I covered you with it. If I'd known you'd be so ungrateful, I would've let you freeze!"
Xiang Ri instantly realized how foolish his question had been. To be fair, when he first saw the quilt, his mind immediately went to Chu Chu or Shi Qing. If he'd woken up to find a shoe print on him instead, he would have been certain who was responsible.
Yet today, An Xiao Niu had completely defied his expectations. Not only were her words gentler, but her demeanor also seemed more feminine. If it weren't for her characteristic use of "lao zi," he might have doubted whether the person before him was a fraud.
Seeing him remain silent, she continued, "What's wrong? Feeling guilty? Think you can get away with not saying anything? Let me tell you, it's not that simple! If you want to show sincerity, agree to do something for me."
"Go ahead. If it's within my power, I won't refuse!" Since An Xiao Niu wasn't acting like her usual combative self, Xiang Ri couldn't bring himself to reject her. Besides, he didn't dare refuse. If her rare change of heart reverted to her old self, he'd be the one suffering.
"Help me taste-test," she said, tossing out the words before heading straight into the kitchen.
Xiang Ri was left bewildered. What was she up to? Surely not…? A wild thought crossed his mind, sending a chill down his spine. If that was the case, it would be no laughing matter.
Even with some mental preparation, Xiang Ri was still stunned when he entered the kitchen after washing up. An Xiao Niu was wearing an apron, holding a spatula in one hand and gripping a pot in the other, fully absorbed in her culinary endeavors.
"You're here?" An Xin caught sight of him entering the kitchen and quickly set down the spatula. She picked up a small plate from beside the stove and handed it to Xiang Ri. "Try this for me. And don't even think about refusing—it'd mean you're looking down on me."
Xiang Ri forced a bitter smile as he eyed the dark, unrecognizable mass on the plate. "With that kind of reasoning, do I even have a choice?" He figured, being in the kitchen, it couldn't possibly be lethal. Still, he needed to clarify what he was about to eat. "An Xin, may I ask... what exactly is this?"
"Fried eggs, of course!" she replied with a look that said, *How can you not know that?*
"You're sure you didn't add too much soy sauce?" Xiang Ri asked hesitantly, feeling both amused and exasperated. To manage frying eggs into something resembling black sesame paste was an achievement that surely made her a pioneer in the culinary world.
What started as a casual question was met with an answer that nearly made Xiang Ri choke. "I accidentally knocked over the soy sauce bottle, but don't worry—I caught it quickly! Only half the bottle spilled into the pan. And since there was so much soy sauce, I figured it'd be salty enough, so I didn't add any salt. Smart, huh?"
"Smart, very smart," Xiang Ri replied, nodding vigorously while inwardly lamenting, *If you hadn't thought of that, I'd seriously question your intelligence.*
Reassured by her promise of no added salt, Xiang Ri steeled himself, picked up his chopsticks, and took the tiniest bite.
The moment it touched his tongue, a strange flavor erupted. It wasn't salty, bitter, or spicy—it was cloyingly sweet, so sweet it was nauseating. Wait, how could soy sauce taste sweet? Impossible!
"How is it? Does it taste good? I haven't tried it yet. Is it amazing?" An Xin looked at him expectantly, her eyes brimming with hope.
Xiang Ri asked doubtfully, "Why is it sweet? Are you sure you didn't knock over the sugar jar instead?"
"How could that be? It was definitely soy sauce!" she replied, baffled. After thinking for a moment, her eyes suddenly widened. "Ah! I remember now! Since I spilled so much soy sauce, I was worried it'd be too salty, so I added some sugar to balance it out."
Xiang Ri almost fainted. "How much sugar did you add?"
With a serious expression, An Xin answered, "Well, since half a bottle of soy sauce spilled, I figured I should add half a jar of sugar to match."
Xiang Ri: "???!!!"
"Was it too sweet?" Realizing her mistake, An Xin quickly snatched the plate from his hands and dumped it into the trash. She then grabbed another plate. "Try this one—it should be better."
Xiang Ri glanced at the trash can, which was nearly overflowing with similarly charred, blackened remnants. Clearly, she had ruined quite a few eggs already. Hearing her words, he sighed inwardly. *What do you mean by 'should'? I need a definitive answer.*
Before he could escape, she had already shoved the plate in front of him.
This time, the fried eggs looked slightly more recognizable. Though it wasn't as absurd as the last plate, he felt compelled to ask, just to be safe. "An Xin, let me clarify—I'm not doubting your skills, but I just want to confirm: You didn't add sugar to this one, right?"
"No, I didn't," she answered confidently.
"What about salt?"
"Just a little," she replied cautiously.
"How much is 'a little'?" Xiang Ri pressed, unconvinced. A 'little' could mean anything—from negligible to a lethal overdose, depending on the context.
"Just about this much." She held up her pinky as a visual reference.
Though he still thought it might be excessive, Xiang Ri figured it was manageable—at worst, he'd just drink more water later.
Resolute, he picked up a piece with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. The moment it hit his tongue, a wave of overwhelming saltiness exploded, so strong it was bitter. Xiang Ri spat it out instantly.
"So salty! It's unbearably salty!"
"How could this happen? I didn't use that much salt," An Xin lamented, her face etched with disappointment. It was clear this failure had struck a heavy blow to her confidence.
Xiang Ri immediately sought to comfort her. "An Xin, it's always like this the first time. Everyone goes through it. Honestly, yours is much better than mine. When I first tried frying eggs, I couldn't even tell salt and sugar apart." To console her, Xiang Ri even fabricated an embarrassing tale of his own.
"Really?" Hearing this confession of a supposed past blunder, An Xin finally managed a smile. But then, she came up with a new request. "Xiang Ri, teach me how to fry eggs!"
As long as it didn't involve eating her creations, Xiang Ri was more than happy to oblige. "Sure, no problem."
After washing his hands, Xiang Ri began a step-by-step lesson. "First, cracking the eggs—it's an art. The force needs to be even, like this. Don't keep hitting the same spot. Once the eggs are cracked, add a little water. This makes the eggs smoother and more tender when fried. But be careful—don't add too much, or you'll end up with scrambled soup instead of fried eggs."
"Next, the oil. Wait until it's about eighty percent hot, then pour in the beaten eggs. What's eighty percent hot, you ask? Good question! Before adding the eggs, hold your hand about five centimeters above the oil surface. If you feel a steady warmth, it's ready."
After two or three tries, An Xin was able to handle it on her own, producing eggs that were a feast for the eyes, the nose, and the palate. When she tasted the delicious results of her efforts for the first time, she was hesitant to believe it was her work. But when Xiang Ri nodded in approval, she was so overcome with excitement that tears welled up in her eyes.
"Why are you crying? You should be happy," Xiang Ri said, reaching out to wipe away her tears.
An Xin slapped his hand away. "Who's crying? You're the one crying! I told you not to touch me! Trying to take advantage of me, huh? I'll chop off your hand!"
"Alright, alright," Xiang Ri said hurriedly, retreating three steps. Inside, though, he cursed her ungratefulness. Yet, her indignant reaction reminded him of her femininity, which he now noticed more keenly. Despite her sharp tone, her expression and voice carried a distinctly womanly charm.
"What are you staring at? Keep looking, and I'll gouge your eyes out!" An Xin barked as she noticed his gaze lingering on her. Though her words were fierce, she couldn't suppress a strange flutter in her heart.
Xiang Ri kept his eyes fixed on her. "An Xin, I realize you've become quite... feminine today."
"Stop!" she interrupted, cutting him off before he could continue. "Don't say that. Let me tell you something—Qingqing is mine. And you! You're mine too!"
Xiang Ri was left with only one thought: If An Xin hadn't lost her mind today, then he surely had.