“Apple tarts, apple sandwiches, apple cakes, that sort of thing?”
“Yes, yes, yes! That sounds pretty good! I’m not really good at cooking, so I’ll have to rely on you guys. I’ll do my best to help out with whatever else is needed.”
Xie Zhuran nodded enthusiastically, looking at her three roommates with an expression of devotion, as if she was gazing at living Bodhisattvas.
“Let’s start with something simple today. Have you guys ever had Rabbit Apple before? You know, a big rabbit made out of a whole apple?”
Jiang Xiao peeled an apple, tossing it lightly in his hand a few times.
“Of course I have!” Song Qiuyu nodded.
“Mhm,” Jiang Xiao paused, “How about we move all the apples to the Rental Apartment first? That’ll make it easier to cook and prepare things, right?”
Everyone agreed at once.
So, the four of them from the Dormitory carried bags stuffed full of apples, heading straight to the Rental Apartment.
By the time they arrived, it was already getting late.
“Are we still going to the Library to study tonight?”
Song Qiuyu, holding a Fruit Knife, was carefully making a Rabbit Apple.
Jiang Xiao silently worked by her side.
“Let’s skip it, just give ourselves a day off. Oh, right, tomorrow is Christmas, we get to keep on resting! Too bad I still have to go rehearse!”
Xie Zhuran, whose hands never seemed to cooperate, also gripped a Fruit Knife, watching how her two roommates worked, trying to imitate them.
But each time she tried, the Rabbit Head would fly off—again and again.
“Speaking of Christmas, the weather forecast says it’s going to snow tomorrow night, right?”
Lin An’s way of making Rabbit Apples was much more skillful.
Song Qiuyu nodded, gazing out at the clear sky, quietly hoping the weather report would actually be right this time.
But, come to think of it, should I prepare a present for Jiang Xiao and the others for Christmas?
And if so, what should I give them?
Money was tight at the end of the month, especially with the need to rent another place soon.
“Lao Lin, I thought Lao Jiang and Lao Song were already pretty good at this, but how are you even better?”
Xie Zhuran’s sudden question snapped her out of her thoughts.
“Maybe because I always made Rabbit Apples for my younger brother and sister at home,” Lin An replied with a smile.
“Tch, so you have a little sister!” Xie Zhuran bit her napkin, clearly full of envy and jealousy.
Song Qiuyu made a similar noise in agreement.
“Lao Jiang, you too?” Xie Zhuran looked at Jiang Xiao.
“Mhm, I have younger siblings too,” Jiang Xiao nodded.
Song Qiuyu was a little stunned. Geez, this guy’s such a winner in life, she suddenly didn’t feel like helping him find a wife anymore!
“But I can make Rabbit Apples,” Jiang Xiao chuckled softly.
“Not because of your siblings?” Xie Zhuran’s gossipy curiosity was burning bright. “Then why?”
“Because the person I like, likes them,” Jiang Xiao said, his hands never slowing on the Fruit Knife, his voice gentle and full of happiness and nostalgia.
Xie Zhuran shut up, instantly realizing who that ‘person’ was.
Lin An’s glasses flashed with a sharp glint.
It’s that xixi again!!
Song Qiuyu, expressionless, chopped off the rabbit’s ear and stuffed the mangled apple into her mouth, crunching away in silence.
“I’ve always had a wish—to make the best Rabbit Apple and eat it together with her,” Jiang Xiao said with a smile.
Song Qiuyu’s face darkened. Maybe it wasn’t her place to say, but… does this guy have way too many wishes on his bucket list?
After nearly mourning for herself, she was left with a deep sense of guilt and self-blame.
Most likely, it was her younger self who brought it up first.
Still, at least—
Sharing a Rabbit Apple wasn’t that hard to accomplish!
“What about you, Lao Song?” Xie Zhuran threw the question to her.
Song Qiuyu immediately turned into a stuttering mess, fumbling for a while before rubbing the back of her Neck and saying, “Uh, because I like eating them myself.”
“Oh…”
Xie Zhuran glanced meaningfully at Jiang Xiao, then at Song Qiuyu, her brows furrowing.
Lao Jiang’s crush likes Rabbit Apples, and Lao Song just happens to like them too.
Must be a coincidence.
“But when I’m lazy, I just bite into an apple. Only when I have a lot of free time do I make Rabbit Apples,” Song Qiuyu tried to sound casual.
“True, these Rabbit Apples are really tough to make.” Xie Zhuran didn’t dig any deeper, continuing her assault on the apple with the Fruit Knife.
Seeing this, Song Qiuyu let out a sigh of relief, stuffed the rest of her half-eaten apple into her mouth, and turned to look at the Rabbit Apples her friends had made.
Her eyes lit up instantly.
They looked really good.
She couldn’t help but follow the Fruit Knife upwards with her gaze, until her eyes finally landed on Jiang Xiao’s face, full of serious concentration.
She couldn’t tear her eyes away from him.
He seemed to shine when he was focused, making even simple things look handsome.
No matter what he did, he was cool.
But really, with a face like his, right now Jiang Xiao must be thinking about making Rabbit Apples for Shen Xi.
At that thought, her mood became complicated.
She really couldn’t figure out what Jiang Xiao was thinking now, and, honestly, she wasn’t sure about her own feelings either.
Maybe, rather than hoping Jiang Xiao would transfer his feelings to her, she actually preferred that he kept longing for Shen Xi?
But regardless of what she felt, Jiang Xiao’s current state—unable to let go of Shen Xi yet still chasing after her—was really, really awful.
The worst part was, he didn’t even seem to think there was anything wrong with it.
The sweet taste of the Apple Juice suddenly turned sour.
After swallowing the chewed apple, Song Qiuyu lowered her head, sighed, and reached for another apple to try making another Rabbit Apple.
Her fingers had just touched the edge of the plate holding the apples when—
“Mm!” Suddenly, her eyes widened and her lips parted as her mouth was stuffed full—Jiang Xiao had just shoved the freshly made Rabbit Apple right into her mouth!
The only thing she could be thankful for was that he’d stuffed in the rabbit’s head, the smaller side.
“The first one’s for you,” Jiang Xiao said softly, smiling, and picked up another apple to make another one.
Song Qiuyu, flustered, quickly covered her mouth with both hands, hiding the rabbit apple’s round behind and feeling her heart race.
Jiang Xiao, this guy!!
The freshly cut Rabbit Apple still carried Jiang Xiao’s warmth and scent, filling her mouth and making her feel all kinds of uncomfortable.
But along with the discomfort came a subtle happiness.
Suddenly, having someone by her side making Rabbit Apples for her felt both blissful and extravagant, like a dream.
The last time something like this happened must have been back in Kindergarten, when both her parents were still around, and her mother used to make Rabbit Apples for her…
Now, her mother was always away, never coming home, and her father’s whereabouts were unknown…
It had been ages since she’d tasted her mother’s Rabbit Apples, and there was no one else in her memory who’d ever made one for her.
Xie Zhuran and Lin An clearly noticed the commotion and glanced over at Song Qiuyu.
Then they saw their roommate across the table, blushing like a shy girl, her head lowered, small white hands covering her mouth, nibbling the Rabbit Apple in little bites.
For a moment, their brains went wild.
They squinted at her delicate wrists, at her Neck peeking out, at her Collarbone glimpsed through her shirt collar, at the plump chest under her Down Jacket…
Not that they wanted to check out Song Qiuyu’s Neck, Collarbone, or chest—they just wanted to confirm if their roommate had an Adam’s apple, or a chest.
That’s all.
“Lao Song, you—”
“You’re eating an apple, why are you blushing like a teapot?!” Finally, Xie Zhuran couldn’t hold it in.
As night deepened, Xie Zhuran and Lin An finished the Rabbit Apples they made, mooched a bite of the rice Song Qiuyu and Jiang Xiao cooked, played some mobile games together, and then headed back to the Dormitory.
Only two people were left in the Rental Apartment.
“Jiang Xiao, don’t shower tonight, okay? You have to wait twenty-four hours before you can,” Song Qiuyu reminded him, then opened the bedroom door and went inside.
She sat down on the edge of the bed, picked up her Phone, and glanced at the date on the screen—Countdown to Cohabitation, Day Seven!
Her eyes sparkled with anticipation as she swung her legs happily, quickly diving under the covers, opening QQ on her Phone, and switched accounts.