He Yu sent a few scattered messages, from four in the afternoon all the way until seven in the evening, and Xie Xiaobao, holding his phone, was a little dumbfounded—he hadn’t expected it was He Yu looking for him that afternoon.
He Yu sounded anxious. Xie Xiaobao thought He Yu had something urgent, so he called him directly.
He Yu picked up quickly on his end; he had just dropped Mother He home and hadn’t even started the car yet when Xie Xiaobao’s call came through.
“Hello?” He Yu rolled down the window, pressed the phone to his ear, and listened to Xie Xiaobao’s faint breathing on the other end.
“He Yu, I just saw your messages.” Xie Xiaobao sat cross-legged on the sofa, hugging a pillow as he spoke to He Yu, “Did you need something? I just saw your messages.”
“Mm,” He Yu responded softly. The furrow that hadn’t left his brow since the afternoon finally relaxed a little, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. “What were you doing this afternoon? I wanted to ask you out for a meal.”
“Ah, sorry,” Xie Xiaobao let out a short “ah,” sounding a little embarrassed. “I was having lunch with Hu Jiuli this afternoon. After I got back, I fell asleep and didn’t see your messages.”
He Yu’s brows twitched, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the steering wheel. “Hu Jiuli? That name sounds familiar.”
Xie Xiaobao explained, “He’s a streamer I used to work with. And his sister, Hu Yiqing.”
So the one he ate with was Hu Yiqing. He Yu had only seen her profile from afar before and hadn’t realized that woman was Feng Sheng’s top female streamer.
“Feng Sheng’s top streamer? Are you two close?”
Xie Xiaobao shook his head, then remembered He Yu couldn’t see him and added, “It was the first time we met today. She just… wanted to ask me about something.” After all, she was a girl. Xie Xiaobao didn’t mention that Hu Yiqing wanted to chase after his older brother, instead glossing over it.
He Yu’s mood inexplicably improved, and even the congested traffic on the road seemed less annoying. He changed his posture, relaxing back into the seat. “Have you eaten dinner? I’m just nearby. Want to have dinner together?”
Xie Xiaobao instinctively wanted to refuse—he shouldn’t eat too much at night—but then he thought about how He Yu hadn’t been able to find him all afternoon and might not have eaten yet, so he agreed. Still, he suggested, “Why don’t you come over to my place? Eating out isn’t healthy, and I can let you try something new I just learned to cook.”
“Alright.” A smile crept into He Yu’s eyes as he started the car and slowly merged into the traffic. “I’ll be there in half an hour.”
After hanging up, Xie Xiaobao, still in his slippers, hurried off to the kitchen. He rummaged through the fridge and was relieved to see there were still enough ingredients—two people wouldn’t eat much anyway, so it should be enough.
He Yu hadn’t arrived yet, so Xie Xiaobao started prepping. He put on an apron and took out the vegetables from the fridge to wash and chop. After thinking it over, he decided to make two dishes and a soup.
Ever since he decided to lose weight, Xie Xiaobao had read a lot of dieting tips and felt that cooking at home was healthier, so he was still very enthusiastic about cooking lately.
There were still chicken wings, tomatoes, and mushrooms in the fridge. Xie Xiaobao scrolled through his recipe app, debated for a while, and finally decided on cola chicken wings, stir-fried tomato and eggs, and a mushroom soup to round things out.
He stuffed his phone into his apron pocket, marinated the chicken wings first, then started cooking.
When He Yu arrived, Xie Xiaobao was about to make the last dish, cola chicken wings.
He put down what he was doing and ran to open the door. He Yu stood there in a suit, his tall frame nearly filling the doorway.
If it were before, Xie Xiaobao would have instinctively felt intimidated, but after getting familiar, he didn’t find He Yu scary at all—on the contrary, he thought no one had a better temper than He Yu.
“Come in,” Xie Xiaobao said, taking a pair of disposable slippers from the shoe cabinet and placing them at He Yu’s feet, his eyes crinkling as he smiled. “Perfect timing. Have a seat, the last dish is almost done.”
He Yu’s gaze lingered on his face for a moment before he looked away and bent down to change his shoes.
Xie Xiaobao, eager to finish cooking, gave a quick greeting and scurried back to the kitchen.
He Yu followed, watching Xie Xiaobao’s bouncy figure with an unconscious smile on his lips.
The kitchen door was half frosted glass, and under the light, you could see a blurry figure inside. Xie Xiaobao wore home clothes with an apron over them, the apron strings tied in a not-so-standard bow at his waist. Maybe it was tied a bit tight, but you could see his waistline.
Instead of sitting down as told, He Yu wandered around the house with interest.
Xie Xiaobao’s home, like the person himself, looked soft and cozy. The coffee table and sofa area were covered in a dark green plush carpet that felt soft underfoot.
The living room opened onto a balcony, which was enclosed with sliding glass windows. Grass-green curtains hung from the ceiling, and the balcony was ringed with Japanese-style tatami mats, scattered with a few plump throw pillows.
He seemed to know how to enjoy life—no wonder he was a bit chubby, He Yu thought.
“Dinner’s ready, come eat.” Xie Xiaobao brought the dishes to the table. There was no separate dining room, just a corner of the living room partitioned off with a low fence as a dining area.
He Yu walked over and sat down. Even the stool by the dining table had a cartoon cushion, which was nice and soft to sit on.
After arranging the dishes, Xie Xiaobao went to get bowls of rice, but He Yu took the bowl from his hands. “I’ll serve the rice. You go change out of your apron and wash your hands before eating.”
Xie Xiaobao didn’t stand on ceremony. He took off the apron, put it aside, washed his hands, and sat at the table to wait for dinner.
He Yu placed a bowl of rice in front of him, then sat across from Xie Xiaobao with his own bowl. He looked at the well-presented dishes and smiled. “Looks delicious.”
Xie Xiaobao chuckled sheepishly and ladled him a bowl of soup, urging, “Eat up.”
“Mm.” He Yu picked up his chopsticks and took a bite of the stir-fried tomato and eggs.
Xie Xiaobao watched him expectantly.
He Yu’s brows moved slightly. After swallowing, he praised, “It’s got color, aroma, and flavor.”
“Really?” Xie Xiaobao grinned foolishly. “As long as you like it, eat more.”
He Yu nodded with a smile and picked up a chicken wing for his bowl, eating slowly. But maybe there was too much cola— even the chicken wings tasted a bit too sweet.
Xie Xiaobao loved sweets, and liked to cook sweet dishes, too. He Yu struggled to finish one wing, then drank half a bowl of soup with a straight face before continuing.
The two chatted casually as they ate, the atmosphere warm and cozy.
“How come I haven’t seen your cat?” He Yu asked after another sip of soup, remembering that Xie Xiaobao had a cat.
Xie Xiaobao was startled and nearly bit his tongue. He hurriedly explained, “I sent the cat to my second brother’s house.”
He Yu had just asked casually, so when Xie Xiaobao said he’d sent it away, he didn’t dwell on it and changed the subject.
Xie Xiaobao had been so nervous his heart was pounding, but when He Yu didn’t ask further, he relaxed and gnawed on two more chicken wings to calm himself.
After finishing the last chicken wing, Xie Xiaobao smacked his lips and sighed contentedly, “I haven’t eaten so happily in a long time.”
He Yu wiped his mouth, looking at him with gentle eyes. “If you want to eat, just eat. Don’t let others’ opinions restrain you too much. I think you’re adorable just as you are.”
Xie Xiaobao blinked. “You sound just like my sister-in-law.”
He Yu laughed. “Really? Doesn’t that just show that, to those who care about you, you’re always adorable.”
Xie Xiaobao thought about it and found it made sense. He patted his belly, happily getting up to clear the dishes.
“I’ll do it.” He Yu pressed him back into his seat by the shoulder. “You cooked, so now it’s my turn to wash up.”
Xie Xiaobao remembered, but He Yu ruffled his hair, and he was so dazed he forgot what he was about to do, staring blankly as He Yu carried the dishes to the kitchen.
By the time the kitchen was tidied up, it was getting late. He Yu checked his watch—after digesting a bit, it was about time to rest.
“It’s late, I’ll head back. You relax a bit before going to bed.”
Xie Xiaobao walked him to the elevator, waving with a smile, the dimples on his cheeks faintly showing. “Come over again when you have time. I’ll cook for you.”
He Yu’s finger paused on the elevator button, then he smiled at Xie Xiaobao as if nothing had happened. “Okay.”
The elevator doors closed, the red numbers slowly counting down until stopping at the first floor. He Yu went to get his car, but didn’t leave right away. He looked up at the brightly lit windows—though he couldn’t tell which one was Xie Xiaobao’s, the warmth glowing from inside still reached He Yu’s heart.
He let out a low laugh, his deep voice quickly fading into the night. The car engine rumbled softly as he drove off, merging into the traffic outside.