Su Cheng's Home.
When Su Cheng stepped into his house, the faint sound of running water came from the kitchen, along with the rich aroma of a long-simmered broth.
This made him sigh in relief, knowing someone was preparing dinner for him in the kitchen.
So he gently pushed the door open, closed it softly behind him, changed his shoes, and tiptoed toward the living room.
As soon as he entered, he spotted Yaya watching TV, while a girl in an apron bustled about in the kitchen.
Just then, Yaya noticed Su Cheng.
"Gah—"
At the sound, Li Guanqi, who was washing vegetables in her apron, turned her head and looked at Su Cheng standing in the living room.
Suddenly, Su Cheng collapsed weakly onto the sofa, groaning dramatically, "Aiyo~ I’m about to collapse."
Hearing his exaggerated moans, the little apron-clad cook quickly wiped her hands on her apron and walked over to him.
"What’s wrong?"
Li Guanqi’s expression remained as calm and impassive as ever.
"I… I…"
Su Cheng panted weakly, his face flushed, eyes narrowed to slits as if he might faint at any moment.
Seeing this, Li Guanqi frowned slightly, stepped closer, and pressed the back of her hand against his forehead. Then she touched her own, confirming his temperature was perfectly normal before letting out a relieved sigh. "What’s wrong?"
"Mmm… Lean in closer."
Su Cheng responded weakly, gesturing for her to come nearer. She obediently bent down, and he whispered in her ear, "I’ve run out of energy."
Li Guanqi froze, staring at him blankly.
Su Cheng continued in a hushed voice, "I desperately need a recharge!"
At this point, he dropped the act, spreading his arms wide like a bear, startling her into backing away.
"Was that step back really necessary?"
Such a small movement, yet so deeply hurtful.
Su Cheng was wounded.
Li Guanqi retreated a full meter away, fixing him with a stern, icy gaze before declaring after a few seconds of silence, "No. I can’t let you recharge."
Hearing this, Su Cheng felt both wronged and heartbroken.
So, he decided to go all out.
Thus—
He began thrashing around on the sofa like a child, flailing his arms wildly. "I want it! I want it! I don’t care! Without Guanqi Energy, I’m gonna die!"
As the saying goes, a man who acts spoiled is downright lethal!
This entire spectacle left Yaya utterly dumbfounded. The bird scratched its head with a wing, then shot Su Cheng a disdainful side-eye, as if saying: You’re embarrassing the entire crow species.
Li Guanqi stood nearby, scolding him with a straight face. "Why are you acting like a child? Have some shame. Get up!"
"I don’t care, I want it! Without Guanqi Energy, I’ll die! I won’t go on living!"
Li Guanqi sighed, resigned, and turned to rummage in her bag before pulling out a small pillow. She handed it to him, her tone softening. "Here."
At once, Su Cheng scrambled up, snatched the pillow, and buried his face in it, inhaling its faint, elegant fragrance. A silly grin spread across his face as he began "absorbing" Guanqi Energy with fervor.
Li Guanqi gave him one last glance before turning back to the kitchen.
Meanwhile, Yaya fluttered onto Su Cheng’s shoulder and pecked at his head—Stop embarrassing crows everywhere! This is too shameful!
But Su Cheng, still clutching the pillow, grabbed the bird with one hand while keeping an eye on the kitchen. "Adults’ business—kids stay out of it!"
With that, he pressed Yaya’s head into the sofa and spun it in a full Thomas rotation.
"Waaah—"
Yaya’s protests were futile. After struggling in vain, it could only let out a frustrated squawk.
In the kitchen, Li Guanqi was busy cooking. She wore a blue-and-white apron, her long hair tied up in a high ponytail, wielding a spatula in one hand and a ladle in the other.
"Leave this to me."
Now fully recharged and having tested Li Guanqi’s limits, Su Cheng appeared beside her and took the spatula from her hand—as if the earlier tantrum had never happened!
Li Guanqi, however, remained unfazed. She scooped up a spoonful of chicken broth, blew on it gently, and—
Just as Su Cheng was about to speak, she suddenly held a small dish under his chin with one hand and raised the spoon to his lips with the other.
Su Cheng paused for a split second before obediently taking a sip. He closed his eyes in satisfaction.
"Perfectly seasoned."
He gave his verdict.
"Really?"
Li Guanqi brought the same spoon to her own lips, drinking from it without hesitation or distaste.
"Mmm… Needs more salt. A bit bland."
She frowned adorably.
Su Cheng was puzzled—the taste and aroma didn’t match chicken broth at all. He glanced into the pot and realized it was black chicken soup, simmered with donkey-hide gelatin, angelica root, and red dates.
And it had been on low heat for nearly two hours.
"You killed the chicken yourself?"
Su Cheng was surprised Li Guanqi knew how to slaughter poultry.
Li Guanqi shook her head. "Had it processed at the farmer’s market."
"Oh. Well, it tastes great as is."
Su Cheng praised before leaning in to drain the spoon in one gulp, then licking his lips with relish.
"I’ve washed the vegetables. You handle the stir-fry."
With that, Li Guanqi returned to fussing over her labor-intensive soup.
"The chess match with the club president got postponed to the day before midterms."
Su Cheng, now also apron-clad, reported the news while chopping vegetables.
"Mm. I figured."
She didn’t press for details—she could already guess the reason.
And so, the two fell into a rhythm in the kitchen, while Yaya waited impatiently in the living room.
The scene was…
…
Much later,
The dining table was set with two meat dishes, one vegetable dish, and a soup.
Even Yaya had a large chicken leg in its crow bowl out on the balcony.
Once seated, they began their meal.
"This Saturday, we’re going to ‘Nidisi’ in Tianyuan District."
Su Cheng broke the silence. Though table talk was discouraged, they were close enough to disregard such formalities.
"Mm."
Li Guanqi, sitting prim and straight, nodded while holding her bowl, then paused as if mentally reviewing the amusement park’s attractions or themes.
Soon, she realized it was panda-themed.
The thought inevitably led to Junior Sister Gu, dimming her eyes slightly as she lowered her head to focus on her rice.
"You don’t like pandas?"
Su Cheng picked up on her shift in mood—or rather, he’d anticipated it.
Li Guanqi lifted her gaze and gave a small shake of her head. "The round fluffballs are adorable. I like them too."
Naturally, the word "too" carried unspoken weight.
But Su Cheng didn’t pry. Instead, he served her some food and admitted plainly, "I took that into account."
At this, Li Guanqi reacted almost mechanically—lifting her head with unnatural stiffness to stare at Su Cheng.
"This Saturday, desserts are on me."
Suddenly, Su Cheng dropped another bombshell. As he spoke, he abruptly raised his head, locking eyes with Li Guanqi and saying earnestly, "When the time comes, we'll eat and eat until we've devoured every last dessert in the entire amusement park!"
He enunciated each word with deliberate clarity, his tone laced with an almost hypnotic allure, as if hinting at something indescribable.
Li Guanqi stared blankly at Su Cheng, her lips parting as though she wanted to ask something, but no words came out.
Seizing the moment, Su Cheng finished his thought: "And when Junior Sister Gu gets distracted by the pandas, we can secretly..."
"Hmm?"
Li Guanqi finally reacted.
She looked up at Su Cheng, her voice trembling slightly. "Secretly what?"
"Secretly eat desserts!"
Having said that, Su Cheng immediately buried his head in his meal.
Li Guanqi didn’t respond, simply lowering her head to eat quietly.
While the idea of unlimited desserts was undeniably appealing to her, this particular plan...
Su Cheng could naturally sense Li Guanqi’s disappointment, even though she showed no outward signs of it, silently continuing her meal.
But Su Cheng still had a day to prepare.
So, he would find a way to make Li Guanqi happy.
He wanted to ensure everyone was satisfied.
If he couldn’t even manage that?
How could he ever hope to create a world where no one got hurt!?
"Oh, and there’s another surprise waiting for you then," Su Cheng suddenly added.
Li Guanqi’s eyes lit up as she lifted her head.
"You’ll find out when the time comes," Su Cheng teased with a playful wink.
"Understood."
Li Guanqi reverted to her usual calm demeanor.
Seeing this, Su Cheng let out a quiet sigh of relief.
The two finished their meal, with Su Cheng clearing the table and washing the dishes while Li Guanqi wiped down the dining table—their coordination seamless.
Once everything was tidied up, Su Cheng settled onto the sofa to rest.
Meanwhile, Li Guanqi bent down to retrieve a shoebox hidden on the side of the sofa and walked over to Su Cheng.
"Huh? What’s this?"
Su Cheng looked up, puzzled, his gaze shifting between Li Guanqi and the shoebox in her arms.
Li Guanqi lowered her eyes and opened the box, revealing a pair of shoes identical to their school footwear. She explained, "The shoes we made last time. They might not serve their original purpose anymore, but they can still be worn as regular shoes."
"Thank you."
A warm feeling surged in Su Cheng’s chest as he stood up, accepting the shoebox. He examined the brand-new pair inside, smiling as he ran his fingers over them before lifting one out.
Li Guanqi sat primly beside him, watching as Su Cheng treated the shoes like treasure.
"Where’s the remote?"
Su Cheng suddenly noticed the shoebox only contained the shoes—no vibration remote. But before he could finish his question, realization dawned on him, and he added, "So, you removed the hardware?"
"No."
Li Guanqi shook her head. "It’s still in the soles."
"Huh?"
Su Cheng was taken aback. "Then where’s the remote?"
"On me."
Li Guanqi pointed at herself, her expression unreadable.
"Uh..."
Su Cheng’s mind short-circuited for a moment—this turn of events was... unexpected.
If he wore these shoes to school in the future, and then during class...
Holy crap!
If anyone heard...
His reputation would be ruined.
Hiss—
He sucked in a sharp breath, a chill running down his spine.
Noticing Su Cheng’s bizarre expression—as if his imagination had spiraled into some very wrong places—Li Guanqi paused before calmly stating, "No one else will hear. It’s just a way to alert you when needed. Consider it... making the most of what we have."
Su Cheng coughed awkwardly, clearing his throat. "Right, you can use it if you ever need to remind me of something."
Li Guanqi bit her lower lip lightly, nodding with a soft, "Mhm."