No sooner is the cocoon formed than it is abandoned

“No… no need… at least not now!”

Su Cheng panicked and quickly waved his hands to refuse.

What kind of joke was this?!

Even meeting the parents for a normal relationship required enough mental preparation, let alone meeting the head of the Ji family?!

And he had only been with Ji Qingyi for a few weeks—going straight to meet the parents?

That was way too hasty!

“Son-in-law, your current approach to handling interpersonal relationships is filled with pain and fear,” Liu Qingyue suddenly interjected, her tone tinged with a hint of pity. “It seems that after the Cornelia incident, you’ve been shackled by suffering, becoming timid and fearful.”

Su Cheng didn’t deny it. He bitterly tugged at the corner of his mouth, wanting to say something but hesitating, struggling internally. Even so, he still refused to expose the nature of their relationship.

Why?

Maybe it was his own insecurity, maybe fear of gossip, or some other messy reasons.

In any case, he preferred to hide in the shadows for now rather than let the outside world know about them.

Because he simply didn’t deserve it.

“Please give me some time.”

Finally, Su Cheng spoke, lifting his head to look seriously at Ji Qingyi. “When I feel worthy enough to stand by your side, I will stand proudly beside you, tell everyone you are my fiancée, and bravely go visit my uncle.”

At these words, Ji Qingyi and Liu Qingyue exchanged a glance, a flicker of shock passing through their eyes before quickly vanishing, replaced by quiet admiration.

Indeed, there is no perfect solution in this world.

The two of them approaching him straightforwardly could raise Su Cheng’s goodwill.

But his personality was insecure, paranoid, and stubborn. Without enough confidence, he would likely slip out of their control in the future, causing many troubles, and might even end up dead.

“What do you want to prove?”

Ji Qingyi frowned and asked.

“I want… at least to achieve something in one area.”

Su Cheng lowered his head, concealing the desire burning in his eyes.

“You plan to prove yourself with your talent in archery?” Ji Qingyi seemed to see through his thoughts and bluntly pierced his ambition. “Don’t you know your physical condition?”

“The club president is a champion.”

Su Cheng no longer hid his goal and spoke candidly, “So I’m thinking, at least in this one area, I want to attain the same level of honor as the president.”

He wasn’t surprised that the president knew about his archery talent. His senior had shown him videos of him shooting arrows at a shooting range outside (videos that had Coach Han utterly captivated). So it was likely that the two of them had long known about his gifted ability.

At these words, the two women exchanged another glance, both their eyes revealing the same four-character phrase—“As expected.”

History always repeats itself in astonishing ways. But this time, there was one difference: they didn’t want Su Cheng to prove anything, nor did they want him to become a champion.

Rather, they hoped he could peacefully and joyfully walk through the final stretch of his journey and then smoothly bring his life to a close.

Faced with such a dilemma, both master and servant felt deeply helpless because they understood Su Cheng’s personality—it was impossible for him to change abruptly in a short time.

Under the necessity of keeping his vital signs stable, the only approach was to subtly and imperceptibly influence Su Cheng.

There’s a saying that gentle souls are the hardest to tame, and Su Cheng was the clearest example. Calling his true nature one of great loyalty, filial piety, and righteousness would not be an exaggeration.

Moreover, deep down, he had a stubborn streak. He would rather harm his own interests than fail to treat others sincerely. This was the fortress they found most difficult to breach.

“I don’t need you to prove anything,” Ji Qingyi gently advised. “Nor do I want you to limit your life because of me. From my perspective, the only thing that truly matters right now is that you get well—only then will infinite possibilities open up.”

“That’s right. Even a cocooned insect can eventually break free and become a butterfly,” Liu Qingyue chimed in beside them, then added, “The priority is to recover your health. If you were to die young, wouldn’t that just leave the young lady a widow?”

As soon as she said this, both Su Cheng and Ji Qingyi froze in place, three black lines figuratively appearing on their faces.

“Step aside,” Ji Qingyi snapped sharply, signaling the noisy troublemaker to leave.

Though a bit displeased, Liu Qingyue obeyed the order and retreated obediently. Before leaving, she glanced back at Su Cheng with a complex look—part relief, part deep sorrow—that stirred a thousand tangled emotions within him.

“President, I still want to learn kyudo first,” Su Cheng said eagerly once Liu Qingyue had left, his tone resolute and unwavering.

Back when he was bedridden, the president had promised to discuss this matter again once he was better.

Now was the time to continue that conversation.

Upon hearing this, Ji Qingyi lifted her teacup and took a sip, her expression calm as she looked at Su Cheng. “Then you tell me, what exactly is kyudo?”

Su Cheng was momentarily taken aback by the question. He hadn’t really studied kyudo properly. After all, with the word ‘do’ (way) attached to ‘kyu’ (bow), it clearly wasn’t just about shooting arrows accurately.

After a moment’s thought, he carefully chose his words: “It’s about archery skills and something on a spiritual level?”

“You’re being far too vague,” Ji Qingyi shook her head and slowly put down her teacup. “It’s archery, but not merely archery. It’s about the relationship between the archer and the target in kyudo.”

“Huh?” Su Cheng understood each word, but putting them together left him confused. “I don’t quite get what you mean, President. Could you explain it more simply?”

“The archer and the target aren’t in opposition,” Ji Qingyi patiently explained. “They exist together in the same space and time. For normal archery, the goal is to hit the target—it’s an adversarial relationship. But kyudo is different; it embodies a philosophy of non-opposition and harmony.”

Hearing this, Su Cheng roughly grasped the idea but still hesitated to fully believe it. “Then if kyudo isn’t about shooting the target, what exactly is it about?”

“Hmm.”

Ji Qingyi nodded. “The essence of Kyudo lies within the heart. When you shoot at the target, the target is also aiming at your heart.”

“Ah, that sounds both complicated and profound.”

Hearing this, Su Cheng felt a sudden tightening in his chest. It was indeed not as simple as he had imagined, which left him somewhat troubled.

“To put it simply, Kyudo is a form of archery that combines technique, spiritual cultivation, and the harmony of body and mind.”

She paused briefly, then turned to Su Cheng. “In Kyudo, the archer uses the bow and arrow, following specific movements, postures, and breathing techniques to accurately hit the target.”

Seeing Su Cheng nodding with a somewhat vague understanding, Ji Qingyi began to patiently explain the core concepts of Kyudo. “The most fundamental aspect is technique — that is, hitting the target accurately and efficiently.”

“And then what comes next?”

Su Cheng, curious as ever, pressed on.

“Next is spiritual cultivation, followed by etiquette, ritual, and the harmony of body and mind,” Ji Qingyi explained patiently. “From the last video you watched, I gathered you’re currently lacking in the latter. What you need to focus on is a clear and calm mind.”

Listening attentively to the club president’s thorough guidance, Su Cheng couldn’t help but blush slightly. “Sorry, I haven’t seriously studied the theory of Kyudo before. Please, President, guide me more.”

“You’re impulsive and impatient,” Ji Qingyi said sternly. “So first, you need to learn to control your emotions and maintain a steady mindset before we talk about anything else.”

“But how do I learn that? How long will it take?”

Su Cheng scratched the back of his head, feeling rather troubled.

Ji Qingyi lifted her eyes slightly, staring at him expressionlessly. After a long moment, she finally said, “You’re such an impatient guy, really impatient.”

“Ha ha…” Hearing this, Su Cheng felt embarrassed. He lowered his head, pushed up his glasses, and gave an awkward chuckle.

Then Ji Qingyi turned back and resumed sipping her tea, as if no longer willing to entertain him, which made Su Cheng even more uneasy. He couldn’t help but ask, “President, when do we start?”

Seeing that he still wouldn’t give up, Ji Qingyi frowned with some displeasure but after a moment’s thought said, “It’s already started. Once your body and mind reach a certain subtle harmony, you’ll move on to the next step. Until then, don’t bring up topics like this.”

With that, she fell silent, closing her beautiful eyes as if pretending to nap, perfectly still.

Seeing this, Su Cheng realized the president was determined not to respond. He sighed quietly and sat down, waiting patiently.

He tried to imitate her by closing his eyes and resting, but this forced calm only made him more restless. Like a monkey scratching its ears and face, he simply couldn’t settle down.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when he finally couldn’t hold back any longer. Opening his eyes, he turned to gaze at the nearly perfect profile beside him and hesitated before calling out, “President?”

But Ji Qingyi didn’t respond at all.

“President really is a remarkable person!”

Watching her serene expression, completely unaffected by the outside world, as if she existed in another realm, Su Cheng was filled with admiration.

He couldn’t help but quietly stand up, wanting to reach out and touch the bow and arrow not far away. But just as he stood, Ji Qingyi noticed immediately, and in the next second, her eyes suddenly snapped open.

“Sit down.”

“Okay.”

Su Cheng awkwardly sat back down.

“Don’t move around. Sit up straight.”

“Yes.”

So Su Cheng sat stiffly, but his eyes kept sneaking glances at the bow and arrow beside him, still itching to pick it up and try it out.

He wanted to show off his talent, hoping Ji Qingyi would see it with her own eyes. Maybe that would change her opinion.

Naturally, Ji Qingyi noticed his little attempt and reminded him, “Try only when you’re no longer disturbed by outside things and your mind is calm. Don’t even think about touching the bow right now.”

“Uh… yes.”

Su Cheng obediently nodded, then calmed his mind and focused on waiting. Finally, three whole seconds passed.

Footsteps came from outside the door.

“Knock, knock, knock.”

The tightly closed door was knocked on.

A few streaks of joy flashed in Su Cheng’s eyes.

At last, something to break the boredom.

“Come in.”

Ji Qingyi’s signature indifferent voice sounded.

“Miss, this is something Mr. Ji asked me to deliver,” the butler entered the room, respectfully handing over a box to Ji Qingyi.

“Put it on the table.”

Without even looking, Ji Qingyi ordered directly.

The butler set it down, bowed his head, and retreated outside.

“Huh?”

Su Cheng looked at the item on the table, growing more and more familiar with it, and couldn’t help but whisper, “Is that… a phone?”

And the brand was the same as his. He just didn’t know if the model inside the box was the same.

But he remembered this phone brand had long been discontinued.

“Oh, right.”

Suddenly, Su Cheng realized something: a few days ago, he had promised Senior Sister Liu to teach the president how to use a phone. Now that Senior Sister sent a phone, obviously it was for him to teach her!

“President…” he hesitated a little, calling softly, “Senior Sister sent a phone.”

“No need to care about it.”

However, Ji Qingyi seemed uninterested in the matter.

This put Su Cheng in a dilemma. If the president wasn’t interested, how could he take the initiative to ask to teach her?

He needed to think of a way.

Su Cheng glanced nervously at Ji Qingyi.

He began brainstorming.

A few minutes later—

“*Ahem*.”

Su Cheng cleared his throat, “President, when I’m not at the club, there are many things I want to ask you, but I’m afraid if I come to you suddenly, it might annoy you, so…”

He paused for a moment. “So I thought, if you have a phone, we could communicate through it—calls, internet, emails. I hope we can have a channel to communicate.”

Upon hearing this, Ji Qingyi’s gaze fell on the new phone on the table for a moment, then she nodded.

Seeing this, Su Cheng breathed a sigh of relief.

“Watch me demonstrate.”

“Mm.”

When he unboxed the phone, he found the model was exactly the same as his.

What was this?

Couple phones?

Would they have matching couple nicknames next?

When he turned it on, he discovered that Liu Qingyue had already registered accounts on all the apps for the president.

“President, look at this.”

“Mm.”

Then, Su Cheng began to teach the operation methods.

In Su Cheng’s eyes, although Ji Qingyi had never used electronic devices before, she possessed formidable computational power and exceptional logical thinking skills.

After just one lesson, Ji Qingyi had completely grasped all the operating procedures and quickly became proficient.

This left Su Cheng deeply impressed, and he couldn’t help but admire the president even more, praising, “President, you’re absolutely amazing—truly the legendary perfect woman!”

Ji Qingyi pursed her lips and replied, “You flatter me.”

“Now, scan my friend QR code.”

Su Cheng opened the QR code and placed it on the table. “Add me as a friend.”

Ji Qingyi glanced down briefly, then nodded.

“Uh… I mean, you need to open the app’s scan function and scan it,” Su Cheng said awkwardly. “I didn’t explain well, sorry, President.”

Hearing this, Ji Qingyi gave a faint nod of understanding and then complied.

Before long, they had added each other as friends. Next, Su Cheng taught her various functions of the app. Naturally, as he was instructing, the two sat very close—close enough to feel each other’s breath.

But this time, Su Cheng was unusually focused, because he had promised his senior sister to teach the president, so he was very serious about it.

However, Ji Qingyi, who already knew how to operate a phone, felt quite uneasy because of someone’s presence.

In this situation, it was Su Cheng who appeared calmer, undistracted by anything external, concentrating solely on guiding her through the phone’s functions.

This gave Ji Qingyi a strange sense of frustration. She had just been teaching him to calm his mind, yet she was the one who lost her composure first?

An odd competitive spirit flared up within her!

“Have some tea, take a break.”

Ji Qingyi picked up the hot tea on the table and handed it to Su Cheng.

Yes, the teacup was hers.

She had drunk from it!

She believed that once Su Cheng realized this, he would surely be flustered and reveal a shy, adorable expression.

Then she could seize the moment to scold him for not calming his mind properly, satisfying her peculiar competitive urge.

However, after Su Cheng took the cup, he didn’t show the embarrassed or shy demeanor Ji Qingyi had expected.

On the contrary—

“Thank you, President.”

Su Cheng held the cup with both hands and took a sip. The warm sensation instantly dispelled the heat he’d been feeling.

No reaction at all?

“Hmm?” Ji Qingyi looked up at him.

Su Cheng lowered his head again, pointing at the phone app with complete focus on teaching. “President, look, you just need to tap this button on the right side of the screen to open the app. You can try its basic functions first.”

“……”

Ji Qingyi withdrew her gaze expressionlessly.

She began thinking about other ways to break his composure.

Meanwhile, Su Cheng was completely absorbed in the joy of teaching. He casually downloaded an emoji pack, but because his phone was too old and lagging, the image didn’t load in time. He tapped an emoji and sent it to the president without looking.

“President, I just sent you an emoji pack.”

Su Cheng didn’t look back and continued explaining, “Emoji packs are the most common thing in chats; they help express meaning more easily, kind of like body language when you’re talking to someone in real life.”

“Really?”

Ji Qingyi replied coldly.

She stared at the emoji.

Yes, an emoji—a cute cat carrying a sack of rice on its left shoulder and a gas cylinder on its right.

The caption read: “My body is strong, I can carry a sack of rice, I can carry a gas cylinder, but I can’t carry missing you.”

Seeing this emoji, Ji Qingyi’s grip on her phone tightened sharply, almost crushing it.

“President?”

Noticing the change in Ji Qingyi’s mood, Su Cheng mistakenly thought she was very interested in the emoji’s content and hurriedly sent a few more emojis that failed to load.

“Ding dong~”

A message arrived.

It was still the same cute cat, but this time holding a clock.

The caption read: “Baby, I just bought a clock, guess what kind? A clock that’s devoted to you.”

“Ding dong~”

Another message came through.

Again, the same cute cat, but this time looking scared.

The caption read: “Do you know why I’m so scared? Because I’m afraid of my wife.”

………

A relentless barrage of cheesy love lines in emoji form bombarded Ji Qingyi’s pure heart, making her face flush even redder, as if it might start bleeding.

“Do you want more, President?” Su Cheng asked, “I have plenty here, you can click the images to save them.”

“That’s enough!”

Ji Qingyi suddenly interrupted him with a sharp voice, then quickly closed her phone. She took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil inside: “Su Cheng, please leave.”

“Huh?”

“Get out,” Ji Qingyi repeated, her voice turning a little cold, “Right now. Immediately.”

Just then, the club dismissal bell rang.

“Oh…” Su Cheng was a bit confused but nodded anyway, “Alright, I’ll head home then.”

As soon as Su Cheng left, Ji Qingyi took several deep breaths. She tried hard to calm her racing heart and breathing, then picked up her teacup, hoping a sip of tea would help her regain composure.

But…

The teacup had just been used by Su Cheng, and she was about to drink from the very spot he had touched, as if it still carried his saliva and warmth. This made Ji Qingyi’s breathing, which had just started to steady, become wildly erratic again.

………

After returning home, Su Cheng carefully tended to his peonies, then washed all the ingredients he’d bought today, preparing to cook a delicious dinner.

After dinner, he went for a night run, exercising for a full hour and a half. Then he showered and went to bed.

Lying in bed, flipping through the “Flower Care Manual,” Su Cheng suddenly thought about the club activity that afternoon.

“The president’s mood really is unpredictable,” he sighed. He put down the book and opened his phone to send a goodnight message to his president.

But when he opened the chat and saw the emojis he had sent her, his expression froze, and he blushed deeply, his ears burning with embarrassment.

What… what’s going on?

Who stole my phone to send those emojis?

He still couldn’t believe he had actually sent those things—after all, they were way too embarrassing!

Finally, after double-checking, he came to a conclusion.

This was sent by the club president this afternoon.

“How am I supposed to face the president tomorrow?!”

Su Cheng, now fully realizing what had happened, couldn’t help but cover his cheeks, his voice tinged with embarrassment and frustration: “Damn those cheesy memes—I actually downloaded that kind of stuff, and worse, I sent it to the president... Ahhh, this is so humiliating.”

………………………

The next day.

The first thing Su Cheng did after waking up was check his messages.

But instead of the president’s reply, he received a message from Senior Liu.

Liu Qingyue: “I have something to attend to this morning, so I won’t be coming for breakfast! Also, I noticed that the young lady seems a bit off.”

Not a fan of oranges: “Got it.”

*Sigh.*

He couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

Yesterday, he had tried explaining things to the president, but the other party had completely ignored him. Even the next day, there was still no response.

With a heart full of unease, he anxiously went through his morning routine—brushing his teeth, washing his face, getting dressed. After breakfast, he headed to the bookshelf to pick out a book.

He had promised Li Guanqi to exchange books.

But when it came time to choose, he found himself at a loss, completely unsure of what to pick.

First of all, web novels were definitely out of the question. After all, Li Guanqi was a literary girl—there was no way she would read web fiction.

That would be completely inappropriate, and it would ruin his image, making him seem rude.

In the end, he settled on a short story collection.

It was one he personally liked. The moment he finished reading it and closed the book, he had felt both passionately inspired and deeply empty.

……………

“Hey, your collar is crooked—fix it.”

“Students, please don’t run or cause a disturbance!”

“Hey, wait! Pets are not allowed inside the teaching building!”

Upon arriving at school, the Disciplinary Committee Members were inspecting student conduct. Su Cheng, like a mere extra, witnessed a chaotic scene unfold before quietly entering the teaching building.

Although he wasn’t caught by the Disciplinary Committee Members, he was soon intercepted by another group—Zhao Yan and her friends.

“Su Cheng, wait up.”

“Su Cheng!” Zhao Yan and Xuan Ying jogged after him, followed by a few boys.

“About what happened yesterday, we’re really sorry.”

Zhao Yan looked genuinely remorseful, as if she had committed a grave mistake. “We didn’t think it through and shouldn’t have suspected you without understanding the situation first. We’re sorry.”

“Huh?”

Su Cheng was left utterly confused.

He remembered not having fully explained himself yesterday.

So why were they apologizing to him now?

Could it be that President Ji had stepped in?!

He was completely baffled.

“Sorry.” Xuan Ying also looked apologetic. “It was my fault yesterday. I apologize and hope you can forgive me.”

After saying that, the two girls bowed sincerely.

With Zhao Yan and Xuan Ying already apologizing, naturally, Wang Guancong and Gao Ye also lowered their heads in admission of fault.

“Yes, we’re really sorry.”

“We never expected you to have experienced memory loss!”

What the heck?!

Memory loss?

I have memory loss?

How come I didn’t know about it?

Who added this ridiculous plot twist to me?!

It couldn’t have been Senior Liu, right?

Thinking about it, that seemed quite likely.

“Uh, it’s okay, I didn’t really mind.”

Su Cheng quickly waved his hand. “Since the matter is settled, there’s nothing more to discuss.”

“That’s great!” Zhao Yan and Xuan Ying both breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. “Thank you.”

“Mm.” Su Cheng nodded.

“At noon…” Xuan Ying suggested, “Let us treat you to make up for it.”

“That’s not necessary.” Su Cheng refused outright. “It was just a misunderstanding, and now that it’s cleared up, that’s enough.”

Xuan Ying looked a bit reluctant. She bit her lip and said, “I… I really am very sorry… I want to make it up to you…”

“Really, no need.”

Su Cheng shook his head. “If you truly want to thank me, just treat things as usual. Don’t make me feel pressured.”

As he spoke, he glanced around. The other students were all giving him strange looks, which made him feel awkward. “Anyway… let me head back to class first. I’m not used to this.”

Zhao Yan noticed his discomfort and kindly said, “Alright then. If you need anything, feel free to contact us anytime. We’ll do our best to make it right.”

With that, everyone naturally dispersed.

“Phew~”

Su Cheng exhaled deeply and hurried back to class. The moment he stepped in, his eyes immediately found Li Guanqi quietly sitting in the corner. She was sitting upright in her seat, her eyes lowered, hands holding a book.

Then, as if sensing something, she slowly lifted her gaze and looked directly at him.

Their eyes met.

Silence stretched for several seconds.

Li Guanqi was the first to slightly nod, a silent greeting.

Su Cheng nodded back before vaguely averting his eyes and moving toward his desk. He rummaged through his school bag and pulled out a book, then walked over to her desk and placed the book there.

“Mm.”

Li Guanqi responded softly, putting away her book before handing Su Cheng the dessert book from yesterday. “I’ve already read it once. You can take it.”

“Oh… okay.”

Su Cheng took the book, a little embarrassed as he explained, “Um, I’ll need about a week to finish it before I can return it to you. I hope that’s alright.”

“No problem.” Li Guanqi nodded again, but her gaze grew somewhat complicated, as if searching for something, or maybe expecting something. Her expression was tangled and made one curious.

Noticing this, Su Cheng paused and asked, “Are you looking for something?”

Hearing his question, Li Guanqi lifted her head slightly and looked straight into his eyes, as if thinking it over. In the end, she sighed softly and shook her head. “Nothing.”

This time, her tone carried a faint hint of disappointment and unhappiness. She then lowered her head and buried herself in her book, clearly not planning to engage with Su Cheng.

Su Cheng was even more confused. Unable to figure it out, he decided to stop thinking about it for now and turned to leave.

It wasn’t until the second period that Su Cheng finally understood the reason.

He had completely forgotten to bring the steamed buns yesterday!!

He slapped his forehead in frustration. There had been so much going on yesterday that he had completely overlooked the promise he made to bring steamed buns for Li Guanqi!

What should he do? What should he do!!!

What if she didn’t have lunch because of him?

Su Cheng was anxious to the point of desperation.

For now, the only option was to buy her lunch at noon!

With this in mind, he wrote a small note, using the excuse of going to the restroom, and casually left it on Li Guanqi’s desk. The note instructed her to wait for him on the lawn at noon.

When he returned from the restroom, he breathed a sigh of relief, clearly sensing that her mood had lifted. Even when she nodded at him, her eyes softened noticeably.

……………………

Noon.

“I’d like a slice of cake and a fresh milk, please!” Su Cheng went straight to the school’s cake shop, picked out a slice of cake and a bottle of fresh milk, paid, and then headed toward the lawn carrying the bag.

Before long, he reached the lawn, where Li Guanqi was sitting, deeply focused on the book in her hands.

He glanced around cautiously and, seeing no one nearby, finally approached her. She seemed to sense his presence and immediately closed the book.

But in the next moment—

The instant Li Guanqi turned her head, a sudden and intense sense of déjà vu washed over her. It was as if the scene before her had happened before or appeared in a dream, giving her a powerful feeling of familiarity.

“I forgot to make the rice dumplings, so I went to buy some cake instead,” Su Cheng said apologetically, holding out the bag in front of her. “I’m really sorry… but I promise I’ll make it up to you tomorrow.”

However, Li Guanqi didn’t take the bag right away. She stared blankly at the food for a long moment before finally reaching out to accept it.

She was still caught in that strange déjà vu, her mind flickering with fragmented images. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t recall or grasp those memories clearly—it was like an ordinary case of déjà vu.

Yet, she was certain it wasn’t just ordinary. A familiar image had indeed flashed through her mind.

This realization only confirmed her amnesia, stirring a huge turmoil within her. Her brow furrowed deeply, and a trace of irritation surfaced in her heart.

“Well… I won’t disturb you any longer.”

Su Cheng assumed she was upset, so he didn’t want to bother her further and tried to leave quickly. But unexpectedly, Li Guanqi called out to him, “Wait a moment.”

He turned around to see her standing up, holding the cake, and stepping in front of him. Her eyes were deep and steady as she looked at him.

“There’s a lot here. I can’t finish it all, and it would be a waste,” she said.