MHWFYYTMDF Chapter13

He Muyan looked down at the hand gripping his wrist, “Your waist isn’t better yet.”

“You don’t need to use strength in your waist to cook, it’s fine.”

Song Li didn’t know where this desire to show off was coming from. He tilted his head up and looked at him with starry eyes while waiting for his response with a face full of anticipation.

He Muyan should have rejected him outright but looking at his expression and remembering that fridge full of groceries from before, the words at the tip of his tongue were swallowed back down.

“Just make something simple, don’t force yourself.”

Song Li happily walked out while supporting his waist. Looking at his retreating back, He Muyan felt as though he could see a tail sticking up and wagging wildly behind him.

He Muyan was watching television in the living room. A variety show played on the screen, its lively, upbeat rhythm carrying on, but his attention was nowhere on the joking celebrities or the hosts entertaining the audience.

Every so often, faint sounds drifted from behind him; the hiss and crackle of oil in the wok, the steady thud of a knife against the cutting board, and the occasional indistinct hum of someone quietly singing.

He Muyan’s fingers drummed lightly against his arm, the rhythm gradually changing from slow and unhurried to faintly restless. As the television program entered a commercial break, he suddenly stood up and walked toward the back.

Song Li busied himself in the kitchen, still wearing an apron; a pale-yellow one decorated with a cute little bear pattern.

He raised the wok, heated the oil, tossed in the washed meat slices, and then added hot water. Because of his waist injury, all of his movements were gentle and slow, entirely unhurried.

Even though he was just cooking, it was highly pleasing to the eye.

Once all the side dishes and ingredients that needed to be added were in the wok, all that was left was to wait for the water to boil so the flavors could slowly seep in. Song Li placed the lid on the wok and wiped his hands on his apron a couple of times.

The moment he turned around, he saw the large figure looming behind him. Startled, he clutched his chest. “W-When did you come in?”

He Muyan lifted the glass in his hand slightly, “To get water.”

Song Li nodded, but on second thought, something felt off, “You can get water outside too.”

He Muyan’s hand tightened around the glass as he glanced past him, “What are you making?”

“Oh, this?” Song Li’s attention was successfully diverted, “Sour fatty beef soup. It’s one of my specialties.”

Catching the fragrance in the air, He Muyan nodded, “You’re very good at cooking.”

Song Li scratched his chin, “It’s alright. I’m living alone, whenever there was something I wanted to eat, I’d just mess around and make it myself. Over time, I learned how to do it all.”

He Muyan nodded without speaking further.

Both of them fell silent, and that awkward feeling rushed up again. Song Li knew that if he didn’t speak, they would just remain silent like this forever; he couldn’t expect He Muyan to take the initiative to open his mouth at all. If time permitted, the man could probably just hold eye contact with him silently for several hours. This man didn’t seem to experience awkwardness.

So, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and find a topic himself, “Aren’t you going to get water?”

He Muyan glanced at the glass in his hand and set it down on the counter nearby, “I’m not thirsty anymore.”

Song Li: ?

Song Li: “Well, it’s pretty greasy and smoky in the kitchen, so you should head back out and watch television.”

He Muyan shook his head, “The television program is very boring.”

Song Li asked him, “What were you just watching?”

He Muyan: “Happy Camp.”

Song Li nodded with an “oh, oh”, “I watch that one quite often. It’s pretty funny, not bad for killing time.”

He Muyan: “It’s very boring.”

Song Li: ……

Chatting with President He was so hard.

Seeming to notice that he had made the atmosphere a bit awkward, He Muyan took the initiative to ask him, “Don’t you find it boring when you’re cooking?”

Song Li shook his head, “It’s not boring at all. Time passes very quickly when cooking.”

“But don’t you find doing the same things over and over with these ingredients tedious?”

Song Li paused, looking up at him, “Is there… something you want to tell me?”

He Muyan shook his head and pointed his finger, “The pot is boiling.”

Song Li immediately turned back to handle it.

The sour soup fatty beef was ready, so he scooped it out into a deep dish, then continued by stir-frying two seasonal vegetables and making a creamy clam soup.

During this time, he still had to answer the questions He Muyan asked from time to time.

“What vegetable is this?”

“Choy sum. Stir-fried quickly over high heat with plenty of oil, it’s crunchy and very refreshing.”

“What did you just put in?”

“Star anise.”

“What is star anise?”

“A type of spice, used for flavor.”

And so on.

Answering up to this point, Song Li almost wanted to laugh. He finally understood completely that this He Muyan didn’t have something he wanted to tell him at all. He simply didn’t want to go out and wanted to stay here to watch him cook.

How was he just like a little child, insisting on coming over to mess around while the adult in the house was busy, unable to be shooed away, and full of endless questions.

It was just… kind of cute.

Heavens, he was actually using the word “cute” to describe He Muyan.

How terrifying.

With the dishes and soup all ready, Song Li picked up the sour fatty beef soup and handed it to him.

“Time to eat.”

A flash of surprise crossed He Muyan’s eyes as if he had never had this kind of experience serving dishes before.

After a brief moment, he still took the plate from him.

With the dishes laid out, the two of them sat face-to-face together.

There were three dishes and one soup, it wasn’t an extravagant feast, but it carried a warm sense of everyday life.

Song Li had even specifically opened a bottle of red wine, pouring a little for each of them, and picked up his wine glass to look at the person opposite him.

“This is the first time we’ve officially sat down together to have dinner, isn’t it? Shall we celebrate?”

Song Li seemed very happy, the kind of heartfelt joy where the smiles were about to spill over from his eyes. Even though he hadn’t drunk any wine yet, his face was already tinged with a slight flush.

He Muyan picked up his wine glass and gently clinked it against his.

This meal was eaten very pleasantly. Although He Muyan was still cold and hadn’t spoken more than three sentences during the entire duration, Song Li still felt happy and even drank a couple more glasses of wine.

His alcohol tolerance was poor, and with a few glasses of red wine down his stomach, he was already a bit lightheaded.

Seeing him swaying and still trying to get up to clear the dishes and chopsticks, He Muyan pressed down on his hand, “Don’t bother with that, go and rest.”

Song Li shook his head, “They need to be cleared.”

He Muyan gripped his wrist, “Leave them.”

His expression didn’t change at all, but his tone was an unyielding, commanding one.

So, Song Li nodded obediently, “Okay.”

He Muyan released his hand, “Can you walk by yourself?”

Song Li said he could but staggered the moment he stood up.

Fortunately, He Muyan had been ready for it. He caught Song Li securely, who went limp and collapsed gently into his arms.

Letting out a wine-soaked hiccup, Song Li braced both hands against his chest and tried to push himself upright.

“Sorry, I’m fine, it’s just a little… dizzy…”

He Muyan held his waist to keep him from moving. Looking at his flushed cheeks and recalling the scene at the izakaya last night, he said displeasedly, “Do you usually drink often?”

“No,” Song Li slurred his words, “I’m just happy today.”

“Don’t drink carelessly in front of outsiders from now on.”

Song Li struggled to lift his head, “Outsiders?”

He Muyan looked at him, “Anyone other than me.”

Song Li nodded, “Okay.”

He Muyan’s expression softened slightly, and his finger tapped gently against his flushed lips.

Because he had drunk wine, Song Li slept incredibly soundly and sweetly that night.

When he woke up the next day, he felt entirely relaxed and refreshed all over; even his waist basically didn’t hurt anymore.

He climbed out of bed and gave it a couple of tentative twists. He had just begun swaying his hips when the door was pushed open from the other side.

He Muyan walked in while drying his hair with a towel.

Song Li’s movements froze, and he carefully shifted his jutted-out hips back into place.

Unbelievable. Did he absolutely have to be caught by him at such embarrassing moments every single time?

He Muyan seemed to have just returned from a morning workout. His hair was slightly damp with sweat, and his cheeks were a bit flushed, which made his deep and sharp facial features look a lot softer than usual.

Now, this was what a young guy in his twenties was supposed to look like.

Song Li greeted him, “Morning. Did you go for a morning workout again?”

He Muyan nodded, his gaze sweeping around his waist area, “Is your waist better?”

“Yup, it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

He Muyan then turned around and went into the bathroom, looking as though he was going to take a shower.

Watching him close the door, Song Li ran over to the doorway and asked him through it, “I’m going to make breakfast. Is there anything you’d like to eat?”

There was no sound from inside. Only after a moment did He Muyan’s voice come through, “Anything is fine.”

It was an answer completely within expectations, but hearing it still made Song Li feel happy.

In a simple home for two, no matter what you said, there would always be someone responding. He truly loved this kind of ordinary, everyday feeling.

After finishing breakfast, He Muyan took a phone call, and then he was seen ducking right back into the study to busy himself with work again.

Afraid of disturbing him, Song Li put on headphones in the living room and watched television for a little while. Before long, he started to feel bored. Seeing that it was still early, he decided to make a trip back to his own place to fetch all the things he hadn’t had time to bring along last time.

He went upstairs to change his clothes. After giving it some thought, he decided he should let He Muyan know in advance.

The study door was half-ajar, so Song Li didn’t knock. Slipping inside, he saw He Muyan flipping through files at the desk.

Hearing the commotion of him entering, He Muyan raised his head to look at him.

Song Li pointed toward his desk and asked in a low voice, “Will this disturb your work?”

He Muyan shook his head and closed the file, gesturing that he could go ahead and speak.

Song Li felt relieved and raised his volume slightly, “I want to head back to my place for a bit to grab some things.”

He Muyan asked him, “Do you want me to go with you?”

“No need, no need.” Song Li waved his hand, “There aren’t any large items. It’ll be enough for me to drive over by myself.”

He Muyan pondered for a brief moment, seemingly weighing between his work and him.

Then, Song Li saw him raise his head, “If anything comes up, you can call me.”

OK, he still chose work.

Song Li smiled slightly, “Sure, then I’m off.”

He Muyan nodded and, rarely for him, added one more line, “Auntie Chen will be coming over at noon. Is there anything in particular you want to eat?”

Song Li was stunned. Was this his indirect way of telling him that he wanted to have lunch together?

He Muyan truly was so indirect.

Yet, why did he happen to be so weak to this kind of roundabout, subtle thoughtfulness?

Seeing that he hadn’t responded for a while, He Muyan raised his head to look at him again.

Song Li quickly offered a smile, “Anything is fine. I’m not picky.”

He Muyan nodded and went back to looking at his files.

Since Song Li’s own car was still parked in the garage at his own neighborhood, he could only use He Muyan’s car again this time.

The October weather, strictly speaking, was no longer too hot; instead, it carried a crisp feeling of autumn. Looking at the fine weather outside, Song Li suddenly wondered if he should try inviting He Muyan out to get some fresh air.

What was the point of always cooping oneself up at home working?

Though even if he did invite him, there was a very high probability he would be politely refused.

The very moment he used his key to open the door after arriving home, he felt that something was slightly off.

Be it the subtle shifts in the layout around the entryway, or the faint, indistinct scent lingering in the air.

Song Li’s heart tightened, and he subconsciously gripped his phone tightly.

He casually grabbed an umbrella hanging nearby and walked into the house with high alertness.