Xu Jinsi said it plainly, and his volume was neither loud nor soft.
Wang Aitian, who was sitting beside Ji Liuyue, had a mouthful of taro balls. She could neither chew nor swallow them, and nearly choked.
What… what?
Was this really happening?
She looked at Ji Liuyue, her face tense but filled with excitement.
Ji Liuyue merely said in a calm tone, “Oh. Then whose fault is it that you arrived late?”
Xu Jinsi froze.
“I…”
Ji Liuyue gazed gently at the box of taro balls in his hand and said, “Come earlier next time, understand?”
The grievance in Xu Jinsi’s heart gradually transformed into a strange sense of satisfaction.
She really wants to eat the taro balls I made myself. I just wasn’t early enough this time, so Lu Nanxun got there first.
Next time, that won’t happen.
“Okay!” he said, nodding vigorously.
“Don’t let that box go to waste. Cook it for yourself,” Ji Liuyue added.
“Okay!”
Xu Jinsi’s mood went from cloudy to sunny. He made his way briskly into the kitchen.
Turning to Lu Nanxun, he said, “Excuse me, move aside. I need to cook something.”
The kitchen they were in was an open, U-shaped kitchen, and Lu Nanxun had heard every word of their conversation.
Of course, he understood what it meant.
Xu Jinsi liked Ji Liuyue. He had practically laid his cards on the table.
But what about Ji Liuyue…?
Did she like him too?
Lu Nanxun’s gaze fell on the bowl of taro balls in front of her, and he couldn’t suppress the dark satisfaction rising in his heart.
So what if Xu Jinsi liked her?
Wasn’t Ji Liuyue still eating the taro balls he had cooked?
Just because Xu Jinsi had the advantage before didn’t mean he could seize the upper hand every time.
Lu Nanxun’s eyes darkened.
He finally realized that his concern and attention toward Ji Liuyue were anything but ordinary.
Even though they seemed mismatched in every possible way, he still couldn’t control his gaze or make himself look away from her.
With that thought, Lu Nanxun abandoned his usual mild and honest demeanor.
In a firm tone, he said, “I’m still cooking. You can cook yours after I’m finished.”
He met Xu Jinsi’s eyes without backing down even an inch.
So much for being a gentleman.
Xu Jinsi was extremely perceptive and immediately sensed that something was off. He gave a soft snort and said, “Don’t you need to cook your taro balls for Liu Qingye?”
Lu Nanxun replied without changing expression, “My taro balls are being eaten by Liuyue.”
His tone was perfectly calm.
But Xu Jinsi could still sense the hint of provocation.
Yes!
This honest, straightforward Lu Nanxun was provoking him!
How infuriating!
The two faced each other, neither willing to give way. Not knowing what else to do, Wang Aitian nibbled on her gossip from a short distance away, then tugged at Ji Liuyue’s sleeve.
In a low voice, she said, “Yueyue, this is bad. They aren’t going to start fighting, are they?”
Ji Liuyue smiled. “It’s fine even if they do. There are cameras, after all.”
Maybe it would even give the production team a major highlight.
Two male guests nearly come to blows over a bowl of taro balls? Click WW Video to watch the full variety show.
Just as things were about to descend into complete chaos, Liu Qingye walked into the kitchen with a blanket draped around her shoulders.
Seeing the two male guests she liked both crowded into the kitchen, she still hadn’t realized what was going on. She came a little closer and asked, “Huh? Are Nanxun and Jinsi cooking tonight?”
Lu Nanxun: “Yes!”
Xu Jinsi: “No!”
Liu Qingye had already noticed Wang Aitian and Ji Liuyue eating taro balls at the dining table. She glanced at the box in Xu Jinsi’s hand, then smiled brightly.
“Are you going to cook taro balls? I’d like a bowl too.”
Xu Jinsi answered decisively, “I’m cooking them for myself. There isn’t enough for anyone else.”
Liu Qingye awkwardly looked at the small pot beside Lu Nanxun. There was still more than a bowl of coconut-milk taro balls inside, and she immediately brightened.
“Oh? Nanxun, you’ve already cooked some. That’s wonderful. Could you serve me a bowl?”
Xu Jinsi suddenly perked up and egged him on. “Yeah, Nanxun, serve Liu Qingye a bowl. There’s plenty left anyway.”
At a time like this, any respectable gentleman would have agreed.
After all, Ji Liuyue and the others were already eating theirs.
There was still plenty left in the pot, so giving some to Liu Qingye really wouldn’t have been a big deal.
But Lu Nanxun was not only a gentleman. He was also a man with a strong sense of boundaries. Once he decided to stop pursuing anything further with Liu Qingye, those boundaries had to be made perfectly clear.
He moved the small pot aside and said, “These are for Liuyue.”
In the distance, Wang Aitian tugged at Ji Liuyue’s sleeve again.
Her eyes were practically screaming with gossip.
It was as if she were saying, Girl, what’s going on? Why did Lu Nanxun suddenly lay his cards on the table too?
Oh my gosh! This is explosive! This is so exciting!
They had eaten their fill of gossip in this dining room today.
Ji Liuyue was a little surprised.
She looked toward Lu Nanxun.
She hadn’t expected him to realize his feelings so quickly. Given his stubborn personality, she had thought he would need several more days to sort things out.
Liu Qingye was devastated.
Her face held an expression that was neither quite crying nor smiling. She could only ask softly, “Isn’t Liuyue already eating?”
“Yes, but I was worried she wouldn’t get enough, so I cooked extra,” Lu Nanxun said, making his position clear once again. “If you want some, you can cook it yourself. The kitchen will be available to you in fifteen minutes.”
Liu Qingye pressed her lips together, her eyes dimming. She waved her hand. “Forget it. I’m suddenly not that hungry.”
With that, she wrapped herself in the blanket and left by herself.
Everyone fell silent.
Half an hour later, everyone gathered in the dining room for dinner.
Ji Mingtian noticed immediately that Liu Qingye was absent and said to the others, “You all eat first. I’ll go get Yezi.”
The others acknowledged him.
Five minutes later, Ji Mingtian returned with an awkward expression.
Zhang Weiyi asked in confusion, “Couldn’t you find her?”
“I found her, but she was alone on the second-floor terrace. She said she wasn’t hungry.” Ji Mingtian sat down glumly, clearly distracted throughout the meal.
Just before they finished eating, he couldn’t help asking, “Do you know why Yezi is upset? When I went to get her just now, her eyes were red, like she’d been crying.”
“I asked her what was wrong, but she wouldn’t say anything.”
Wang Aitian, who had silently enjoyed the entire show, let her eyes dart back and forth. In the end, she kept her mouth shut and shook her head vigorously.
Forget it. Better to pretend I don’t know.
Ji Liuyue, however, set down her chopsticks and said with a bright smile, “She’s probably upset because she didn’t get to eat any taro balls today.”
“Taro balls? Does Yezi like taro balls?” Ji Mingtian rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then glanced at the food group. Suddenly, he realized what had happened.
“By the way, wasn’t your activity today making taro balls? Did you cook all of them?”
Xu Jinsi said, “I only cooked my own box.”
Lu Nanxun said, “Same.”
Zhang Weiyi shook his head. “Mine looked too awful, so I didn’t bring it back. But Yezi’s box should still be in the refrigerator.”
Ji Mingtian sprang to his feet.
He opened the refrigerator and said, “I’ll cook them for her. We can add strawberry milk afterward. It should taste even better than the coconut-milk flavor.”
Ji Liuyue silently gave him a thumbs-up.
Bro! To be this much of a simp takes real professional skill!
