The blind date that day was a failure. Her stepmother scolded her and then arranged another blind date for her.

This time, her stepmother monitored the entire process.

The next blind date was with a returnee master's degree holder, who wore gold-rimmed glasses and a suit, looking like quite a gentleman.

Since he was a returnee, the location was set at an upscale Western restaurant, according to his preference.

However, as soon as they arrived at the restaurant, this so-called gentleman revealed his true colors, boasting nonstop about his glorious past abroad.

Bu Meng felt awkward listening to him, but her stepmother thought he was a promising young man and whispered to her to be more proactive.

Proactive? How? By bragging about how popular her comics were and how famous she was in the domestic comic industry?!

After finishing his tales, the returnee began to brag about his taste.

"This restaurant is one of my favorites. The owner is a chef from a Michelin three-star restaurant abroad. He returned to China a couple of years ago to open his own place, and the menu reflects his unique style."

Bu Meng, resting her chin on one hand, nodded and said, "But I have a Chinese palate, and I can't get used to half-cooked steaks with blood. I prefer youtiao and soy milk over bread and milk."

This made the situation awkward.

Bored, Bu Meng took a photo of the restaurant and posted it on her social media with the caption: "My blind date is a returnee. Should I order a medium-rare steak and ask for chopsticks right in front of him?"

Unexpectedly, Yan Shu sent her a private message shortly after.

"Do it. I'll personally serve it to you."

"…"

About ten minutes later, Bu Meng saw Yan Shu, dressed in a chef's uniform, bringing a steak to her.

Yan Shu placed it in front of her, "Miss, here is your medium-rare steak and chopsticks."

Bu Meng was stunned for a moment before she responded, "Th-thank you."

But why was Yan Shu here? Was this where he worked?

After serving the dish, Yan Shu glanced at the returnee before walking away.

The returnee suddenly asked her, "Was that Yan Shu just now?"

"Yes."

"You know him?"

"Yes."

"Did you know he's the owner of this restaurant?"

"…" That, she really didn’t know.

This blind date, because her stepmother was with her, didn’t allow her to cause any trouble, but she really didn’t have any good feelings toward the returnee.

After leaving the restaurant, her stepmother went home by herself. Bu Meng didn’t want to go back, so she quietly slipped back into the restaurant to find Yan Shu.

Seeing her looking a bit down, Yan Shu took her to the kitchen and made her a diamond-shaped wine jelly.

The sparkling wine jelly, a beautiful dessert, was sweet and delicious with a hint of alcohol, instantly lifting Bu Meng’s spirits.

As deep autumn arrived and the weather cooled, the autumn heat hit hard. Bu Meng, not being careful, caught a cold.

She bundled herself up tightly, but while working on her illustrations, she couldn’t stop sneezing.

That evening, when she went out to take out the trash, she happened to run into Yan Shu, who was just coming home from work.

With only her eyes showing through all the layers, Yan Shu had to take a good look before recognizing her.

He asked, "Caught a cold?"

Bu Meng’s loud sneeze was all the answer he got.

"Did you take any medicine?"

"I did, but it doesn’t seem to be helping," Bu Meng’s voice was nasal, sounding particularly pitiful. "I think my taste buds are broken; nothing tastes good."

Yan Shu couldn’t help but smile. Only a true foodie would still be thinking about food while sick.

And so, Yan Shu took her back to his place. As she curled up on the sofa, Yan Shu asked her what she wanted to eat.

She thought for a moment and said, "Luo Si Fen (snail rice noodle). Whenever I get a cold, a bowl of Luo Si Fen always makes me sweat it out and feel better."

Sick people are like royalty, so Yan Shu had no choice but to go downstairs to the supermarket to buy the ingredients and then make it for her.

He prepared the soup by simmering pork bones, soup stock, ginger, dried dates, goji berries, and shiitake mushrooms in water.

The fried tofu skin was cut into pieces, and the dried sour bamboo shoots were stir-fried in chili oil before being added to the broth with the tofu skin and brought to a boil.

The rice noodles were cooked separately in clear water and then served in a bowl, topped with the bone broth.

Bu Meng, wrapped up like a little caterpillar, squeezed beside Yan Shu and added cilantro and green onions to her bowl.

The sour and spicy Luo Si Fen made Bu Meng eat with tears and a runny nose, while Yan Shu sat across from her reading a book, occasionally looking up at her, always with a satisfied smile.

He suddenly thought of a saying: When looking for a partner, it’s best to find someone who complements you.

For example, if you like eating sunflower seeds, you should find someone who likes eating the shells. If you like eating crayfish, you should find someone who enjoys peeling the shells. If you like hitting people, you should find someone who enjoys getting hit.

In that sense, a chef and a foodie are a pretty good match.

He liked cooking, and she liked eating… Yan Shu glanced sideways at Bu Meng. Big eyes, long eyelashes, skin especially fair from staying indoors so much, a petite frame—her name suited her well, as she was indeed soft and cute like her name suggested.

Yan Shu’s gaze was so obvious that Bu Meng stopped eating and looked up, asking, "What are you looking at?"

Yan Shu didn’t look away, staring intently at her. "I suddenly realized, you’re quite appetizing."

Bu Meng’s face flushed red, and in her panic, she choked on the Luo Si Fen broth.

Yan Shu hurried over to pat her back, his tone a bit helpless, "What are you so scared of? It’s not like I’m really going to eat you."

Hearing this, Bu Meng started coughing even harder.

It took a while for Bu Meng to finally stop coughing. Yan Shu poured her a glass of water and had her rest on the sofa while he cleaned up the dishes and washed them.

When he returned to the living room after washing up, he found that Bu Meng had fallen asleep.

Bu Meng had thoughtfully taken a blanket from Yan Shu’s room, wrapped herself up tightly, and curled up in a corner of the sofa like a little ball.

Yan Shu walked over and squatted down in front of her, noticing a few stray hairs scattered across her cheek.

He gently brushed them aside.

"You really are like a little kitten—greedy for food and sleep."

He looked at his front door, then at his bedroom, and couldn’t help but wonder what her reaction would be if she woke up in his bed the next morning. The thought brought a small, mischievous smile to his face.

With that in mind, Yan Shu scooped up the curled-up Bu Meng, blanket and all, and carried her into his room.

Bu Meng woke up in the morning because of hunger.

First, she sniffed the air, then slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was a white ceiling.

White?

The ceiling in her room was sky blue!

Bu Meng was startled. She quickly sat up in bed and looked around, realizing this wasn't her room.

Her heart skipped a beat, but after calming down, she lifted the blanket and saw that she was still fully clothed, letting out a sigh of relief.

In her simple mind, as long as her clothes were still on, she was safe.

She thought back on her activities from the previous night, making sure she hadn't done anything reckless after dinner, then got out of bed.

Not finding her shoes, she walked barefoot out of Yan Shu's room.

The air was filled with the aroma of yam. Bu Meng walked to the kitchen door, and sure enough, Yan Shu was busy in the kitchen.

A thick pumpkin and yam porridge was bubbling in the pot, emitting a rich fragrance.

Bu Meng’s stomach embarrassingly growled.

Hearing the noise, Yan Shu turned around. Seeing Bu Meng standing there with messy hair, he smiled and said, "You're awake. Go freshen up; the porridge will be ready soon."

Bu Meng was instantly captivated by that smile.

After freshening up at her own place, Bu Meng returned to Yan Shu's dining table, her face flushed. The fragrant and thick pumpkin and yam porridge was served in a white porcelain bowl, with steam rising from it.

Bu Meng stirred the porridge with a spoon, then looked up at Yan Shu across from her.

"Yan Shu, last night..." She hesitated, her tone shy. "Where did you sleep last night?"

Yan Shu looked at her. "Where do you want me to have slept?"

Bu Meng choked on her own saliva.

Seeing her face turn beet red, Yan Shu’s eyes filled with amusement, and his heart seemed to swell with something warm and full.

After finishing her meal, Bu Meng hurried back to her own home. She intended to work on her illustrations, but her face only grew hotter, her mind increasingly restless and unsettled.

She covered her face and flopped onto her bed, rolling around in a flurry of confusing emotions.

How did she end up sleeping at Yan Shu's place? And waking up in his bed, no less.

Could it be that her innocence was ruined by a moment of recklessness after dinner?

At 25, this was the first time Bu Meng had ever experienced such a strong, ambiguous emotion, and it left her feeling completely at a loss.

That evening, she didn’t go to Yan Shu's place for dinner as usual. Instead, she stayed home and worked on her drawings. But as she drew, the male lead’s face in her comic started to look more and more like Yan Shu.

It's over, she really has developed feelings for Yan Shu.

Bu Meng hid at home for a whole day. Early the next morning, her stepmother called and told her to come home.

Bu Meng refused without thinking, “I have a cold today, so I can't go on a blind date.”

“It’s not a blind date. Hurry back, the kid from the Zhang family next door is back and wants to see you.”

The kid from the Zhang family next door—this was Zhang Wanle, who had watched her grow up since she was little.

Zhang Wanle was three years older than her and had always been the perfect child in everyone’s eyes. He excelled in school and stayed abroad to work after studying there.

When Bu Meng’s mother passed away when she was little, she ran away crying and hid in a park. It was Zhang Wanle who found her and brought her home.

They had always had a good relationship. She used to follow him around, calling him "Wanle Ge" (Brother Wanle), but they lost touch after he went abroad.

She didn’t even know he had returned this time.

Bu Meng quickly gathered her things and hurried out. In the elevator, she bumped into Yan Shu, who was heading to work.

Yan Shu asked her, "Where are you going?"

Normally, she wouldn't go out, and lately, she’d been going on blind dates. Today, she was dressed so nicely—was she going on another blind date?

For some reason, Yan Shu felt a bit displeased.

Bu Meng glanced at him, “My dad wants me to go home.”

Only then did Yan Shu relax. He reached out and straightened her slightly messy hair.

“It’s good to visit home more often, strengthen your ties with your family. Come back early tonight; I’ll make lemon tarts for you.”

Bu Meng nodded.

It had been a long time since they last met, and when Zhang Wanle saw Bu Meng, he immediately pulled her into a hug, then held her face and said, “Bu Meng, you’ve gained weight.”

Bu Meng pushed him away. “What kind of talk is that? This isn’t called gaining weight, it’s called being well-rounded.”

Bu Meng’s half-sister, Bu Tian, chimed in from the side, “Honestly, Sis, you really have gained a lot of weight since the last time you came home. You don’t even cook, so how did you manage to gain weight eating instant noodles?”

The last time she was home was before she met Yan Shu.

Bu Meng laughed it off and changed the subject.

After dinner, Zhang Wanle insisted on driving Bu Meng back to her apartment. On the way, he couldn’t help but ask, “Why don’t you just live with your family? Why do you insist on living on your own? After all these years, you still haven’t accepted your stepmother, have you?”

He was referring to Bu Meng’s stepmother.

Bu Meng turned her face towards the car window and said nothing.

Zhang Wanle asked, “Do you dislike your stepmother?”

“I don’t dislike her, I just really miss my mom.”

Bu Meng’s mother had passed away when she was only seven years old. Later, her father remarried and had a half-sister, Bu Tian. Bu Meng always felt that the three of them were a family, and she was the odd one out.

She started boarding school in middle school, rented an apartment off-campus in college, and had been living on her own ever since.

When Zhang Wanle dropped her off, he insisted on coming up to see her apartment.

Bu Meng didn’t refuse, so she led Zhang Wanle to the elevator. When they reached her floor and the elevator doors opened, they saw Yan Shu waiting by her door.

Yan Shu had been smiling, but when he saw Zhang Wanle stepping out with Bu Meng, his face fell.

“Why did you come back so late?” Yan Shu didn’t hide his displeasure. He stared at Zhang Wanle, his gaze unfriendly.

“There was something at home. But why are you still standing here so late? Aren’t you cold?” Bu Meng, oblivious to the tension between the two men, asked.

Yan Shu glanced at Bu Meng. “Cold? I’m feeling pretty hot right now.”

Before Bu Meng could react, he turned and went back to his apartment, slamming the door loudly behind him.

Zhang Wanle was a bit taken aback. “Your neighbor isn’t very friendly.”

“He’s only like this today.” Bu Meng felt embarrassed. She didn’t know what was up with Yan Shu today; he seemed like he’d taken gunpowder.

Bu Meng led Zhang Wanle into her apartment. Zhang Wanle looked around, inspecting everything. When he opened the fridge and saw only drinks inside, he couldn’t help but frown, “Are you really living on instant noodles like Bu Tian said?”

“I don’t eat at home.”

“Takeout? That’s not nutritious either.”

“Not really.” Bu Meng felt a bit awkward. She couldn’t possibly admit that she was eating at her neighbor’s place all the time.

At that moment, Yan Shu came in with a plate of tarts.

He glanced at Zhang Wanle before placing the tarts on the coffee table in front of Bu Meng.

Zhang Wanle immediately noticed something was off. No wonder there was nothing in her fridge—someone was feeding her regularly.

Bu Meng tried a tart, then invited Zhang Wanle to join her. 

“Wanle Ge, let me introduce you. This is my neighbor, Yan Shu. He’s a very skilled Michelin three-star chef. His food is amazing, you should try some.”

Under Yan Shu’s sharp gaze, Zhang Wanle sat down next to Bu Meng and picked up a tart. He took a bite and teased, “Why do I taste something sour?”

Bu Meng took another bite. “It’s not sour at all.”

Yan Shu flicked Bu Meng’s forehead lightly, then moved even closer to her and said, “Of course it’s sour. We ran out of lemon juice, so I used aged vinegar.”

Zhang Wanle smiled. “Too much aged vinegar isn’t good for your health.”

“I like it.”