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ALHM Chapter 31

He took the train only to the city center, and to get back to the hotel, he would need to change two subway lines. But as Yan Qing opened his eyes, all he saw was the dim ceiling.

This was the hotel apartment room’s ceiling.

Yan Qing sat up suddenly.

How did he get back? Wasn’t he just on the train a moment ago? The room was unlit, and he could only make out the room’s shape vaguely through the faint starlight filtering through the curtains.

Yan Qing searched his memory while feeling his way out of bed to turn on the lights. An old-fashioned clock on the wall ticked away, showing that it was nine in the evening, and the lenses of the live cameras were all covered.

The room was so quiet.

At that moment, there was a faint sound of footsteps outside the door, and in the next moment, the doorknob turned, and Wen Jueli walked in. He saw Yan Qing standing behind the door and was slightly surprised. “You’re awake?”

Yan Qing: “Hmm…”

His head was still foggy from sleep, and he sat on the couch, looking up at Wen Jueli. “How long have I been asleep?”

Wen Jueli: “About three hours. You fell asleep on the train, and then I helped you back.”

Yan Qing: “You helped me back?”

He had no memory of that at all.

Really?

Seeing Wen Jueli pursing his lips and nodding  without saying anything, Yan Qing seemed to understand something. He smiled, not pressing for more details.

Wen Jueli was still wearing the clothes he had worn when he went out during the day. He placed a printed paper on the table and said, “I just went out to a. Internet cafe to print this.”

Yan Qing picked it up and looked at it. “Is this the information about the opera house?”

Wen Jueli: “Yes. The production team has already booked the tickets, and I entered our information on the official website. So we just need to provide our IDs when we go there tomorrow.”

Tomorrow’s itinerary was to go to the opera house for a performance.

So, that’s what they were discussing on the train.

The room’s light was a rusty yellow, falling from the ceiling and softening Wen Jueli’s stern facial features, as if it had been filtered.

Yan Qing boldly stared at Wen Jueli like this, making him somewhat uncomfortable in the process. He placed his backpack on the other end of the couch, cleared his throat, and said, “I also wrote an email to the airline to ask for their help in locating your luggage,”

Wen Jueli: “That should speed things up.”

Wen Jueli always helped him like this, and Yan Qing didn’t know what else to say besides ‘thank you.’

Wen Jueli: “It’s okay.”

He didn’t know why he kept helping Yan Qing like this, even though it was just a contractual relationship. But when the production team mentioned needing to look up information online, he was the first to think of helping Yan Qing write the email. Maybe it was out of humanitarian assistance or perhaps due to guilt…

Wen Jueli hadn’t figured out how to tell the amnesiac Yan Qing about that incident yet.

Collecting his thoughts, Wen Jueli noticed that Yan Qing was still staring at him.

He stiffened and blurted out, “What’s wrong?”

Yan Qing, feeling a bit embarrassed, grinned and scratched the back of his head. “Uh… I still want to ask a question…”

Wen Jueli’s temples throbbed. “Hmm?”

This question had been stuck in Yan Qing’s mind all day, and he just couldn’t hold it in any longer. With a playful look, he shamelessly raised his thumb and said, “Husband, your body is amazing! Can I ask how you got it and how long you’ve been working out?”

Wen Jueli: “…”

Yan Qing had some restraint. At least he didn’t blurt out that he wanted to see Wen Jueli’s body again. It wasn’t because he was a fan of Sai*. Itt was just that the morning’s impactful image had been so stimulating.

(TL: * A reference to bodybuilding.)

During his student days, Yan Qing had tried various sports and exercised regularly to have the energy and stamina for theater rehearsals. Although his physical condition was much better than his peers, he had never had things like eight-pack abs that symbolized male hormones!

Slowly, a faint, inexplicable blush crept up on Wen Jueli’s cheeks. He was somewhat embarrassed but pretended to remain calm. “If you want to work out, we can find a personal trainer when we get back…”

While speaking, he concealed a hint of nervousness. “By the way, everyone ordered takeout. Are you hungry?”

Hmph, Yan Qing couldn’t help but feel that Wen Jueli was just avoiding sharing his workout secrets. What was the fun in getting a personal trainer? Yan Qing silently thought that someday he would become a macho man too!

But you can’t beat the feeling of hunger with theories. When Wen Jueli didn’t mention it, Yan Qing was fine, but as soon as it was brought up, he realized he was starving. His stomach growled several times, and he hadn’t eaten since noon. As soon as he stepped out, he caught a familiar yet unfamiliar scent of sauce.

Everyone was gathered in the living room.

Xia Xingchen, holding two bags of takeout, said, “Yan Qing, you’re awake! Come quickly! We just brought back some takeout.”

It was already very late when they returned from the train station, and everyone was physically and mentally exhausted. Going to a restaurant for dinner would be too troublesome, so they ordered takeout from a nearby Chinese restaurant.

They had been waiting for a whole hour.

Everyone was absolutely starving.

Yan Qing sat in his seat, holding a bowl of rice. He looked at the dishes in disposable takeout containers on the table and couldn’t help feeling that it was a bit unusual.

It couldn’t be called authentic Chinese food. It was more like a modified British version of Chinese food.

Although it didn’t taste exceptionally delicious and was merely to fill their stomachs, Yan Qing couldn’t help but feel it was rather bland. Nevertheless, he was easy to please. As long as it was edible, he was fine with it.

But He Zijia didn’t take more than a few bites before putting down her bowl. She candidly said, “This isn’t good at all… too sweet and sour.”

If it were regular Western food, that would be one thing, but since it was Chinese food, He Zijia was quite upset about how it turned out.

[Why does He Zijia have such a spoiled attitude… Everyone else is eating just fine, but she doesn’t want to?]

[If you don’t want to eat, don’t waste food. Seriously, I really hate people who waste food.]

[Hey, if you don’t know the whole story, don’t rush to judge.]

[Exactly. He Zijia used to run a restaurant, and she’s known to be particular about food. So, it’s pretty normal for her to react this way to this modified Chinese food.]

[But that doesn’t mean you should show your displeasure while others are eating.]

He Zijia had a stern expression and said, “I can’t continue eating this.”

As the oldest brother, Gu Siwei tried to consider everyone’s feelings and asked, “You don’t like it?”

He Zijia: “Hmm… It doesn’t taste good.”

After she said this, there was a moment of silence, suggesting that others shared her opinion.

But that didn’t mean they couldn’t eat it.

The cost of this meal was not insignificant, and He Zijia’s comments made Gu Siwei realize something. He thought for a moment and said, “What if, starting tomorrow, if we have time, we cook at the hotel?”

The hotel was the type with apartment-style accommodations that included a kitchen. Gu Siwei’s only concern was that some people might not be happy with the idea. After all, they were traveling abroad, and it would be strange if they didn’t experience local cuisine and only ate the Chinese food they were used to since childhood.

So he added a specific condition: “If there’s time.”

Soon enough, several of them agreed with the idea, but raised another question: “But, Gu ge, can you cook?”

Gu Siwei couldn’t. He appeared approachable, but in reality, he came from an affluent family and had been a company president for over a decade. Cooking was usually delegated to the household staff.

Although He Zijia’s parents were chefs, she hadn’t learned to cook.

Gu Siwei was still contemplating whether to ask if Wen Jueli was willing to do it when Yan Qing spoke up directly, “I can do it!”

As soon as the question of who could cook was asked, Yan Qing became enthusiastic.

He fell into the category of someone who was both inexperienced and loved to have fun. Learning to cook had made him proud for a long time. He thought that even on a trip, he would have a chance to show his skills!

Ni Li was surprised, “You can cook?”

Yan Qing proudly replied, “I just learned recently, and my husband even said I have a talent for cooking.”

[Hmm… Does Yan Qing really know how to cook?]

[I don’t know. Maybe he’s one of those cooks whose presentation isn’t great but the taste is amazing? Mr. Wen even praised Yan Qing before.]

[The production team should get ready with an ambulance, haha! Yan Qing’s cooking is going to be a surprise.]

[He even burned the pot black before, hahaha, this will be interesting.]

And so, they all agreed that Yan Qing would be the one to cook.

He eagerly accepted and asked everyone what they wanted to eat, so he could prepare and go shopping, especially for He Zijia: “Zijia, do you want tomato and egg stir-fry?”

He Zijia, who hadn’t expected Yan Qing to be the cook, hesitated and said, “Hmm. And also…”

***

After dinner, Yan Qing finished washing up and returned to his room. He found the room was dark and silent. It seemed like Wen Jueli had fallen asleep. The starlight outside the window was faint. He quietly closed the door, placed the completed shopping list on the table, and then went to bed.

Yan Qing nestled under the covers, adjusted his pillow, and softly spoke to the man who had turned his back to him and was already asleep. “Goodnight, Jueli.”

A profound silence enveloped the room.

It wasn’t clear how much time passed, but Wen Jueli eventually opened his eyes in the darkness. His eyes were as cold as an icy lake, perhaps even colder than the patch of moonlight on the floor.

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