Chapter 76 From the old man's...

After leaving the old alley, Huang Shiyu originally wanted to order takeout to eat at home. Although she was so hungry that she didn't feel it anymore, as the old saying goes, "Man is made of iron and food is made of steel; you'll get hungry if you miss a meal." Regular meals are still very important. She couldn't let her health collapse before the project even went public.

As a result, Li Xingzhou said he wanted to treat her to dinner. She originally thought Li Xingzhou meant to find a restaurant, but she didn't expect that he would cook for her.

Thinking back to the last time Li Xingzhou cooked at her house, she felt a chill run down her spine. Li Xingzhou said he was just making simple noodles, and she thought, noodles are something anyone can make, surely he wouldn't make such a mess of the kitchen?

Since she didn't know what to eat, she simply let him have his way.

But the current situation doesn't seem to be much better than she had expected.

The kitchen was saved, but the noodles in my mouth tasted... salty, sour, sweet... and other indescribable flavors. Anyone who didn't know better would think that Li Xingzhou's bowl of noodles was meant to gather all the flavors of life. It was truly hard to swallow.

Huang Shiyu had intended to tease him, but when she looked up, she saw Li Xingzhou looking at her with expectant eyes. The words caught in her throat, and she couldn't say anything. She could only swallow silently, pick up her water glass, and take a sip, treating it as a mouthwash to get rid of the taste.

Although she knew Li Xingzhou was a complete novice in the kitchen—after all, she had witnessed it before—she never expected that Li Xingzhou could make even the simplest noodles so terrifyingly.

Thankfully, she was glad she had only picked up two sticks; otherwise, she would have undoubtedly spat them out.

"How about it?"

Huang Shiyu looked up at him again.

The steaming bowl made his eyes appear exceptionally bright, and even his smile was radiant.

Whatever, if someone offered her another bite, she wouldn't have the courage to pick up her chopsticks; it was simply too much for her psychological limits.

"Hmm." Huang Shiyu picked up her water glass, narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, and slowly drank the water. Li Xingzhou stared intently at her, seemingly expecting Huang Shiyu to affirm and praise his cooking skills, but unexpectedly, Huang Shiyu seemed to have no intention of continuing to speak, instead sipping her water in small sips.

Li Xingzhou's expression was unusually blank. Could it be that it tasted terrible? That shouldn't be the case. He picked up a noodle with his chopsticks, examining it while observing Huang Shiyu's expression. The edges and surface of the noodle were not burnt, and the color was distinct. It hadn't broken even after being picked up for so long, which showed that it was very chewy.

He himself felt that what he did this time was absolutely professional and perfect.

But what was Huang Shiyu's expression? Even though Li Xingzhou was very satisfied with his cooking skills and had great confidence in them, he couldn't help but wonder what Huang Shiyu was trying to say when she looked at him with such deep eyes.

Huang Shiyu held a water glass in one hand and rested her chin on the other, looking at him with a slight upturn of her lips and a hint of teasing in her eyes, "Not bad, it has good color, aroma and taste."

Although she wasn't a good cook, she didn't intend to undermine Li Xingzhou's confidence.

After all, this person's intentions were good; it's just that everyone has different strengths.

Li Xingzhou put down his chopsticks, a huge weight lifted from his heart, replaced by barely concealed excitement and pride. "Not bad, right? I learned this from a video, and I didn't expect to succeed on the first try." His smug expression practically screamed "Come praise me!"

"Oh, it looks pretty good." Huang Shiyu raised his chin. "Try it."

At this moment, Li Xingzhou was extremely pleased with himself and did not notice the fleeting hint of mockery in Huang Shiyu's eyes. The smile on his handsome face was like a gentle spring breeze.

He picked up his chopsticks again, put a few noodles in his mouth, chewed them, and then his brows gradually furrowed. Without needing to look or guess, anyone could see how much pain Li Xingzhou was in at that moment.

Huang Shiyu glanced at it but didn't say anything. Her intention was for him to understand the results of his own work. So, Huang Shiyu took out her phone and checked her WeChat and work email to see if there were any messages to process. After scrolling through and finding no work to process at the moment, she opened WeChat again, and a message popped up at the top.

Lu Xiao sent her a photo of herself pushing a shopping cart in a supermarket. The photo was taken from a zoomed-in angle, making it easy to see what she had bought.

Huang Shiyu replied, "You're still shopping at the supermarket so late?"

"I'll make you a midnight snack. I know you didn't eat dinner last night without even thinking about it."

Huang Shiyu thought she had misread it. She closed her eyes and opened them again, but Lu Xiaofa's message was still unchanged.

The news was too sudden and unexpected for her.

Not to mention what time it is, it takes more than an hour to drive here from the city center.

She quickly typed and told Lu Xiao, "It's too far for you to come over. No need. I'll just cook some noodles or something quick when I'm hungry. Besides, with technology so advanced these days, I can order takeout."

Huang Shiyu originally thought that this would dispel Lu Xiao's idea, but Lu Xiao told her that she had already bought it, and that she had bought it at the supermarket downstairs in her community.

At the same moment, Li Xingzhou glanced down at the noodles he had made several times, his eyes filled with surprise. His previous confidence had vanished. Then, in a tone full of doubt or skepticism, he murmured, "You think these noodles are alright?"

Upon hearing this, Huang Shiyu raised her eyelashes and eyebrows, and joked, "You made the noodles yourself, don't you even taste them before they're done cooking? Chef Li, I told you I'd order takeout."

"This..." Li Xingzhou put down his chopsticks. He didn't expect it to turn out this way. He lowered his eyes and glanced at the noodles in the bowl. After a long while, he said, "I followed the tutorial video step by step, so I shouldn't have made any mistakes. This is probably the taste. After all, you also admitted that the noodles look good."

"I was just being polite, you know what politeness is?" Huang Shiyu thought to herself, but smiled and didn't hold back in teasing him, "Thanks to you, Chef Li, today I finally know what it means to be all show and no substance."

Li Xingzhou knew Huang Shiyu was mocking him, but he didn't know exactly what the problem was. He had indeed followed the instructions he had scoured, reading them word for word and frame by frame. It really shouldn't be like this. Could there be a missing step? It seems he would have to ask the cooking expert Yan Shi later.

"Since you think so highly of your noodles, then you should eat them all. After all, wasting food is shameful."

Li Xingzhou looked troubled. He already disliked this indescribable taste, and her sudden mention of it made him feel like his mouth and stomach were filled with it, almost making him nauseous.

He was utterly ashamed and quickly grabbed his water glass, taking a big gulp to flush out the nauseating taste.

Lu Xiao sent another message, asking her directly: "What, you won't let me cook midnight snacks, and you won't even let me in the door?"

Huang Shiyu paused, her hand holding her phone still. She had forgotten to tell Lu Xiao about this. She turned to look at Li Xingzhou, who was standing there with his head down, his expression unreadable. He was holding a mouthful of noodles, carefully examining them, like a child who had just received a beloved toy and was afraid to use too much force for fear of breaking it.

She thought it was quite cute, so she took a picture and sent it to Lu Xiao, replying: "Come in, you must come in, I'm at Li Xingzhou's place, right across from him. Master Li said he's treating you to dinner today, did you see it? A big bowl of wide noodles."

This was her first time photographing Li Xingzhou, and she never expected it to be in this way.

She never expected that her unintentional act at this time would be brought up by Li Xingzhou in the near future, and that he would make fun of her without any mercy.

Lu Xiao: "I didn't know I was such a big star. I definitely have to try it later."

"Mmm, I'm waiting for you."

After sending it, she looked at Li Xingzhou with a half-smile. He clearly had a terrible cooking experience but wouldn't admit it. But it didn't matter; someone would soon show him whether this was all show and no substance.

Li Xingzhou's hand holding the chopsticks froze in mid-air, unsure whether to put them down or continue his study.

Lu Xiao: "What's going on between you two? You won't even utter a word if I don't ask you, right?"

Huang Shiyu's thumb hovered over the screen, unsure where to begin with Lu Xiao. After a five-second pause, she decided to skip the minutiae and get straight to the point. She had just finished explaining when Li Xingzhou asked, "Then how about we order takeout again?"

"I can eat this as breakfast as soon as the takeout arrives."

Li Xingzhou: "I..."

"Wait, I haven't finished yet," Huang Shiyu interrupted him, straightening up.

Li Xingzhou: "?"

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Huang Shiyu's phone screen also lit up.

"Open the door for me."

"Coming right away."

"Speak of the devil, and he appears." Huang Shiyu put down his phone and pointed to the door.

Li Xingzhou seemed unaware of what had happened. Before he could react, Huang Shiyu calmly turned around and walked from the living room to the door, until the door clicked open.

Outside the door, Lu Xiao was carrying several large plastic bags, which looked quite heavy. Huang Shiyu stepped forward, took the bags from her, and handed them to Li Xingzhou, asking him to put them on the kitchen table. As Li Xingzhou came out, he overheard Huang Shiyu say, "Xiao, you've come at just the right time. Let me tell you, this big bowl of wide noodles was specially made by Chef Li. I'll serve you a bowl."

Li Xingzhou's pupils rapidly dilated and then contracted.

"Hey, no, no, no!" He rushed forward to stop Huang Shiyu's dangerous behavior. "It's cold, you can't eat it." He desperately tried to wink at Huang Shiyu.

Unexpectedly, Huang Shiyu grabbed his hand and said nonchalantly, "No, I just ate it and the temperature is just right." Her tone and expression remained completely unchanged, as if she hadn't gotten his hint.

"How long have you been eating?" Li Xingzhou said through gritted teeth, gripping the edge of the bowl even tighter.

Huang Shiyu looked at Li Xingzhou with a half-smile, thinking to himself, "He must be feeling insecure about his self-proclaimed culinary skills."

Without stopping, she gently pinched the back of his hand. It was so sudden that Li Xingzhou's fingertips trembled, which gave her an opportunity. Huang Shiyu suppressed a laugh and snatched the bowl of soup noodles back from Li Xingzhou, ignoring his bright, surprised eyes.

At this moment, Lu Xiao, who was completely unaware of their situation, tilted her head and asked, "Why are you being so polite? It smells quite nice to me."

“That’s right, I’ll serve you some.” Huang Shiyu winked mischievously at Li Xingzhou, then without saying a word, picked up a mouthful of noodles and fed it to Lu Xiao. The big mouthful almost made Lu Xiao roll her eyes immediately.

Huang Shiyu asked, "How is it?"

Lu Xiao suddenly realized why Li Xingzhou had been stopping Huang Shiyu earlier; this sip really made her feel nauseous. She took a sip of water, pressed her tongue against the roof of her mouth, and then commented very seriously, "It feels like being on the verge of death." She emphasized the word "death," as if she still had lingering fears about it.

Li Xingzhou looked apologetic, while he wondered if his cooking skills were too poor or if he had missed a specific step.

Twenty minutes later, Li Xingzhou got the answer he wanted.

It was true that his skills were inferior to others. If Lu Xiao hadn't had to go back to take care of the sick Dou Dou, he would definitely have asked her for some pointers to figure out which step he had gone wrong. After all, they were both making pickled mustard tuber, shredded pork, and egg white noodles, so how could the taste be so different? It didn't make sense.

"I want more, please get me another bowl." Li Xingzhou handed over the empty bowl, watching Huang Shiyu curl his lips as he served him noodles, and then scooped a large spoonful of shredded meat from the ceramic soup bowl. Li Xingzhou's eyes flickered for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Is it delicious? Xiao's cooking skills are impeccable. But this time I can only scoop out this small bowl for you. If you eat too much, you'll be too full to sleep later." Huang Shiyu handed Li Xingzhou a small bowl of pickled vegetable, shredded pork, and egg white soup noodles.

“It’s not like we eat like this every day.” Li Xingzhou lowered his head, looking at the pickled mustard tuber, shredded pork, and egg white noodles in his bowl. “I haven’t had this pickled mustard tuber, shredded pork, and egg white soup in a long time. I used to eat it often when I was a kid.”

Huang Shiyu didn't know which childhood he was referring to, so she tentatively asked, "When you were little..."

“That was before I was five years old. Although my mother was a pianist, she was also an excellent cook. People say that a pianist’s hands are very precious, but you can’t feel that on her at all.” Li Xingzhou scooped a spoonful of pickled mustard greens and shredded pork into his mouth, chewed it, and swallowed it. “When I was little, I was a picky eater. I didn’t like to eat the yolks of any kind of egg, whether it was chicken, duck, or goose. But because I really liked my mother’s pickled mustard greens, shredded pork, and egg noodles, she would pick out the yolks before putting them back in to cook.”

Hearing him say that, Huang Shiyu replied without hesitation, "I can also make this pickled mustard tuber, shredded pork, and egg white soup. I'll make it for you whenever you want to eat it."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Xingzhou suddenly looked up at her. The warm yellow light enveloped Huang Shiyu, making her look as if she were coated with a soft filter. As Li Xingzhou looked at her, his previously suppressed and gloomy emotions slowly softened. "Okay, the kind that lasts a lifetime? I won't accept anything else." He then laughed.

Huang Shiyu looked at him, chuckled, and clicked her tongue, "You wish." Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at the safe behind him. "Actually, I'm quite curious. What's in that safe of yours?" She had wanted to ask last time, but she was too embarrassed to ask then.

Li Xingzhou paused in his hand as he scooped soup noodles: "Some old stories, what, do you want to see them?"

Huang Shiyu shook his head: "I'd be more interested in things like gold or property deeds, but let's skip the rest."

"Maybe," Li Xingzhou said slowly, stirring the soup in his bowl with a spoon. "I didn't say exactly what it was, did I?"

"What's the password?"

Li Xingzhou didn't answer immediately. His gaze lingered on the safe in the distance for a while, seemingly lost in thought, before shifting to Huang Shiyu's eyes. "There's no password. You can open it directly."

Why isn't the safe set with a password? How much confidence does Li Xingzhou have in the community's security?

This made her even more curious about what was inside the safe.

Huang Shiyu got up from her chair and strode forward to the safe. As soon as she placed her hand on the safe handle, Li Xingzhou's fingers, which were gripping the spoon, unconsciously tightened, and his gaze was fixed on her.

With a "click," Huang Shiyu opened the safe, her gaze suddenly fixed, and her expression changed slightly. She recognized what was inside at a glance. It wasn't the gold or property deeds she had previously thought it was, but the little box of trinkets that Li Xingzhou had thrown into the river in front of her all those years ago.

She clearly saw these things being thrown into that rushing river, so how could they reappear here intact?

Normally, Huang Shiyu would have figured out the cause and effect long ago, but at this moment she just stared blankly at these things, as if her brain had suddenly lost the ability to think.

Compared to Huang Shiyu's blank and bewildered expression, Li Xingzhou spoke much more easily, "After you left that day, I picked it up. Look, it's still here. It wasn't washed away by the river. I've kept it all this time, but after so many years, it's gotten a bit old."

The words that came out of his mouth seemed as light as a feather, yet they stirred up ripples in her heart.

Huang Shiyu stared at him blankly, her expression somewhat complicated. She would rather Li Xingzhou was joking with her, but the facts were right in front of her, and she couldn't deceive herself. "It was raining that day. I remember it was raining heavily. Why did you go to pick it up? Why did you do something so dangerous?"

He didn't know how deep the river was or how fast the current was; one wrong move and even a person could be swept away. But even so, he still went and retrieved these things, disregarding everything and without hesitation.

Li Xingzhou lowered his gaze and remained silent for a moment.

Huang Shiyu thought it was because Li Xingzhou's tone sounded too aggressive, and just as she was about to change her tone, Li Xingzhou suddenly spoke again.

“Because it contains my unspeakable things, my resentment, my desires, my clumsiness.” Li Xingzhou gently held her hand, his gaze fixed deeply on her pupils, with an indescribable tenderness and affection, “and the nine years of my life that were stolen from me.”

Despite this, he was still just as helpless.

Huang Shiyu's breath hitched. Her gaze fell on Li Xingzhou's large hand holding hers, and for a moment, the air between them seemed to freeze. But she could hear her heart pounding rapidly after Li Xingzhou finished speaking, one beat after another, relentlessly striking every part of her body.

It seemed like she hadn't felt such surging and intense emotions in a very, very long time.

"Li Xingzhou, haven't I always owed you a word?" Huang Shiyu's gaze never left his hands. She took a deep breath and said, word by word, "Your probation period is over, and this time I won't let your time wander again."

Li Xingzhou knew she was extending an invitation to him, and at the same time, he was willing to entrust his future to her.

Under the living room's incandescent light, he looked at her, and she looked at him.

Two sweaty hands clasped together, restrained and calm.

"Let it be," Li Xingzhou thought. "Let our lost time, our disordered breathing, and our future destiny be intertwined."

Finally, Li Xingzhou lowered his head and kissed Huang Shiyu's thin, cool lips, responding with a kiss. Outside the window, the rain pattered. They kissed and embraced tirelessly in Shanghai, a city with four distinct seasons.

This concludes the article.

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Author's Note: I finally kept my promise this time, I really finished updating! It was so hard! [Thanks to my mentor for not finding out I was secretly writing today; my heart was pounding the whole time I was writing.]

After reading this, some readers will definitely ask, "Was Li Xingzhou exposed? Did Huang Shiyu know the anonymous user was him?" My answer is no, because that would ruin the story; it would be too contrived. After all, Li Xingzhou's initial intention wasn't to make her aware of his actions. His intentions were pure; he simply wanted to be with her under a different identity—it's that simple. In my eyes, his love is pure. And Huang Shiyu doesn't know many of the things he's done (you all probably understand what I mean, so I won't give examples, which is why I said it wouldn't be interesting if Huang Shiyu knew everything). You could say that in his mind, it's enough for Huang Shiyu to know that he has always loved her. That's enough. But there's plenty of time ahead for them; they have a long future ahead of them. Maybe one day they'll find out. [We can imagine it ourselves!]

What follows is a super long author's note~ [You can choose whether or not to read it~]

First, I'd like to say sorry and thank you everyone. [bows at a 90-degree angle]

To be honest, I've been writing this novel on and off for so long, and there was a point in time when I considered giving up. My friends even advised me to just cut the outline and finish it off, since nobody would read it anyway [honestly, that hit home, haha]. When I was writing this, I was juggling graduate school entrance exams and work, so I really didn't have much time to write. Those of you who are preparing for graduate school entrance exams know how difficult it is to juggle multiple things. So when my friends said that to me, I really wavered, but I didn't. Occasionally, I would see my lovely readers leaving me messages on Weibo or sending me private messages. I vividly remember the first private message I received—someone actually thought my novel was great! I still remember that happiness and excitement. It made me realize how magical words are; I, a creator, could actually gain something from it. I never imagined this before, and I will always remember this wonderful feeling. I think even if I write many more novels in the future, the feeling I have when I think back to this moment will still be indescribable. So thank you so much (double heart emoji). I can say that you all contributed to the completion of this novel. Thank you for your support [or you could say you urged me to update more, haha].

And this article didn't do well, and it didn't get much exposure. So if you think my writing is pretty good and you like it, could you please help me promote it? [If you could, I would be extremely grateful, bowing deeply again.]

Love you all, Jiaojiao~