“What are you thinking about?”

Su Man’s voice pulled Lu Yuwen back from his thoughts.

“Thinking about you,” he replied, curling the corner of his mouth.

Su Man: “……”

She glared at him, face turning red.

Then he continued in his calm, measured way, “Thinking about you…… and whether you’d prefer red wine braised beef, or black pepper roast beef?”

Su Man held herself back. Held herself back again. And finally managed not to splash potato-washing water in his face.

“Stop teasing me.” She hesitated. “It feels very strange.”

……She couldn’t quite put it into words — embarrassed, irritated, thrown off-balance, and yet somehow a little pleased. A very strange and complicated mixture of feelings.

If it had been any other man flirting with her, she probably wouldn’t have thought about it this much — she’d have rolled her eyes, or in serious cases, thrown a punch. But because it was Lu Yuwen, it was somehow……

Well. Just strange, somehow.

Lu Yuwen’s reaction was perfectly easy, the way one might react to a light joke between friends. He laughed and said, “Noted. Next time I’ll speak faster and try not to pause so dramatically.”

Su Man was charmed out of her awkwardness and laughed despite herself. The faint trace of awkwardness in the air dissolved without a trace.

She laughed and said, “You did it on purpose. You wanted to see me make a fool of myself.”

“You’re cute.” Lu Yuwen laughed too.

That line could also have been classified as flirting, but with the exchange they’d just had as context, Su Man felt comparatively more at ease.

If she could get used to his way of talking, she might even feel like she had been overreacting.

Come to think of it…… from childhood through to now, no man had ever spoken to her quite like this. No wonder she wasn’t used to it.

The ingredients were nearly all ready. Lu Yuwen turned his full attention to cooking and stopped teasing Su Man.

He had already gained quite a lot today.

……

The two of them had dinner together, the atmosphere warm and easy.

Four dishes and a soup were laid out on the long dining table. The colors were well-matched — vivid reds and bright greens — and the presentation alone was enough to work up an appetite.

Su Man couldn’t quite tell whether this counted as Chinese or Western cuisine. It had the distinctive spices and plating style of Western cooking, yet also the pan-frying and stir-fry techniques of Chinese cooking. Whatever it was — it was delicious.

She ate with focused attention, preparing herself to offer constructive feedback if Lu Yuwen needed it.

Lu Yuwen asked, “Have you been in touch with Li Li lately?”

Su Man was caught off guard.

This wasn’t quite the kind of question she’d expected. She had assumed he would ask about the food.

Seeing her dazed expression, Lu Yuwen smiled and said, “What’s wrong — did you forget? We talked about it before — testing his reaction together, and once his feelings were clear, you’d know how to handle your relationship with him going forward.”

Su Man’s lips pressed into a barely-visible pout.

To be honest, she had completely forgotten about the whole thing. Testing reactions, clarifying feelings — thinking about it now, none of it seemed necessary. Because Li Li was simply insufferable.

“From the look on your face, the two of you must have had an argument.” Lu Yuwen observed with a quiet smile.

Su Man neither confirmed nor denied it, picking at the food on her plate with her fork, one listless jab at a time. “I don’t know what’s gotten into him lately. His mouth has gotten worse and worse — the things he says are awful.”

“Oh? Was it because of me?” Lu Yuwen asked.

Su Man’s hand stilled. She thought about it — it had indeed been related to Lu Yuwen. Li Li had called her stupid, said she was being ridiculous, mainly because he thought Lu Yuwen had ulterior motives.

But even if his intentions came from a good place, did he really have to say it so horribly?

If they hadn’t known each other for so many years, she’d have wanted to hit him……

“It seems I’ve triggered his sense of crisis. The next step should be for him to ask you to meet up.” Lu Yuwen said unhurriedly, eating with composure. “I’d suggest biding your time for now. That way he’ll appreciate you more going forward.”

“He would never ask me to meet up.” Su Man retorted, pressing her lips together. “He’s as arrogant as a peacock. He’s never once bowed his head to anyone.”

As she said it, she suddenly remembered something, and her expression shifted.

“What’s wrong?” Lu Yuwen asked, concerned.

Su Man looked at him slowly, a note of disbelief in her voice. “He didn’t ask to meet up himself, but…… Wu Xinghai called me. Said he was organizing a get-together and invited me to come.”

—