“What… What?!” Yi Qing stared blankly at him, as if was just beginning to realize where the conversation was headed. A moment later, he snapped back to reality. His serious expression turned red as if something exploded behind it. He began to panic. “I… I… like Master?” He instinctively glanced at the woman in front of him. Before he even met her eyes however, he looked back down like a child who was caught doing something wrong.

　　He… This feeling he had toward Master was… fancy? Did he really fancy Master?! If fancying Master meant that he would get to be beside Master forever, he guessed he did fancy her.

　　“You really don’t know!” Lonemoon exclaimed incredulously. He was not even clear of his own feelings, yet went ahead to confess to Shen Ying. From the way he was acting, it was obvious she was his first… whatever.

　　“Mas… Master.” Yi Qing seemed to shrink back into his own body. Where he was confidently pleading for guidance earlier, he now looked like a deflated basketball. Guiltily, he kept sneaking glances at Shen Ying.

　　“Hey, say something!” Lonemoon nudged Shen Ying.

　　“Say… say what?” Shen Ying cleared her throat. This sudden confession from Chef did make her feel a little awkward. She did not know what to say or do.

　　“Are you trying to be as stupid as him?” Lonemoon rolled his eyes. “At least say something in response to what he told you.” After awhile, Lonemoon added, “I’m telling you, you won’t be able to find someone else like Chef… who cooks so well.” They were brothers who fought alongside each other after all. Lonemoon felt obliged to help his brother out.

　　“Ah, so troublesome!” All this dating business.

　　Troublesome your ass!

　　“Chef.” Shen Ying turned to face Yi Qing seriously.

　　Yi Qing paused, unable to digest the truth that Lonemoon had just revealed to him. Unable to keep from blushing, he looked at Shen Ying. “Mas… Master?”

　　“Have you figured out what exactly you want to say to me?”

　　Yi Qing paused, his eyes clouding over once more. He stared at Shen Ying for a few moments without reacting.

　　“Ah.” Shen Ying sighed. “Then let’s leave it as this first. Talk to me when you’re ready.” She waved her hand, intending to dismiss the meeting. “It’s almost noon – it’s time to cook lunch.”

　　She stood up and gestured for Chef to get to work.

　　“I like Master!” Yi Qing suddenly announced. He seemed to have figured out his feelings. He spoke even louder than he did before and raised his head to look at Shen Ying squarely in the eye. Yet, his face remained red as a tomato. Emphasizing on each word, he said, “If your disciple’s intention to Master all to myself indicates that I like Master, then I’ve already liked you for a long… long time.”

　　Shen Ying, “…”

　　Lonemoon, “…”

　　Holy shit, this was a much better confession!

　　A long time later…

　　“But… But I think I don’t really like you!”

　　“…”

　　—————

　　Lonemoon felt a bit colder over the past few days since Yi Qing unexpectedly confessed and failed.. Although they acted no different from usual – the one who always played games continued to play games and the one who always cooked continued to cook – he felt a certain tension in the household. As an observer, Lonemoon was getting increasingly uncomfortable. This was especially so when he met Yi Qing’s devastated eyes..

　　Most importantly…

　　“Hey, why don’t you manage this?” Lonemoon pointed at Yi Qing busying himself.

　　“Manage what?” Shen Ying stared blankly back at Lonemoon.

　　“What else!” Lonemoon rolled his eyes. “Chef is starting to cook again.”

　　“What’s so weird about him cooking?” He’s a chef!

　　“It’s not weird that he’s cooking, but he doesn’t have to cook more than ten dishes per day, does he?” Lonemoon pointed at the table full of food. From the day he confessed, Chef had not left the kitchen. He cooped himself in there all day long to cook.

　　He had seen his fair share of people who turned to alcohol after falling out of love, but he had never seen someone turn to cooking! It was tiring for Lonemoon to buy groceries as well!

　　“I said I’m full, but he wouldn’t stop!” Shen Ying shrugged. Suddenly, she thought of something. “Oh yes, Father Niu, remember to pay for the gas.”

　　“Get out!” He glared at her. A moment later, he blurted, “Do you really have no feelings for Chef?”

　　“Just a bit… I think?”

　　“If you do, then go for it!” Lonemoon exclaimed. “Since when did you become so wishy-washy?” Did she not notice that Chef was devastated?

　　Shen Ying narrowed her eyes at him. “He’s different.”

　　“How is he different?” Lonemoon asked, puzzled. “He did not understand his own feelings earlier on, but don’t tell me you didn’t as well? All these years, who couldn’t tell that he was interested in you? I’m sure he would have dug his own heart out for you if you had asked him to.”

　　“That’s why… he’s different!” Shen Ying frowned and sighed. “I do have some feelings for him, but it’s just a little. I don’t know how long they’ll last, and I don’t know when they’ll vanish. I’d rather not start a relationship that is bound to fail.”

　　Lonemoon was startled. He looked at her incredulously. “You were afraid that you’d hurt Chef even deeper if you broke up with him.”

　　Shen Ying looked away. “I guess… so.”

　　“Are you crazy?” Lonemoon suddenly reached out to touch her forehead. “You’re not having a fever! And you’ve eaten. Why are you acting retarded?”

　　“Get away.” Shen Ying swatted his hand away.

　　“Where has all your logic gone? Why aren’t you using it now?” Lonemoon rolled his eyes. “Do you know what you’re doing? You’re playing hard to get!”

　　“…” Huh?

　　He finally threw those words in her face. Immediately, he felt much more satisfied. “Is there anyone else like you, who would think about breaking up before even starting the relationship? How do you know you would break up with Chef? Relationships are hard to predict. Not all of them will come to an end as time passes.”

　　“I’m not-”

　　“I know that compared to you, Chef’s feelings run much deeper. He’s also much more intense. You know it and Chef knows it as well. But it’s not going to be a competition between the two of you – who cares who loves the other more or less? Why are you just thinking about what would happen if you break up? Why not think about how much joy you would both gain if you get together?”

　　“No, I’m afraid-”

　　“You’re afraid that you would hurt him more in the future. But he’s already hurt now!”

　　“But-”

　　“You’re not from the future. Nobody knows what’s going to happen. Who would know what the outcome would be if you don’t try it out? Why are you so afraid to take risks when it comes to relationships?”

　　“…” Alright, as long as you’re happy.

　　“When did you become such a negative little brat? In the past…”

　　Before he could finish speaking, Shen Ying jumped to her feet, startling him.

　　“You mean… I should accept him and see how it goes?”

　　“That’s right, what are you afraid of?”

　　“All right!”

　　Huh?

　　Father Niu paused, suddenly having a bad feeling in his gut.