The next morning.
Huo Yuhao stirred from his sleep and slowly opened his eyes. "...Why am I lying down?"
He clearly remembered falling asleep while sitting up, yet now he found himself lying flat, with a thin blanket covering him. He caught a faint, pleasant scent lingering on the pillow and blanket—clearly the fragrance of a young girl. Turning his head, he realized the bed was empty.
Startled, Huo Yuhao sat up abruptly. "I sat up too fast... Where's Meng Hongchen?"
He checked the time—it was already eleven in the morning.
For some reason, he started to panic. After quickly straightening out the bed, he dashed out of the room.
On the second floor, he found only a maid tidying up. Huo Yuhao immediately called out to her. "Did you see Meng—Meng Hongchen?"
The maid gave him a curious look, puzzled by his anxious expression. "Miss is in the kitchen, downstairs."
Huo Yuhao nodded and tried to calm his pace. He laughed a little at himself—he had already confirmed Meng Hongchen was fine last night, so what was he so worried about now?
Still… the kitchen?
That was unexpected.
As he walked into the ground floor hall, he saw Meng Hongchen step out of the kitchen wearing an apron and holding a tray.
She spotted Huo Yuhao approaching, and her face flushed red. She quickly avoided his gaze and focused on placing the tray carefully on the long dining table. Then, without saying a word, she hurried back into the kitchen.
Thinking back to everything that happened the night before, Huo Yuhao suddenly felt a little awkward as well. When he arrived at the table, Meng Hongchen had just come out of the kitchen again, carrying two sets of utensils.
The two of them stood three meters apart. They locked eyes for a brief moment, then both quickly turned away and froze, unsure of what to say.
Silence hung in the air for three seconds.
"...Meng Hongchen, where are Teacher and Senior Xiao?"
Huo Yuhao broke the awkwardness first.
Meng Hongchen lowered her head, her face as red as a ripe apple. As she set the utensils down in front of each plate, she lifted the tray covers, revealing a neatly plated steak with side dishes. "They both left after confirming I was okay. Since you were still asleep, I thought I'd make lunch for you. It's late enough anyway, and it's just ready now. Sit, let's eat."
Huo Yuhao looked at the meal and felt a warm sense of comfort in his heart. "Okay."
He sat down silently and picked up his knife and fork. Meng Hongchen also took her seat beside him. She didn't dare meet his gaze, only staring at a nearby candle holder. "Try it. It definitely isn't as good as yours, and I'm not all that fancy with cooking… but this lady has some skills, you know."
Huo Yuhao smiled faintly. So prideful, as always.
He cut off a piece of the steak with his silver knife, dipped it in the sauce, and slowly chewed.
After swallowing, his eyes lit up. "Not bad."
Upon hearing that oh-so-familiar "not bad, but not as good as mine" tone, Meng Hongchen gave him a light glare. Still, when she saw Huo Yuhao start eating one bite after another without pause, her mood clearly improved, and she began eating as well.
After a while, Huo Yuhao set down his knife and fork and took a sip of water. "Meng Hongchen, how are you feeling now?"
She wasn't really in the mood to eat and set her utensils down too. "I'm okay. My condition is stable, and I shouldn't have to worry for a while."
She sounded casual, even though she had already learned from Jing Hongchen about her current state—that she could suffer a cold poison backlash at any time.
"And after this deep meditation, my soul power improved quite a bit. I'm almost at the sixtieth bottleneck now. Just wait and see how I'll soon surpass you in cultivation, Huo Yuhao."
She spoke with her usual confident flair, momentarily returning to her usual spirited self.
Huo Yuhao didn't respond. He simply tightened his grip on the utensils and continued eating silently. In her condition, every breakthrough in soul power posed real danger.
Noticing Huo Yuhao's concern, Meng Hongchen toned down her cheerfulness. "Come on. There'll be a solution eventually. Besides, thanks to your life force infusion, my body constitution has improved a lot. Regular cold poison won't hurt me now."
"Yeah."
Huo Yuhao felt slightly better hearing that. The life force cleansing he'd given her had certainly helped.
Then, unexpectedly, Meng Hongchen paused mid-sentence. She had mentioned the life force cleansing—and although she had been unconscious last night, she could vaguely sense how Huo Yuhao had helped her through the ordeal. She remembered clearly how she had curled into him, desperately begging him not to leave.
"What was I even doing—ahh!"
Her heart, which had just begun to calm, started to race again. She cried out inwardly, burying her burning face and speeding up her eating to hide her flustered state.
Of course, Huo Yuhao noticed.
So, in silence, the two of them finished their surprisingly large lunch.
What surprised Huo Yuhao was that after they finished eating, Meng Hongchen spoke first despite the awkward atmosphere. "...My cooking's not bad, right, Yuhao?"
He looked at her in surprise. She was staring down at the plates, her expression showing a trace of melancholy rather than her usual shyness.
"Yeah, it's really good."
He replied without hesitation.
Meng Hongchen smiled faintly.
"When I was little, our meals were always prepared by the maids. But one time, another noble girl my age mocked me for never having tasted a meal cooked by my own mother."
"Ever since then, I don't even know why… I just thought: one day, I'll cook for myself. Maybe it's a silly obsession."
"So, gradually, I got better at cooking. Pretty impressive, right? Yuhao."
Huo Yuhao looked at her and saw that quietly sorrowful smile on her face.
He thought of how she had looked the night before—wracked with pain, pleading with him not to go. In that moment, he could no longer hold back his emotions.
He turned to her and wrapped her into a firm embrace. "You're amazing, Meng Hongchen."
Meng Hongchen was caught off guard by his warmth. She didn't resist. Instead, she silently let her cheek rest against his chest.
And then, without a word, she began to cry.
(End of Chapter)
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