With a soft smack, her lips landed on the left side of his face. Ye Qiuling fell directly onto him, their eyes meeting as they reflected each other in their gaze.
She hurriedly got up, her face and ears flushed red, stammering, “I… I… just now… I saw a bug on your face, so I tried to help you remove it, but I slipped…” She let out an awkward laugh as she looked at him.
Chen Xuanmo smiled gently, then stood up and slowly approached her. “Oh? Is that so?”
As he stepped closer, she instinctively backed away until she hit the wall with nowhere left to retreat. Lowering her head, Ye Qiuling tried to sound confident. “Of course it is. You should even thank me.”
Her voice, however, carried obvious guilt, and she did not dare look at him.
Chen Xuanmo decided to pierce through this thin layer of pretense and make her face his feelings directly. “Then why did your lips land on my face?”
Ye Qiuling faltered. “I…”
“I was trying to brush away the bug, but my hand suddenly went numb after being stung by a bee, so I lost strength and fell on you. Didn’t I get up right after? You’re being too petty, that’s not how brothers act.”
Even though she did not believe her own excuse, she still made up a small lie in hopes of convincing him.
“Brothers?” Chen Xuanmo let out a soft scoff. Leaning his head slightly against the wall near her left ear, he spoke in a low, aggrieved tone, “But I don’t want to be brothers.”
Ye Qiuling froze in shock. What did he mean? Did he want to cut ties with her? Her heart clenched, and for some reason, a bitter feeling spread through her chest like melting ice turning into water.
Did that mean she had to repay the money she owed him immediately? But she did not have enough yet. She could only ask him to give her a few more days until her new shop opened.
“Could you… give me a few more days to repay the copper coins? I don’t have enough money right now…”
Chen Xuanmo was speechless. How did she suddenly bring up the money? “You can return the money whenever you want. It’s fine even if you don’t return it…” He gathered his courage, about to confess, “I…”
“Big Sister, time to eat!” Ye Qi’s voice suddenly rang out from outside, cutting him off.
Hearing that she could delay repayment, Ye Qiuling relaxed and called back, “Coming!”
Realizing he was not trying to cut ties with her, she felt relieved. So he just did not like being called “brothers.” Then she would treat him as a friend instead.
Smiling, she said, “Chen Xuanmo, let’s go eat.”
There will be plenty of time in the future. Chen Xuanmo looked at her and smiled as well. “Alright.”
The two went downstairs together and took their seats. Shen Wanru eagerly shared the good news. “Qiuling, we’ve already hired people, twelve in total. Is that enough? If not, we can hire more.”
“That’s enough, Mom. Thank you, Mom and Dad. Eat more.” Ye Qiuling placed the non-spicy grilled fish into their bowls.
Shen Wanru felt delighted seeing her considerate daughter. “You eat too.”
Ye Dazhi, feeling the same warmth, suddenly shot Chen Xuanmo a fierce look, as if warning him not to make his daughter cry, even raising his fist slightly.
Catching the look, Chen Xuanmo gave a bitter smile. She has not even fallen for me yet.
Ye Qi picked up his chopsticks and grabbed a piece of fish drenched in chili oil. The moment it entered his mouth, the intense spiciness exploded, and since he had not eaten such spicy food in a long time, he immediately exclaimed, “So spicy, so spicy!”
Yet his chopsticks did not stop reaching for more.
Shen Wanru quickly poured him a glass of water and handed it over. “Are you okay, Xiao Qi? If you can’t handle spicy food, eat the non-spicy one. Here, drink some water.”
Sweating profusely, whether from the heat or the spice, Ye Qi felt both tortured and exhilarated. Ever since becoming a hamster, he had been eating seeds and dried meat, and he was tired of it.
“This is amazing! Not spicy, haha, I was just burned earlier. I’m fine now, no need for water.”
Shen Wanru still looked worried. “If it’s too spicy, just eat less. Don’t force yourself.”
Touched by her concern, Ye Qi smiled. “I’m not forcing myself, Mom. I’m really fine. It was just too hot earlier.”
Seeing that he was truly alright, Shen Wanru nodded. “Alright, eat slowly then.”
Chen Xuanmo tasted the grilled fish. The moment it touched his tongue, there was a tingling heat. As he chewed, he found it unexpectedly delicious. Even the bean sprouts were crisp and flavorful.
The more he ate, the spicier it felt, and soon sweat formed from the heat.
Ye Qiuling also loved grilled fish, especially spicy food. On the entire table, she was the only one eating calmly, completely unfazed by the heat.
Meanwhile, Ye Qi was sniffling from the spice while still eating nonstop. Glancing at him, Ye Qiuling mocked him in her mind, “So weak, you can’t even handle this.”
Not wanting to lose face, Ye Qi shot back, “I just haven’t eaten it in a while. It’s not my fault. It’s your fault for not completing tasks properly, otherwise I would’ve already exchanged for a human form.”
Ye Qiuling was speechless. How did that even relate?
Being generous, she chose not to argue.
Ye Qi picked up some lettuce and tasted it. The garlic flavor was rich, and the soy sauce coated it perfectly without being too salty. “Delicious.”
Shen Wanru, Ye Dazhi, and Chen Xuanmo all agreed.
Ye Qiuling puffed up proudly like a victorious rooster. “Of course!”
Ye Qi glanced at the grilled fish and decided not to argue, considering she had cooked for him.
After the meal, Ye Qi rubbed his stomach in satisfaction. Seeing that Ye Feng was not home, Chen Wu wanted to take over washing the dishes.
But Ye Qiuling stopped him. “Xiao Qi, you go. You wash the cleanest.”
Pleased by the praise, Ye Qi obediently went to wash the dishes.
Chen Xuanmo and Chen Wu felt it inappropriate to stay longer and left soon after.
Outside, the sky shifted from blue to orange as the sun set. Ye Qiuling and her family stood at the entrance of Qizhi Hall, waiting for Ye Feng.
Looking at Qizhi Hall, Ye Qiuling asked in her mind, “Do you want to go study with Xiao Feng? You’re bored all day anyway.”
Ye Qi snorted, “I’m a system. Even though I have a human form, my knowledge is vast. You want me to study with a bunch of little kids? What about my dignity?”
Even so, a faint sense of longing rose within him. “…If, I mean if you want me to go, I can.”
Seeing through his stubbornness, Ye Qiuling chuckled.
“What are you laughing at!” Ye Qi immediately flared up.
“I’m not laughing, hahaha… not at all…” she said, unable to stop.
Ye Qi was speechless.
Seeing his expression darkened, she stopped teasing and directly went to enroll him at Qizhi Hall, paying the tuition.
In a voice as soft as a mosquito’s buzz, Ye Qi muttered, “Thank you.”
Ye Qiuling crouched down, leaning closer. “What? I didn’t hear you. Say it again.”
Suspecting she did it on purpose, Ye Qi snapped, “I said thank you!” His face and ears turned red as he turned away.
She placed a hand on his shoulder and whispered in his ear, “You’re welcome.”
Rolling his eyes, Ye Qi ignored her.
Soon, Qizhi Hall became lively as children poured out.
“Big Sister! Little Brother! Father! Mother!” Ye Feng ran toward them.
Noticing Ye Qi’s flushed face, he asked, “Little Brother, what’s wrong? Your face and ears are red.” He placed a hand on Ye Qi’s forehead, then his own. “No fever, why are you so red?”
“I’m fine,” Ye Qi replied, his face gradually cooling down.
Ye Feng held his hand and chattered excitedly about school, his lessons, and his new friends.
“I’ll go with you tomorrow,” Ye Qi said.
“Really? That’s great! Let’s go together!” Ye Feng beamed.
Watching the two children, Shen Wanru and Ye Dazhi smiled warmly.
“Xiao Feng, we had grilled fish today. We saved a portion for you,” Ye Qiuling said.
Hearing this, Ye Feng’s eyes lit up. “Thank you, Big Sister!”
That night, Ye Qiuling and Ye Feng sneakily arranged the hotpot equipment taken from the Gourmet Recipe System. A walkway was left in the middle, with small sofas on both sides and tables in between, each with a hotpot stove in the center.
The second floor was set up with ten private rooms, each spacious, with a large table and a hotpot stove in the middle, suitable for groups.
After arranging the final room, Ye Qi and Ye Qiuling collapsed onto chairs, too tired to move.
Ye Qi looked at her resentfully. “Why didn’t you do this during the day? Why at night? And why did you only call me?” He rubbed his sore arms.
Ye Qiuling felt guilty. She could not exactly say she had been busy organizing ingredients in the system space and forgot.
“I wanted it to be a surprise. I’ll treat you to a hotpot tomorrow as compensation,” she said.
Imagining Ye Feng’s delighted reaction, Ye Qi’s lips curved slightly. “That’s more like it.”
After saying goodnight, Ye Qiuling lay in bed, but her thoughts drifted back to the morning. The moment her lips touched Chen Xuanmo’s warm face felt unexpectedly pleasant.
Her face flushed again as she recalled his words about not wanting to be brothers. Her heart felt strangely empty.
Then she shook her head. No, no, she was supposed to help him find a wife. How could she think about him like that?
Having sorted out her thoughts, she gradually drifted off to sleep.