Li Yan slapped Hu Bai’s hand away before it could settle at his waist. "Do not touch me."
Hu Bai withdrew his hand without protest, though the smirk stayed fixed in place, entirely unbothered by the rebuff.
Li Yan drew a slow breath, forcing the irritation back down. His stomach chose that moment to remind him, with an insistent, hollow ache, that he had not eaten in some time.
Meat. He wanted meat, something rich and heavy enough to settle the gnawing in his gut. Standing here trading words with Hu Bai only sharpened the hunger further.
"Where are you heading?" Hu Bai’s voice followed him as he turned toward the door.
"Must I report that to you?" Li Yan did not slow his stride.
"You do not have to." Hu Bai fell into step beside him regardless, entirely unbothered by the clipped tone. "But you should. What if someone tries to harm you? I would rather be there to protect you than learn of it after the fact."
Li Yan exhaled slowly through his nose. He hated this, this constant undertone in every conversation that painted him as something fragile, something requiring protection at every turn. He needed no one trailing behind him like a nursemaid to walk to a restaurant.
He forced the flare of temper down his throat before answering.
"I am heading to a restaurant to eat, if that is acceptable to you."
Hu Bai’s expression brightened at once, all trace of the earlier tension smoothed away. He closed the distance between them again, hand rising toward Li Yan’s waist out of what seemed like pure habit before he caught himself and let it fall instead to a more modest distance at his side.
"There is no need to trouble yourself with that." Hu Bai’s tone turned almost pleased with itself. "Hu Biyan is an excellent cook. He will prepare whatever you wish, and far better than any restaurant in this city could manage."
Li Yan did not bother standing on ceremony. If a meal was being offered without argument, he intended to make the most of it.
"Meat buns. Tomato soup. Boiled pork. Roasted chicken." He counted the dishes off without pause, already picturing each one. "More meat buns. Rice. Stir-fried vegetables."
Hu Bai’s brows rose slightly at the sheer length of the list, though the amusement in his expression only deepened.
"Is the little rabbit so hungry because he carries my child already?"
Li Yan’s eye twitched. "Yes. Pregnant from annoyance, if you do not stop talking."
Hu Bai laughed outright at that, a genuine sound rather than the practiced charm he had worn through most of the conversation so far, and gestured for Li Yan to follow him deeper into the manor.
The halls they passed through were richer than anything Li Yan had known in the Li household, lacquered pillars and silk hangings dyed in colors that spoke plainly of coin that never had to be counted twice.
Paintings lined the walls at intervals, mountain scenes rendered in ink so fine each brushstroke seemed to hold its own breath.
A servant passed them at one junction, bowed low without a word, and continued on his way without once lifting his eyes.
Xiaoxiao stirred faintly at the back of his mind as they walked, a quiet hum of something that resembled approval.
"He does appear to keep his word regarding comfort, Master; everything else may be exaggerated..."
Li Yan said nothing aloud in response, though privately he agreed.
Whatever Hu Bai’s true intentions, whatever games he intended to play, the man had at least delivered on the small matters so far.
They reached a set of double doors near the rear of the manor. Hu Bai pushed them open onto a private dining hall, a single long table already set with more dishes than Li Yan had requested, steam still rising from several of them as though the kitchen had anticipated his arrival before he had even finished speaking his order.
Hu Biyan stood near the far end of the table, expression as composed as it had been in the bedroom earlier, though something in the set of his shoulders suggested a man used to producing miracles on short notice and expecting no praise for it.
"My lord did not specify quantities." Hu Biyan’s tone remained perfectly even. "I assumed generosity would serve better than restraint."
Li Yan crossed to the table without further comment and sat, reaching for the nearest plate of meat buns before either man could offer him a seat.
It would have to be enough, for the moment. Bigger concerns waited past this meal.
But first, food.
The bun was generously filled with him; Hu Bai did not look like the type to eat such a meal, so how was it made on such short notice?
The servants at the Li residence were stingy with the meals, so a useless Ger like him could only get one meat bun—two if they decided to pity him.
"Is the food to your liking? You can tell Hu Biyan if it is too spicy or too salty."
Li Yan nodded; he did not have a weak stomach, and Hu Biyan was an excellent cook. So he had no problem.
"Thank you for the food. It is delicious."
Li Yan was not lying; it was unlike anything he had ever tasted. As someone used to discrimination, even servants thought he did not deserve a good meal simply because he was a Ger.
Would life have been better if he were not a Ger? No.
His father did not love him enough for that; he hated him since the moment his mother died. His fate would not have changed; he would have just held a different title. The child caused his mother’s death. He had always been unfortunate.
Li Yan suddenly felt as though his heart was filled with wet sand. The meat bun grew cold in his hand, close yet so far from his mouth.
"This is my favorite tea; when I drink it...it washes my troubles away." Hu Bai shifted his robes and lifted the teapot, pouring dark brown liquid into Li Yan’s cup.
Li Yan stared at the cup for a second before lifting it; it was a small one, so he drank the contents in one gulp.
Maybe because he wanted to believe Hu Bai’s words, or maybe that was just the tea’s effects.
His heart did feel lighter.
"It is delicious. Can I have another?"