During a major course lecture, Gu Chengfei who was rarely paying attention—suddenly perked up his ears. He thought he heard a short, light chuckle coming from behind him. He turned around, confused: “A-Chi, what are you laughing at?”
Jiang Yichi looked at him expressionlessly: “I’m not laughing.”
“I clearly heard someone laugh,” Gu Chengfei said, his head full of question marks. “You’re the only one sitting behind me. If it wasn’t you, who was it?”
“You’re hallucinating,” Jiang Yichi said with ironclad certainty, waving his hand like he was shooting a fly to tell Gu Chengfei to turn back around.
Gu Chengfei looked suspicious and leaned over to Xu Qiuze’s ear to ask if he had heard anything.
Xu Qiuze kept his eyes glued to the multimedia screen on the podium, offering a perfunctory “Mm-hmm.”
In a spot the two couldn’t see, Jiang Yichi’s phone screen hidden under the desk—lit up, clearly showing Xu Qiushi’s figure.
He had just looked at the home security camera on a whim, capturing the exact moment Xu Qiushi was fumbling helplessly to order food delivery.
Those hands, which were exceptionally quick and efficient when doing manual labor, appeared quite clumsy at a time like this. Truly a dummy.
After class, Jiang Yichi rejected Gu Chengfei’s request to go to his place for dinner, citing the reason that there was no “advance reservation,” so there was no portion for him.
Gu Chengfei thought this was an easy problem to solve: “Then I’ll just call Brother Xu and ask him to whip up something extra.”
A cold light shot from Jiang Yichi’s eyes, his tone unfriendly: “Xu Qiushi works for me, not for you. If you want to eat, go hire your own nanny.”
“Hey, I’m the one who introduced Brother Xu to you! How can you burn the bridge after crossing it?” Gu Chengfei rolled up his sleeves and put his hands on his hips.
“Alright, don’t trouble my brother. Come to the cafeteria with me.” Xu Qiuze didn’t want to increase his brother’s workload either, so he patiently coaxed Gu Chengfei.
“A-Ze, don’t you think he’s being too much?” Gu Chengfei clung to Xu Qiuze’s arm, acting aggrieved.
“Yes, yes. Didn’t you say the beef sliced noodles at the cafeteria were good last time? Let’s go line up now, or they’ll be sold out.” Xu Qiuze led Gu Chengfei away as he spoke.
“A-Ze, you really are the best to me.” Gu Chengfei hadn’t walked two steps before turning back to make a face at Jiang Yichi: “Stinky A-Chi!”
Jiang Yichi watched their retreating backs and couldn’t help but mutter a “stupid” under his breath at Gu Chengfei.
…
At the gate of Jinlin Bay, Xu Qiushi—not wanting to trouble someone else to make a trip—had come down early to wait for the delivery.
“What’d you buy? You could’ve just let Xiao Chen bring it up for you later,” Wu Ming laughed, leaning against the security booth window.
“A cake. I’m free right now, so I figured I’d come down for a walk,” Xu Qiushi replied.
“Why’d you order a cake? Is it your birthday?” Wu Ming asked casually. Xu Qiushi didn’t look like the type of person who would celebrate his own birthday.
“No, I ordered it for the boss.”
“Mr. Jiang, huh.” Wu Ming showed a look of understanding. “Young people these days love things like milk tea and cake.”
The two chatted for a bit until the delivery arrived; it was a self-delivery from the dessert shop.
The shop employee gave Xu Qiushi some instructions, emphasizing that if it wasn’t to be eaten immediately, it must be kept refrigerated.
“It needs to be in the fridge?”
“Yes, because our shop uses animal cream. It melts very easily if not refrigerated.”
“Okay, thank you.” It was the first time Xu Qiushi had heard that cream could melt.
“You’re welcome. If it’s to your taste, please give us a five-star review,” the employee said while giving Xu Qiushi a ninety-degree bow.
Xu Qiushi was startled: “Oh, okay.”
“This shop isn’t cheap, is it? Even the packaging looks high-end,” Wu Ming teased with a smile.
Xu Qiushi nodded. It really wasn’t cheap; a tiny one cost over 160 yuan, which was enough for several days of his living expenses.
“If it’s good, send me the shop name. I’ll buy one for my wife to try,” Wu Ming said, tempted by the sight of the beautifully designed cake in the bag.
“Will do.”
Xu Qiushi took the cake home and put it in the fridge. Recalling what the employee said about “animal cream,” he curiously pulled out his phone to Baidu, browsing through some baking recipes in the process. He felt as if a door to a new world had opened.
Portuguese egg tarts, butter cookies, caramel pudding, lava cakes; these were all things he had never seen or eaten. Looking at the unused oven in the kitchen, Xu Qiushi suddenly felt a surge of interest.
When Jiang Yichi arrived home after class, Xu Qiushi told him he had bought a cake and didn’t know if he would like it.
“What kind of cake? I won’t eat it if it’s too cheap,” Jiang Yichi said, putting on an act.
“It’s not cheap. It’s four inches, and it cost 168 yuan,” Xu Qiushi said in all sincerity.
How does “one hundred something” equate to “not cheap”? Jiang Yichi suppressed the thought. After all, it was a gesture from Xu Qiushi.
“Then I’ll eat it after dinner.”
“Okay.”
Half an hour after dinner, Xu Qiushi brought the cake out of the fridge and carefully opened the box. Although the size was small, it had all the necessary accessories, even a candle.
He had ordered the shop’s best-selling Sea Salt Caramel flavor. The pale yellow cream surface was drizzled with amber-colored caramel sauce, dusted evenly with cocoa powder, and bordered by a ring of crushed nuts. A few exquisitely shaped cookies were inserted as decorations.
The cake was placed right in front of Jiang Yichi. Xu Qiushi handed him a fork but made no further move.
“I’m eating this alone?” Jiang Yichi asked.
“Yes, I bought it for you.” Xu Qiushi wouldn’t dream of eating something like this himself.
“What’s the fun in eating alone? Eat with me.”
“Eh?” Xu Qiushi looked at the cake—which was only the size of his fist—and wanted to say that sharing such a tiny amount wouldn’t even fill the gaps between his teeth.
Before he could speak, Jiang Yichi urged: “Hurry up, cut it in half. Cake is high in calories; I won’t eat that much.”
Xu Qiushi couldn’t win against him, so he used the plastic knife to cut the cake into two halves, one for each of them.
Xu Qiushi lifted the paper plate. He noticed a thin layer of cream filling inside the sponge cake, mixed with small chocolate-colored pearls and jelly-like bits.
The cream, emitting a faint caramel aroma, paired with the dense and soft sponge. With one bite, the light and fluffy cream instantly melted in his mouth. The sweet toasted flavor mixed with the saltiness of the sea salt, bringing a refreshing finish to his taste buds.
Jiang Yichi clearly saw a light suddenly flash in Xu Qiushi’s eyes, followed by a surprised look at the plate in his hand, as if a cognitive shift had occurred.
That expression was no different from when his dog tasted a big meat bone for the first time.
“Is it good?” Jiang Yichi asked.
“It’s very good. This cream is different from what I’ve had before.” No wonder the clerk told him to keep it in the fridge; it really did melt.
Xu Qiushi sighed in his heart once again that expensive things were expensive for a reason.
“What was the kind you had before like?” Jiang Yichi asked curiously.
“Harder, didn’t melt easily, didn’t need a fridge. It didn’t have much of a milky taste and was sweeter. It was also quite good,” Xu Qiushi described.
“What kind of cream is that?” Jiang Yichi couldn’t even imagine the flavor and texture Xu Qiushi was describing, and he remained skeptical about Xu Qiushi’s claim that it was “good.”
Thinking of the times he had eaten cake in the past, a hint of nostalgia appeared on Xu Qiushi’s face.
Back when his parents were alive, the two brothers would buy a big cake every year for their birthdays. They would put in as many candles as years they were turning, and the whole family would sit around the table to sing, make wishes, and eat cake.
After his parents passed away, Xu Qiushi would only buy a small cake to celebrate his younger brother’s birthday.
It was rare for Xu Qiushi to bring up the past voluntarily. Jiang Yichi listened intently and asked him: “What about your birthday? You don’t buy cake?”
“I’m older now; I don’t love it as much.”
Liar. Jiang Yichi wrinkled his nose, his chest feeling a bit tight. Looking at the way Xu Qiushi had just eaten the cake, how could he possibly “not love it”? This fool was so generous when spending money on his brother, but stingy to a fault when it came to himself. Even during Double 11, everything he bought was for Xu Qiuze.
“Eat up, the cream will melt away soon,” Xu Qiushi said softly.
Jiang Yichi took a slow, refined bite and commented: “It’s so-so.”
Xu Qiushi smiled, accustomed to Jiang Yichi’s pickiness. The Little Master had been born with a silver spoon; if he actually thought something was “very good,” that would be a problem.
“What are you laughing at? It really is just average.” Jiang Yichi took another bite.
“I’m not laughing at you. I just feel like I was so ignorant in the past. Since coming out of my hometown, I’ve seen so much of the world and met many good people. You, Xiao Fei, and Brother Wanyao have all helped me a lot. I’m very grateful.”
Hearing Xu Qiushi put him first when listing people, Jiang Yichi looked down to eat a mouthful of cake to hide the upturn of his lips: “It’s nothing, just mutual benefit.”
“Even so, I’m very thankful you were willing to give me this job opportunity,” Xu Qiushi said sincerely, finishing his cake in a few bites and even scraping the cream off the plate until it was clean.
Jiang Yichi was about to say something when he looked at Xu Qiushi’s face and couldn’t help but let out a laugh.
“What is it?” A look of confusion appeared in Xu Qiushi’s eyes.
“What’s wrong with you? You’ve got it all over your face. Are you a kid?”
Xu Qiushi didn’t expect the day to come where Jiang Yichi would call him a kid. He was caught between laughter and tears as he raised his hand to haphazardly wipe his mouth.
“There’s still some here.” Jiang Yichi naturally reached over and wiped the cream off his nose, then stared at his own fingertip, momentarily dazed.
In the next second, Xu Qiushi pulled out a tissue, gently held the Little Master’s wrist, and carefully wiped that finger clean: “You should have just told me. Now your hand is dirty too.”
Jiang Yichi pulled his hand back as if he had been burned, feeling a wave of itchiness on the skin Xu Qiushi had touched.
“Oh, right. Boss, how do I give a five-star review for the delivery?” Xu Qiushi remembered what the employee had asked. Now that the cake was finished, it was time for the review.
“Open the order, there’s a ‘Review’ button at the bottom. Click in and just check five stars for everything.”
Xu Qiushi did as told and asked again: “What should I write in this comment box?”
“Just write that it was good.”
Xu Qiushi thought for a moment and typed the words “Very delicious.”
Seeing Xu Qiushi being so solemn about a review, Jiang Yichi simply snatched his phone, typed a few random compliments about the taste, took a photo of the half-eaten cake, and uploaded it: “Done.”
“Thank you.” Xu Qiushi put his phone away and sat to the side, waiting patiently for Jiang Yichi to finish.
The Little Master always ate elegantly, every movement reflecting a graceful upbringing. It was a pleasant sight to behold.
“Boss, do you like sweets?” Xu Qiushi asked suddenly.
“They’re okay. Why?”
“If you like them, I’ll learn how to make them for you.” Xu Qiushi always felt his workload didn’t match his salary and constantly wanted to do more.
“Do what you want.” Jiang Yichi acted like he didn’t care, but his speed in eating the cake increased significantly.
“Okay.” Xu Qiushi then began talking about his plans and arrangements for learning how to bake.
Jiang Yichi responded with “Mm, okay.”
Xu Qiushi didn’t notice that at this moment, Jiang Yichi hadn’t heard a single word; he was completely immersed in the lightheaded joy of knowing Xu Qiushi was willing to put so much thought into him.