Ji Ting stared at the message for a few seconds and tapped the text field. The keyboard popped up, but he locked the screen again.
The screen reflected his face, and Ji Ting saw his own brows draw together.
It was strange. The tightness in his chest had completely faded, yet he seemed to have lost the desire to communicate with Ji Yanzhi.
Stranger still, he did not want Ji Yanzhi to stop communicating with him. Even if he gave no response, he still wanted Ji Yanzhi to talk to him.
Ji Ting's brows knitted tighter and tighter. He suddenly realized that this double standard was actually a form of emotional punishment. It was wrong and unhealthy, and he had to correct it at once.
With that thought, Ji Ting picked up his phone and called Ji Yanzhi directly.
The call connected after a single ring. "Hello, Ji Ear."
Ji Ting tried hard to let reason govern his emotions and spoke calmly. "I saw your message. You said you wanted to cook?"
Ji Yanzhi's ears warmed slightly, and he murmured an assent. "You've cooked a few times before, haven't you? It's no big deal for me to do it once."
Ji Ting fell silent for a moment. "So you offered to cook to repay me?"
"It's not repayment. It's..." Ji Yanzhi suddenly found himself at a loss for words. He struggled for a long time without managing to explain what it was.
"It's all right. You don't have to go to the trouble."
Ji Yanzhi frowned. "What do you mean, it's all right? I've already said I would."
Ji Ting thought for a moment. "Then how about this? Treat me to a meal out. That way, you won't have to go out of your way to learn."
A hint of