After a good night's rest, Yin Chao was woken by the dazzling morning sunlight.
He sat up and smoothed his unruly hair.
Only after washing up and walking into the living room did he notice something was different at home.
Luo Lingyue was eating freshly cooked rice porridge at the dining table, with a few simple side dishes in front of her.
"Where did you buy breakfast? Did somewhere new open nearby?"
Yin Chao snatched the spoon from Luo Lingyue's hand and took a taste, narrowing his eyes in satisfaction.
Luo Lingyue wasn't annoyed. She shook her head and gestured for him to look in the kitchen.
He frowned curiously, walked to the kitchen doorway, and peered inside.
Midnight wore a blue-and-white checked apron over his black short-sleeved shirt. Tied behind him, its straps accentuated his lean, strong waist.
Hearing footsteps, he held the Frying Pan's handle in one hand and two eggs in the other.
His bangs lay neatly across his forehead, covering his sharply defined brow.
He looked less fierce than usual, a little softer.
"Want some fried eggs?"
Midnight asked.
His tone held no particular inflection, yet it was full of the ordinary warmth of everyday life.
Yin Chao's eyes curved into a smile. "Yes! Two!"
Luo Lingyue called from the living room, "Two for me too!"
After breakfast, Yin Chao took a piece of thawed raw meat from the refrigerator.
He went out onto the sunlit terrace and opened the transparent box containing the lump of black flesh.
Then he offered the raw meat to it.
The black lump, previously lifeless and utterly still, began writhing the instant it saw the raw meat.
Like some kind of shell-less snail, it enveloped the entire piece of meat, sprouting tiny mouthparts that began gnawing at it.
Yin Chao