Hot pot

Yu Nian slept until noon. He got up, washed his face, and prepared to cook himself some wontons.

He had bought the ingredients and wrapped the wontons himself in his spare time. They were tasty and convenient.

But after putting some water on to boil, he opened the fridge and discovered there were only a few left.

Yu Nian rummaged around some more and found a small handful of noodles.

Although there was a supermarket right outside the residential complex, it was still a bit of a walk. Looking at the gloomy sky, Yu Nian couldn't muster the enthusiasm to go out.

He cooked the wontons and noodles together, broke off a few leaves of bok choy, and snipped some scallions from the balcony.

With the seasonings added, it actually looked pretty decent.

Yu Nian sat down at the dining table, took out his phone, and snapped a photo to post on Moments.

[Breakfast: image.]

After posting it, Yu Nian closed the app and prepared to eat his mixed bowl of wontons and noodles.

It was Saturday. He checked the class group chat, but nothing was going on.

Nothing going on was best.

Soon, some of his classmates liked and commented on his Moments post.

Fang Xu: Hello, I'd like a bite.

Bian Yan: Living off campus is so nice. You can even cook for yourself T_T

Amused, Yu Nian left the page and called out in their three-person group chat:

Yu Nian: Guys, come over to my place for dinner tonight!

Bian Yan: Oh, I couldn't possibly.

Bian Yan: If my lord will have me, I, Lü Bu, would gladly call you Father.jpg

Yu Nian: Good son. I'll leave buying the groceries to you.

Bian Yan: You got it. What state banquet are you preparing for us, Father?

Yu Nian: No state banquet, but I've got two packets of hot pot base left.

Bian Yan: Even the cat died after hearing that.jpg

Fang Xu: Hahaha

Fang Xu: But seriously, won't it get in the way of your livestream?

Yu Nian: Anytime before eight is fine.

Fang Xu: Okay, Bian Yan and I will come over in a bit.

Yu Nian: Oh, and bring me a bundle of noodles and a pack of trash bags on your way.

Bian Yan: I suspect you just don't want to go outside, so you came up with this scheme.

Yu Nian: So are you coming or not?

Bian Yan: Yes!

With the plans settled with his roommates, Yu Nian quietly finished his "breakfast."

Once he felt refreshed, he started cleaning.

Yu Nian had good hygiene habits. There were no dirty clothes, smelly socks, or cigarette butts lurking in the corners of his home, much less scraps of paper scattered across the floor.

It was just a little messy.

He didn't like putting things away and always left them wherever was convenient, so the coffee table was constantly cluttered with scissors, unopened parcels, snacks he'd bought, and trash bags.

When he had first started dating Qin Yu, Yu Nian would tidy and organize everything on the table whenever Qin Yu said he was coming over. After all, it was his first romance, and he still wanted to make a good impression.

Then he discovered that this pampered young master's hygiene habits were worse than his own-even worse than those of his two roommates.

His roommates might pile up dirty clothes and smelly socks, but they wouldn't leave trash lying around in shared spaces.

Yu Nian often had to clean all over again after Qin Yu left. He would even find cigarette butts under the coffee table that Qin Yu had tossed and missed.

He really couldn't stand it, so eventually he stopped wanting Qin Yu to come over.

Who wanted to wait on some entitled prince?

Qin Yu said Yu Nian's homemade wontons were delicious and was always asking Yu Nian to cook them for him, but never bothered to clear away his bowl afterward.

Yu Nian had never met anyone lazier.

Thinking about it this way, Yu Nian felt that even without that incident, he would have broken up with Qin Yu sooner or later.

Good riddance, good riddance. Whoever wanted a boyfriend from the garbage heap could pick him up. Yu Nian wasn't interested.

He opened his phone and played the cheerful song "Good Luck Comes" to celebrate regaining his freedom.

To its rousing melody, he tidied up the apartment and hung out the clean laundry, then clapped his hands with the smug satisfaction of a job well done.

It wasn't even two by the time he finished cleaning. A little sunshine had emerged outside, and Yu Nian sat down at his desk to review his coursework.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed before he looked up to take a breather and noticed a new message on his phone.

It was the head of HR at Sea Star, contacting him about what had happened yesterday.

Yu Nian read the message. In essence, they apologized again for yesterday's incident and said they had investigated the staff's dereliction of duty. Assistant Su and the other employees involved had been dismissed.

As for who those "other employees" were, that was an internal scandal, so naturally the company wouldn't disclose it.

Yu Nian didn't think the punishment was too harsh.

Sea Star was a sizable company, after all, and would certainly have considered the matter carefully before making a decision. Since they had fired everyone involved, there had to be more to it than he knew.

Yu Nian could more or less guess what that was.

The other party also transferred him a sum of money.

It included compensation for the delayed lesson, lost earnings, emotional distress, and so on.

The lost earnings, of course, referred to his lack of livestream income the previous night.

They had even drawn up a document bearing the company's electronic seal. Everything was clearly stated, efficient, and decisive.

They also arranged a specific time for his next interview. Thorough and considerate, they even asked whether he was satisfied with the outcome.

Having received a tidy sum in compensation, Yu Nian naturally couldn't have been more satisfied.

He was both happy and uneasy.

What should I do? It feels like I owe Qin Yuheng more and more favors.

A little after four that afternoon.

Seeing that it was about time, Yu Nian changed clothes and prepared to go out.

He had told the other two to buy ingredients and bring them over, but he hadn't really meant it.

He was the one inviting them to dinner. How could he ask his guests to buy the groceries?

Making them carry things was fine, though.

Pushing a shopping cart through the supermarket, Yu Nian bought plenty of meat and vegetables they all liked, along with some everyday supplies he needed to restock.

The wonton wrappers and meat at the supermarket weren't as fresh as those at the wet market, so Yu Nian decided to go there early the next morning to buy ingredients for another batch of wontons.

He messaged the other two shortly after entering the supermarket. By the time he was nearly finished shopping, his roommates had arrived.

Bian Yan carried a large bottle of cola in one hand and Yu Nian's household supplies in the other, his eyes bright with delight. "You have no idea how jealous the guys next door are."

"Ah, it's so nice to have connections off campus~"

For students living in the dorms, living expenses just kept shooting up. The food on campus got repetitive, while a big meal off campus was expensive and not necessarily any good.

Having somewhere they could cook for themselves at a time like this was enough to make others envious, even if their cooking didn't turn out well.

Seeing his smug expression, Fang Xu couldn't help laughing too. "I distinctly remember someone always saying that things were too quiet and boring after Yu Nian moved out."

Bian Yan huffed. "That was then, this is now. Seriously, if I were as capable as Yu Nian, I'd want to move out too. We could keep each other company."

Fang Xu pointed at the security booth by the complex entrance. "You could apply to be a security guard here. You'd be close to Yu Nian, skip thirty years of career detours, and get free room and board."

Bian Yan perked up. "Hey, not bad, not bad. Finding an opening at the complex entrance-the ultimate destination for an accounting major."

Fang Xu shook his head. "Such ambition."

Yu Nian laughed at their banter. "All right, just come over whenever you want a meal. Help yourselves to the kitchen."

Bian Yan bumped Yu Nian with his shoulder. "You're a real bro."

The three of them went back to Yu Nian's place and got to work unpacking everything, washing vegetables, slicing meat, and preparing dipping sauces.

None of them expected to be waited on hand and foot. They worked together without anyone standing idle, and in less than twenty minutes, they were sitting around the induction cooker, swishing meat in the broth.

Fang Xu cooked a few slices of winter melon and asked Yu Nian, "Didn't you say you had an interview yesterday? How did it go?"

Bian Yan loved meat and dumped in beef, pork belly, and beef tripe in quick succession. "Yeah, I was going to ask you to play games last night, but you weren't online."

Yu Nian sighed and gave them a selective account of what had happened yesterday, leaving out anything about Qin Yuheng.