The beautiful woman stormed off with her cheeks puffed out, leaving Shen Luolun behind with messy hair, visible pinch marks on his face, and nothing left to live for.
"All I said was that you were bad at it and should go home and practice more. Was that really necessary?"
She was a grown woman, yet she still acted like a child.
She had pulled his hair and pinched his face.
She was exactly like a certain woman.
Seriously, they really were mother and daughter, weren't they?
After getting up and straightening the clothes Madam Xiao had messed up when she threw herself into his arms and made trouble, Shen Luolun was about to return to his room and write for a while when-
A little cyan paper figure drifted onto the table.
"Hm?"
The little paper figure actually waved at him with a lifelike motion.
"Lan Yan?"
Shen Luolun recognized it at once as Lan Yan's little paper figure.
They had often used paper figures to pass secret messages to each other when they skipped class.
Shen Luolun sat back down and gently poked the little paper figure with his index finger.
"Lan Yan, what do you need me for?"
I'm confined right now, so I can't get out for the time being. (Sad.)
The little paper figure shook its head, then curled one hand up as though making a fist.
"What are you doing?"
The little paper figure waved its tiny fist and jumped off the stone table.
It ran off in a certain direction.
"Are you trying to lead me somewhere?" Shen Luolun asked, puzzled.
Without thinking much of it, he followed.
Before long, the little paper figure arrived at a wall four or five meters high.
It pointed at the wall, signaling for Shen Luolun to climb over.
"Huh? You want me to climb the wall?"
Shen Luolun was stumped.
His physique was average, and he knew no martial arts at all.
He couldn't even jump thirty centimeters high normally, much less scale a wall with his bare hands.
If he had that skill, he would have slipped away long ago.
Before Shen Luolun could say anything, the little paper figure spontaneously caught fire.
A wisp of cyan smoke drifted upward.
A moment later, someone outside seemed to receive some kind of signal.
A coil of thick rope was thrown over the wall, with the other end still outside.
Shen Luolun: "666."
He hadn't thought of that.
He bent down and squeezed the thick rope. It was nice and sturdy.
Shen Luolun quickly tied the rope around himself, looked around to make sure nobody was there, and began climbing up it.
Once the person outside knew Shen Luolun was climbing, they began pulling from the other side.
Soon, Shen Luolun climbed onto the wall and looked down to see the Miao holy maiden he had been longing to see-Lan Yan.
The girl was fresh and graceful, standing elegantly like a green lotus.
The moment she saw the young man, her crescent-shaped eyes filled with smiles.
She waved vigorously, carefully keeping her voice down:
"A-Shen, I'm here, over here!"
"Okay, bro, I see you, I see you."
Shen Luolun made an OK sign at Lan Yan.
He prepared to come down.
Then he suddenly realized something was wrong.
Huh? Why is there nothing under my feet?
Hiss~ I forgot I was on a wall four or five meters high.
I'm screwed.
He had made it up, but how was he supposed to get down?
If he jumped straight down, he would definitely get hurt, right?
Lan Yan seemed to understand the predicament of the person on the wall, so she bravely puffed out her chest and spread her arms.
"A-Shen, come down! I'll catch you!"
Huh?
Seriously?
Wouldn't that be embarrassing?
I'm a grown man. Having a girl catch me when I jump down would be a little shameful.
I'm the male lead! I care about my dignity!
But the dignity-conscious Shen Luolun hesitated for 0.0001 seconds before jumping straight down.
His bro had already reached out to catch him. It would be even more embarrassing not to jump!
Thud-
He crashed right into her arms.
They both fell to the ground.
The young man landed squarely on top of the girl.
"Mm~ A-Shen, you've gotten so heavy."
Lan Yan pushed against Shen Luolun's chest and couldn't help complaining.
"Ah, I've been eating better lately, so I've put on a little weight. Sorry."
Shen Luolun pushed himself up and looked at the girl beneath him, clear apology on his face.
"But isn't it normal for me to have gotten heavier? The last time I landed on top of you was years ago, when we got thrown off that swing together."
"I guess so."
"But could you let go first? And get off me?"
Lan Yan's pretty face flushed slightly, and her eyes signaled for him to mind himself.
Only then did Shen Luolun realize what he was using to push himself up.
No wonder it was so soft and fit so nicely in his hand.
"Sorry about that."
He hurriedly let go, got to his feet, and helped the girl up.
Lan Yan looked down and straightened her slightly disheveled collar, then looked at Shen Luolun:
"If it were anyone else, I'd definitely hit them."
"But since it's you, I don't mind."
As she said this, her gaze wandered, and she didn't dare look the young man in the eye.
She doesn't mind because it's me?
What a strange thing to say. What does she mean?
Wait?!
Could it be...
Oh~
So that's it~
We're bros!
So there's no need to make a fuss about it!
Enlightenment dawned on Shen Luolun. He completely understood what his close friend meant and nodded with a smile:
"I get it. I get it all."
Lan Yan: !!!
He gets it all?
What does he get?
Could it be...
Seriously?!
Has this guy finally caught on? Is he going to be direct?
What should I do now?
The girl's heart suddenly began pounding.
An unfamiliar sense of panic welled up inside her.
Her cheeks turned bright red, like a cute little cake.
Ah, I really want to take a bite.
Shen Luolun didn't bite her, though. That would have been too forward.
He reached out and pinched her cheek instead.
Oh-ho~
Bro, bro, your cheeks are so soft and tender~
"What are you doing~?"
Lan Yan glared at him.
There was embarrassment and annoyance in her watery eyes, but no disgust.
"Why are you blushing?"
"I... none of your business!"
Lan Yan stamped her foot, pouted, and turned her head away from him.
She looked just like a certain blonde losing heroine acting tsundere and wanting to be coaxed.
Shen Luolun sighed helplessly.
Why are all my bros so girly and sissy?
Besides, tsunderes are out of the meta now.
He reached out and turned Lan Yan's head back toward him.
"Ah! What are you doing?!"
"Quit acting so girly and tell me already. Why did you ask me out?"
If there was nothing urgent, he wanted to go back.
It wasn't that he liked being confined. Inspiration to write had suddenly struck.
He had already thought up a wonderful scene and was ready to write it down.
Lan Yan shook his hand off and, blushing, muttered, "You hateful guy."
After getting her feelings in order, she finally spoke:
"The Moonchase Festival is in a day or two. Aren't you coming out to have fun?"
"Yilong Wharf is holding the Cuisine Machine Test soon. Didn't you say last time that you wanted to come take part? You hadn't sent me any messages in so long that I went to your house to find you, but I saw a seal on your door and thought something had happened to you. Then I ran into Yelan, and she told me you were staying at her house, so I came looking for you."
"But the Ye residence said you hadn't been feeling well lately and weren't receiving visitors for now, so I secretly used a paper figure to find you."
"What?!"
Shen Luolun exclaimed in shock.
"What did you say?!"
"Huh?"
Lan Yan tilted her head in confusion.
Hadn't she made herself clear?
"Then I'll say it again-"
"No!"
Shen Luolun hurriedly stopped her.
"That's not what I meant."
"What I mean is-"
"Holy crap, I almost forgot about the Moonchase Festival!"
Damn, I almost missed the version's big event!
Heavenly Queen Ye led me astray!
No wonder I kept feeling like I'd forgotten something.
It was the Moonchase Festival.
Xiangling had told him before that when the Moonchase Festival came around, the Cuisine Machine Test would begin too, and he had to come support her in person.
If he didn't come, she would never cook for him again.
That was close, that was close.
Good thing Lan Yan was here.
Otherwise, he really would have just kept writing away like a fool and ended up losing his little chef.
Wow~ Just thinking about something like that is scary!