Getting Closer

"Jiu-er, are you almost home?"

Dong Hua called Feng Jiu, using the house phone.

"Yes, I just got off the bus, and I will be home in 15 minutes. Why are you asking?" Feng Jiu replied casually.

"Oh, it's nothing! I just missed you. Come back home quickly, but remember to be safe too!"

"You're so cheeky, I'll see you soon. Bye!" Feng Jiu said before hanging up the call.

On the other side, Dong Hua laid out his signature dish on the dining table and covered it while waiting for Feng Jiu to come home.

Dong Hua then stood at the main door and waited for Feng Jiu.

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"You're back, Jiu-er! I have a surprise for you, close your eyes and don't peek!"

Dong Hua covered Feng Jiu's eyes with both of his hands, and slowly led her towards the dining area.

"Mmm, it smells delicious in here!" Feng Jiu thought to herself, and the smell of food made her stomach growled in anticipation.

"You can open your eyes now! Surprise! I made dinner for you tonight, and I spent the whole evening making it!" Dong Hua excitedly exclaimed.

Feng Jiu was shocked beyond words when she saw what was in front of her. It was a plate of sweet and sour fish.

"Wait...! Why does this plate of sweet and sour fish look familiar?!" She blinked her eyes a few times, making sure that she didn't see it wrongly.

"Do you like it, Jiu-er?" Dong Hua was proud of his cooking.

"Of course, I do. But I just felt a weird deja vu feeling about this." Feng Jiu frowned.

"What do you mean?" Dong Hua curiously asked.

Suddenly, Feng Jiu remembered her nightmare about the sweet and sour fish. She broke into a cold sweat and replied, "Oh, it's nothing. I just remembered that someone else made this for me in the past."

"Someone made sweet and sour fish for her too...?" Dong Hua silently thought to himself.

"Should we start eating now? I'm so hungry! I was so busy at work today, and I barely got a chance to eat anything." Feng Jiu interrupted his thoughts.

"Sure! Sit down, I'll get you a bowl of rice, and then we can start eating!"

Then Dong Hua happily ran towards the kitchen.

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"Mmm it smells delicious, I'm sure it would taste good too!"

Feng Jiu eagerly picked up her chopsticks and took a big piece of fish.

Her whole body froze upon taking her first bite.

"......."

Dong Hua had brought a whole new level of "sweet" to sweet and sour fish; it was way too sweet. It appears that Dong Hua had mistaken salt for sugar.

"Is it good, Jiu-er? It's my signature dish!" Dong Hua asked, with a satisfied smile on his face.

Feng Jiu didn't want to hurt Dong Hua's feelings because she knew that he had put a lot of effort into cooking for her.

Then she took a large sip of water and swallowed down the fish.

"Yes, it's delicious! Thank you!" Feng Jiu nodded her head and continued drinking more water.

"I'm so glad that you liked it, eat more if you like it!

Feng Jiu then picked up her chopsticks slowly and took more fish. She pretended that it was delicious, and she gulped down more water to cover up the overly-sweet fish.

"It seems like you're enjoying the fish, Jiu-er. I guess I'm going to try some as well!"

Dong Hua then took one bite, and he spat out the fish immediately.

"Omg, it's awful! Don't eat this, Jiu-er! I'll throw it away and get us some takeaway food. I'm so sorry! I didn't think that I'll be such a lousy cook."

For someone who barely cooks, it didn't cross Dong Hua's mind that he had to taste his own cooking before serving it to others. He was just too focused on trying to make Feng Jiu happy, and he totally overlooked that.

Dong Hua stood up and tried to take the plate away. He was upset that he couldn't even do such a simple thing for Feng Jiu.

Feng Jiu immediately stopped Dong Hua from taking the plate away and said, "No, don't throw it! I have a sweet tooth anyway, so the fish tasted delicious to me."

Feng Jiu didn't like the fish, but she also didn't want to waste Dong Hua's effort.

"Are you sure about it, Jiu-er?" Dong Hua frowned.

"I'm so hungry! I'm going to finish the whole plate, and I won't leave any for you! I know why it's so sweet, it's because you thought of me when you're cooking, right? Thank you for making this for me. I love it." Feng Jiu cheekily replied while sticking out her tongue at Dong Hua.

"I'll do anything for you, Jiu-er." Dong Hua smiled sweetly.

Dong Hua couldn't stop staring at Feng Jiu while she devoured the whole plate of sweet and sour fish. He thought to himself how lucky he was to have her. He was falling madly in love with her.

Deep inside, he knew that his fish was awful, but he felt so touched that Feng Jiu finished it all, despite it being unpalatable.

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"Phew! I'm so full now. It was good! I'll get up and wash some dishes now."

Dong Hua immediately stopped Feng Jiu and pushed her towards the living room.

"No, no, it's time for you to rest, and to watch some TV! Leave the dishes to me."

Dong Hua then swiftly brought all the plates back to the kitchen and started scrubbing and washing it.

Feng Jiu stretched and lay on the sofa to watch TV. She felt blessed knowing that Dong Hua was doing so much for her. She thought to herself that even if it was temporary, she's not going to worry about anything and enjoy the moment while it lasts.

Dong Hua then made some hot tea for Feng Jiu, so that she can digest better after the big meal that she just had. Then he sat down quietly beside Feng Jiu.

Feng Jiu noticed that Dong Hua was unusually quiet tonight, so she casually said, "Dong Hua, are you feeling tired? I noticed that the house was sparkling clean the moment I came in. You did all that too, right? You're so good at it! Thank you. I appreciate everything that you have done for me."

Dong Hua then replied softly, "Jiu-er, why are you treating me so well? You even finished the whole plate of sweet and sour fish even though it was awful. Was it only because I saved you, and you felt indebted towards me?"

"No! Why would you think that way? I'm not doing all these because of that. It was because of ..." Feng Jiu stopped herself in time from telling Dong Hua about her feelings.

"Because of what? Because you like me?!" Dong Hua stared at Feng Jiu intensively.

"Umm... No. Wait, I mean, yes, I do like you, but ..." She hesitantly replied because she didn't want to lie to Dong Hua as well.

At this moment, Dong Hua pulled Feng Jiu really close towards him. Feng Jiu's heart started pounding so hard that she could hear her heartbeat. Her mind went blank, and her body froze in panic and excitement.

Dong Hua stared deep into her eyes and slowly leaned in, his forehead resting against hers.

He whispered to Feng Jiu, "I really like you, Jiu-er. I like you so much that I'm losing control of myself. Tell me, what should I do about my feelings for you?"

Feng Jiu was shocked and didn't know what to reply to him. She didn't expect this day to come, where she could hear Dong Hua confess his feelings for her.

She hesitated for a while before she decided to follow her heart, and tell Dong Hua about her feelings too.

"I... I like you too, Dong Hua."

Feng Jiu couldn't care about anything else now, and she couldn't resist Dong Hua at this moment.

Dong Hua gently rubbed his nose against hers, and Feng Jiu slowly closed her eyes. Both their breaths were shaking, as it gets more and more intense.

Then Dong Hua gently leaned in and kissed Feng Jiu's soft lips. Her whole body went weak instantly.

His hand rested below her ear, his thumb caressing her cheek. She ran her fingers across his hair, and he pulled her closer. Feng Jiu could feel the beating of Dong Hua's heart against her chest.

The kiss started slow and soft as it slowly progressed into a deep and passionate kiss. Dong Hua slanted her head further, deepening the kiss.

They slowly laid back down against the sofa, with Dong Hua on top of Feng Jiu and kissing her passionately.

Feng Jiu couldn't resist Dong Hua's kiss at all, and she savoured every moment of it. Nothing else matters more to her than this moment.

I'm glad my first kiss is with you, Dong Hua.