Oh, are you cooking tonight?

….

On Saturday evening,

Han Ye was reading in his room when he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in."

Once he heard the invitation to enter the room, Lu ZiYan opened the door and wheeled himself in. With a smirk on his face, he looked at Han Ye from the top to the bottom before he asked, "I see you're ready for your date."

Han Ye was wearing a grey cotton crew neck sweater and a pair of dark blue jeans. For accessory, he went with a simple Patek Philipe Perpetual Calendar watch.

"Well, you said to dress to impress…" Han Ye said while he continued to read the latest issue of The Economist. "Is there anything that you want from me?"

"Everything looks great… but erm…"

Lu ZiYan glanced at Han Ye who was playing with his necklace absentmindedly before he then pointed at his neck. Han Ye was wearing his and his wife's wedding rings as a necklace. Before his wife was cremated, he had taken off the wedding ring that she was wearing around her neck.

During her comatose period, she got too thin for the ring and he bought a gold necklace for her so that she could wear it around her neck. Since she was not wearing it on her finger, Han Ye did not feel like wearing his ring on his finger, and thus, he had also worn his around his neck as well.

When he took her wedding ring, he had slipped it into the silver necklace that he was wearing as well. It was his way of remembering her.

"Don't you think you should take those rings off?" Lu ZiYan asked in a soft, respectful voice.

Han Ye hesitated for a moment before he said, "I can't…"

"How are you going to move on if you keep wearing them?"

Han Ye looked at the rings. "I…"

Looking at the complicated expression on his face, Lu Ziyan could only sigh inwardly. He then waved his hand slightly as he said, "Fine… I know that you are still in love with your wife… At least, put it under your shirt. I think your date deserves that much respect from you."

Han Ye knew that he was right, and so, he placed the rings underneath his shirt. He felt that this whole dating thing was wrong. A part of him just wanted to be alone for the rest of his life, but a part of him hated the idea of being alone.

"By the way, did you help me book that restaurant?" asked Han Ye.

Lu ZiYan nodded. "Of course! It's your first date for god knows how long. How can I screw this up? A reservation at Topaz for two under your name."

Han Ye nodded. He then glanced at his watch before saying, "Where's Tian Le? He called yesterday and said that he's coming back today, right?"

"Yeah, I called him earlier. He said his friend asked him out for dinner, so he would be back later," Lu ZiYan explained. He then chuckled before saying, "Based on his tone, I think that our little brother might have found a little love of his own."

"Wait, what? He's only a kid!" Han Ye frowned as he put down his book.

Hearing the nervous tone in Han Ye's voice, Lu ZiYan could not help but laugh out loud. "What are you talking about? He's 15 years old. It's time for him to get a girlfriend."

In the two short years since they stayed together, they had watched the little brother that they fostered went from a cute little preteen to a hormone-filled teenager.

Han Ye did not want to deal with an angsty teenager and so, he kept telling Tian Le to stop growing. One of his methods of preventing Tian Le from going taller was to make him eat more meat instead of vegetables. This method did not work, and it only made the boy more constipated than ever.

Unfortunately for Han Ye, nature was unstoppable. Tian Le started going through puberty one year after moving in with them, and every time he came back from school, it was like he grew a little bit taller.

In fact, Tian Le was now only a head shorter than Han Ye.

With a resigned tone of voice, Han Ye said, "I don't think I'd come home late, but if I am, then tell him that we are eating breakfast together tomorrow… Oh, are you cooking tonight?"

"Noted on breakfast, and no. Since the two of you are both out enjoying good food, I'm going to go to a fancy hotel to be alone instead of being alone at home… Don't worry about Tian Le. I told him to call me once he's done."

Han Ye thought for a moment before he said, "I figured that I might be drinking, so I got a private driver for tonight, but you can have him."

No matter what, it had been a long time since he last dated, and Han Ye felt a little nervous at the prospect of getting to know a new girl. It might seem silly, but for someone like him who had never dated anyone other than his late wife, the whole idea of dating made him uncomfortable.

He figured that in case he got too nervous, he could try to control it by having some alcohol.

Lu ZiYan then asked, "What about you? I think you better take the driver. I can call for a cab."

Han Ye waved his hand nonchalantly as he said, "I'll call for a cab, don't worry about me. I'll send you the driver's details later."