Love Cuisine

Feng Jiu got up extra early since she didn't want Dong Hua to wait for her. She also couldn't sleep well because she was thinking about their accidental kiss last night. The moment her alarm rang, she got up from the bed and headed into the shower.

On the other hand, Dong Hua actually slept really well. He thought of those two kisses on the cheek that they had the day before, and he smiled himself to sleep. Usually, Dong Hua would wake up early even without an alarm, but this time he lay in bed smiling to himself.

"Her lips were as soft as it looks. Can't wait to see her later on." Dong Hua couldn't stop smiling while thinking about Feng Jiu. But he got off the bed and headed into the shower before he was late to pick her up.

Feng Jiu got changed into her usual comfortable clothing and prepared to head out. Then she decided to wear the black sneakers that Dong Hua bought for her on Saturday. She also brought along her work clothing since she would be cooking later, and her clothes would smell bad after that.

Then she took the elevator down and waited for Dong Hua to pick her up.

Right at this moment, she saw a car turned into the lobby area and dropped someone off. It turned out to be a young male neighbour staying three doors down from her apartment. She waved Hi to the neighbour, and he left after that.

Then the car stopped right in front of her, and the car owner winded down his car windows.

"Hey, Feng Jiu. What a coincidence to meet you here." A man's voice emerged from inside the car.

Feng Jiu bends down to take a look at who was talking to her, and she immediately recognized him. "Oh! Su Moye! Why are you here?"

Su Moye then parked his car and got out to talk to Feng Jiu.

"Oh. I met my high school buddy last night for some drinks at my place. He was quite drunk, so he stayed over for a night. Just here to send him back home."

"Oh! So that was your friend. He lives a few doors down my apartment." Feng Jiu smiled brightly. Su Moye smiled back politely, "Cool. This is a nice neighbourhood, and I come here quite often. Funny how we didn't bump into each other before."

"I guess better late than never!"

"So, are you heading to work now? I can give you a lift to work since I'm heading that way too." Su Moye asked. Feng Jiu shook her head lightly, "Oh. I'm just waiting for someone here. Thanks for the offer!"

Right at this moment, Dong Hua arrived, and he saw Feng Jiu talking to Su Moye.

"What? Why is he here, and why is he talking to Xiao Bai? How close are they now? I thought she said that they just knew each other?" Dong Hua's mind was filled with negative thoughts, and he also felt insecure.

Feng Jiu then noticed Dong Hua's car, and she said to Su Moye, "I need to go now! I'll see you around."

Su Moye smiled politely and replied, "Yes. I'll be dropping by your office more often when the new project takes off. Have a good day." Then he got into his car and drove off.

Feng Jiu then ran towards Dong Hua and excitedly greeted him good morning.

"Were you talking to Su Moye just now? I couldn't see clearly from the car, but it looked like it was him." Dong Hua asked.

"Oh, yes! It's Su Moye. He's here to drop his good friend off. It turns out that his good friend is actually my neighbour that lived three doors away from mine."

"Oh? What a coincidence." Dong Hua replied sternly. Feng Jiu nodded her head and replied, "Yeah! He also said that he frequently came to this area, but I have never seen him before."

"Oh. I see." Dong Hua replied coldly.

Feng Jiu then looked at Dong Hua with her big smile on her face. Then she pointed to her shoes, "Look, Dong Hua! I wore the shoes that you bought for me. I love it, and it's my new favourite pair of shoes now!"

Dong Hua's cold and stern expression immediately turned into a warm smile. "I guess you'll be wearing them often, huh?"

"Of course! I would wear them every day if I could. But I'm also worried that I'll wear them too often, and it would wear out eventually." Feng Jiu then frowned.

"I will buy you new shoes when that happens then."

"But... I don't want you to waste more money." Feng Jiu pouted. Dong Hua then patted her head and replied, "It won't be a waste if you're wearing them often."

Feng Jiu then smiled brightly and replied, "That's true! I'll definitely wear them more often! Should we head off now?"

Dong Hua then leaned over and helped her with her seatbelts as usual. Then he drove towards the market to buy some fresh fishes for his signature dish.

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"Since we are here at the market, I'll buy some ingredients and cook lunch for you." Feng Jiu said.

"Oh? Starting work so soon? I thought I would need to wait till next week before I get the chance to eat your home-cooked meals." Dong Hua replied. Feng Jiu giggled and said, "I told you so! I'm hardworking!"

Dong Hua then stood close to Feng Jiu as he didn't want her to slip and fall from the wet floor. At this moment, a man pushing a trolley full of boxes walked towards their direction, and he didn't notice them standing in front of him too.

Dong Hua immediately shielded Feng Jiu from getting hit by the trolley, and he got hit really hard on his shoulder while trying to protect her.

"I'm so sorry, Sir! I didn't see the both of you standing there. I'm really sorry!" The man apologized profusely. Dong Hua immediately turned to Feng Jiu and asked her, "Did you get hurt anywhere?" Feng Jiu then shook her head and replied, "No. I'm fine because you shielded me from it. How about you?"

"Don't worry about me." He replied. Then he turned over to the man who was pushing the trolley, "Please mind where you're going next time. Luckily she did not get hurt."

"Yes, Sir. I'll be more careful." The man bowed, and then he left.

Feng Jiu smiled at Dong Hua, and she said, "Thank you for protecting me from getting hit just now. It's really nice of you." Then she continued walking around the market.

"Hold on to me, Xiao Bai. I don't want you to get hurt." Dong Hua held out his arm towards her."It's fine. I can walk on my own!" Feng Jiu didn't want to grab onto his arm as she wasn't the type who likes to rely on others.

Dong Hua then grabbed her arm gently and hooked it around his arm. "No. Knowing how clumsy you are, you'll definitely slip and fall. Just hold on to me. If not, you'll sue me when you fall during work hours." Feng Jiu chuckled and replied sarcastically, "Of course I would have to sue you if I got hurt during work hours! If I got hurt, I wouldn't be able to work, and I won't have money!"

"What are you saving up for anyway?" Dong Hua asked casually.

"Oh. Nothing much. It's a good habit to have savings. I bet you don't know how to manage your money!" Feng Jiu teased Dong Hua."Oh? Do you want to help me manage my money then? Wait, no. You'll spend all my money on food." He teased her back.

"Hmph! I won't!" She pouted.

Then they arrived at the same place that sells seafood. The store owner said to Dong Hua,"Oh, you're back with your girlfriend again."

Dong Hua didn't deny that she was his girlfriend, and he replied, "Yeah. I'll get three fishes today. Give me the freshest ones."

The storeowner cleaned the fish and packed it up for them. Dong Hua then paid and left the store.

"Why didn't you tell that guy that I'm not your girlfriend?" Feng Jiu asked.

"Why should I?" Dong Hua replied calmly.

"Well... People will misunderstand our relationship if you don't explain!" Feng Jiu exclaimed.

"Let them misunderstand then."

"But..." Feng Jiu didn't know what to say.

"You're a girl, and you're my friend. So, calling you my girlfriend isn't wrong too."

"It doesn't work that way!" Feng Jiu protested.

"Oh? So what am I to you?" Dong Hua then looked away as he was feeling a little nervous.

"Good friends...?" Feng Jiu replied hesitantly. Dong Hua replied sarcastically,"GF is short for Good Friend and Girl Friend. It's the same."

"No! I can't win you in talking!" Feng Jiu pouted.

Dong Hua then smiled and patted her head gently, "Fine, fine. I'll stop teasing you. So what else do you want to get from the market?" Feng Jiu then pondered for a while before answering, "Hmm... I'll get some meat and vegetables. I'll be making you some soup and a few side dishes. How do pork ribs sounds?"

"I will eat anything that you cook. But pork ribs do sound nice. I can't wait to eat your home-cooked meals, Xiao Bai."

Feng Jiu then smiled warmly at Dong Hua, and they continued grocery shopping.

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After they got everything that they needed, Dong Hua drove them back to his place. Feng Jiu immediately made herself comfortable upon reaching his place, and she started to unload the groceries on the kitchen table.

"Master chef, huh?" Dong Hua teased Feng Jiu again. She replied proudly. "You'll be the next master chef after you learn how to cook from me!"

Dong Hua carried the heavier bags into the kitchen, and Feng Jiu started to cut the vegetables. Feng Jiu then opened the fridge to keep the rest of the vegetables. She accidentally opened it with too much force, and the door slammed onto Dong Hua's shoulder.

"Ouch." Dong Hua held on to his shoulder in pain. Feng Jiu immediately checked on him, "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it." Then Feng Jiu noticed that Dong Hua was still in pain, and she insisted on seeing his injury. "Are you sure that you're okay? You don't look so fine to me."

Feng Jiu then started tugging on his shirt so she could check if he had a bruise from getting hit by the door. "Hey, are you trying to take advantage of me in broad daylight? Tugging onto my shirt like that." Dong Hua said sarcastically.

"No! I'm not! I was just trying to see if you're injured." Then Feng Jiu noticed a big bruise on the side of his shoulder. "What's this?!" Feng Jiu asked worriedly.

Dong Hua looked at his bruise briefly and replied casually, "Oh. It's nothing. I think I got the bruise from getting hit by the trolley in the market earlier on."

"What?! Why didn't you tell me?! Come! I'll rub some medicated oil on it. Where do you keep your medications?" Feng Jiu insisted, and Dong Hua pointed to the top cupboard that was beside the fridge.

"I can't reach it! Would you mind getting it for me, please?" She smiled at Dong Hua.

Dong Hua effortlessly grabbed the medicated oil from the top cupboard. Then he thought to himself, "I'll have to shift all my things to the lower cupboards so that she could reach it next time. Or I'll just buy a small stool for her."

Feng Jiu then dragged Dong Hua to the sofa. "Take off your shirt now." She said.

"Oh? What are you going to do to me?" He replied sarcastically.

Feng Jiu immediately blushed and replied softly, "That's not what I mean. I just wanted to rub some medicated oil on your shoulder, but your shirt is in the way."

Dong Hua then smiled and took off his shirt. Feng Jiu nervously sat down beside him, "Tell me if it hurts, and I'll stop."

Feng Jiu began rubbing the medicated oil on his shoulder slowly, in fear of causing more pain for him. Dong Hua stared lovingly at Feng Jiu while she was rubbing his shoulders, and his heart started pounding. He tried to control himself from having any dirty thoughts towards her since he was topless, and she was 'touching' him. Feng Jiu was too focused to notice him staring at her.

"Is it painful?" Feng Jiu asked.

"Yes. It's painful." Dong Hua said while still staring at Feng Jiu.

"How about now?" She became more gentle and didn't rub as hard.

"Still painful."

"Now?" Feng Jiu asked. At this point, she was barely even rubbing it and just gently touching his bruise. Then she thought to herself, "Poor Dong Hua, it must be really painful for him. I barely touched it, and he's already in pain. I need to take good care of him."

Dong Hua couldn't keep his eyes off her beautiful face, and he couldn't stop smiling as well. Then he said lovingly to Feng Jiu, "Xiao Bai. You're really good to me."

Feng Jiu looked up, and their eyes met. Her heart started pounding as Dong Hua was staring deep into her eyes lovingly. "Why is he looking at me like this? Does he really have feelings for me? But... I don't know!" Feng Jiu also struggled with her thoughts.

Then she stood up and replied, "Yeah, I'm good to all my friends. You can wear your shirt back now, and we can start cooking soon." Then she walked into the guest bathroom and washed her hands.

She thought to herself while washing her hands, "Why is Dong Hua so different nowadays? Maybe Si Ming is right about him having special feelings for me? But how would I know? I can't possibly ask him about it, that would be too awkward. If he said no, it would definitely affect our friendship. Ahhh... I'm feeling so conflicted! I guess I could only wait and see for myself."

On the other side, Dong Hua slowly put on his shirt. Then he thought to himself, "She seems to always avoid me whenever I try to get closer to her. Is there someone else in her heart? What should I do?"

Feng Jiu then came walking out of the room and gestured for Dong Hua to follow her into the kitchen. Then she started to teach him how to cook Sweet and Sour Fish step by step.

First, she told Dong Hua to make the sauce for the sweet and sour fish so she could see what went wrong. It turns out that Dong Hua actually added way too much vinegar and sugar in his sauce.

Feng Jiu then said, "I'll show it to you once, and you'll do it after me." Dong Hua then started making the sauce after Feng Jiu demonstrated hers.

"You have to measure it properly! Do it again!" Feng Jiu lectured Dong Hua. Feng Jiu was a very strict teacher, and she made him re-do the sauce until he got it right.

He sighed and thought to himself, "Xiao Bai is so strict when it comes to cooking. Why can't I get it right?"

"It's wrong! Do it again!" Feng Jiu took the chopsticks and hit Dong Hua's hand lightly.

"I can't do this, Xiao Bai." He frowned after getting it wrong for the 5th time.

"There is no such thing as 'giving up' in my dictionary. Keep going and don't stop until you get it right." Feng Jiu replied sternly. It appeared that she was really the 'boss of food.'

After failing for the 8th time, Feng Jiu put her hands on her hips and glowered at Dong Hua. "You're so bad at this, Dong Hua!"

Dong Hua frowned because he felt helpless. He was always good at everything, and nobody could boss him around like that. Feng Jiu was the first person who dares to talk to him in this manner.

"This is why I need you, Xiao Bai. I can't do it at all." Dong Hua replied softly.

"Yes, you can! Believe in yourself." Feng Jiu replied sternly.

Feng Jiu then walked over to Dong Hua and placed her hand over his. Then she taught him how much vinegar to pour into the sauce. "Okay, so just pour a little vinegar. Yes. Not too much."

Dong Hua felt his heart beating faster, and he smiled to himself. Feng Jiu continued to teach him step by step until he got it right.

Dong Hua finally got it right on his 10th try. He smiled and said happily, "Xiao Bai, I did it." Feng Jiu then replied, "Don't be too happy yet. We need to cook it first before knowing if you succeeded or not."

Feng Jiu stared at Dong Hua sternly while he pours the sauce into the frying pan. He kept turning to look at her to seek reassurance to see if he was doing it right. Feng Jiu nodded her head and said, "Go on. I'll try it when you're done with it."

Dong Hua nervously opened the pan lid to show his 'final product' to Feng Jiu. She took a spoon and took some of the sauce before putting it into her mouth. Dong Hua stared at Feng Jiu to see her reaction, nervously waiting for the 'final verdict' from the master chef.

"Hmm..." Feng Jiu then took more sauce and tasted it.

"How is it...? Did I pass?" Dong Hua asked nervously.

Feng Jiu stared at Dong Hua sternly, and it was getting intense. "Hmm..."

Finally, she broke into a smile and replied, "That's better. I'll rate it 6/10."

"Only 6/10?" Dong Hua frowned.

"Yeah. If you keep practicing, you'll achieve 10/10 eventually."

Dong Hua then smiled, "Okay, Xiao Bai. I'll make sure it's 10/10 someday."

Feng Jiu then set aside the sauce and fish. "I'll cook you lunch now. You want to help or wait outside?"

"I want to help you." Dong Hua replied cheerfully, but he also thought to himself, "Hopefully, Xiao Bai won't scold me again. I'm so bad at cooking."

Feng Jiu then told him to wash the vegetables and to pass her the condiments while she's cooking. She made Sticky-Sweet Five-Spice Pork Ribs, Spicy Stir Fry Long Beans, and Fish tofu soup.

Dong Hua stood at the side and stared at her lovingly. "Xiao Bai would make such a good wife in the future. If I can't marry her, I won't marry for life too. She's the only girl that I want to marry."

"Pass me the plate." Feng Jiu said to Dong Hua. He quickly took a few plates and stood beside her, passing it to her one by one.

"Mmm... It smells so good. I can't wait to eat." Dong Hua said. Then he quickly took out the utensils and set the dining table. He ran back into the kitchen to help Feng Jiu bring the dishes out to the dining table as well. "Let me do it. I don't want you to scald yourself." He said concernedly.

Feng Jiu then took off her apron and washed her hands. Dong Hua sat at the dining table, staring at the dishes, and waited for Feng Jiu to come out from the kitchen. He was acting like a little kid waiting for his mother to begin eating.

Then he walked into the kitchen and popped his head in to peek at what she was doing. "Xiao Bai, can we eat yet? I'm hungry."

Feng Jiu was trying to wash some dishes before she began eating. Dong Hua then walked into the kitchen, and he said to her, "Leave it and come eat first. I'll wash the dishes later. I'm sure you're hungry." Then he made her wash her hands and dragged her out of the kitchen.

Dong Hua gently pressed down on Feng Jiu's shoulder to make her sit down and enjoy the meal. Then he sat down beside her and looked over to her, waiting for her to start eating.

Feng Jiu took the soup ladle and poured some soup onto Dong Hua's bowl. "Here, drink this. It's good for you, and I know you like soup."

"You know me too well." Dong Hua smiled brightly at her, and he drank the whole bowl of soup.

"More, Xiao Bai." Dong Hua raised his bowl and held out to Feng Jiu. Then she poured more soup into his bowl and told him to drink all of it if he wants to.

Dong Hua also took a piece of pork rib and put it on her bowl. "Eat more. I don't want you to get too hungry, and I'll buy you more food at work if you are hungry later."

Feng Jiu then remembered that she was 'working,' and she leaned over to Dong Hua. "So, how much are you going to pay me to be your cook?" She smirked.

"Hmm... I'll raise 10% of your pay then." Dong Hua replied casually, and he thought to himself, "I can't run away from her when it comes down to food matters."

Feng Jiu thought to herself, "Wow, Dong Hua is really generous. I was expecting far less than that." Then she replied, "Hmm... Isn't that a little too much?"

Dong Hua then thought to himself, "Wow. She actually said no to more money? I guess she only loves food and not money then." Then he replied, "No. I don't think so. After eating your home-cooked meal, I think you deserve the pay raise."

Feng Jiu smiled happily, "You really love my cooking? Don't just say that because I'm your good friend!" Dong Hua then smiled back warmly and replied, "I'm not, and It's delicious. The best cooking I have ever eaten. If only I could eat it every day."

"I don't cook every day too. It's tiring to cook after a long day at work. But I'll cook for you once a week, and we can eat it together."

Dong Hua looked up at her and smiled. "Sounds good to me."

After they were finishing eating, Feng Jiu became a stern and strict teacher again.

"Come with me to the kitchen now. Time to cook Sweet and Sour Fish."

Dong Hua sighed and dragged himself to the kitchen. "Xiao Bai is going to scold me again. I'm starting to hate cooking Sweet and Sour Fish."

Feng Jiu stood beside Dong Hua and said sternly, "Now, cook." Dong Hua frowned and started the fire. He pours a little too much oil, and Feng Jiu glowered at him.

"Too much oil...?" He asked nervously.

"What do you think?" Feng Jiu replied sternly.

"I don't know what to do, Xiao Bai." Dong Hua frowned and looked at Feng Jiu with sad puppy eyes.

Feng Jiu immediately softens upon seeing Dong Hua acting this way, and she thought to herself, "He looks really lost. I guess I'll help him out then."

Then she leaned closer to Dong Hua and placed her hand over his again. "I'll help you out this time." Then she helped Dong Hua pour the right amount of oil and encouraged him. "Yes, that's enough. You're doing good now." Then she smiled at Dong Hua.

Dong Hua immediately smiled back, and he instantly had more self-confidence in himself. He slowly put in the fish and told Feng Jiu to stand back. "Be careful, Xiao Bai. I don't want you to get splashed by the oil."

"It's fine. It happens all the time to me when I'm cooking." She smiled. Dong Hua then shook his head and held out his arm in front of her."No. Since I'm here now, I won't allow you to get hurt."

Feng Jiu then suddenly remembered that Dong Hua's shoulder was bruised after saving her. "I'll need to check on your injury again after this." She said worriedly.

Dong Hua nodded his head, and then he slowly poured the sauce into the pan. "Am I doing it right, Xiao Bai?"

Feng Jiu took a look at it and replied, "Yes. You're doing good. But be careful not to burn it."

"I won't."

After the fish was cooked, Dong Hua took a glass container and slowly poured the 'Sweet and Sour Fish' into it. Then he took out his phone and snapped a picture of it and then added it to his 'Heavenly Master Chef' photo collection.

"What's that?" Feng Jiu asked curiously and pointed to his phone.

"Oh. You said that my photo albums were boring so I made a new one. See? I added pictures of food in it." Dong Hua then showed her his phone, and she looked through the photos. Feng Jiu laughed out loud when she saw the album's name, 'Heavenly Master Chef.'

Then she noticed another picture of sweet and sour fish. "Wait. There is one more fish. Is that the one you send to Cang Yi?" Dong Hua nodded his head and replied, "Yeah. That's the one."

Feng Jiu smiled and replied, "We should take a selfie of us with these two plates of sweet and sour fish, for memory's sake!" Dong Hua had a huge smile on his face and he replied, "Good idea."

Then Feng Jiu held up the two containers and stood in front of Dong Hua. "You're too tall, and I can't see you on the screen!" Feng Jiu said. Dong Hua bend down and propped his head on her shoulder. "Is this better?"

"Yes! Okay, take the picture now!" Feng Jiu replied. Dong Hua struggled to take the picture, and most of the photos were blurry, or they weren't looking at the camera.

Feng Jiu then passed the containers to Dong Hua and said, "You hold this, and I'll take the picture. You have to smile too! You look good when you're smiling."

Upon hearing that, Dong Hua had a huge smile on his face, and Feng Jiu managed to snap a good selfie of them along with the fish.

"Nice picture! I'm sending it to myself, and I also added it to your 'Heavenly Master Chef' collection." Feng Jiu said.

"Now, it's all ready. One for Lian Song, and one for Si Ming." Dong Hua said. Feng Jiu snickered and replied, "I wonder what would be their reaction later on. Can't wait to see it."

"Oh? That's easy. I'll bring it to your office's meeting room. Then I'll summon them into the meeting room, and you can see their reaction from your desk." He smirked.

Feng Jiu laughed out loud and replied, "But I won't get to hear them, and it would be too far to see their faces."

"Oh. Then you can make coffee for me and bring it to the meeting room." Dong Hua smiled brightly at Feng Jiu.

"You're so smart, Dong Hua! I will act like I didn't know about it and see their reactions! I also have to take a video of it secretly, so I can use it against them if they bully me." Feng Jiu smirked

Dong Hua chuckled and thought to himself, "She's becoming like me, and I love that." Then he nodded his head and replied, "That's really smart too, Xiao Bai. We shall go according to your plan."

Feng Jiu had a big grin on her face. "Yes. That's our Plan A-cting! We were forced to take acting classes back in school for extra credits, so I know how to control my laughter. They won't even realize that I'm taking a video of it!"

"Oh? May you win the best actress award then." Dong Hua snickered.

"Don't wear your shirt after you shower. I need to check on your bruise!" Feng Jiu said before they both went into their own separate shower.

"Yes, boss." Dong Hua smiled.

Feng Jiu then nudged Dong Hua to shower and prepare for work. She then took the hairdryer from Dong Hua before she happily skipped into the guest bathroom.

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Dong Hua finished his shower first and sat in the living room area. He sat there topless, with the towel over his head.

Feng Jiu then yelled out from her room, "Give me 10 minutes. I need to dry my hair first!"

"Take your time." He yelled back.

Then he continued wiping his hair dry with his towel. He also went to the kitchen to take the medicated oil from the top cupboard and left it on the table.

After waiting for a while, Feng Jiu came running out of her room, all dressed and ready for work. She swiftly sat down beside Dong Hua and gently touched the bruise on his shoulder.

"Hmm... It looks a little swollen. Does it still hurt a lot?"

Dong Hua nodded his head and replied, "Yeah, especially when I move my arms. I was having a hard time taking off my shirt just now."

Feng Jiu then applied more medicated oil on his shoulder and started rubbing it gently. "I'm sorry, Dong Hua. You only got hurt because of me. I'll take good care of you until you are fully recovered."

Dong Hua nodded his head and replied, "Yeah, Xiao Bai. You really need to take good care of me so that I'll recover faster." Feng Jiu smiled brightly and said, "Don't worry! I will take good care of you, and I'll repay your kindness.".

Then she continued rubbing more medicated oil on his bruise. She blew on it to make it dry faster so that Dong Hua could put on his shirt.

Feng Jiu then followed Dong Hua into his room like a lost puppy after they were done with it. "Why are you following me?" Dong Hua asked.

"You mentioned that you'd feel pain whenever you move your arms, so I'm just trying to see if I can help you out with anything. Maybe I can carry your laptop bag?"

"Oh? It's fine. I can still handle that. It's not really a bad injury anyway."

Feng Jiu pouted and replied, "No! I said that I'd take good care of you, so I need to do something to help."

Feng Jiu stood at the door and stared at Dong Hua, waiting to see if he needed help.

Dong Hua then put on his shirt and slowly buttoned it up. He then noticed Feng Jiu staring at him intensively. "Fine. If you insist on helping, maybe you can help me with putting on a tie?" Then he pointed at the gift box on the bedside table.

"You're going to wear my purple tie today?!" She replied excitedly, and she ran over to the table to pick it up.

"Yes. Didn't you say that my ties are always black and boring? Maybe this would look good on me." Dong Hua replied casually.

Feng Jiu straightens Dong Hua's shirt collar and hooks the tie over his neck. Then she began to tie it for him. "Oh? You're good at this, huh?" Dong Hua said.

"Of course! I used to help my dad with it whenever he goes to work. He's usually a really strict and reserved person, but he would always let me do it for him. It's somewhat like our 'bonding time.' I know, it's kind of funny." Feng Jiu smiled to herself.

Dong Hua shook his head and replied to her, "No. I think that's really sweet. Tell me more about your parents."

"Hmm... My dad is harder to get along with. He's very old fashioned and traditional. My mom is very easy to talk to, very modern and out-going. I guess opposites attract."

"Just like you and me, Xiao Bai." Dong Hua smiled. But Feng Jiu didn't get the hint, and she thinks that Dong Hua was referring to their friendship.

"That's true. That's why you need to learn cooking from me." Feng Jiu chuckled.

Dong Hua thought to himself, "Xiao Bai is a scary cooking teacher." Then he replied, "It's better if you cook for me because you're the master chef. I'll just wash the dishes."

"That's true. I'll just do all the cooking then." Feng Jiu smiled.

Then she looked at Dong Hua with his purple tie. "See! It suits you." Then she pushed him towards the bathroom so that he could see how good he looked through the mirror reflection.

"Oh. You have good taste." Dong Hua said. He actually liked the new look, and not just because it was a gift from her.

"I told you so! You looked so good in this." Feng Jiu kept smiling.

"I'm glad that you liked it." Dong Hua smiled back.

"Oh! We better get going to work now. If not, we would miss the 'tea break' time." Feng Jiu said sarcastically. Dong Hua chuckled and replied, "Bet they are craving for my fish now."

Then they quickly prepared to leave for work.

"The 'Sweet and Sour Fish' made out of love would be served shortly."