Sunlight streamed through the tree branches as Lu Xinyi and Xia Yuhan made their way to leave Silver Leaf’s campus. The fallen leaves swirled in the wind as a gentle breeze passed by. There were still people gathered in different spots of the campus, chattering about the ranking results. It seemed like most of them paid attention to the bets between the Big 5 families that would compete for this year.

Not only the Liu family was beaten and had broken their seven-year reign in the entrance exam rankings, but also the Shen family’s participation and the Li family’s promising representative for this year made a big difference.

“Looks like there would be a hefty amount of money that will flood Silver Leaf this year.” Xia Yuhan commented.

“Is this always like this?” Lu Xinyi inquired.

Xia Yuhan shrugged her shoulders. “Not that I know,” she replied. “By the way, did Yuan Jin tell you about my proposal?”

“What proposal?” Yuan Jin hadn’t told her anything. Her phone beeped, indicating an incoming call from Yuan Jin. “Hey, Yuan Jin. I’m with Miss Xia right now. What is this proposal she was talking about? Are you hiding something from me?” she complained.

A momentary silence. Xia Yuhan waited as Lu Xinyi talked to her best friend.

“You want me to meet you … right now?” But she promised to make a special dinner for her husband. Lu Xinyi pursed her lips as she thought of her decision. Yuan Jin laughed at the other line.

“I’d already called your husband, and he gave me a go signal.”

“Okay, if you say so.” Yuan Jin wasn’t lying to her, right? It’s not that he was like Meng Jiao who kept on giving excuses. Just to be sure, she sent a quick message to her husband to ask if Yuan Jin gave him a call.

—

Shen Yi just got home after his quick escapade at the local grocery store. Fortunately, he had enough time to cook for their dinner tonight, but Shen Xue had already escaped as soon as Shen Yi parked his car at the garage of his house. His little brother had forsaken him, telling him he was on his own now, but he wouldn’t hesitate to give the fire department a call if he saw smoke coming from Lu Xinyi’s kitchen.

Such a good brother that he had. Shen Yi thought.

Somehow, he managed to go home at one piece. When he was done with his shopping earlier and went back to the steakhouse where he left Shen Xue, he found his younger brother cornered by the media. Oh, he was lucky that they were able to escape from the mob by taking the emergency exit.

Unlocking the front door, he threw his keys and his coat at the nearest table and flipped on a few lights in their living area. He’d already set his shopping bags on the countertop in the kitchen when Lu Xinyi messaged him. Instead of replying to her, he dialed her number.

“I’m sorry. Yuan Jin just called me and told me to see him. He said he already informed you about it.”

“He did. So are you going to be late tonight? Do I have to pick you up later?” He sauntered towards the master bedroom to change his clothes.

“Nope, I’m good. I’ll just ask Yuan Jin to take me home.”

After assuring his wife that she can cook their special dinner some other day, he changed into a pair of jeans and a grey shirt and went back to the kitchen. He put away most of the groceries except for the ingredients he needed. His wife’s favorite cheesecake was safely kept in the fridge. He then pulled the pans from the overhead rack, setting them on the stove.

Shen Yi turned on the thirty-inch flat-screen television in their kitchen so he wouldn’t feel so alone as he cooked their dinner. He heard Lu Xinyi’s dogs arrive in the room and was glad for their company.

Checking the ingredients for the last time, he realized that he forgot to take the other spices and herbs from their pantry. He took the chicken stock and the butter from their fridge before his eyes scanned Lu Xinyi’s herbs and spices collection from the rack.

His expression dulled. There was no dried basil among his wife’s herbs. How could he proceed with his pasta then? Maybe fresh basil would do? He shrugged and took the fresh basil instead. It should work like the dried ones.

Taking the chopping board and a sharp chef’s knife, Shen Yi stood in front of the countertop, eyes glaring down at the chicken breasts he had to cut. Now, he was ready for war!

“Hmm … cut into bite-size portions?” That was easy! Shen Yi skinned and removed the bones of the chicken breasts and cut it in smaller sizes as Lu Xinyi’s chicken nuggets that she liked to eat while watching a movie. Surely, that can be considered as a bite-size.

“What’s next?” He turned his gaze back to his phone and read the next step. “Mince two cloves of garlic, and cook the noodles according to package direction. Make sure to reserve one cup of pasta water for later use.”

Shen Yi sighed. Really, this was so easy. No wonder his wife could excel in this field.

He minced the garlic and took a pot, filling it with water before placing it onto the stove, adding a tablespoon of salt in the water. Checking the time, Shen Yi assumed he could proceed on the next steps while the pasta was cooking.