Chapter 17: Seeking Guidance

When Zhu Yu arrived at Bai Chen’s home, Liu Bo had already been dried off and was now wearing the outfit Zhu Yu had brought over. The cat was crouched by the sofa, eating canned food. Zhu Yu shut the door behind him, then walked over and ruffled Liu Bo’s fur into a mess before turning his gaze toward the kitchen.

Bai Chen was busy in the kitchen.

Zhu Yu stared at his back—broad, solid, and exuding a deep sense of security.

The overhead light was almost touching his head.

Zhu Yu stood up and quietly approached Bai Chen.

Since Bai Chen had also gotten wet earlier in the bathroom, he had changed his clothes. He was now wearing a black turtleneck sweater that fit snugly, making his shoulders look even broader. His sleeves were rolled up, revealing well-defined forearm muscles. The apron hung loosely around his waist, his hair was half-dry, and the back of his neck was unexpectedly fair.

Zhu Yu observed closely and noticed a small mole behind Bai Chen’s right ear.

There was an inherent pressure in Bai Chen’s presence, the kind that came from a mature man’s raw masculinity—it was impossible to hide. Zhu Yu stared at Bai Chen’s back, feeling an inexplicable nervousness.

His original plan was to sneak up on Bai Chen and startle him, but before he could act, Bai Chen spoke first.

“I made some brown sugar ginger tea. Since you’re already in the kitchen, have some before we eat.”

Zhu Yu was startled.

“Senior!” He patted his chest, then hopped to Bai Chen’s side and tilted his head to look at him. “How did you know I was here?”

“I guessed.”

Bai Chen was kneading dough, the veins on the back of his hands subtly visible. The blood vessels in his forearms expanded and contracted, full of strength.

Boring.

Zhu Yu stuck out his tongue and let his gaze wander downward.

The turtleneck sweater Bai Chen was wearing reached just above his Adam’s apple. The veins in his neck ran downward until they disappeared beneath the collar. Because the sweater was snug, the contours of his chest muscles were clearly defined—solid, sculpted, like slabs of stone.

This sweater somehow made Bai Chen, who was already gentle, appear even more warm and “domesticated.”

A true man-mom—

Zhu Yu’s mouth fell open unconsciously.

His pupils even dilated slightly. He shook his head in amazement.

Zhu Yu had never been good at hiding his thoughts, but his gaze wasn’t the kind that made people uncomfortable—there was no inappropriate scrutiny, just straightforward appreciation.

Bai Chen had been stared at like this many times before, but Zhu Yu’s gaze was the only one without any malice.

Bai Chen let out a deliberately light cough, keeping his gaze forward. “What are you looking at?”

Zhu Yu blinked, his expression open and honest. “Looking at you.”

Well, at least he was straightforward.

Bai Chen’s hands momentarily stiffened as he kneaded the dough. “…Looking at me?”

“Yeah, Senior, your…” Zhu Yu raised his hands and gestured in front of his chest. “How did you train this?”

Bai Chen was silent for a few seconds. “I trained for a long time.”

“If I start training now, when will I be able to reach your level?” Zhu Yu asked.

Bai Chen paused his work, turned to face Zhu Yu, and studied him.

Zhu Yu quickly placed his hands on his waist, straightened his back, and tried to make himself look as tall and strong as possible.

Even though, in front of Bai Chen, he still looked like a malnourished little puppy.

“Maybe… a very long time.” Bai Chen didn’t want to say anything that would discourage him.

Zhu Yu confidently declared, “I can stick with it! If nothing else, I have great perseverance!”

Once he trained himself to be tall and mighty overseas, he would return home and completely amaze his family.

No more being easily lifted by Zhu Ting, no more being overpowered by the bodyguards—everyone would look up to him!

Hahahaha…

Just the thought of it made Zhu Yu grin uncontrollably.

Bai Chen could tell exactly what Zhu Yu was imagining. The corner of his lips curved up slightly, like he was secretly laughing. “The first step is cutting carbs. You’ll also have to give up those cakes you love, and stop eating so recklessly.”

“And you’ll also have to quit—” Bai Chen might have been giving real advice, but he was also watching Zhu Yu’s expression out of the corner of his eye.

With every sentence, Zhu Yu’s face darkened a little more.

Zhu Yu was feeling awful just hearing this. He quickly raised a hand in a silencing gesture. “Senior, stop talking.”

“I quit.” Zhu Yu gave up without hesitation.

Bai Chen chuckled.

As if he had expected this outcome all along, he didn’t mock Zhu Yu. Instead, he said, “Alright, then have this bowl of brown sugar ginger tea. The seasons are changing in London, and you got wet tonight. Be careful not to catch the flu.”

“I don’t like ginger tea.” Zhu Yu shook his head in refusal.

It was as if Bai Chen had already predicted that too. Without even looking up, he said, “If you drink it, I’ll make you a cake tonight.”

“What kind?” At the mention of food, Zhu Yu’s eyes immediately lit up.

Bai Chen: “One you’ll definitely like.”

Zhu Yu grinned so wide his cheeks almost hurt. “Since Senior Bai has spoken, I’ll reluctantly drink a bowl.”

Amidst the scent of brown sugar ginger tea, Zhu Yu also caught the aroma of stewed pork ribs and mooncakes in the kitchen.

He walked around Bai Chen and reached the pot of stewed pork ribs. Just as he was about to lift the lid for a peek, Bai Chen grabbed his hand. “It’s hot.”

Bai Chen warned.

Zhu Yu blinked. “Oh, got it.”

But he still couldn’t resist sneaking a glance inside the pot.

Bai Chen sighed with a helpless smile. “Finish your brown sugar ginger tea first, then you can eat.”

“Okay!” Zhu Yu felt delighted.

Bai Chen had made various flavors of mooncakes—meat floss and salted egg yolk, durian snow skin, red bean paste, mung bean paste, lava custard…

Zhu Yu pointed at each one and asked, and Bai Chen answered accordingly.

“Senior, I’m going to die of happiness. If the world ends tomorrow, I won’t have any regrets.” Zhu Yu clutched his chest as he gazed at the plate full of mooncakes, unable to stop himself from leaning closer to Bai Chen.

Bai Chen chuckled. “Aren’t you a little too easy to please?”

“That’s just human nature!” Zhu Yu didn’t think he was exaggerating at all.

—

More than twenty minutes later, Bai Chen’s dining table was filled with food.

Four plates of mooncakes, a large pot of corn and pork rib soup, and right in front of Zhu Yu sat a palm-sized molten chocolate cake.

“Senior! I’m digging in!” Zhu Yu gripped his spoon, eyes shining with anticipation as he looked at Bai Chen.

Bai Chen took off his apron and sat across from Zhu Yu.

He nodded. “It’s fine if you can’t finish the cake, but eat more pork ribs and corn. The mooncakes can last a couple of days.”

Zhu Yu raised a hand, wagging his index finger confidently. “You’re underestimating me—I can finish everything!”

After declaring that, he stretched over to grab the spoon near Bai Chen’s hand, scooped a big bite of cake, and offered it to him. “Senior, you take the first bite!”

Bai Chen didn’t want to reject Zhu Yu’s kind gesture, but he never ate such high-calorie foods at night.

He shook his head. “Too many calories.”

“Not even one bite? Is fitness really that strict?” Zhu Yu didn’t work out and didn’t understand all the rules.

Bai Chen considered for a moment and said, “It’s not just because of fitness. I just…”

He paused, as if something crossed his mind, then continued, “I’m just not very fond of sweets.”

“There are actually people who don’t like desserts?” Zhu Yu muttered, keeping Bai Chen’s spoon for himself and handing over his own unused one.

Then he asked, “If I treat you to a small cake next Tuesday, will you eat it?”

Bai Chen pressed his lips together in a smile. “If it’s just once, it’s fine.”

Hearing this made Zhu Yu really happy—it made him feel that in his friendship with Bai Chen, he was valued too.

So, he stuffed the entire spoonful of cake into his mouth. The outer layer was slightly crisp, the chocolate flavor was rich, and the molten chocolate inside was still a bit hot. It wasn’t overly sweet—just the perfect level of sweetness that Zhu Yu liked.

“How is it?” Bai Chen asked.

Zhu Yu nodded, his eyes practically sparkling. “Delicious!”

“This is the best, best, best cake I’ve ever had!” He scooped another spoonful and ate it. “So good!!”

His emotional appreciation was spot on.

Bai Chen chuckled. “Don’t eat too much. Save some room for mooncakes and pork ribs.”

Zhu Yu nodded. Seeing Bai Chen pick up his bowl to serve soup, he quickly said, “Wait!”

“Let me take a picture first.” Zhu Yu pulled out his phone, stood up, and started snapping away.

“All done!” Zhu Yu sat back down.

Bai Chen handed him a bowl of soup. “Try it.”

Zhu Yu was overwhelmed with happiness, grinning so much that it felt like a dream. “One thing at a time—I’ll finish the cake first.”

True to his word, Zhu Yu completely cleared the table of food.

Watching him, Bai Chen couldn’t help but feel that Zhu Yu’s appetite didn’t match his physique at all.

Some people just don’t gain weight no matter how much they eat, and Zhu Yu was one of them. His family had gone through multiple nutritionists, and at least, they had managed to help him grow taller.

“Senior, since you cook so well, do you make the meals at home too?” Zhu Yu asked, swirling the last bit of pork rib soup in his bowl. He looked satisfied, drinking it much more slowly now.

Bai Chen shook his head. “I told you before—you’re the first person to eat my cooking.”

Zhu Yu grinned. “Looks like those scam calls were right—I really am the luckiest person alive.”

“When we go back home, if you can’t find a suitable job, come work for me. I’ll pay you…” Zhu Yu quickly ran through the balance in his bank account. “A hundred thousand a month, and all you have to do is cook for me!”

“But I still hope you find a job you truly like, preferably one related to your field.”

Bai Chen assumed Zhu Yu was just joking to amuse him. He remained calm, smiled faintly, and didn’t say anything.

After speaking, Zhu Yu lifted his bowl and drank every last drop of soup.

The pork rib soup had a rich meaty aroma, but the dominant taste was the natural sweetness of fresh corn, followed by the savoriness of the pork and scallions. The flavor was perfectly balanced—not too salty, not too bland. The carrot chunks practically melted in his mouth.

It was a bowl bigger than his face.

There were still some mooncakes left in the kitchen, but Zhu Yu was completely stuffed. Bai Chen said he would pack them in a gift box and send some to Professor Vera and the others.

“Can you pack a little for me too? I want to give some to Han Geonju.” Zhu Yu looked at him with bright eyes.

Han Geonju had always treated Zhu Yu well. The two of them used to go to Huasha Street often to eat Vietnamese pho together.

But later, that restaurant closed down.

When that happened, he and Han Geonju hugged and cried about it for days.

Later, Han Geonju’s mother, who was from Northeast China, came to visit him in London and brought a lot of homemade pickled vegetables and dry biscuits. Han Geonju shared some with Zhu Yu.

Now, it was Zhu Yu’s turn to return the favor.

Of course, he couldn’t just take Bai Chen’s mooncakes for free, so he quickly added, “Tomorrow, I’ll buy you a small cake to thank you.”

Just as he finished speaking, Bai Chen took another gift box from the cabinet. Instead of responding to Zhu Yu’s words, he casually asked, “Han… Geonju, are you two close?”

He seemed to be asking offhandedly, his expression as calm as usual.

Zhu Yu didn’t think much of it and answered honestly, “Mhm, we’re pretty close, but we’re in different majors, so we don’t spend that much time together.”

“I see.” Bai Chen handed the packed gift box to Zhu Yu and added, “There’s still a little left—take it home to eat.”

“Okay! I’ll bring you a small cake tomorrow.” Zhu Yu accepted both neatly wrapped gift boxes.

“Didn’t you say you’d treat me to cake next Tuesday? Just count that one instead.” Bai Chen was good at considering things from others’ perspectives.

His past experiences had made him someone who instinctively prioritized putting himself in others’ shoes. He knew that Zhu Yu didn’t have a lot of living expenses and had to rely on part-time jobs to make ends meet every month.

Living costs in London were high—a small cake the size of a palm could cost over 100 RMB.

He didn’t want Zhu Yu to spend that much money on him, especially because of someone else.

He wasn’t sure why.

“Alright, then.” Remembering that Bai Chen didn’t really like sweets, Zhu Yu didn’t insist.

But he secretly swore that next Tuesday, he would save the prettiest and most delicious little cake for Bai Chen!!

After dinner, Zhu Yu was ready to go home. Bai Chen walked him to the door. Zhu Yu hugged Liu Bo and turned back to say goodnight to Bai Chen.

“Goodnight, Senior!” Then he gave Liu Bo’s chubby butt a pat. “Liu Bo, say goodnight.”

“Meow.” Liu Bo meowed and then stuck out his tongue to lick his lips.

Whenever Zhu Yu ate at Bai Chen’s house, he and Liu Bo would always say goodbye to Bai Chen before leaving.

This had already become a habit for Bai Chen.

He raised his hand and smiled in response, “Goodnight, Xiao Yu.”

—

It was the afternoon, and Zhu Yu was walking with Han Geonju toward the café where he worked part-time.

Han Geonju was holding the box of mooncakes that Zhu Yu had given him.

Even after a night had passed, the fragrant and crispy scent of the mooncakes hadn’t faded at all. Han Geonju took a deep sniff through the box and curiously asked,

“So, this pastry was made by your neighbor, your senior?”

His Mandarin was still not very fluent.

Zhu Yu put his hands on his hips, feeling proud on Bai Chen’s behalf. “Yep!”

“Then he’s amazing.” Han Geonju looked genuinely impressed.

Since Zhu Yu had a part-time shift at the café after class, Han Geonju decided to walk with him, taking the chance to check out Zhu Yu’s workplace. That was how the two of them ended up heading there together.

“He treats you really hāo (hǎo) 【good】 huh.” Han Geonju sighed. Almost the entire floor of their building knew that a great cook had moved in because Bai Chen’s delicious cooking smells weren’t just limited to Zhu Yu’s apartment.

But he hadn’t expected that Zhu Yu actually knew this person—and that they seemed to be on good terms.

“Yeah, it seems like he’s been really nice to me ever since we met.” Zhu Yu mumbled after thinking back on it.

Han Geonju was surprised. “He was this hāo (hǎo) 【good】 to you right from the start?”

Zhu Yu nodded. Han Geonju narrowed his eyes at him and slowly guessed, word by word,

“Does he… like you?”