Chapter 16: “You two are fighting too?”

Jiang Yao was leaning by the window, giving random instructions until the bushes were trimmed into a dog-gnawed look by the big scissors. When he was about to go upstairs, he ran into Duan Zhuxian who had just come out of the home gym.

First, he collided with the heat radiating from the skin, and then his vision was filled with the body wrapped in a black tight vest.

The originally clear and light pine scent was steamed to be very mellow.

Taking a deep breath, it was even a bit intoxicating.

He took a deep breath, and it was even a bit dizzying.

Jiang Yao hurriedly stepped back and stopped at the stairway entrance, not wanting to admit that someone, drenched in fragrant sweat, was simply like an unscrupulous male demon.

Duan Zhuxian took two steps back, turned his head, and raised his eyebrows slightly: “Not leaving, planning to peek at me from behind?”

“Cut the crap!”

Jiang Yao stood below without lifting his face, his gaze pressing under his half-lifted eyelids, looking extremely defiant.

The phone call just now had stirred up some unpleasant old memories, and the good mood Jiang Yao had accumulated in the morning had completely disappeared, leaving him with no good face for Duan Zhuxian.

Just at this moment, a voice mixed with surprise came from upstairs—

“Yo, you two are fighting too?”

Jiang Yao looked up with a sullen face, and saw his brother coming downstairs, with his eyes full of anticipation.

Duan Zhuxian calmly said: “Jiang Yao and I plan to make lunch to treat you, it’s just that we haven’t quite agreed on the choice of dishes.”

Jiang Yao: ?

He didn’t know anything about this…

Hearing this, Jiang Chen was also quite surprised. His brother had been spoiled by the family since he was young, and no one was willing to let him suffer the slightest hardship. He didn’t seem like someone who could handle even the spring water.

“You’ve grown up and know how to respect your brother.”

Jiang Chen was very pleased, took a few steps down the stairs, lovingly touched Jiang Yao’s head, and was slapped away by Jiang Yao.

Duan Zhuxian asked without changing his face: “Brother Chen, is there anything you can’t eat?”

Jiang Chen said casually: “I’m not picky, just don’t add cilantro.”

Duan Zhuxian smiled amiably: “Just like Jiang Yao, neither of you eat cilantro.”

Jiang Chen nodded: “Nobody in our family likes that stuff.”

Standing aside, Jiang Yao wanted to say something, but realized this must be the “husband and husband life” script Duan Zhuxian hurriedly prepared overnight after listening to his instructions last night, and ultimately did not interject.

Half an hour later, Young Master Jiang stood in the kitchen with his hands on his hips, staring blankly at a bunch of chicken, duck, fish, and meat.

He had grown up with everything provided for him, his cooking level was still at the instant noodle stage, and being able to add two soft-boiled eggs was considered an overachievement.

Jiang Yao picked up the menu prepared by the chef’s assistant and went through it from start to finish.

Mandarin duck chicken, silk-threaded yams, clam-stuffed shrimp paste…

The names of the dishes were more dazzling than the next, and the ingredients were all difficult to handle.

In other words, he might have to spend several times more time than he imagined, staying in this kitchen of several tens of square meters.

Together with someone.

Jiang Yao frowned and asked: “Who decided on the dishes?”

Duan Zhuxian: “Me.”

?

Quite assertive.

Jiang Yao rolled his eyes, “Are you sick, picking something so complicated?”

Duan Zhuxian’s expression also showed some difficulty, he took the menu, pondered for a moment, “I don’t know cooking, so I had no concept.”

Jiang Yao was at a loss for words for a moment.

Duan Zhuxian, who is both cold and arrogant, yet cunning, rarely opens up and voluntarily exposes his weaknesses, which making him suddenly lose his temper.

It’s a pity that he initially disliked the kitchen and didn’t learn to cook because it didn’t match his ‘cool guy’ persona, so he missed the opportunity to crush Duan Zhuxian.

It’s not too late for a makeshift effort.

After all, he is a top university graduate, a highly talented student. If he doesn’t even have this learning capability, wouldn’t that have been a waste?

Duan Zhuxian leaned against the counter, watching the young master who was full of disdain just a second ago, squatting on the ground, with his two pale fingers rummaging through plastic bags to identify ingredients while concentrating on studying the recipes. Even the red highlights at the end of his hair seemed serious, and made his lips curled into a faint smile.

After assigning tasks, the two began working on their own without much conversation.

Jiang Yao, with a focused expression, cuts the white mushrooms into standard small umbrella shapes, and asks Duan Zhuxian, who is turned away, “The mushroom slices are ready, should I give them to you now?”

Duan Zhuxian hummed in response, without turning his head.

He was wearing a black home shirt, with his sleeves rolled up, revealing his beautifully lined forearms. His back was straight, and even in a kitchen full of smoke, he still maintained the demeanor of an elite gentleman.

It’s just a pity that the action of using scissors to cut open the back of the shrimp slightly destroyed it, adding a bit of rare mortal air.

He wasn’t so pretentious anymore.

Outside the window, the sky was just right, sunlight slowly ascending to zenith poured into the cool and clear air, fragmented by the golden brown of dry branches and old leaves, casting a powder-like autumn hue throughout the kitchen.

The soup in the pot boiled with a gurgling sound, and white mist spiraling up, blending with the soft daylight, blurring the sharp lines of Duan Zhuxian’s profile.

For a moment, a “virtuous and homely” filter seemed to overlay the scene.

Jiang Yao squinted, taking the opportunity to lazily hide behind Duan Zhuxian for a while.

Half an hour later, Jiang Chen tiptoed to the door, peeked through the crack, and was surprised to find his precious younger brother actually cooking soup for him, and occasionally whispering intimately with the Duan family kid. After observing for a moment, he left somewhat unexpectedly.

Jiang Yao glanced at the slightly ajar kitchen door, and deliberately distanced himself from Duan Zhuxian, casually turning on the music radio on his phone, filling the dull space with different sounds.

“Is my brother annoying?”

“It’s okay.”

Duan Zhuxian turned around and threw the chopped tofu into the pot to blanch.

Jiang Yao, unconvinced, raised his eyebrows, silently agreeing that Duan Zhuxian was just putting on a show, probably already annoyed but maintaining his composed persona due to his stable character setting.

In his mind, Duan Zhuxian has always been someone with a strong sense of personal boundaries.

He remembered back in school, in order to lure Duan Zhuxian into joining the volleyball team of the class next door—so that he could later face him in a serious match—he had specifically invited Duan Zhuxian to eat out near the school a few times.

Duan Zhuxian always emphasized “not to bring others.”

So, he had to excuse himself from his volleyball teammates and go alone, making it seem almost like an affair.

While cutting carrot strips, Jiang Yao suddenly wondered: “Speaking of which, I never gave my brother the specific address here. I wonder how he found his way.”

Duan Zhuxian said, “I saw him at the intersection nearby last night and brought him back on a whim.”

Jiang Yao paused in his chopping, “How did you recognize him? My brother and I don’t look alike.”

That wasn’t wrong.

Jiang Chen had a handsome look, with well-proportioned features, but nothing too outstanding.

As for Jiang Yao.

Duan Zhuxian glanced at the man next to him, wearing a blue apron, who was studying how to perfectly slice carrot strips with a scientific approach.

With his rosy lips, white teeth, and beautiful eyes, he was a one-in-a-million beauty, shining like a spotlight even in a crowd.

“I’ve seen your brother.”

Duan Zhuxian explained in an indifferent tone.

Jiang Yao just “oh”ed and didn’t ask further.

He probably assumed it was at some business occasion.

But in reality, it was during Valentine’s Day in their first year of high school, at a movie theater entrance—

Jiang Yao and Jiang Chen came out holding couple-themed milk teas, messing around and acting very close in the dispersing crowd.

At that time, Duan Zhuxian thought Jiang Chen was Jiang Yao’s boyfriend, especially since Jiang Yao had confided his sexual orientation to him just a few days before.

That night, Duan Zhuxian was troubled and restless, unable to sleep through the night. The next day happened to be the start-of-term exams, and for the first time, his rank fell to fifth in the grade.

Duan Zhuxian accepted this result, which he had anticipated, with equanimity.

On the other hand, Jiang Yao was incredibly anxious, and after a hasty analysis, suspected that Duan Zhuxian had fallen in love.

Taking advantage of the long break, Jiang Yao specifically ran to the corridor outside Duan Zhuxian’s classroom and lectured him incessantly like a headteacher, “Classmate Duan Zhuxian, do you know what’s most important for a student? It’s studying! Don’t do something foolish like falling in love early. You should focus on your studies.”

The quiet aura that Duan Zhuxian naturally exuded was nowhere to be found, annoyed by the baseless accusations. He had no choice but to promise he would definitely not fall in love early and, in front of Jiang Yao, casually solved an advanced problem beyond the high school curriculum, which finally put Jiang Yao at ease.

He then asked Jiang Yao, “What about you?”

“Me? Fall in love early?”

As if he had heard a joke, the young man leaned lazily against the window, facing the sky, with his peach blossom eyes curving into a brilliant arc.

“Impossible,” Jiang Yao said disdainfully, “Love would slow down my sword drawing speed. My sword is meant to sever love ties.”

Duan Zhuxian lifted his eyelids, his gaze on Jiang Yao was as if a touch of spring sunshine was reflected in his eyes, soothing his troubled heart for many days with these resolute words.

However, he would soon learn, in the not too distant future, just how unreliable a young man’s casual promise could be.

After this setback in the monthly exam, Duan Zhuxian faintly felt that Jiang Yao’s dedication to him seemed to have waned, with the frequency of their discussions on challenging problems gradually decreasing.

Sometimes, when they bumped into each other on the road, Jiang Yao would just lazily wave at him from his pocket. The moment his hand returned to his pocket, his gaze would immediately dart away, attracted by other, more interesting people and things.

It wasn’t until the next monthly exam, when Duan Zhuxian claimed the top spot with an unprecedented score that had never been seen before in the school’s history, pressing Jiang Yao firmly beneath him, that Jiang Yao’s attention finally returned to him, belonging only to him once again.

By the cutting board, Jiang Yao hummed along to the music while pondering what “rolling cut” meant. He gestured at the eggplant a couple of times, but it didn’t seem right no matter how he looked at it.

Suddenly, a deep voice fell into his ears: “Cut it diagonally like this.”

The next second, the back of the hand holding the knife was covered by a warm palm.

He took a small step back instinctively, and bumped into a chest, right where the heart is.

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

His spine and body seemed to be captured by that steady and powerful heartbeat, unable to move for a moment, even allowing the other person to hold his hand and slowly cut a few pieces.

“I got it, I got it.”

Snapping back to reality, Jiang Yao’s tone was harsh, sounding somewhat impatient.

After breaking free from the restraint, he quickly finished cutting the rest of the eggplant, then coated the eggplant pieces in starch, threw them into the hot oil, and swiftly moved the spatula. His hands moved swiftly and deftly, as if making an escape.

The eggplant sizzled enticingly, releasing its fragrance. The room temperature was pleasant. The man behind him was focused intently, his gaze fell on Jiang Yao’s reddened ear tips, and the radio happened to sing a line, “I cross mountains and rivers for you, but I have no interest in the scenery.”