Chapter 51: Yin Hanyu, The Person I Have Always Liked Is You

“Still daring to glare at me?” Lin Qingyou pinched Yin Hanyu with irritation. “Was it that troublemaker Yin Yichen who gave you another bad idea?”

Yin Hanyu: “…”

Was it really that obvious?

Lin Qingyou handed the bowl and chopsticks to Yin Hanyu.

Yin Hanyu quickly took them obediently.

An angry Lin Qingyou was terrifying.

Seeing him eat obediently, Lin Qingyou finally spoke: “Yin Hanyu, the person I have always liked is you.”

Yin Hanyu had just taken a bite of his meal and almost choked on it.

A confession? Just like that, out of nowhere?

Could it be that imitating Leng Yifeng, that fake innocent, actually worked a little?

“Yin Hanyu, you don’t need to imitate anyone, especially Leng Yifeng.”

“I have never had romantic feelings for Leng Yifeng, from the beginning to the end. Otherwise, I would have married him long ago.”

“You always say that I’m treating you well now because of guilt from my dream, as if I’m just making it up to you.”

“I won’t deny that. Because I do want to make it up to you…”

Yin Hanyu’s eating movements froze again.

The food in his mouth suddenly lost its flavor.

“But can you not compare my feelings for you with how I treated Leng Yifeng?”

“You and Leng Yifeng have never been the same.”

“My feelings for you two are completely different.”

Yin Hanyu clearly misunderstood again. “So basically, you’re saying I’m not even worthy of being compared to Leng Yifeng, right?”

Lin Qingyou: “…”

Did his brain get waterlogged when he fell into the river?

She was exasperated but determined to clear things up once and for all.

“Yin Hanyu, even when I felt the most guilty towards Leng Yifeng, even when I treated him the best, I never once thought about devoting myself to him or marrying him.”

“When I treated him well, it was simply doing everything I could to help his legs recover, to make sure no one bullied or humiliated him.”

“I cooked for him, made soup for him—not just once or twice. In fact, every dish I prepared, every bowl of soup I made for him, took more effort than what I make for you now.”

“Now that you hear this, are you going to think I cared more about Leng Yifeng than I do about you?”

Yin Hanyu didn’t reply. He just let out a cold snort, clearly thinking exactly that.

She had once cooked for Leng Yifeng, even braving the rain in the middle of the night to find ingredients.

When he found out, he had felt both heartache and jealousy…

Heartache to the point of madness, jealousy to the point of insanity.

That’s why he had forcibly taken her to Rose Manor, forcing her to cook for him.

Lin Qingyou continued, “That’s just how it was. I did put in more effort. Because every bowl of soup I made for Leng Yifeng was meticulously studied—I even consulted master chefs and doctors to learn how to make medicinal meals that would aid in his recovery.”

“So every dish, every soup, was carefully researched and planned. Some ingredients I even prepared months in advance.”

“Because it wasn’t just food—it was medicine for his legs. I put so much effort into it that I started to scare myself…”

“Leng Yifeng, on the other hand, was sick of it.”

Because for him, eating wasn’t about enjoying food anymore—it was just taking medicine.

“Who would enjoy having medicine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, right?”

“But even though he hated it, do you think I enjoyed it?”

“You know that I’ve always loved eating and cooking. For many, cooking is a burden, a chore. But for me, it’s a pleasure.”

“I enjoy eating my own food, and I love seeing others enjoy it too.”

“But because I had to make medicinal meals for Leng Yifeng every day, I lost my passion. Cooking was no longer about enjoyment—it became a calculated, deliberate act of guilt and atonement.”

“Instead of thinking about how delicious a soup would be, I was constantly wondering: Will this help his legs? Will this be another wasted effort?”

“Cooking stopped being about enjoying food and life. It became goal-driven and utilitarian.”

“After countless failures, I grew frustrated, exhausted… There were so many times I just wanted to smash the whole pot.”

“But I couldn’t. Because I had committed a sin… It was my fault that Leng Yifeng ended up in a wheelchair. So I had no right to complain, no right to be angry.”

“I could only keep trying, keep making up for it, keep helping him recover.”

“I couldn’t afford to have emotions… And even when I did, I had to suppress them… then put on a fake smile and beg Leng Yifeng to drink just a little more, just one more sip.”

“Sometimes he would get angry and smash the bowl. Other times, he would be touched and drink it all.”

But she knew—Leng Yifeng never liked drinking it.

Because when food becomes medicine, no one truly enjoys it.

“He was pretending… and so was I…”

Because, deep down, she never truly wanted to do it either.

“Yin Hanyu, do you know something?” Lin Qingyou looked at him. “That time you forced me to cook for you at Rose Manor…”

“I was actually very happy.”

Yin Hanyu looked at her in disbelief.

She had been furious, hitting and scolding him—how could she have been happy?

“It’s true,” Lin Qingyou said. “Because for the first time in a long while, I felt relaxed and happy while cooking. I didn’t have to think about medicinal meals or Leng Yifeng’s recovery.”

Yin Hanyu muttered, “That’s because you were focused on making the food taste bad and getting back at me.”

“…” Lin Qingyou didn’t deny it—that was exactly what she had been doing.

But it was also the only time she had truly been herself.

Back then, as her aunt had scolded, she had already lost herself.

“But now, when I cook for you, it’s not out of guilt or atonement. Instead, I do it with a little bit of pride, a little bit of smugness.”

“Because I know you love eating my food. Even if you act all aloof and say it’s just ‘okay,’ I know you actually love it.”

“So when I cook, I think about what your reaction will be, what you’ll say.”

“Of course, I don’t always think about you. A lot of the time, when I see my own beautifully cooked dishes, I just feel proud of myself. Like, wow, I’m amazing! How can I make food look and taste this good? I’m seriously both beautiful and talented!”

“Pfft…”

Yin Hanyu couldn’t help but laugh at her shameless self-praise.

“What are you laughing at?” Lin Qingyou glared at him. “Am I wrong?”

Yin Hanyu picked up a piece of sweet-and-sour pork, eating it as he nodded. “You’re right, you’re right. It’s really delicious.”

“Hmph.” Lin Qingyou pouted, then smiled.

Yin Hanyu kept eating.

Somehow, the food tasted even better than before.

Leng Yifeng was out of the picture!

He would never be jealous of that fake innocent again.

But Lin Qingyou wasn’t done yet.

“Yin Hanyu, from the beginning to the end, the only person I’ve liked is you. The only person I want to marry is you.”

“That’s why I moved in across from you and shamelessly cling to you every day.”

“Then you have to keep clinging to me forever.”

Lin Qingyou raised an eyebrow. “How exactly should I cling?”

Yin Hanyu suddenly pulled her into his arms. “Once my leg heals, I’ll show you exactly how.”

Lin Qingyou: “…”