Mu Xiaoke watched his video go viral, and the biggest contributor was an account called “Han.”

Nervously, he sent a private message to the account, “Teacher, is that you?”

The reply came quickly, “Mm, the video is pretty good.”

It really was Chu Han! Chu Han had connections with so many popular influencers; just a single share from him could attract an audience. Just who exactly was Chu Han?!

The impact of Chu Han’s share was overwhelming, like a “small favor” that left Mu Xiaoke feeling “both thrilled and indebted.” He owed Chu Han another huge favor this time!

If he didn’t complete his thank-you gift soon, it would truly seem insincere!

Another weekend arrived, and Mu Xiaoke didn’t go anywhere else. He spent the entire morning in the kitchen. The day before, he’d asked the part-time helper to prep the meat filling and dough for him—he was going to make dumplings all by himself. For someone like Mu Xiaoke, who was still a kitchen newbie, even though the initial prep was mostly done, it still took him almost two hours to wrap the dumplings.

He used up all the dumpling wrappers and ended up with two full steamers of dumplings. By then, it was almost 11 a.m.

Hurriedly, he lit the stove and scrambled to cook the dumplings.

Half an hour later, Mu Xiaoke stood at Chu Han’s door, holding an insulated box and a gift bag. He had confirmed with Chu Han that he was home, so this time, he wouldn’t come all the way for nothing.

Chu Han quickly came to open the door, still on a call, and gestured for Mu Xiaoke to come in without saying much.

Mu Xiaoke, already familiar with Chu Han’s place, went straight to the kitchen to set down the insulated box. When he turned around, a young man in a suit was staring at him. Startled, he nearly backed into the counter.

The young man reached out, intending to steady him, but Chu Han immediately ended his call and interrupted, “Don’t scare him. Xiao Ke, come over here.”

Mu Xiaoke quickly moved over. Feeling a bit shy, he instinctively stayed close to Chu Han, avoiding the unfamiliar man.

The young man looked at Chu Han in disbelief, “Since when are you so protective, Xiao Chu? I’m genuinely surprised.”

Chu Han shot him a cold look and casually wrapped an arm around Mu Xiaoke’s shoulder, leaning down to reassure him, “Don’t worry, he’s just my classmate, no harm intended.”

Cen Luoan rolled his eyes. Did he really look like some creepy guy luring innocent teens?

Mu Xiaoke nodded, then pointed at the insulated box and showed Chu Han the message he’d prepared on his phone.

“Dumplings?”

Chu Han looked pleasantly surprised, “Did you make these?”

Mu Xiaoke nodded, a bit embarrassed, and typed to explain that it wasn’t entirely his doing since the helper had seasoned the filling.

Still, bringing food to Chu Han made him feel shy.

Chu Han led him back to the kitchen island. The three of them gathered around as they opened the insulated box. Cen Luoan’s eyes lit up, “Wow, so many! Smells great! Kiddo, you’re pretty handy in the kitchen, huh!”

Chu Han shot him a glare, making Cen Luoan sulk, “Dude, you called me here so early. I haven’t even had breakfast yet, and now this pretty boy brings you food and you’re not sharing?”

No one had ever teased Mu Xiaoke like that before, calling him “pretty boy” and all. This guy was so flippant!

Mu Xiaoke’s look of disapproval didn’t go unnoticed by the other two. Chu Han laughed unreservedly, and Cen Luoan, annoyed, ruffled Mu Xiaoke’s hair, “Kid! Are you asking for trouble?”

Chu Han swatted Cen Luoan’s hand away and smoothed down Mu Xiaoke’s hair, “Alright, stop messing with him. He’s really shy. Xiao Ke, have you eaten yet?”

Mu Xiaoke shook his head, so Chu Han decided they would eat together.

Then, Mu Xiaoke watched as Chu Han rolled up his sleeves and started bustling around in the kitchen. Mu Xiaoke observed him from behind, wondering what else he was preparing.

Cen Luoan dragged Mu Xiaoke over, saying, “Can’t have dumplings without dipping sauce. My buddy here is pretty picky.”

Mu Xiaoke realized he had forgotten the dipping sauce!

Just then, the sound of a knife chopping on the cutting board rang out, and Cen Luoan immediately straightened up, no longer joking around.

Picky, huh… What if his dumplings didn’t suit Chu Han’s taste? As Chu Han sat down, Mu Xiaoke watched him nervously, fearing that Chu Han might not enjoy them. Mu Xiaoke just stared, watching Chu Han take a bite, chew, and then swallow. Then, Chu Han frowned!

Mu Xiaoke almost jumped to his feet, but then Chu Han said, “Not bad.” His emotions felt like a rollercoaster finally coming to a gentle stop, and he could breathe easy again.

Chu Han couldn’t hold back his laughter; teasing the kid was really entertaining.

Throughout the meal, Cen Luoan and Chu Han maintained good table manners, and since Mu Xiaoke couldn’t speak, the two of them remained mostly silent as well.

After the meal, Cen Luoan was assigned to do the dishes, while Mu Xiaoke sat at the kitchen island, sipping freshly squeezed juice Chu Han had made.

“Chu-ge, I’m so tired…” Cen Luoan complained even while doing the dishes, but Chu Han ignored him.

As Mu Xiaoke drank his juice, Chu Han would refill it every time it got low.

Cen Luoan glanced back and snorted, “Chu-ge, you’re so biased. But you won’t be biased for long. Kid, in a few days he’ll be gone, and you won’t be seeing your dear Teacher Chu anymore.”

What?!

Mu Xiaoke stood up in shock, his eyes wide as he looked at Chu Han.

Chu Han pulled him back down and gently patted his head, “My internship is almost over. There are other things to handle at school, so I have to go back.”

Mu Xiaoke knew about Chu Han’s internship, but wasn’t there still half a month left? Why was he leaving so suddenly?

“Will you miss me?” Chu Han teased.

Of course he would. Chu Han was like the perfect older brother, so kind to him, helping him so much. If Chu Han left, who would he turn to when he needed someone?

“Xiao Ke, you don’t need me. You can manage just fine on your own. Don’t be sad.”

Chu Han’s words, though a bit harsh, hit the mark.

Mu Xiaoke couldn’t help feeling sad. He had been in such a good mood earlier, but now, hearing this news, he felt too drained to even go home.

“Hey, what’s in this bag? Did you bring this, kid?”