Wen Qi’s temples throbbed, and he extended his hand. “You should give it back to me.”

Pei Yanchu hesitated. “I’ve worn it. You want me to take it back and wear it again? So frugal… Did you spend all your savings on my medical bills in the hospital?”

Neither giving it back nor keeping it—Pei Yanchu blocked all options with his words.

Wen Qi smiled. “Now, let’s establish the first rule in this house. You can only nod or shake your head. Without my permission, you’re not allowed to speak. Do you understand?”

Pei Yanchu raised an eyebrow and obediently nodded. He was wearing a plain sweatshirt and athletic pants, and he looked a few years younger, like a male college student. When he wasn’t speaking, he actually looked more pleasant.

“Throw the underwear and the clothes you changed out of into the trash,” Wen Qi said. “Then answer my question—can you cook?”

A slight hint of hesitation appeared on Pei Yanchu’s face, but he nodded again.

“There’s chicken breast in the fridge. After marinating it, fry it, then cook some broccoli and a boiled egg for my dinner. There’s steak and eel in the freezer, so just pick what you want and cook it.”

Wen Qi went out for a while and was already feeling somewhat fatigued. He quickly gave his instructions and then added, “Call me when the food is ready,” before heading back to his room.

In recent years, his spirits had been quite low. Today, his emotions had been all over the place while dealing with Pei Yanchu. His already limited energy had been completely drained.

Wen Qi took a shower in his en-suite bathroom, changed into his usual clothes, and picked up Yuanbao again. He sat at the desk, staring blankly at the audio tracks on the computer screen. His pale, slender fingers slowly traced the puppy’s fur. In the deep silence, it seemed like the dog sensed his mood and gently nudged him with its fluffy head.

Suddenly, the sound of clattering, like broken dishes, shattered the quiet with a loud crash. Yuanbao’s ears perked up, and its dark, grape-like eyes glanced toward the door.

Wen Qi paused in his petting motion, realizing that the noise came from the kitchen. He snapped out of his daze and furrowed his brows. What mess had Pei Yanchu caused this time?

Wen Qi stood up with the puppy in his arms and walked out of the bedroom. As soon as he stepped outside, he saw smoke drifting from the kitchen, and the air was thick and choking.

His heart sank. He rushed to the kitchen, anxiously asking, “What happened?!”

Pei Yanchu was coughing while cleaning a blackened frying pan. Ceramic shards were scattered on the floor, with sharp edges gleaming.

“I just wanted to fry an egg,” Pei Yanchu explained, his words broken. “It… burned, and the pan got scorched.”

Wen Qi, worried that the dog might get hurt, quickly shut Yuanbao outside the kitchen. He then turned the smoke extractor to full power and couldn’t help but ask, “Didn’t you say you could cook?”

Pei Yanchu calmly nodded. “I can make tangyuan and dumplings, so I guess I can cook.”

Wen Qi glanced to the side and saw Pei Yanchu’s phone on the marble countertop, its screen cracked at the corners, playing a tutorial video for frying eggs in a pan. He really shouldn’t have expected this young master to know how to cook.

Wen Qi was both frustrated and speechless. He bent down to pick up the broken ceramic shards, but Pei Yanchu quickly grabbed his wrist. “Don’t move!” His tone was so harsh that Wen Qi was startled.

Pei Yanchu softened his tone. “You go out. I’ll clean up.”

Wen Qi hesitated, then said, “Fine, I’ll let you clean up. I’ll order takeout.”

Pei Yanchu stubbornly replied, “No need. It was just an accident. Cooking isn’t hard. I’ll follow the recipe and I can learn.”

If his face didn’t have two large smudges of black soot, this statement might have sounded more believable.

Wen Qi found it a bit amusing. “You’re learning now, so when will we actually eat?”

Pei Yanchu replied seriously, “At six o’clock. I promise you’ll be able to eat before six.”

Wen Qi, eager to see the show, nodded. “Alright, I’ll wait.”

The thought of possibly witnessing Pei Yanchu’s failure made Wen Qi feel oddly expectant. He left the kitchen, leaving the space for Pei Yanchu, and the little dog, having discovered it couldn’t get in, turned to drink water instead.

Wen Qi sat on the small sofa in the living room, listening to the occasional clattering sounds coming from the kitchen. He opened his phone. After a while, he checked his group chat, which had 99+ unread messages, but now the conversation had died down.

Wen Qi skimmed through the messages. They were either about him taking advantage of the situation to vent his anger or worrying that Pei Yanchu might seek revenge once he regained his memory. The conversation had escalated into a chaotic argument, with three people fighting like thirty.

Wen Qi: “Pei Yanchu is cooking. I’m waiting to see what he comes up with.”

His friend studying abroad had already gone to bed, and another friend seemed busy. Only the one who had been in contact about Pei Yanchu’s hospitalization replied.

Xu Qianjun: “He’s not going to poison the food, right? [Shock]”

Wen Qi: “I don’t think so. If he poisons me, where will he find free meals? He can’t even afford to fix his cracked screen.”

Xu Qianjun, sounding worried: “Qi, why don’t you let him eat first, then you try a bite after?”

Wen Qi: “If he makes steak, do I really have to wait for him to take a bite first?”

Xu Qianjun: “Then forget it, sounds like you’re eating his leftovers.”

He then suggested: “How about this, you cut the steak and give him the first piece?”

Wen Qi imagined the scene. …It felt weird.

Wen Qi: “When he left the hospital, he only had a phone and an ID, nothing else. Even if he wanted to poison someone, he doesn’t have the means.”

Wen Qi: “Do you know where all his friends went?”

Xu Qianjun was usually more well-informed. “The ones he hung out with have all been locked up at home, and some were directly sent on private jets abroad.”

“Everyone knows that the Pei family is undergoing a major reshuffling, and they won’t let the younger generation interfere.”

Wen Qi chuckled. As a bystander, he had moved Pei Yanchu, the hot potato, out of the way, making it easier for everyone.

Wen Qi changed the topic: “Why did you change your profile picture again?”

Xu Qianjun: “This one brings good fortune! By the way, my agent asked a famous master to read my fortune, and they said I need to change my stage name. Only then will my luck improve.”

Wen Qi: “So what’s your name now?”

Xu Qianjun: “Xu Shui, from now on, you all have to call me by this name!”

Xu Qianjun: “I also bought a lucky bracelet and some rice from the master. I’ll give them to you next time we meet.”

Wen Qi: “Why rice?”

Xu Qianjun: “It’s not just any rice. It’s special rice blessed in front of the Buddha. You have to mix it with regular rice and cook it together to make lucky rice.”

Xu Qianjun went on enthusiastically, rambling about other lucky items that needed attention.

Wen Qi lazily leaned back on the sofa, resting his face on one hand while holding his phone with the other. A gentle smile rippled across his clear eyes. After finishing its water, the little dog trotted back, using its paws to nudge Wen Qi’s pants, signaling that it wanted to get on the couch.

Wen Qi lifted the little dog onto his lap. The fluffy puppy curiously squeezed between him and the phone, its little black nose sniffing around.

Like Wen Qi, Xu Qianjun had a free schedule, so Wen Qi decided to video call him. As soon as the call connected, Xu Qianjun was greeted with an adorable shot of the puppy’s head filling the screen. His eyes lit up, and he shouted, “Yuanbao!”

The little dog barked excitedly.

Xu Qianjun played with the puppy for a while, then lamented, “I should’ve bought something lucky for our Yuanbao too. I forgot.”

Wen Qi replied, “No, don’t. You don’t have much money saved up, don’t waste it all.”

Xu Qianjun chuckled foolishly: “It’s fine, don’t look at my small agency, but I still have a guaranteed monthly salary, plus five social insurances and one fund.”

He became a little proud: “I’m the only one among the four of us who doesn’t have to pay for the five insurances and one fund myself!”

Wen Qi laughed: “I won’t mention it. One’s studying abroad, can’t pay, and the other’s a freelancer, paying the top-tier insurance for himself. Shui Shui, when your company raises your insurance to the next tier, then you can waste it like this.”

Xu Qianjun in the screen didn’t respond, his expression turning a bit awkward. He said, “Xiao Qi, I feel like I’ve just seen Pei Yanchu.”

Wen Qi was stunned for a moment, then turned around. The tall man had somehow appeared behind the single-seat sofa, bending down slightly, his long arm propped against the armrest of the sofa, almost holding Wen Qi from behind. Pei Yanchu’s dark eyes lowered as he stared at the screen, saying: “I heard Xiao Qi calling the person on the other end Shui Shui… So it’s you, huh? I saw you in the hospital. Didn’t you say your name was Xu Qianjun?”

When he wasn’t smiling, his voice was slow and carried an inherent arrogance, a noble aura. The handsome young man on the screen seemed to be startled and explained timidly: “President Pei, I changed my stage name. Now it’s Xu Shui.”

Pei Yanchu’s deep voice held a hint of amusement: “No need to call me President Pei, I’m now Xiao Qi’s servant.”

Wen Qi raised his brows slightly and asked Pei Yanchu: “When did I agree for you to call me Xiao Qi?”

Pei Yanchu spoke naturally: “Then I can call you by another title… Master…”

Wen Qi was startled, quickly covering Pei Yanchu’s mouth with his hand, glaring at him: “No need, just call me Xiao Qi!”

In his urgency, his palm pressed directly onto Pei Yanchu’s nose and thin lips. The palm was soft and warm, freshly showered, still carrying a faint scent of grapefruit. Pei Yanchu’s Adam’s apple moved slightly, holding back the urge to lick it, as if the fierce dog outside turned into a wagging tail puppy when facing its owner, nodding obediently.

Wen Qi slowly removed his hand and then asked: “Did you finish cooking?”

Pei Yanchu spoke with a hint of pride, almost asking for praise: “The chicken breast is already fried, the pumpkin soup is simmering, just wait a few more minutes, then you can eat. I came out first to tell you to wash your hands.”

Wen Qi looked at the time, surprised: 17:44.

Pei Yanchu said: “I told you, I’ll make sure you eat before six, you won’t go hungry.”

Wen Qi asked cautiously: “Are all the dishes done?”

Pei Yanchu confidently nodded: “The chicken breast is fried, the boiled egg is ready and cooling, and the boiled broccoli is easy, absolutely no problem!”

On the screen, Xu Qianjun’s eyes sparkled with excitement, ready for gossip: “Xiao Qi, after you eat, remember to tell the group how it feels to have President Pei personally cook for you!”

For some reason, Wen Qi had a bad feeling and said cautiously: “If I come back alive, I’ll say something in the group.”

Pei Yanchu wasn’t happy: “I cooked myself, what could possibly go wrong?”

Ten minutes later, Wen Qi sat at the dining table, took a deep breath, and held the silver knife, cutting the chicken breast on the plate. Pei Yanchu boasted: “I followed the tutorial and fried it to a golden color, how’s it look? Not bad, right?”

The more he spoke, the quieter his voice became, and the last word was barely audible.

He and Wen Qi both stared at the chicken breast on the plate. The chicken’s exterior was indeed slightly golden, looking very appetizing, but inside, it was oozing pale pink blood—undercooked.

Pei Yanchu awkwardly muttered: “A small mistake…”

Wen Qi said nothing. He picked up the boiled egg beside it, lightly tapped it to crack the shell, but it was difficult to peel, and he found that the egg white hadn’t even solidified.

Pei Yanchu was completely speechless.

After preparing a whole spread, the only edible things were the boiled broccoli and asparagus, which could hardly go wrong, and a surprisingly good sweet pumpkin soup.

Pei Yanchu’s ears reddened, his face barely maintaining composure: “After all, it’s my first time cooking. It’s normal to have some shortcomings. I promise it won’t be like this next time.”

Wen Qi wasn’t particularly picky about food. The satisfaction from his taste buds couldn’t compare to the strange pleasure he felt from seeing Pei Yanchu’s embarrassed expression.

Wen Qi spoke slowly, imitating Pei Yanchu’s earlier words: “I told you, I guarantee you’ll have food before six. You won’t go hungry?”

Pei Yanchu looked embarrassed.

Wen Qi lazily repeated: “The chicken breast is fried, the boiled egg is cooling, and the boiled broccoli was a breeze, absolutely no problem?”

Pei Yanchu, rarely seen in such a helpless situation, stiffened. He wanted to say something to save face, but in his defeated state, he realized nothing would work.

Wen Qi couldn’t hold back any longer. He turned his head, lightly chuckling.

“Laugh if you want to.” Pei Yanchu said quietly, “But could you please give me a little face and not tell your friends?”

Wen Qi retorted: “You want me to give you face? Is this how you ask for favors?”

This was indeed the first time Pei Yanchu had asked for something, but he knew that to get what he wanted, he had to offer something in return. He asked: “What do I need to do for you to agree?”

Wen Qi thought for a moment, poking the broccoli with his silver fork. He recalled a recent conversation with Xu Qianjun, discussing what they would do if Pei Yanchu secretly poisoned them. Pei Yanchu, so proud of himself, eating leftover food would be quite a humiliation, wouldn’t it? When Pei Yanchu recovered his memory and thought back on this moment, his expression would surely be priceless.

Wen Qi’s eyes curved slightly, lowering his head to take a small bite of the broccoli, intentionally leaving most of it on his fork, holding it up in front of Pei Yanchu.

His slender finger supported his cheek, and with a smile, he shook the silver fork as if training a dog, saying softly: “Eat.”