Chapter 195: with translation of chapter title

Xia Xi finished speaking, pushed him away, and crawled into the tent to rest.

The inflatable pad was only moderately comfortable, but Xia Xi was so exhausted that she lay down and soon fell into deep sleep.

A dark gray blanket was draped over her, the tent's side "little window" unzipped a palm-width, letting in a gentle mountain breeze that stirred her bangs; the birds' calls were not noisy but actually helped her sleep.

Although everyone was in high spirits, no one raised their voices; all conversation remained in normal tones.

"Do you even know how to grill? The drumsticks need flipping, or they'll burn."

"Please hand me the cumin powder, thanks."

"Anyone want some grilled bun slices? They're just done."

"Could you sprinkle a little more chili for me?"

"Who wanted the corn juice? I've brought it over."

After sleeping, Xia Xi inhaled air no longer fresh with plant scent but replaced by barbecue aroma; she twitched her nose, bent her elbows, and pushed herself up on the inflatable pad.

She felt for her phone, held it up to check the time, and realized she had actually slept a full hour.

The tent flap was lifted by a hand, and Xu Yanfeng peered in: "I was about to call you for some food—awake?"

Xia Xi wanted to rub her eyes, but realizing she had makeup on, she pressed her palms gently against her eyelids and mumbled, "Maybe I smelled the fragrance in a dream and woke up hungry."

"If you don't get up now, they'll eat everything—you're all gluttons." Xu Yanfeng reached out his hand to her.

Xia Xi placed her hand in his; he pulled her up and led her out.

He was joking; there was plenty of food, far more than she could eat alone.

Xu Yanfeng personally grilled a whole chicken wing for her, flipping it skillfully and sprinkling various seasonings.

He wore a casual blue shirt, soft fabric, sleeves rolled up, buttons not all fastened; his stance wasn't lazy, head bowed in earnest focus, as if conducting a precise experiment.

Xia Xi kept pulling out her phone to secretly photograph him; he noticed, turned his face toward her, not wanting to be caught she hastily slipped the phone into her pocket and made small talk: "I remember you can't cook."

"Grilling is different from cooking," Xu Yanfeng said. "I just watched them for a while and picked it up on the spot."

Xia Xi doubted his skill, glanced at the chicken wings on the grill, and reasonably questioned: "You just learned—can you actually do it?"

Xu Yanfeng gave a half-smile: "Probably better than your dumplings—at least the wings won't leak filling."

"Hey!" Xia Xi laughed in exasperation, launching a sharper verbal attack: "Dumplings leaking filling are just ugly, no big deal, but undercooked wings give you diarrhea, and burnt ones are inedible."

"Thanks for the reminder, I'll pay attention."

"I don't dare eat it."

"Please give me a bit more trust, thanks."

"I don't want to."

"Xia Xi, don't stop cherishing something once you have it—you weren't like this before."

Xia Xi fell silent; moments ago she had been fiercely arguing with him, but in an instant she seemed like a different person, looking at him bashfully, raising her hands in surrender and declaring him the winner: "Fine, if you feed me poison, I'll eat it with a smile."

She reflected a moment, realizing her attitude was indeed problematic. Men need encouragement in cooking, not constant criticism. Moreover, the main reason was that she couldn't make him feel like she'd turn on him the moment he pulled up his pants.

Xu Yanfeng glanced at her: "Don't talk nonsense—how would I feed you poison?"

Xia Xi nodded obediently and complied: "Yeah, whatever you feed me is honey."

The secretary department chief, skewering lamb kebabs nearby, inadvertently overheard their conversation; having worked with Xu Yanfeng for years, he'd never seen him like this, and suddenly the meat in his mouth lost its flavor.

The chicken wings sizzled, oozing oil, brushed with a layer of honey to a caramel hue; after a bit more grilling, Xu Yanfeng wrapped a paper towel around the metal skewer's handle and handed it to Xia Xi: "Should be done—try it and tell me how it tastes."

Even before taking a bite, Xia Xi launched into an exaggerated performance, as if tasting a heavenly delicacy: "It smells amazing—you couldn't possibly be the legendary genius chef, could you?"

Xu Yanfeng: "……"

"Too over the top—who taught her to act like that?"

"A bit hot," Xia Xi blew on it, then took a cautious bite; the exterior was slightly charred, the interior tender and juicy, and she widened her eyes: "I'm not exaggerating—it really is fragrant!"

"Really?" Xu Yanfeng replied half-believing, half-doubting, unable to tell at once whether she was genuinely impressed or just acting.

"Have you never tasted something you grilled yourself?" Xia Xi asked.

The long-silent secretary department chief interjected: "Xia Xi, junior, before you woke up, our exalted Chairman hadn't touched any barbecue tools—he's been eating only what I grilled!"

Xia Xi coughed, covered her mouth while smiling, and gave Xu Yanfeng a bright-eyed glance: "Oh, is that so?"

Xu Yanfeng shot the chief a sideways glance, annoyed at his meddling, then lowered his head and continued grilling meat skewers for Xia Xi—five lamb, five beef.

The chief chuckled, ran off, sat cross-legged on the lawn, and gossiped with the person beside him: "You have no idea how sappy our Chairman is—let me tell you, just now…"

Xia Xi leisurely finished the whole chicken wing; the meat skewers were nearly done, he handed them to her, opened a bottle of orange juice, and placed it beside her. She felt utterly at ease, needing to worry about nothing, leaning back in the moon chair, skewering meat while sipping juice, able to enjoy the beautiful natural scenery and the sight of that refined, noble young man preparing food for her.

She propped up her leg, eating until her mouth was full of seasoning and oil sheen.

Xu Yanfeng didn't stop; he skewered corn and placed it on the grill, then handed her a napkin without looking away. After a while, she didn't take it, so he glanced over—she had grown addicted to being waited on, too lazy to lift her arms, and tilted her face up toward him.

He understood, smiled, and used the pinched napkin to wipe her mouth.

With her mouth clean, Xia Xi leaned back against the chair, continued eating the skewers, and praised him: "So thoughtful." She lifted a skewer in her hand: "Won't you try one?"

The lamb and beef skewers looked almost identical when cooked; Xia Xi glanced, suddenly unsure whether it was beef or lamb, took a bite herself, carefully discerned, confirmed it was lamb, then passed it on.

Xu Yanfeng grasped her wrist, lifted it, and ate a piece from the spot she had just bitten.

Xia Xi asked him, "How is it?" as if the skewer were something she herself had grilled.

Xu Yanfeng modestly replied: "Not bad."

He released her wrist, returned to his place, and continued grilling corn for her.

Though no one crowded around them, when people chatted their gazes inevitably drifted to the pair; though they couldn't hear what was said, every move was caught and recorded by dozens of eyes. Those silent scenes only made people imagine more, only made them feel sweet, only made them envious.

Cheng Man Yi, suffering from dizziness, nasal congestion, and coughing, watched those scenes unfold, unsure whether her body or her heart felt worse.

They had originally planned to spend the night on the mountain peak to stargaze after dark, and had deliberately chosen a tent with a transparent roof for that purpose, but Xu Yanfeng said it wasn't very safe, and they'd better return to the guesthouse to sleep.

His words carried weight; once he spoke, no one would dare oppose him.

At dusk, everyone picked up the trash they'd made, gathered their belongings, and descended the mountain in a throng. Someone started a love song; since it was familiar, others joined in singing.

The singing continued all the way, drifting on the wind to the other side of the mountain.

Xia Xi carried a bag, inside nothing packed, empty, her things were all with Xu Yanfeng. She had her hands in her pockets, strolling leisurely, scheming some wicked idea that Xu Yanfeng didn't know.

Everyone had eaten too much barbecue, so at night they weren't very hungry; after returning to the guesthouse, the chef prepared several home-style dishes, boiled wild vegetable porridge; those who wanted to eat went to the dining hall themselves, those who didn't just stayed in their rooms to rest.

Xia Xi invited Xu Yanfeng to go to the dining hall; each drank a small bowl of delicious porridge, then they walked around the guesthouse; it was past eight, and they each went back to their own rooms.

Feng Xiaolai had already taken a shower, was lying on the bed playing with her phone, afraid to disturb Xia Xi, and had earphones plugged in her ears.

Xia Xi took a shower, changed into a camisole nightgown; it was cool at night, she threw on a matching sleep robe, walked to Feng Xiaolai's bedside, removed one of her earphones, and whispered softly: "Remember to lock the door, I'm going out."

Feng Xiaolai was watching a variety show, her smile still not faded: "You're not coming back?"

"Shh."

Xia Xi did not answer directly; she pressed her index finger to her lips in a silencing gesture, blinked, picked up her phone and left the room, leaving Feng Xiaolai staring dumbfounded.