My cousin asked me to go to Wuha, and Hanikezi stuck to me.

At one o'clock in the morning, the guesthouse in Dali Ancient Town became completely quiet.

In order to thoroughly implement that absurd three-meter physical distance rule, the production team actually laid out two cots in the large living room on the first floor.

All the camera lenses were covered by clothing, leaving only the most basic microphones exposed.

Chen Yi opened his eyes. The red soft rope on his wrist was taut and stretched all the way to the open kitchen area behind the sofa.

The bed next to it was empty.

Chen Yi lifted the thin blanket, barefoot, and walked across the carpet along the rope.

As soon as I turned past the central island counter, an extremely pungent smell of braised beef noodle seasoning hit my nostrils.

The warm yellow island counter lights were on.

Hanikezi was wearing a loose pink nightgown and curled up on a high stool.

She held a paper bowl in her hands, with half a curly instant noodle in her mouth, her cheeks bulging out.

Chen Yi stopped, crossed his arms, and leaned against the edge of the central island platform.

"Sleepwalking and eating garbage in the middle of the night?"

Chen Yi spoke up.

"Ahem!"

Hanikezi was startled by the sudden sound.

She turned her head abruptly, hurriedly swallowed the noodles, and upon seeing that it was Chen Yi, she immediately covered the paper bowl tightly with both hands.

"You walk without making a sound!"

Hanikezi lowered her voice as she made her accusations.

Chen Yi took two steps closer, his gaze falling on the instant noodle bowl she was covering.

"Don't tell anyone! (σ｀д′)σ" Hanikezi shifted her position slightly, her tone tinged with guilt, "I'm controlling my diet."

"Controlled by braised beef noodles?"

Chen Yi countered with a question.

"All I ate today was a little bit of shredded pork with green peppers and half a piece of milk fan!"

Hanikezi complained righteously, "The boxed meals provided by the crew were simply not enough to fill me up, and I was so hungry that I couldn't sleep."

Chen Yi didn't reply, but stretched out his right hand and grasped the edge of the paper bowl.

"What are you doing!"

Hanikezi clung tightly to the rim of the bowl, refusing to let go. "This is strategic material I obtained by getting my autograph from the logistics girl!"

"Let go!"

Chen Yi's tone left no room for negotiation.

"I don't!"

Hanikezi's eyes widened. "It's very unethical of you to steal someone else's late-night snack!"

Chen Yi pulled his wrist back with force, instantly straightening the red rope connecting the two of them.

Hanikezi lost her balance and fell forward due to the force applied to her wrist.

Chen Yi steadily caught the bowl of instant noodles in her hand and casually supported her shoulder with his left hand.

He turned and walked to the sink, then flicked his wrist.

The greasy red soup and cheap noodles were all poured down the drain.

"Chen Yi! You owe me money!"

Hanikezi jumped down from the high stool, her voice filled with obvious annoyance.

Chen Yi precisely threw the empty paper bowl into the trash can and turned on the tap to rinse the sink.

"Preservatives mixed with low-quality carbohydrates."

Chen Yi turned off the tap. "If Sister Hong sees this bowl of noodles, she'll book a flight over tomorrow morning and tear you apart."

Hanikezi stood there, staring at the trash can, her cheeks puffed out in anger.

Chen Yi walked to the double-door refrigerator and opened the crisper compartment.

All that was left inside were two tomatoes, two bunches of bok choy, and three eggs that were left over from lunch.

He took out the ingredients and turned around to place them on the kitchen counter.

"Sit back down," Chen Yi said, picking up the kitchen knife.

Hanikezi stood frozen in place, not moving.

"If you're really hungry, just stay quiet," Chen Yi said without looking up. "I'll make you something new."

Hanikezi stared at his back for a few seconds before reluctantly retreating to sit down on the high stool.

She watched as Chen Yi skillfully made a cross-shaped cut on the top of the tomato and scalded it with boiling water to remove the skin.

The [Intermediate Culinary Mastery] skill allows his movements to flow smoothly, and the sound of the knife blade hitting the cutting board is regular and crisp.

"Eating noodles in the middle of the night will cause water retention," Hanikezi muttered softly as she sat on a high stool.

"If you eat that bowl of instant noodles, it will turn into a steamed bun by tomorrow morning." Chen Yi cracked an egg with one hand, and the golden egg liquid fell accurately into the bowl.

"Is this my fault?"

Hanikezi swung her legs, trying to regain her composure, "Old Wang only gave me fifty yuan in total. After you bought meat and vegetables at noon, the production team took all the remaining money."

Chen Yi turned on the stove, heated a pan with a little oil, and poured in the egg mixture.

With a sizzle, the pure aroma of eggs instantly filled the entire kitchen.

Chen Yi increased the range of his hand movements, causing the red rope to sway slightly and tug at Hanikezi's wrist.

She glanced down at the rope on her wrist, then looked up at Chen Yi's profile as he focused on his work.

Chen Yi stir-fried the eggs a couple of times, then added diced tomatoes and stir-fried them to make a red soup. The rich sweet and sour flavor completely overpowered the taste of the cheap instant noodles from before.

He added water to the pot and brought it to a boil, then put in a handful of noodles.

Hanikezi rested her chin on her hands, her gaze fixed on the pot, completely ignoring her earlier annoyance. Her stomach even growled in agreement.

In the quiet kitchen, the sound was too loud to ignore.

Hanikezi immediately clutched her stomach and turned her face away as if nothing had happened.

Chen Yi's hands didn't stop moving, and a very obvious smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

He put the washed greens and scrambled eggs into the pan, added a pinch of salt for flavor, and then turned off the heat.

The whole process took less than fifteen minutes.

A large white ceramic bowl was placed on the island platform in front of Hanikezi.

The sweet and sour taste of tomatoes blends with the aroma of eggs, and noodles, greens, and golden eggs float in the clear soup base.

"Hey~ Eat up!"

Chen Yi handed over a pair of wooden chopsticks, "Since we're having a late-night snack, let's eat something healthier."

Hanikezi took the chopsticks and stared intently at the steaming noodles in front of her.

She picked up a piece of noodles with her chopsticks, blew on it twice, and put it directly into her mouth.

The noodles soaked up the tomato broth, which was sweet and sour and appetizing. Hanikezi's eyes instantly curved into two crescent moons as she let out a satisfied sigh.

"tasty?"

Chen Yi pulled out the bar stool next to him and sat down.

"Your cooking skills are even better than that old-established noodle shop at the entrance of Hengdian World Studios," Hanikezi praised as she ate, not even bothering to look up.

Chen Yi took a glass from the side, poured half a glass of warm water, and placed it in front of him.

"Why is Sister Hong keeping an eye on you on set?"

Chen Yi picked up his water glass. "I'm so hungry that I have to steal instant noodles from the logistics department in the middle of the night."

Hanikezi swallowed the vegetables in her mouth.

"She wasn't just watching me; she was completely blocking me off."

Hanikezi poked at the eggs in her bowl with her chopsticks. "Even when the producer treated me to dinner, she only allowed me to drink plain water. She would pick out the bananas from the fruit salad that the crew provided."

"And you?"

Hanikezi looked up, biting the tip of her chopsticks, "I heard from Brother Chichi during the day that you took on three full-line endorsements this month and were running back and forth between three variety shows. You haven't slept much at all."

Chen Yi tapped the inside of the glass with his finger.

"Star Entertainment Media's business hasn't been completely ruined yet. Although President Zhou has been reprimanded, he's still secretly sabotaging things."

Chen Yi's tone was extremely calm, "If you don't acquire more leverage, you might not be the only one having resources blocked next time."

Hanikezi stopped eating the noodles completely.

Chen Yi's casual remark summed up his month-long relentless effort in just two words: confidence.

In order to prevent capital from having the right to control who they want to meet, he chose the most ruthless way to break the deadlock.

The kitchen fell silent again.

The only sound is a very faint humming noise from the refrigerator compressor.

Ten minutes later, Hanikezi picked up the large bowl and drank the last drop of tomato soup clean.

She pushed the empty bowl away and let out a satisfied sigh.

Chen Yi casually pulled out two tissues and handed them over.

Hanikezi took the tissue and wiped the soup from the corner of her mouth, then threw the crumpled tissue into the nearby trash can.

She placed her hands on her knees and sat properly on the high stool.

Chen Yi sat beside her, neither clearing away the dishes nor urging her to go back to sleep.

The red rope between the two hung loosely below the island platform, binding together people who should have been in two different worlds.

Hanikezi turned her head and looked at Chen Yi's profile beside her.

The main lights on the first floor of the inn were not on; only the warm yellow chandelier above the island counter was lit.

The light shone down from directly above, casting a distinct shadow under Chen Yi's high nose bridge, softening his usual aggressive demeanor.

Chen Yi noticed her gaze, turned his face, and his eyes met hers directly.

"Go back to sleep after you've eaten your fill."

Chen Yi broke the silence.

"Chen Yi~~~"

Hanikezi interrupted him.

Her voice was several octaves lower than usual, lacking the usual boisterousness she displayed when vying for the spotlight or food.

Chen Yi's fingers, resting on the rim of the glass, tightened slightly.

He didn't say anything, his gaze completely fixed on her face.

"I spend my days at the farmers' market."

Hanikezi looked directly into his eyes. "You asked me what the second half of that unfinished WeChat message was."

The humming sound of the refrigerator became extremely clear at that moment.

Chen Yi didn't respond, handing over the initiative entirely to her.

Hanikezi gripped the hem of the pink pajamas tightly with both hands, her knuckles tightening slightly.

Her breathing rate quickened noticeably, but her eyes did not flinch.

"I've been on set for a month, and I've been thinking about that every day."

Hanikezi took a deep breath. "I turned off my phone, I avoided you, and I lied to myself that as long as I didn't contact you, that feeling on the beach in Sanya would pass."

She paused for a second, then her voice became extremely clear.

"But today, when I pushed open the door of the inn and saw you sitting in the courtyard..."

Hanikezi leaned forward.

"I knew I couldn't escape it."

Chen Yi's fingers, which were resting on the table, stopped completely, and his breathing became slightly disordered.

"Chen Yi, what we didn't finish saying last time..."

Hanikezi spoke slowly and deliberately, her eyes extremely serious.

"I've made up my mind!"

I like you! (✿◡‿◡)

The warm yellow light shone between the two of them, and the entire kitchen fell into a deathly silence with no way out.

Chen Yi released his grip on the glass, and the bottom of the glass slammed onto the table with a dull thud.

He raised his eyes, his gaze fixed intently on her eyes.