Xingtie: My silly online friend is actually a raccoon!

Early in the morning, Lu Ze tiptoed out of bed.

He deliberately slowed down his movements when he opened the door, afraid of waking Fu Xuan next door.

The reason he got up so early was to make breakfast for Fu Xuan as a way of expressing his gratitude—after all, he couldn't just accept everything without doing anything in return for being treated like a freeloader.

He had heard people say that girls like to drink hot porridge first thing in the morning, as it warms the stomach and nourishes the skin.

So he got up at five o'clock, rummaged through all the ingredients he could find in Fu Xuan's refrigerator, and put together a small bowl of rice, half a yam and a few red dates. He washed and chopped them and put them in the pot to cook.

Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally with the lid off, and the kitchen gradually fills with the aroma of rice porridge.

When the porridge was almost cooked, he took out two eggs and a bunch of greens from the refrigerator and stir-fried a plate of tender yellow scrambled eggs and a plate of bright green seasonal vegetables.

The dishes are simple, all home-style, but the simpler the dish, the less likely it is to go wrong.

He placed the stir-fried dishes on the table and set them out, then turned back to the kitchen to fetch the pot of porridge.

click-

Just then, Fu Xuan's door opened.

Lu Ze was carrying porridge out of the kitchen when he ran into Fu Xuan, who was coming out of his room.

Fu Xuan was yawning, his eyes still showing a hint of sleepiness.

Her usually meticulously combed pink hair was now a mess, resembling a bird's nest, with a few stray strands sticking up and falling haphazardly on her head.

She was wearing a light pink bear-patterned pajama top, with only two buttons fastened at the neckline, leaving a large expanse of fair skin above her collarbone exposed to the air.

She swayed unsteadily toward the bathroom, her steps weak and unsteady, clearly not fully awake yet.

Then, her gaze swept across the kitchen doorway and she saw Lu Ze wearing an apron, holding a steaming clay pot in both hands.

In an instant, their eyes met.

Fu Xuan's brain completely shut down at that moment.

How did a man end up in my house?

The man, still wearing an apron and carrying a pot, stood at the doorway of her kitchen, looking every bit the male head of the household.

A chill ran down my spine to the back of my head, abruptly pulling my still-conscious mind back from the brink of sleep.

Memories of yesterday flooded her mind like a tide. She remembered—she was the one who brought this man back herself.

And now, he saw her disheveled appearance, just woken up and wearing a bear-patterned pajama.

With a sudden thud, Fu Xuan's face turned as red as a ripe red apple.

The blush spread down her cheeks to her ears, across her neck, and even through the open neckline of her loose-fitting bear-patterned pajamas, Lu Ze could see that her collarbone and shoulders were also tinged with a faint pink.

Lu Ze stared at the top of her head, feeling as if faint white steam was beginning to rise from the top of those few pink tufts of hair sticking up.

Fu Xuan froze on the spot, his lips opening and closing as if he wanted to say something but couldn't form any words. His hands unconsciously clenched and unclenched.

Seeing that her face was getting redder and redder, Lu Ze was afraid that she would have a stroke if she continued like this, so he was about to remind her to take a deep breath and calm down.

Before he could even open his mouth, Fu Xuan suddenly covered his face with both hands, turned around, and rushed into the room.

Because she was running too fast, her slippers slipped on the floor, and she almost tripped. She staggered a couple of steps before regaining her balance, and then plunged into the room without looking back.

With a loud "bang," the door slammed shut, followed by the clear click of the lock.

Lu Ze stood at the kitchen doorway, holding the pot of porridge, the deafening sound of the door slamming still echoing in his ears.

He looked down at the porridge in his hand, then looked up at the tightly closed door.

"puff--"

He couldn't help but laugh out loud.

So cute!