"Ahem... forget the lap." Ye Qingfeng coughed, a rare flush creeping onto his face. "Standing or sitting beside me is fine."
He mainly felt it was a little unscrupulous, tricking an innocent girl like this.
"Got it." Anby sat down directly beside him, leaning sideways against his arm, one hand propped on the sofa cushion, the other slowly raising the burger toward his mouth. "Ah——!"
Ye Qingfeng's gaze met Anby's adorably vacant expression at close range. For a moment, something stirred in his chest, and he went still.
He had never really thought of Anby as a romantic prospect. Compared to someone like Zhu Yuan or Nicole — or the more aggressively affectionate Belle and Nekomata — Anby occupied a different category entirely in his mind.
She wasn't like other girls. Beyond food and films, very little seemed to move her emotionally. That kind of person was something Ye Qingfeng had no prior experience with, and he genuinely had no idea how to approach her in that sense.
Most of her affection points so far had come from eating together, after all.
So Ye Qingfeng had decided not to push anything with Anby. Going with the flow suited them both.
But when she sat down beside him, a faint, clean fragrance drifted over — like the first gardenia of spring, natural and unassuming, quietly refreshing. And when she leaned sideways against him, her arm pressed gently against his, that soft warmth reaching through his sleeve was enough to make his face go hot.
*Much appreciated. But that's enough of that.*
"Actually, I've thought about it, and I'd rather just eat it myself." Ye Qingfeng smoothly plucked the burger from Anby's hand, flashing an awkward smile. "You eat yours too, before it gets cold."
"Okay." Anby tilted her head in acknowledgment, reached over, grabbed her burger from the plate, and proceeded to eat without any concern for appearances whatsoever.
"Qingfeng—" *chew chew* "—is a—" *chew chew* "—good person."
Anby delivered this verdict in a thoroughly muffled voice.
*[Beep! Anby's Affection Level increased by 5%!]*
*[Current Affection Level: 55%]*
*[Reminder: Host has 12 draw chances available!]*
In Anby's understanding, Ye Qingfeng had been made to stand in the corner because of something she'd said — and yet after dinner, he had still made her favorite hamburgers. He must have been waiting until after the meal on purpose, so the others wouldn't eat them all before she got any.
*That's right. Qingfeng is so considerate.*
As for the whole feeding arrangement — she didn't particularly care either way. As long as she got the burger.
She would happily feed Ye Qingfeng every day if he asked. In whatever position was most convenient.
The corners of Anby's mouth lifted slightly. She was in an excellent mood.
Ye Qingfeng, for his part, was genuinely hungry and made short work of the burger. He didn't mind Anby's "good person" verdict either — because when Anby said "good person," she simply meant it literally.
The system notification, however, did catch his attention. It had been slow going with Anby ever since her affection level crossed forty percent — watching films together, making hamburgers — none of it had moved the needle much lately. He still didn't understand why, but at least today showed there was still progress to be made.
The twelve draw chances were the other thing on his mind. He knew Nicole had contributed five — but where had the other seven come from?
*System — who generated these twelve draw chances?*
*[Beep! Breakdown: 5 draw chances from Nicole's Affection Level reaching 60%. 7 draw chances from Belle's Affection Level reaching 65% and Wise's Affection Level reaching 50%.]*
*...When did Belle and Wise's levels get that high?*
He decided to ask directly.
*Xiao Zhi? Are you there?*
*[...Speak.]*
*When did Belle and Wise's affection levels go up? I didn't notice.*
The question immediately caused the system a degree of internal distress. If Ye Qingfeng ever found out that Wise's affection had increased because of certain thoughts Wise had harbored toward him, he would almost certainly never set foot in the video store again.
The system kept its explanation vague.
*[It was... during your visit to the video store to retrieve the ingredients.]*
That was all Ye Qingfeng needed to hear to stop asking. That visit had been genuinely harrowing. Wise had clamped a hand over his mouth like he was trying to silence a witness, and after Belle intervened, he had stared at him with an expression that defied description.
Just thinking about it gave him goosebumps. If he kept dwelling on it, he'd have nightmares.
Ye Qingfeng carried the plate to the kitchen. "I'll wash up. Get some rest soon, Anby."
"Okay."
After washing the pan and finishing the last of the kitchen tidying, he headed upstairs, grabbed his clothes, and took a shower.
Coming out of the bathroom, he nearly walked into Sister Nicole, who was heading downstairs with her pajamas tucked under her arm.
"Sister Nicole — going to shower?"
Nicole rewarded this observation with an impressive eye roll.
"What do you think?" She held up the purple strappy nightgown she was carrying, gave it a brief shake, then stepped past him into the bathroom. "Go do whatever you need to do. Stop standing in the way."
The lock clicked behind him. Ye Qingfeng stared at the closed door for a moment, mildly offended by the distrust.
Though he had to admit — with Sister Nicole's figure, that shade of purple suited her remarkably well.
He held that thought for approximately one second, then continued down the hall to his room.
He closed the door, happily climbed into bed, pulled the covers up, and opened his phone.
Wise and Belle had both sent messages thanking him for dinner. Zhu Yuan had sent several messages asking what he was up to and why he hadn't replied, along with a handful of chibi Qingyi emoticons.
Their relationship had settled into a comfortable in-between — mutually fond of each other, but with little time to actually meet. They wondered whether the other had eaten, whether work had been tiring, whether today had been a good day. Most of what they knew of each other's life came through messages.
Fortunately, he had thought to photograph the dishes before Nicole had sentenced him to the corner. He sent the photo now.
---
**Ye Qingfeng:** [Image] Well? *(chibi emoticon, begging for praise)*
**Zhu Yuan:** I had no idea you could cook! That actually looks amazing! *(emoticon, drooling)*
**Zhu Yuan:** I've been trying to watch what I eat lately and didn't have much for dinner... and now you send me this. How are you planning to make it up to me? *(emoticon, looking away with a huff)*
**Ye Qingfeng:** No way! Zhu Yuan, your figure is perfect — definitely not fat. A waist like that, I'd consider my life well spent if I got to put my arms around it even once.
**Ye Qingfeng:** One of these days I'll cook for you in person.
**Zhu Yuan:** I'll hold you to that~ Really looking forward to it! It's late though, work tomorrow. Goodnight! *(goodnight emoticon)*
**Ye Qingfeng:** Goodnight!
---
Ye Qingfeng set his phone down with quiet satisfaction, turned off the lamp, and pulled the covers up.
Whether or not Zhu Yuan had actually gained any weight was beside the point. In moments like that, the correct move was always to deny it firmly, follow up with a genuine compliment, and leave a small thread of anticipation dangling.
Remember the formula. That way, Officer Zhu Yuan would find herself looking forward to their next conversation just a little more.
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