Chapter 34: Leave the Rest to Me

“My mother won’t be home early. Can you stay and chat with me for a while?”

This was the best plan I could come up with after a moment’s thought.

From what I remembered, my mother comes home at most once a month.

She just came back a few days ago to pick up some documents, so she probably wouldn’t be rushing back again anytime soon.

And without my mother around, it would just be me alone in the house.

So, there wasn’t much for Gu Fan to worry about if he stayed a bit longer.

Besides… if I had enough nerve, maybe I could even get Gu Fan to stay for dinner?

Or maybe even let him spend the night—after all, it would just the two of us.

My mind ran wild for a moment, and I couldn’t help but smile.

I decided to look at Gu Fan with a shy, slightly awkward smile, hoping it might move him somehow.

Gu Fan didn’t rush to answer.

Instead, he fiddled with the zipper of his school uniform; I knew he was thinking.

What gave me even more confidence was that he slowly loosened his grip on the door handle, and the zipper movement became slower and slower.

Soon enough, I saw him stop completely.

“Alright, then I’ll stay a little longer.”

Got it!

I laughed quietly to myself, following my heart, without making a sound.

Based on what I know about Gu Fan, once I break the ice like this, it’ll be much easier to ask for more later.

Gu Fan sat back down on the chair, his fingertips touching symmetrically, like he had no intention of starting a conversation.

I also knew that we really didn’t have much to talk about; neither of us are the chatty type.

Gu Fan is used to picking up others’ topics, while I’d rather stay silent if I can.

Just like before, after some small talk, we’d fall into silence and then let things drift without progress.

Though I didn’t find the silence awkward.

So, I had to take the initiative—I couldn’t just settle for being quietly together.

“Um… Gu Fan, have you ever stayed over at someone else’s house before?”

I hesitated for a moment before forcing myself to ask.

If it was his first time, that would make my invitation more meaningful.

If he’d done it before, he might not refuse me—win-win.

“I guess so? A long time ago, I think I stayed over at a classmate’s place. We had too much fun, and since it was far to get home, I just stayed the night there.”

“Uh-huh, I see.”

Having “too much fun” is hard to imagine for someone like me who rarely gets entertained.

And “far away” is also hard to buy—Gu Fan’s walk home is only about twenty minutes at most.

Tough, hard to find a good reason to keep him here.

I clicked my tongue bitterly, searching for a new topic, and instinctively thought about asking if it was at a girl classmate’s house—thankfully, I held back.

I’m not that kind of clingy, bad woman.

“Hey, Gu Fan, do you know how to improve cooking skills? Mine are really terrible.”

“When it comes to cooking, as long as it’s nutritious enough, you can just wing it. Being too picky about it isn’t good either. By the way… what do you usually eat?”

Sure enough, once the topic of cooking came up, Gu Fan got focused and totally interested.

“Um… instant noodles? Sometimes I order takeout, or go downstairs to some restaurants to eat.”

It’s not like I was complaining — that’s actually what I eat most of the time.

Asking me to cook is basically torturing the kitchen.

If I had to rate my cooking level, it’s somewhere between ‘disastrous’ and ‘barely edible.’

Luckily, I’m not too picky; as long as it’s not super awful, I can eat it.

“Tsk, that’s so simple. Aren’t you worried about lacking nutrition…?”

After hearing how bad my eating habits were, Gu Fan immediately looked serious.

He reached out and pinched my wrist, muttering something quietly that I didn’t catch.

“You’re too thin, Zhinian. How much do you weigh?”

“Um? Uh… I haven’t measured, so I’m not sure.”

“No need to measure. Just feeling your wrist tells me how thin you are. You need to take better care of yourself.”

Obviously, Gu Fan wasn’t happy about my weight.

I could hear him sighing from time to time.

Strangely, I felt oddly happy inside.

Isn’t this exactly what I used to imagine being cared for by family would be like?

Even if they nag a bit or scold you, their actions show genuine concern.

I pressed my lips into a slight smile, letting Gu Fan worryingly pinch my arm and wrist.

“Gu Fan, could you make me dinner? I’m really hungry.”

Actually, I wasn’t that hungry—the lunch I had earlier hadn’t even fully digested yet.

But growing up, I developed the habit of feeling full after just a little food.

The price?

Being very skinny, as all the nutrients seemed to go straight to my chest.

“…”

Gu Fan hesitated for a moment.

“Okay, I’ll message my family first. Let’s have dinner here tonight.”

Wait, what?

Success?

Gu Fan was actually willing to stay—and cook dinner for me?!

I was over the moon, pulling the blanket up to hide my body trembling with excitement.

Although I’d prepared myself for how long he might stay, ready for him to politely decline with a smile, Gu Fan had just given me a huge surprise.

Ignoring that Gu Fan was nearby, I wriggled under the blanket like a little worm, desperately trying to hold back my urge to squeal, though my tail couldn’t stop thrashing against the covers.

Gu Fan didn’t ask how I was feeling.

I heard him chuckle softly, then say, “I’m going to check the fridge,” before leaving the bedroom.

After Gu Fan left, I tossed and turned on the bed several times before calming down from my excitement.

I was so happy I almost forgot I was still on my period. After lying down for a bit, feeling restless, I decisively sat up.

No, I had to go to the kitchen and watch Gu Fan cook.

If I could record it, that would be even better.

Click-clack, click-clack, my footsteps echoed on the floor as I left the bedroom, crossed the hallway, and entered the living room.

There, I saw Gu Fan standing in front of the fridge, looking a bit troubled.

He heard the noise and turned around, surprised to see me.

“Why are you out? Shouldn’t you be resting a bit more?”

I shook my head.

“I want to see how Gu Fan cooks, just a little sneaky lesson.”

Though this excuse convinced Gu Fan, it had nothing to do with my real purpose.

I never really planned to learn cooking — and honestly, I probably couldn’t.

Gu Fan didn’t suspect anything and nodded in agreement, then pulled the kitchen door open a bit wider.

“I’ll be frying something soon, so it might get smoky. You don’t mind if I use the range hood, right?”

I waved my hand.

“Not at all! Use whatever you want in the kitchen. If it gets messy, I’ll clean up afterward.”

Gu Fan twirled a finger on the open fridge door.

“Alright then… can we have noodles tonight?”

“Sure, I love noodles.”

Noodles are easy to eat, easy to cook, and easy to clean up after.

I usually keep a few packs of dried noodles at home for convenience—perfect for lazy days when I just want something quick.

As for other ingredients… judging by Gu Fan’s expression, it’s clear.

I sometimes buy some veggies from the market and store them in the fridge.

Though I usually cook them messily, I force myself to eat them for balanced nutrition.

After preparing the ingredients for tonight’s noodles, Gu Fan picked up the little bear apron hanging by the kitchen door and tied the straps around himself.

“From here on, leave it to me.”