CHAPTER 44: COOKING

Half an hour later, when the butler came by to deliver tea, he froze.

There, on the desk, beside the boy’s study books, was a small glass jar.

Inside it lay a single strawberry candy.

Unwrapped? No. Perfectly preserved, as though it were a treasure.

The butler blinked again.

Yun Jue didn’t notice his presence. He was staring at the candy, deep in thought, the same kind of deep thought that his business-minded father often had while reviewing billion-yuan contracts.

Except this time, the "contract" was a pink-wrapped candy and a faint imprint of a kiss on his cheek that refused to fade.

Downstairs, the servants whispered among themselves.

"Did you hear? Young Master Yun smiled today."

"What?! No way!"

"He did! Apparently, there was a little girl in the park."

"A little girl? Our young master? Impossible!"

"I swear, even the young master’s friends looked traumatized."

"...The apocalypse must be near."

And perhaps it was, at least for the group of boys who now had to process the most unbelievable truth of their lives:

That the cold, untouchable, impossibly composed Young Master Yun... had been kissed on the cheek by a chubby-cheeked little girl.

Meanwhile, far away, Chi Huaijin was already curled up in bed, her tiny arms hugging her candy jar.

Tomorrow, she decided, she’d share some of her sweets with Daddy. And maybe, if she ever saw that nice "little brother" again, she’d give him a few too, after all, he was a good boy who helped her, even though he looked scary at first.

And thus, completely unaware of the storm she’d left behind, Chi Huaijin drifted into dreamland, smiling faintly.

While somewhere across the city, a certain young master still couldn’t stop staring at a single piece of candy, wondering, for the first time in his life, why something so small could make his heart feel so strange.

The morning sunlight filtered through the classroom windows, painting the tiny desks in soft gold.

The kindergarten was unusually lively that day, paper lanterns hung from the ceiling, their colorful tassels swaying gently as children laughed and chattered.

Miss Lin, the class teacher, clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. "Alright, little ones! Listen up~!" she said in her sing-song voice, smiling warmly. "Next week is the Mid-Autumn Festival! Our school will be holding a campus fair and family day. There will be performances, booths, and homemade snacks! Each of you can bring something special from home to share."

The room instantly erupted into excited squeals.

"Teacher, can I bring mooncakes?"

"I want to bring jelly!"

"My mama said I can bring meat buns!"

Miss Lin chuckled. "Of course! Just remember, we’ll give everyone these leaflets—" she began passing out small colorful flyers to each child "—so your parents will know the details. You can decide what you’ll bring together."

When she reached Chi Huaijin, the girl accepted her leaflet politely, blinking her large eyes. Her hair was tied in twin buns that bobbed as she nodded.

"Thank you, Teacher," she said sweetly.

Miss Lin smiled. Huaijin was always polite, soft-spoken, and obedient, though sometimes, her sharp little glances made her seem far older than her age.

"You’re welcome, Huaijin," Miss Lin said. "Will you bring something to share, too?"

"Yes!" Huaijin said, puffing her cheeks in thought. "I’ll make snacks!"

"Good girl. Maybe Daddy can help you, too?"

At that, Huaijin blinked, then nodded firmly. "Okay! I’ll make the best ones! Daddy will help too!"

The whole class laughed.

That evening, Chi Yuanfeng came home to find his daughter sitting cross-legged on the living room floor, the leaflet spread across her lap, and a serious expression on her little face. She looked up the moment he entered, her eyes shining with determination.

"Daddy! We have to cook!"

"...Cook?" Yuanfeng paused, still halfway through removing his coat. "Right now?"

"Yes!" she said firmly, waving the paper at him like an official document. "The teacher said we have a festival next week! We have to bring snacks!"

"Snacks," he repeated blankly.

"Yes! Homemade snacks! For the Mid-Autumn Festival!"

Her small hands were already dragging him toward the kitchen. "Come, come! We have to start practicing early!"

Yuanfeng laughed helplessly as he followed her. "Practicing? Sweetheart, it’s not an exam."

"But it’s a competition of taste," she said seriously, in a tone far too mature for her age. "If we don’t start now, other kids will take all the attention!"

That sentence made Yuanfeng raise a brow. "You sound like you’re preparing for war."

"It is war," she muttered under her breath, recalling certain smug faces from her class, namely, Chi Yuanying, her so-called cousin, who always bragged about having the "best snacks" and "fanciest home chef." No way was she losing to that snotty brat.

The kitchen came alive that night.

Little Huaijin stood on her stool by the counter, sleeves rolled up, her small hands pressing dough with exaggerated seriousness.

Her hair kept falling into her eyes, so Yuanfeng tied a small handkerchief over her head, earning a giggle.

"Now you look like a real chef," he said, smiling.

"I am a real chef," Huaijin declared proudly, pressing the dough again. "In my previous— uh... dreams, I used to make lots of things!"

"Dreams?" Yuanfeng asked curiously.

"Mm-hmm!" she nodded quickly, avoiding his gaze. "I dreamed I was really good at cooking! So I’ll make the best mooncakes!"

"Mooncakes?" Yuanfeng blinked. "You know how to make those?"

"Of course!" Huaijin said with the confidence of someone who had baked for decades. "First, we need to make the dough soft, then roll it thin, then fill it with sweet lotus paste, then—Daddy, are you listening?"

"Yes, Chef," Yuanfeng said, holding back laughter. He rolled up his sleeves and moved beside her. "Alright then. Teach me."

And that’s how she began their little mini cooking lesson.

Or, rather, she instructed, commanded, and occasionally scolded him for doing things "inefficiently."

"Daddy! Not like that! You’ll ruin the skin if you press too hard!"