Memory: Kitchen Thrills

It took forever just to spit out a single sentence! It annoyed Shangguan Xiao to the point of irritation. Wasn't it just one sentence? A matter of a few words, yet it dragged on for so long and wasted so much of her time for nothing.

Finally unable to watch any longer, Shangguan Xiao lost all her patience and urged impatiently, "What on earth do you want to say? Hurry up, will you!" As she spoke, she angrily dropped the withered branch in her hand and glared at the girl with a bewildered expression.

Seeing that she had annoyed Shangguan Xiao, the girl hurriedly blurted out randomly, "I... I just thought that classmate Shangguan looks like someone who knows how to cook."

The words transformed as they reached her lips; the girl truly did not wish to pry into someone else's family background, fearing that such a question might cause resentment. Yet somehow, she ended up asking precisely that. Consequently, the moment Shangguan Xiao heard this, all her movements froze instantly.

Her entire body stiffened right where she stood! Are you kidding me? How on earth could she possibly know how to cook?! She still vividly remembered the first time she ever tried cooking—it was an unforgettable experience! She remembered it was the first snowfall of winter, and she and Ouyang Qianyu were heading to school together.

Along the way, Ouyang Qianyu had seemed completely devoid of energy! No matter how much fuss Shangguan Xiao made, he remained utterly unresponsive. He didn't grab her hand and settle her beside him as he usually did, nor did he tell her to stop making a racket.

His reaction made Shangguan Xiao somewhat unaccustomed! Stretching her neck, she peered over at Ouyang Qianyu and discovered that he actually looked drowsy. One of his hands supported his head as he leaned against the car window, dozing off.

He looked utterly exhausted, yet she had no idea what to do. Could it be that he had gone to work part-time again yesterday? She simply could not understand what was going on in his mind.

His parents always sent money for him, yet he refused to touch a single penny. After finishing his classes every day, he would run off to work odd jobs elsewhere, wearing himself out completely.

Yet he possessed a very large build; even if he told people he was already an adult, no one would doubt it. Therefore, he was always able to find plenty of work. Coupled with his excellent grades and proficiency in multiple foreign languages, almost all the jobs he took on involved translation work! Every day, numerous lovelorn young girls would come to hire him as their translator—using work as an excuse for Ouyang Qianyu to accompany them on shopping trips.

Every time, Shangguan Xiao would quietly trail behind them, watching those women put on affected expressions that sickened her so much she almost couldn't resist stepping forward to beat them up.

If her bodyguards hadn't been holding her back, she would have long since gone forward and torn those women to pieces. Look at him now—Ouyang Qianyu's face was completely pale. Why did he always torture himself like this?

Looking at him now, Shangguan Xiao always felt as though he were overdrafting his health. In the past, she constantly heard her mother nagging her father, telling him to rest more, not to focus solely on work, and not to neglect his meals.

Her mother had said that doing so was overdrafting one's health and would inevitably lead to a shortened life. She knew that a shortened life meant dying soon, and she didn't want Ouyang Qianyu to die. Yet she couldn't figure out what she could possibly do for him!

She felt utterly useless. At the very least, whenever she encountered difficulties in her studies, Ouyang Qianyu would help her solve them and always clean up her messes. But when he faced difficulties, she couldn't do a single thing.

She could only watch from afar as he struggled on alone, looking as though he might collapse at any moment. The car stopped at the school gates, but Shangguan Xiao didn't know whether she should wake Ouyang Qianyu up.

Although she usually made a lot of noise around Qianyu, she still knew how to stay quietly and obediently out of trouble when someone else was feeling unwell. Outside the window, quite a few people were shouting Ouyang Qianyu's name, and eventually, he was woken up by the commotion.

***

Regarding this, Shangguan Xiao felt extremely displeased! Had she known, she would have directly told the driver to turn the car around and go home instead! But worrying that Ouyang Qianyu would be displeased, she reluctantly followed him out of the car.

Snowflakes fluttered through the air; the scenery was picturesque. Yet neither of them had any spare mood to appreciate it at that moment. Even though Ouyang Qianyu was feeling unwell, he still hoisted an umbrella and sheltered Shangguan Xiao securely.

Terrified that snowflakes might drift onto her and melt, dampening her clothes and easily causing a cold, Ouyang Qianyu took precautions just in case. Holding the umbrella in one hand, he wrapped his other arm around Shangguan Xiao, pulling her into his embrace.

Utilizing his height advantage, he blocked the wind and snow for Shangguan Xiao. The flower beds and trees across the campus were covered in a blanket of snow, vast and white—truly beautiful! Their actions added a touch of warmth to the freezing winter day.

The biting cold wind howled as the two of them leaned against each other, walking along the narrow wooded path. Clinging closely to one another, they could feel each other's heartbeats. Upon returning to the classroom, although the heating was turned on, it still failed to banish the bone-chilling cold. Shangguan Xiao took out a towel and wiped down both of their seats, then casually produced two fluffy seat covers and slipped them over their chairs.

After finishing this series of actions, she turned her head and curved her lips into a smile at Ouyang Qianyu. Looking at her smile, Ouyang Qianyu felt as though spring had arrived! Was this just his imagination?

At that moment, Shangguan Xiao was wrapped in a large, thick white down jacket, which made her look a full size larger. Bundled up round and fluffy like a big white panda, her little face was frozen rosy red, making anyone who looked at her want to rush forward and take a bite! Ouyang Qianyu sat down in the chair Shangguan Xiao had prepared for him, feeling that no matter how cold the weather was, he had nothing to fear.

Shangguan Xiao gave him a kind of care that even his own parents had never provided, and she was always quietly doing things for him. He was truly grateful to the heavens for sending Shangguan Xiao into his life, allowing him to experience warmth as well.

He had been rather busy lately, and those people had so many demands! Now he felt as though almost every girl was a nuisance, coming to find him simply to have him escort them around on sightseeing trips! Even if one had money, it shouldn't be wasted like this!

Though they didn't have to earn that money themselves, it was their parents' hard-earned blood and sweat! Just like his own parents—they were so busy making money that they didn't even have time to make a phone call to him.

In truth, Ouyang Qianyu still harbored some resentment toward his parents. He resented them for not coming to see him, and he resented them for not even writing him a single letter. That was why he worked so desperately, earning his own living.

He had never touched a single penny of the money his parents sent; he wanted to prove through his actions that he could also shoulder burdens for them, hoping they would understand his feelings.

Yet for all these years, they still only remitted money on schedule, without ever making a single phone call to him. Was he not sad? The answer, of course, was impossible!

Naturally, he felt sad and heartbroken. Some people said that the hardships endured now were only for the sake of living a better life in the future. But he felt that the hardships he endured now were merely preparing him to bear even greater pain in the future!

Once, he had believed there was no warmth left in this world, and that happiness did not exist in his realm. At first, he would feel pain, but gradually, this sadness and ache faded away with the passage of time.

Now he was able to face these matters with detached indifference, for who could blame him when he had already grown numb? What did a few injuries matter anyway? Once one became numb, one would no longer feel pain.

***

His heart would no longer ache either! Yet Shangguan Xiao challenged his bottom line time and time again, shattering his quiet and peaceful life, pulling him back from that icy world into reality, and filling his heart with a gradual sense of warmth.

She shattered the life he had habitually thought of as cold—the perception that the world was frigid. The high walls around his heart collapsed rapidly, allowing him to develop a brand-new understanding of the world!

Yet the culprit who caused all of this remained completely oblivious! As he pondered, Ouyang Qianyu felt his eyelids growing heavier and heavier. He slowly closed his eyes, letting himself drift off into a deep sleep.

Sometimes he would wonder: was it true that whenever he was by Shangguan Xiao's side, even his dreams were filled with smiles? Beside him, seeing that Ouyang Qianyu had fallen asleep, Shangguan Xiao immediately sat up straight and quiet.

A few students in the front row were discussing something excitedly when Shangguan Xiao poked the back of the girl in front of her. The moment the girl turned around, Shangguan Xiao placed a finger to her lips and made a shushing gesture.

Then she pointed at the sleeping Ouyang Qianyu beside her, and everyone else understood instantly. The classroom fell silent in an instant, and everyone moved with extreme caution, terrified of waking up their class's resident handsome guy.

The girls turned their heads back from time to time, stealing glances at Ouyang Qianyu's sleeping face. In their hearts, they sighed: being handsome really makes a difference! No matter what he does, he looks so dashing!

The boys finally understood why he firmly held the position of the school's number one belle—ah, handsome youth—not only because of his outstanding academic results, but simply because he looked effortlessly cool even when doing nothing at all. This was the charm of the campus idol!

It made fellow males like them find him deeply attractive, and their admiration for him multiplied countless times over! If Ouyang Qianyu, who was currently asleep, were to learn of these thoughts, not only would he fail to be moved, but he would probably feel thoroughly embarrassed instead!

The heating continued to radiate warmth. Outside the window, heavy snowflakes drifted down, fluttering white flakes that signaled the approaching Christmas. Shangguan Xiao sat by the window, watching the scenery outside while poking at a hot water bag in her hands.

Looking down from above revealed yet another perspective: the frozen lake appeared crystalline and bright, looking even more dazzling under the illumination of the streetlamps. The vast expanse of white everywhere evoked images of a fantastical snow kingdom.

Pulling out a book, she opened it and began to read intently. On the podium, the teacher had arrived at some point and started the lesson. Whether due to the freshly fallen snow or some other reason, more than half the classroom had dozed off.

The teacher carried on with the lesson in resignation, asking and answering questions entirely alone, looking utterly unamused. Picking up her pen, Shangguan Xiao diligently recorded notes in her notebook. By the time she finished her tasks, the entire morning had already passed!

Because the snow was falling heavier and heavier, the school ultimately decided to dismiss classes for the afternoon for the sake of the students' safety! Upon receiving this news, cheers erupted across the entire school!

During childhood, everyone's favorite activity was undoubtedly a holiday! Coupled with the fact that today was Christmas Eve, everyone's spirits were as if stimulated by an injection of adrenaline. The previous drowsiness was swept away instantly by this news!

Joyfully hoisting their backpacks onto their shoulders, everyone prepared to go home and spend a wonderful Christmas Eve. Shangguan Xiao packed her schoolbag in a slow and leisurely manner. Her older brother was working overtime today, and Ouyang Qianyu was sick. Now she was the only one with nothing to do; no matter how she thought about it, she felt rather depressed!