TL: Moonlit
Xie Bai cautiously finished speaking and stole a glance at Su Ge’s expression.
Seeing his tightened jaw and cold expression, unease welled up in Xie Bai’s heart, and he asked in a low voice, “Su Ge, are you angry?”
Su Ge turned his head and met the anxious black eyes of the young female, as if a hand was gripping his heart tightly. “Does it not matter if we cancel the engagement and forcibly match after coming of age?”
Xie Bai’s eyes involuntarily widened, a little surprised that Su Ge would care about such matters.
His hand resting on his knee unconsciously clenched. “It doesn’t matter. Lin Su was also forcibly matched with Prince William after coming of age, right? Besides, there are still a few months until I come of age. Maybe I’ll find a male who’s willing to marry me?”
“Su Ge, you don’t have to feel sorry. If you don’t like me, we won’t be happy together. It’s better to be friends. It was my immaturity before that made me cling to you and make you hate me. But rest assured, I won’t be like that in the future. So, if you have no objections, should I talk to my grandfather about it?”
Like an arrow aimed at his chest, biubiubiu~ poisonous arrows were shot one after another!
Su Ge turned his head and blinked forcefully. “I don’t dislike you. I apologize for my previous attitude…”
“No need to apologize. It was me…”
“So, can we not cancel the engagement?” Su Ge turned around, his eyes faintly reddening, as if he was desperately restraining something. This was the first time Xie Bai had seen him like this, and he felt a bit anxious.
“Why, why is that? You don’t like me, so why don’t you want to cancel the engagement? If you’re worried about your family blaming you, I can go and talk to them, saying it’s my decision to cancel the engagement. Would that be okay?”
Su Ge swallowed hard. “I don’t dislike you.”
“At first, I thought so too, but after seeing Lin Su and Prince William, I realized that the person you really want to be with isn’t determined by appearances. Don’t think you can deceive me just because I’m naive. Love isn’t like that at all.”
As Xie Bai said this, he felt a bit aggrieved. He didn’t understand why Su Ge, who clearly didn’t like him, didn’t agree to cancel the engagement. Was it because he was easier to bully?
Facing Xie Bai’s accusation, Su Ge felt extremely uncomfortable. If humans had the ability to go back in time, he would definitely go back a few months and strangle himself.
“I’m sorry. I… in the past…” He did indeed not like Xie Bai’s spoiled and willful behavior before, but now, every move and every look of Xie Bai’s affected his heart and his gaze.
It made him want to be closer to him, closer and closer.
He liked Xie Bai to the extent that he would smile when he saw him and think of him when he couldn’t see him. But he couldn’t say these words. He didn’t want to be even more despicable. “Don’t I have a chance now?”
Xie Bai pursed his lips. “You don’t have to…” say that.
“Can we not cancel the engagement?”
Xie Bai opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but he didn’t know what to say. Su Ge’s words came too suddenly, leaving him completely at a loss for how to respond.
However, Su Ge seemed determined and continued to silently look at him, as if he wouldn’t give up until he received a response.
“But I don’t like you anymore.” I’m not planning on liking you.
Xie Bai bit his lip. He didn’t know if Su Ge’s change of heart was just a fleeting impulse or if it was triggered by his suggestion to cancel the engagement. Didn’t his grandfather always say that males cared a lot about their reputation?
Perhaps Su Ge just felt that being proposed to cancel the engagement was a blow to his pride.
Although Su Ge had prepared himself to accept the worst outcome, hearing it firsthand still made Su Ge’s heart ache.
“Don’t I have any chance at all?” Su Ge still couldn’t give up. Even if there was a slight possibility, he wanted to fight for it.
Xie Bai clasped his hands on his knees. “Let it go. You can find someone better.”
Su Ge smiled faintly, bitterness evident in his expression. “Hmm, I realized it too late.”
Xie Bai didn’t know how to comfort him. His own emotions were a bit low as well. Rejecting Su Ge didn’t bring him the happiness he had anticipated. Instead, he felt a tinge of sadness.
But he didn’t have the confidence to accept Su Ge again.
On the way to Lin Su’s house, neither of them spoke a word until Su Ge stopped the car. Xie Bai spoke up again, “So, I’ll talk to my grandfather about canceling the engagement?”
Su Ge tightened his grip on the steering wheel but eventually let go weakly. “Okay.”
As soon as the words fell, Su Ge opened the car door and quickly walked away.
Xie Bai held the paper bag and got out of the car, watching Su Ge’s retreating figure. A bitter feeling welled up in his chest. He had been quite happy today, but now he couldn’t smile at all. Not only that, he felt like crying.
He didn’t want his eyes to turn red and worry Lin Su and the others. Xie Bai rubbed his nose, forced a smile on his face, and with the jar of jam in his arms, he pushed open the gate. “Lin Su, Uncle Su Jin, I’m here!”
When Lin Feng saw Su Ge and Xie Bai driving over and opened the door to ask why Su Ge was coming so late, he caught sight of Su Ge’s reddened eyes.
His heart tightened. “What’s wrong? What’s with that expression?”
Su Ge stared at him. “You’re not allowed to like Xie Bai.”
Lin Feng’s mouth fell open. This reflex arc was too long. He only realized what happened yesterday just now?
“Why? Anyway, you…”
“You’re not allowed to like him, do you hear me?”
Lin Feng looked at Su Ge, whose emotions were clearly off. “But you have to give me a reason. Even if you don’t like him, you can’t be so selfish as to not let others like him, right?”
“Who said I don’t like him.” It’s just that his liking doesn’t matter anymore since Xie Bai doesn’t accept it.
Thinking about this, Su Ge felt extremely uncomfortable, wishing he could find someone to fight.
Seeing that Su Ge finally dared to admit that he liked Xie Bai, Lin Feng smiled and looked at him. “You’re something else. Since you like him, I won’t compete with you. But did you tell Xie Bai?”
“What’s the use of telling him? He doesn’t need it anymore. He wants to cancel the engagement with me. He probably thinks I’m not good enough.”
Lin Feng didn’t expect Xie Bai to be so resolute, but considering the changes Xie Bai had gone through recently, it wasn’t surprising that he could do such a thing.
However, there was some regret. Su Ge, who had just awakened to his feelings, was probably going to face a bumpy road in his love life.
He raised his hand and lightly patted Su Ge’s shoulder. “Well, it’s over, bro. The road ahead is rough.”
Su Ge swatted his hand away. “Stop with the comforting words and think of a solution for me.”
Lin Feng raised an eyebrow. “You’re not planning to give up, huh?”
“I can’t let go.” Su Ge looked at Lin Feng. “So what you said yesterday, it’s better if you just forget about it.”
Lin Feng lightly smiled and nodded. “Okay, I’ll just forget about it. But you have to make an effort. If Xie Bai still refuses to accept you before he comes of age, he’ll be forced into the mandatory matching system, and then… you’re on your own.”
Rarely seeing Su Ge sulking, Lin Feng felt quite happy in his heart.
A male who grew up smoothly and without facing any difficulties wouldn’t fully mature and develop a sense of responsibility.
…
Su Jin looked at the strawberry jam that Xie Bai brought. “Wow, you even put it in small jars.”
“I wanted everyone to have a taste. It’s my first time making it, Uncle, why don’t you try it? I think it tastes pretty good,” Xie Bai nervously opened a jar and handed it over. Although he had confidence in the taste, he still felt anxious, like a student waiting for exam results.
Su Jin scooped up a bit with a small spoon. The taste was pleasantly sweet and tangy, with a rich and thick sauce. The fragrant sweetness of the strawberries melted in his mouth. “Hmm, it tastes really good. Success!”
The last two words made Xie Bai breathe a sigh of relief and feel happy. “Uncle, I’ll continue to work hard. Can I distribute these to everyone to taste?”
“Of course, they’ll be delighted,” Su Jin patted Xie Bai’s shoulder gently. “Go ahead.”
Lin Su, who was working in the yard, saw Xie Bai approaching. “What do you have in your hands?”
Xie Bai ran up to him and squatted down. “Lin Su, it’s a strawberry jam that I made. Uncle Su Jin said it tastes great and it was a success. I want you to give it a taste. I hope you like it!”
Lin Su reached out and accepted it, smiling as he sniffed it under his nose. “Hmm, it smells wonderful. I like it. Thank you for the gift.”
“You’re welcome. Hehe, I’ll go and give it to the others. I’ll come back to help you later.”
Xie Bai bounced away with the paper bag to give a small jar to William, who was sunbathing in the yard. It was the first time he had such a close interaction with the Imperial Crown Prince. Xie Bai felt extremely nervous, but the tall and half-beast male graciously accepted it and thanked him, unlike the merciless image of an imperial prince he had imagined.
“You, you don’t have to be so polite. It’s all taught by Lin Su and Uncle Su Jin. I hope you like it!”
After saying that, Xie Bai didn’t dare to disturb William any further and turned around to run toward Lin Feng’s yard.
Watching Xie Bai running away like a little bird that had just left its nest, Lin Su smiled and walked over to William’s side, raising an eyebrow. “Wanna give it a try?”
William nodded, opening the lid. Lin Su handed him a small spoon, and the two of them sat in the sunlight, enjoying the tranquil moment while savoring the sweet and tangy jam. It felt as if the sweetness permeated the surrounding air.
Lin Su leaned his head slightly on William’s shoulder and playfully nudged him.
A fluffy white tail wrapped around Lin Su’s waist, bringing him closer into William’s embrace.
Not far away, a hidden device activated on a flying vehicle, transmitting the scenes in the small courtyard back to its occupants.
Sitting in the pilot and co-pilot seats, the two people leaned closer to the screen. “I never thought our Marshal had such a gentle side.”
“I didn’t expect that I could use it like this in my half-beast state. But considering that my contracted beast is a bird without a tail, is this why I’m still single?”
“…You might be overthinking it a bit.”
The two individuals in conversation suddenly changed their expressions and quickly piloted the aircraft to leave. Just now, they had made eye contact with William through the screen.
William calmly withdrew his gaze, and the dog ears on top of his head swayed slightly.
Feeling the unusualness, Lin Su looked up at him. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” The large tail wrapped around Lin Su’s waist gently rubbed against him.
Lin Feng looked at Xie Bai, who entered with his head poking through the door.
The little female, who had a sweet smile on his face, instantly dropped it when he saw Su Ge. He carefully said, “Um, I have strawberry jam here. Would you like to taste it? The taste is quite good. I’ll leave it here, so help yourselves.”
After saying that, Xie Bai quickly glanced at Su Ge and didn’t wait to see if they had anything else to say. He turned and ran off.
After Xie Bai left, Lin Feng walked over and picked up the jar of jam that Xie Bai had placed on the shelf. He tilted his head and looked at the stern-looking Su Ge behind him. “Do you want some?”
The male who stood still with a cold expression suddenly felt a pang in his heart as if it had been pierced. He quickly walked over, directly snatching the paper bag from Lin Feng’s hand. Not to mention leaving a jar of jam for Lin Feng, he didn’t even give him the bag.
Seeing Su Ge walking away so coldly and heartlessly, Lin Feng was stunned for a moment before chasing after him. “Hey, if you don’t want to give it to me, that’s fine, but at least leave one for Uncle Ai Chen, okay?”
Su Ge didn’t even turn his head back. He indicated that he wouldn’t give it to anyone, showing no emotions!
The live broadcast of Xie Bai and Su Jin caused a sensation nationwide.
As a five-star gourmet restaurant in the capital, the Bai Mansion has always been the preferred destination for the wealthy.
It is rumored that a beast’s life is in vain if they haven’t visited the Bai Mansion in the capital at least once.
Bai Xing is one of the managers of the Bai Mansion and the only female in the Bai family of this generation who possesses purifying abilities. If nothing unexpected happens, Bai Mansion will be inherited by him in the near future.
“Didn’t Yan Qi say to invite Young Master Lin from the Lin family to the restaurant for a meal? I’ve reserved the seat for you. When will you come?”
“My brother went to pick up General Lin Te. He should be on his way now. I’ll be there soon, Bai Xing. Wait for me at the entrance, and we’ll go in together.”
Yan Qi and Bai Xing have been good friends since childhood, and he knew that Bai Xing has always had a crush on Lin Te, the young master of the Lin family. However, Lin Te is usually busy with work and is not very sociable, making it particularly difficult to make plans with him. Fortunately, Yan Shan has a good relationship with Lin Te, and after some persuasion, he managed to convince his older brother to help.
Yan Qi got out of the car and saw Bai Xing waiting for him at the entrance of the Bai Mansion.
Bai Xing will come of age in a few months. He is still young, dressed in a white suit with a red bowtie, resembling a noble little prince.
Seeing Yan Qi, Bai Xing walked towards him with a smile. “Ah Qi, when will your brother and the others arrive?”
“I couldn’t wait any longer after waiting for a while. Let’s go in first. I’ve already sent the room number to my brother.” Yan Qi held his hand and led him inside. Nervously, Bai Xing spoke up, “Do you think Lin Te will like me dressed like this?”
Yan Qi looked him up and down. “You look great like this. But looking good is only one aspect. Try to find as many opportunities as possible to talk to General Lin Te and make him remember you. It would be even better if you can exchange contact information. Then success won’t be far away.”
Bai Xing held Yan Qi’s hand. “Qi Qi, you have to help me a lot.”
Yan Qi smiled and said, “Don’t worry, if I don’t help you, who else will? Oh, by the way, do you know who I saw yesterday?”
Bai Xing, worried about his attire, would occasionally adjust his clothes. “Who?”
“Xie Bai.”
As soon as Yan Qi said this, Bai Xing’s movements stopped, and he looked up at him. “Didn’t he go to North Star to find his male father? Has he come back?”
“He probably hasn’t come back. No, I didn’t see him in the capital. I saw him online. He’s doing a live stream about food now. Wasn’t he engaged to the young master of the Su family? Why did he suddenly expose himself like this?” Yan Qi said with a hint of disdain, pursing his lips. “He’s getting more and more out of touch.”
“Isn’t he supposed to have gone back to find his male father? But doing a food live stream, he’s really audacious. Does he think anyone can cook? Don’t waste food.” Bai Xing put on a mocking smile and felt disgusted when he thought of Xie Bai’s repulsive contract plant.
“What are you two talking about? I can hear your voices from afar.” Yan Shan pushed open the door and walked in, followed by a tall male in a military uniform. Although he had a restrained temperament, no one could ignore his presence. “Let me introduce you, Yan Qi, Bai Xing, this is General Lin Te.”
“Hello.” Lin Te nodded lightly in response to Yan Qi and Bai Xing, then raised his gaze to Yan Shan. His black eyes revealed a hint of helplessness. Before coming here, Yan Shan had just casually mentioned having a bite to eat, but he didn’t expect it to be like this.
Yan Shan blinked his eyes and lightly patted Lin Te’s shoulder with his hand. They were classmates and had a good relationship during their school days, and they often interacted after they started working.
Seeing that Lin Te saw through his intentions, Yan Shan whispered, “Bai Xing, a young female from the Bai family, is about to come of age and is interested in you. Brother, it’s time for you to find a wife, so give it your best shot.”
Lin Te sighed helplessly. “You should worry about yourself.”
After pulling out a chair and sitting down, Bai Xing naturally had Lin Te sit beside him. “General Lin Te, I’ve always admired you, and I’m really honored to meet you here today.”
“Thank you. When will the meal be served?” Clearly, his purpose for coming here was solely to eat.
Bai Xing felt a bit left out and pursed his lips. Seeing this, Yan Shan smiled and asked, “Why were Yan Qi and Bai Xing so happy while talking earlier?”
“What else could we talk about? We were discussing Xie Bai. Brother, did you know that Xie Bai started doing live streams? Is it because he couldn’t make it on North Star?” Yan Qi couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s probably because his male father’s position is average, and he can’t support him properly.”
“Xie Bai grew up in the Xie family since he was young. It’s normal for him to have difficulty adapting to a sudden change in environment.” Bai Xing said this while continuously glancing at Lin Te, hoping to make him aware of the fact that he is the only purifying female in the Bai family.
Yan Shan frowned slightly upon hearing this and looked at Yan Qi with interest. “Why are you talking nonsense? An Ye, currently Deputy Star Domain Chief of North Star, wouldn’t have a difficult life even if Xie Bai couldn’t adapt. Why would he start doing live streams?”
“It’s true, Brother. Let me show you.” Yan Qi said, opening his optical brain and retrieving the live stream footage he had specifically saved to prove that he wasn’t lying.
At that moment, the service staff brought in a cart with various dishes and placed them on the table.
“Forget about that for now. The food is here. Let’s eat quickly. Bai Xing, this tomato scrambled eggs dish from your family, I particularly like it.” Yan Shan recommended it to Lin Te. “You should try this dish, Lin Te. The taste is truly exceptional.”
“Brother, I found it. Take a look!” Yan Qi projected the screen onto the center of the dining table so that everyone could see. “Look, isn’t this Xie Bai?”
“It really is Xie Bai.” Bai Xing sighed with emotion. However, seeing Xie Bai made him feel a bit strange. He thought Xie Bai would have a tough time in a barren place like North Star, but this pure and lively little female in front of him didn’t show any signs of decline. On the contrary, it seemed like he was shining and full of vitality.
Even the nearby female who was a bit older looked so good.
“Hey, the color scheme of their kitchen decoration is quite unique. Is it really so comfortable to have blue, pink, and white together? It feels clean and warm. I wonder which interior design company came up with this idea. Actually, Bai Xing, your restaurant could consider incorporating this design style too. Change the pure white theme a bit, and it should be more popular.” Unexpectedly, Yan Shan’s attention was focused on this. Yan Qi’s expression darkened, feeling that these males were really boring. Did he expect them to appreciate the kitchen decoration style together? Did he want them to unite against a common enemy?
“The style is indeed very different.”
Surprisingly, it was Lin Te, who had been silent all along, who spoke up. Not knowing what to talk about, Bai Xing immediately said, “Does General Lin Te like this style? Then next time, our restaurant can incorporate such elements.”
“Bai Xing, I just said you don’t respond to conversations, but as soon as he speaks, you respond like that. I have a complaint.” Yan Shan chimed in at the right moment, also winking at Lin Te. Lin Te pretended not to see or hear it and prepared to start eating. Just then, the live video on the screen introduced the first dish: tomato scrambled eggs.
“What? Are they also making tomato scrambled eggs?” Yan Qi sneered and nudged Bai Xing’s arm. “Xing Xing, isn’t tomato scrambled eggs the exclusive secret recipe of the Bai Mansion?”
“It is an exclusive secret recipe, but maybe it became too popular, so it’s normal for them to try making it too.” There were quite a few food anchors on the network who claimed to be able to decode the Bai Mansion’s tomato scrambled eggs recipe, but they all ended up failing. So he didn’t care about this live stream at all. On the contrary, it would highlight the true deliciousness of their family’s dishes when Xie Bai inevitably made a fool of himself later.
“How come his method is different from the tomato scrambled eggs you made at my house last time? Why does he stir-fry the eggs and tomatoes separately? And what are those red sauce and minced ingredients he added when stir-frying the tomatoes?”
Yan Qi’s words drew everyone’s attention to the screen, and they coincidentally heard an older female inside explaining, “…the red one is tomato sauce. Adding some tomato sauce enhances the flavor. When the tomatoes are almost cooked, add the previously stir-fried eggs back to the pan…”
“This is just making a mess of it. Authentic tomato scrambled eggs should never…”
“Smells so good!” Before Bai Xing could finish his sentence, Yan Shan interrupted him. In this spacious private room, there was now a tantalizing aroma of tomato and eggs, a combination of sweetness and sourness with a hint of the fragrance from the stir-fried eggs. The unique taste was incredibly tempting.
The golden and vibrant colors made one’s mouth water involuntarily.
Lin Te lowered his gaze and stared intensely at the tomato scrambled eggs on the table. If he remembered correctly, his younger brother had sent a message saying that Xie Bai, that little female, seemed to be his current colleague. So it was not surprising that the background in the livestream should be the home of that person named Lin Su.
“Do you have tomato sauce in your restaurant, Bai Xing?” Yan Shan’s taste buds were thoroughly stimulated by the aroma emanating from the livestream. It was torture to be able to smell it but not taste it.
Bai Xing’s expression was already gloomy due to the sudden waft of fragrance. Suppressing his inner dissatisfaction, he heard Yan Shan asking if they had tomato sauce in their Bai Mansion.
How could they have such a thing at the Bai Mansion? “Brother Yan Shan, these livestreams are mostly for show, and they can’t be fully trusted.”
Yan Qi, who had already hurriedly closed the video, glanced at Bai Xing, whose face had turned dark. He realized that he had done something foolish. How could he forget to turn off the sensory experience function?
Wasn’t this like slapping Bai Xing in the face directly?
Regardless of its authenticity, the tomato scrambled eggs dish shown in the livestream just now was indeed very tempting. Yan Shan exchanged a glance with Bai Xing and smiled. “These food livestreams are not necessarily real. Let’s eat, General Lin Te, try this…”
“No need, I just remembered that I have something else to attend to. I’ll leave first.”
Lin Te placed the napkin on the table and left without looking back.
He would go back and ask Lin Feng about how to make tomato scrambled eggs!
