Reason told Shi Jin that he shouldn't have any soft feelings for Li Jiuzheng, who had attempted to kill him. But... he couldn't help but sigh when he saw Li Jiuzheng wearing an apron and basking in the warm light.

Compared to the tired, cold, crazy, and painful Li Jiuzheng he remembered and had seen in the past, he definitely preferred the clumsy guy who was trying to gradually experience warmth now.

"Where are the plates?" He finished his juice and rolled up his shirt sleeves. Li Jiuzheng was taken aback and pointed to the cabinet above his head, asking, "What do you need the plates for, Xiao Jin?"

"Of course, to prepare the ingredients. With so much to do, you can't handle it alone. My lunch break isn't very long," replied Shi Jin as he reached into the cabinet to grab some plates. He then turned and began taking things out of the shopping bag at the table.

Li Jiuzheng turned to look at him and hesitated for a moment before reaching out to stop him, saying, "No need, it's your birthday today. Just focus on eating."

Shi Jin blocked his hand and gestured towards the dough, saying, "Fifth Brother, I'm hungry. In half an hour, I want to see your noodles cooked and ready."

As Li Jiuzheng and Shi Jin locked eyes, their emotions gradually settled. Li Jiuzheng's lips tightened before he suddenly reached out and hugged Shi Jin, saying, "Xiao Jin, I'm sorry. Let me take you out to eat. Let's go out."

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Shi Jin pushed him away and continued to prepare the ingredients. "We can't waste these. You can make more noodles, and they can be the main dish in the hotpot later."

Li Jiuzheng watched as his hand was pushed away and hesitated before slowly retracting it, murmuring a response.

......

After half an hour of preparation, the two finally had all the food on the table.

Li Jiuzheng had bought the hotpot soup base from a famous chain restaurant, which came in three flavors. Shi Jin saw that there were many pots, so he decided to cook them all. The table was filled with ingredients, giving a sense of satisfaction.

"We can start eating now. You sit first, I'll bring out the noodles," said Li Jiuzheng as he took off his apron and gestured for Shi Jin to sit down.

Shi Jin nodded and casually pulled out a chair to sit on. As Li Jiuzheng turned to the kitchen, Shi Jin picked up some difficult-to-cook ingredients and began to put them into the pot of boiling soup.

Suddenly, a clicking sound of a camera shutter was heard. Shi Jin paused in his actions and turned to look towards the kitchen. Li Jiuzheng was caught in the act and quickly put his phone back in his pocket before nonchalantly entering the kitchen.

Shi Jin was speechless and looked away. What's with everyone's obsession with taking pictures? It's so annoying.

The longevity noodles were served, and in the large soup bowl, there was only a chopstick's worth of noodles. The noodles were poorly pulled, uneven in thickness. Shi Jin glanced at Li Jiuzheng and picked up his chopsticks. Under the other's nervous gaze, he reached into the bowl and pulled out the head of the noodle, successfully picking it up.

"Be careful not to break it, it's bad luck," Li Jiuzheng couldn't help but remind him, leaning forward as if he wanted to help hold the noodles.

Shi Jin wanted to laugh, but couldn't.

Why did he feel like crying in such a warm scene?

This was definitely the original owner's emotion. He pinched himself with his other hand, using the pain to regain his senses. He lowered his head and fed the noodles into his mouth, exaggeratedly slurping it up in one bite, and finished the not-so-long noodle.

Crack. He looked up and met the camera on Li Jiuzheng's phone. Without hesitation, he rolled his eyes and said, "This little bit of noodles is not enough to eat."

Li Jiuzheng looked at his phone screen, then at him, and smiled brightly. He stood up and said, "Xiao Jin will live to be a hundred. There's still noodles left, wait here while I go get it."

Li Jiuzheng brought out a bowl of noodles with eggs, meat, and pickled vegetables, and the portion was more than enough. He replaced the longevity noodles in front of Shi Jin.

"Eat up, but don't eat too much, we still have hot pot to eat," Li Jiuzheng reminded him.

Shi Jin didn't hesitate to pick up his chopsticks and happily ate the noodles. He even used a spoon to scoop up the ingredients in the hot pot.

Li Jiuzheng smiled as he watched him, looking completely content.

What an easy-going person. As he ate, Shi Jin couldn't help but wonder. He swallowed his noodles and rubbed his nose.

No, this guy was really hard to understand.

He showed so many different sides of himself, which one was the real him?

After finishing their meal, Li Jiuzheng drove Shi Jin back to school. The car stopped at the school gate, and after thanking Li Jiuzheng and saying goodbye, Shi Jin opened the door to get out. But Li Jiuzheng suddenly spoke up.

"I'm sorry."

Shi Jin paused and turned to look at him.

"And happy birthday." Li Jiuzheng met his gaze, and after a moment of emptiness, his face once again showed the gentle and affectionate smile that had been so common today. "Xiao Jin, I had a great time today. Thank you for having dinner with me."

The current Li Jiuzheng often smiled in front of Shi Jin, a gentle and harmless smile that was both likable and tender. But every time Shi Jin saw that smile, he couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't quite real.

What is the real Li Jiuzheng like? This question popped into Shi Jin's mind. Is he the young genius, the excellent doctor, the executioner with a knife, or the clumsy brother who makes noodles? Which one is the real him?

"I still remember the clothes you wore when we reunited last year. A black long coat with all the buttons done up, a suit and shirt underneath, no scarf, looking mature and aloof. I also remember how handsome and a little scary you looked in a white coat," Shi Jin spoke, his gaze falling on Li Jiuzheng's warm-toned coat he was wearing now. After a moment, he continued, "Come have a reunion dinner with us after my final exams. I'll invite everyone else too."

Li Jiuzheng's fingers trembled as he reached out and grabbed Shi Jin's wrist, as if to stop him from leaving. "Remember to come early. We'll cook and eat like a normal family," Shi Jin pushed away his hand, smiled at him, said thank you, got off the car without looking back, and walked towards the school gate. Emotions that had been suppressed for a long time churned in his heart, forcing him to walk faster and faster.

No, it's not like that. He's not a clumsy good brother, not a warm and sensitive person. He's a murderer, a demon who stands by the sickbed every night, ready to reap lives. Go back, confront him, hurt him, give back all the pain he has endured a thousand times over, and drag him down with you--

Honk honk honk--

Suddenly, a familiar car horn sounded in the distance, and Shi Jin stopped in his tracks. He turned his head towards the source of the sound and was surprised to see a familiar black car parked on the street. After a few seconds of stunned silence, he ran towards the car and pulled open the door, throwing himself at the person inside.

Lian Jun reached out and hugged him, closing the car door and gently stroking his hair. "You smell like hot pot, even your hair has the scent," he said.

Surrounded by the familiar scent, Shi Jin's restless emotions suddenly calmed down. He tightened his arms around Lian Jun and took a deep breath of his familiar scent, feeling his tense nerves relax.

"How did you come here?" he asked.

"I was originally planning to take you out for a meal. You said you wanted to try the bamboo tube rice with preserved meat, so I just made a reservation at a great private kitchen yesterday," replied Lian Jun as he pinched his face. "But it turns out you already had plans."

Shi Jin was taken aback, then his expression fell as he frowned and said, "Why didn't you tell me when I called you earlier?" Compared to hot pot, he would definitely have preferred to go eat bamboo tube rice with Lian Jun.

"I thought you might want to catch up with your fifth brother. But when I saw you getting out of his car just now, I knew I made the wrong decision," explained Lian Jun as he comfortingly kissed Shi Jin's forehead. "I'm sorry, there won't be a next time. Did he bully you?"

"Didn't." Shi Jin finished charging his phone, sat up straight, and gave his partner a satisfied kiss. "Let's go eat that preserved meat in bamboo tube next time...actually, let's just make it ourselves at the club. The weather forecast says another cold front is coming, and it might even snow. You shouldn't go out."

"Food made by ourselves won't be as authentic as what a professional chef can make." Lian Jun straightened out Shi Jin's messy clothes and pulled out a takeout box from the side. "That's why I got you a portion to take home."

The takeout box was about the size of two regular meal boxes, made of paper with a cute cartoon rice ball pattern and the name of the restaurant printed on it. Shi Jin's eyes lit up as he took the box and opened it, revealing several bamboo tubes tied tightly with thin ropes inside. The aroma of rice and preserved meat wafted out, making his mouth water uncontrollably.

"It's a bit cold, you need to heat it up before eating," Lian Jun instructed, then handed him a long black box from the side. "Here, a birthday gift. May you have a safe and healthy year ahead."

"Wow, there's even a gift?" Shi Jin was surprised and easily pleased, taking the box and saying, "I thought last weekend's gunfight game and birthday banquet were your gift to me."

Lian Jun embraced him without saying a word. Shi Jin stopped unwrapping the gift and looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine. Don't overthink it, I'm here for you," Lian Jun spoke in a gentle tone as he ran his hand down Shi Jin's back. Shi Jin glanced at the car not far away where Li Jiuzheng had yet to leave, then nodded softly and hugged him back.