The trees outside the hospital were abundant, and their crimson colored leaves fluttered down, littered against the sidewalk, occasionally swept away by the breeze.
Chang Hui stood by the window, watching people walk to and fro, gently scraping away the skin of an apple with a small knife.
The weather had grown colder in the past few days, and his grandmother insisted he wear all of the garments she knitted him, lest he catch a cold traveling from his work to the hospital she was staying at in order to take care of her.
He humored the request, always agreeable when it came to her, and had been adorned in many ugly looking sweaters since he took time off for the mid-autumn festival to stay with her.
He was wearing one of such sweaters, made of nicer yarn she secretly saved up to buy for it, a mix of clashing colors ameture knitting that came together to create a poorly-made picture of a rabbit.
She knew her skills were certainly far from perfect, as it barely resembled the pattern she had been trying to replicate, but her obedient little grandson wore it anyway with a proud smile.
Said grandson, who had gotten distracted for a moment by his absentminded people watching, returned to the task at hand before calling out to her in a soft voice.
“Nainai,” he said in a hushed tone, “you should eat some more. You barely touched your breakfast.”
His grandmother rolled her eyes, “eat what? This fucking place only serves the same three meals a day, and let me tell you, it’s like eating cardboard! I’d rather starve than eat too much of it.”
Chang Hui sighed, watching her gobble down the apple like a hungry wolf, “you say this every time. You think you’re some monk, huh? Are you preparing to seclude yourself in the woods and don’t think you need to eat?”
“I’d rather have Xiao Hui’s cooking,” she replied between bites, “this damn hospital overcharges for meals anyway. Just ask the new nurse to use the kitchen next time, she’s a total pushover.”
He looked over at the door, where the nurse had just walked in, and whisper-shouted to her, “you can’t just say that!”
“Say what?” She responded loudly, “you’re such a wimp, Xiao Hui, man up a bit! You know, when I was your age, me and your grandpa were going out getting into all sorts of trouble, but look at you! Stuck here with me, being so filial, where’s your sense of youth?”
“…shouldn’t you be encouraging me to stay filial?” He asked awkwardly.
“Encouraging what, you barely get out as it is with that whole gaming team of yours,” she huffed, “really, you’ve never had a girlfriend, not even a boyfriend! How are you going to score any with such little effort?”
“Is- is that what you should be concerned about?” Chang Hui didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, “if I really bring a guy to meet you one day, you better not get mad.”
“Nonsense, I’m not that old,” she scoffed, “just make sure he’s handsome and rich, and it won’t matter even if you take it up the ass.”
“What the fuck?” Chang Hui gaped at her.
“There you go,” she grinned, “now quit being so polite, it’s making me feel stuffy!”
—
“Is it supposed to look like that?” Men Wu muttered under his breath, looking at the roasted braised duck he made that was anything but roasted.
It was charred, black, and completely unfit for consumption.
He sighed, feeling disheartened, but decided to make do regardless—
Unfortunately, neither the crab nor the deep-fried lotus roots fared any better.
From morning until night, his kitchen went from normal to covered in smoke, dishes littering the counters and leftover ingredients strung about without any kind of order.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
He stared at the clock, realizing it would only be a few minutes before his girlfriend got home, and he sighed, resigning to his fate.
It seemed no matter how hard he tried, he was destined to be a kitchen killer.
Knowing his girlfriend, she would probably ban him from cooking again, but he really wanted to make something special for them that night.
Feeling helpless, he went to wash his hands, hearing the faint sound of the front door to their apartment opening.
“I’m home,” she called out, walking towards the kitchen, noticing the smell of smoke the free stronger as she approached, “sweetie, were you making something?”
Men Wu stood awkwardly in the messy kitchen, smiling as he greeted her, covered in a mix of flour, sauces, and other inexplicable substances from his venture into cooking.
“Welcome back,” he said stiffly, “I’m- I’m sorry about the mess.”
His girlfriend’s smile turned into an exasperated grin, and she walked towards him, showing him the bag of food she’d brought back after visiting her family, before giving him a quick kiss.
“It’s alright, gege,” she laughed, “thank you for trying.”
“I promise I’ll get it right one day,” Men Wu moped.
She sighed, setting the bag down before hugging him tight.
“There’s no need to rush,” she said simply, and whatever worries that had been plaguing him before suddenly felt unnecessary in her arms, “you’re doing amazing, sweetie. I’m sure you’ll be able to make it right next year.”
—
The marketplace was bustling with activity on the night of the mid-autumn festival, and Xi Zhe groaned, plopping down on a bench.
His brother and sister sat beside him, both rowdy and excited, incredibly stimulated by the environment like most kids tended to be.
A twelve year age gap was wild enough, but twins?
They weren’t just a handful, they were crazy!
Xi Zhe lamented his misery as he rested, and his mother seemed to notice how tired he was, as she agreed to take them down to release lateens together with the rest of the participants.
Finally free from babysitting duty, he stretched back, feeling relieved, only for a new problem to arise.
There were a ton of foods he wanted to try, but his mother had his wallet!
He sat up, panicking, and didn’t notice a familiar figure sit on the bench beside him.
Just as he was wracking his brain on what to do, the person next to him tapped him lightly on the shoulder, and he turned around, gasping slightly.
“Liang Enlai,” he gaped, “what’s a film emperor like you doing here?”
“What’s a pro-gamer like you doing here?” he shot back.
“My mom insisted on taking my siblings, but she can’t handle them well all by herself,” he replied honestly, “and you?”
The other paused, not expecting him to actually explain, but then broke out into a smile that made Xi Zhe’s heart flutter.
“I didn’t have much else to do,” he replied nonchalantly, “are you free?”
Xi Zhe nodded, “why?”
“Keep me company for a bit,” the so-called film emperor jokingly demanded, and the other giggled.
“Of course, your majesty,” Xi Zhe bowed dramatically, making Liang Enlai burst out laughing.
As he watched him do so, Xi Zhe couldn’t help but think that Liang Enlai looked adorable, almost like a silly husky.
“Then let’s take a look around?” He suggested, grabbing the other’s hand, light enough to where he could easily shake him off.
Upon noticing the gamer made no attempt to pull away, his eyes practically sparkled, and Xi Zhe thought absentmindedly that anyone who saw him like that would be able to fall in love, let alone someone as weak to it as himself.
“I’m starting to get a little hungry too, so maybe we should try some of the food?” He offered, “my treat.”
Xi Zhe smiled, thinking that dealing with his tricky younger siblings was actually quite worth it, and hummed, “sure!”
—
Soft classical music drifted through the cars speakers as they pulled up to their mansion, and Wu Biaoqing smiled as he and Wu Chengxiao made their way into the house.
“Oh, right, Wen Ling will be joining us tonight,” she added with a bright smile, “his family is on another vacation in Europe.”
Wu Biaoqing nodded, familiar already with her boyfriend’s family’s antics.
He was happy for them, knowing they could spend the holiday together, but couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy, wishing he could get a chance like that as well.
Similarly, Zheng Shun was feeling a bit love-sick, sitting on a blanket next to a grave as he shared a meal with the deceased he held dear.
“You would really like him,” he sighed, finally finishing gushing over his lover, “I promise I’ll take him to meet you soon. I’ll treat him right too, I know you’re probably trying to nag me about that.”
He finished up his lunch, explaining, “I have to go now, but I’ll be back soon, and I’ll try to bring him with me, okay?”
As he caressed the top of the gravestone bittersweetly, a rush of feelings hit him, but he swallowed down all the words he wanted to say.
“I’m doing well- I’m really, really happy. I haven’t been this happy since, well… you died. Which I know you would roll your eyes at,” he laughed, “since you kept telling me to quit worrying so much about you. I can’t help it though.”
As he neatly folded the blanket, he added his final goodbye, “I’ll see you soon, promise. I love you.”
He walked along the path out of the graveyard, passing an overwhelming sea of graves both big and small, tall and wide, all of which were separated by tiny portions of the large expanse of grassland that stretched on for miles.
With a heavy heart, he made his way to his car, only for his phone to suddenly ring.
Seeing the caller ID, he instantly brightened up, and the energy that had been taken up by such a lonely conversation was practically instantly replenished.
“Gege, why are you calling me?” He asked teasingly, “not thinking about inviting me over, are you?”
There was an awkward silence on the other side of the line, as if he had prepared to say something, only to be dumbfounded.
“Actually…” Wu Biaoqing hesitantly replied, “I am. If- if you want, of course, you definitely don’t have to come!”
Zheng Shun stood rooted to the spot, his heart skipping a beat, and he asked almost inaudibly, “what?”
“My mom said I should invite you over, just in case you don’t have any plans,” he explained, sounding embarrassed, and his lover could picture the way he blushed and fumbled as he talked, “but if you’re busy it’s totally fine, there’s no pressure and I know you have your own family and stuff—”
“I’ll be there,” he agreed.
“What?” Wu Biaoqing gasped, as if he couldn’t believe it, and the excitement he felt poured obviously into his voice despite the distance, “really?”
“Of course,” he beamed, “there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
“Okay!” His boyfriend was practically yelling into the phone, unable to control his obvious joy, “then be here at six, okay? I’ll tell my mom to have them set an extra plate.”
“Got it,” Zheng Shun laughed, “see you soon?”
“See you soon, baby!”
The author has something to say
No one will understand just how excited I was to finally write dialogue for Chang Hui’s chaotic grandma… she’s probably my favorite character to write out of everyone (≧∇≦) such a gem
Ccskjs, tjqqs (ijaf) wlv-jeaewc ofralnji!! Vbggs la abbx rb ibcu ab ufa atlr bea, yers vjsr mjc yf remt j qjlc. P pera kjcafv ab vglcx rbwf afj jcv gfijz 555
Ktlr fzagj lr j yla rtbga yfmjerf la’r pera j mbwqlijalbc bo j ofk delmx vgjyyifr, jcv la kjr kglaafc nfgs ijaf ja cluta (mbeut, fjgis lc atf wbgclcu, mbeut) rb P jqbibulhf lo la vbfrc’a gfjv atf yfra, yea P tbqf gfjvfgr fcpbs atlr ilaaif agfja gfujgvifrr!!
Recently, I’ve been listening to an artist named Laufey… her voice is so pretty, and mixed with a late night and some warm tea, I feel myself becoming more cozy as I write. Perhaps that’s a good thing? It remains to be seen. Looking forward to the next chapter.jpg (/ω＼)
Well, before this ends, here’s some of the art I’ve commissioned of the MIC characters so far ( ´▽｀)
The artists will be listed at the end, have a lovely day/night little readers~
Official art dump:
(Last pic is Liang Enlai & Xi Zhe!! ^^)
NSFW art
Artists (in order of first appearance): rossaredflyn_, jess_xvxh, poccitti, otochi__
Thanks for the chapter! Also Cough the art…👍
The art… ⁄(⁄ ⁄ ⁄ω⁄ ⁄ ⁄)⁄
I love Chang Hui‘s grandmother! 🥺
Also the side pairings! Yay!
The art is amazing!
I was spitting tea everywhere. Absolutely love the grandmother 😂 Also the art is adorable 🥰 Well… mostly 😳
Justice for the tea 😔