(1)

Yan Han was an excellent cook—Northern cuisine, Hangzhou-style dishes, and even Western food were all effortless for him.

Sometimes, when he had nothing to do, he would make buns for his wife, shape dumplings, or fry some pancakes.

Tiramisu and strawberry daifuku were also rotated into the menu.

Ever since their long-distance relationship ended, Li Qingze had visibly gained weight.

The once sharp chin had grown a bit of soft flesh. From the side, his cheeks looked pale and tender, his eyes big and round, and his curled eyelashes made him resemble a kitten.

“Ah!”

Li Qingze let out a scream because Yan Han, finding him simply too adorable, had taken a bite at his cheek.

Covering his face, Li Qingze glared at him. “Why did you bite me?”

Yan Han teased, “I was craving a bun.”

That one sentence backfired—Li Qingze instantly sensed that he had gained weight. His face clouded with worry, delicate brows furrowing as he rested his chin in his hands, like the world’s greatest trouble had just landed on him.

“Baby, you’re not fat,” Yan Han said sincerely.

“No!” Li Qingze threw the half-eaten chocolate cookie into the trash. “I’m going on a diet!”

At thirty years old, Li Qingze was nowhere near the age where he should be worrying about getting fat. But struck by resolve, he began dieting and exercising—doubling his efforts.

And successfully drove himself into a bout of hypoglycemia.

After a set of mountain climbers in a bent-over lunge position, a wave of heart palpitations hit, followed by a head full of stars, and he collapsed onto the yoga mat.

He lay there for a while before regaining enough strength to prop himself up against the wall and went to find Yan Han, who was working in the study.

“Husband…”

Yan Han looked up and rushed over to support the pale-faced Li Qingze, alarmed. “What’s wrong? Why do you have an ugly complexion?”

Li Qingze pouted. “I’m hungry.”

Yan Han let out a frustrated laugh and twisted a red mark into his cheek. “What do you want to eat? I’ll make it for you.”

“Steak!”

Yan Han handed him a chocolate bar so Li Qingze could pad his stomach a bit, then went into the kitchen to fry the steak for his wife.

“Eating beef won’t make you fat at all,” Yan Han said, glancing at the sluggishly walking Li Qingze and lecturing him sternly.

“What if you hit your head next time you faint from low blood sugar?” Just the thought made Yan Han fearful. He frowned darkly at him. “You absolutely must not diet anymore, got it?”

“Got it…” Li Qingze responded obediently, trying to act cute.

The steak was seared to a perfect medium-rare. Yan Han expertly plated it, then headed to the fridge to get some juice.

Having just been scolded by his husband, and feeling a bit guilty, Li Qingze reached out to grab the baking pan they had used earlier to clean it.

“Don’t touch that, it’s hot!”

“Ah! It’s so hot!”

Yan Han immediately set down the bottle he was holding and rushed over to grab Li Qingze’s hand. But the thumb and index finger that had touched the pan were already turning red. Li Qingze pressed his fingertips together and looked up, blinking. “It’s burning.”

“…” Yan Han held his hand under the faucet, letting the cool water run over it. He helplessly said, “Don’t you know that the baking pan is hot?”

Li Qingze looked at him. “I haven’t had any carbs in days. I think I’m getting stupid.”

“You are a little stupid…” Yan Han sighed, kissed his forehead, and said, “Wait for me. I’m going out to buy some burn ointment.”

He had just walked a few steps when Li Qingze suddenly called out behind him, “Husband!” Yan Han turned back to see Li Qingze lift his chin and gesture. “Bring the steak over and set it next to me. I want to eat it while it’s hot.”

“…”

When Yan Han returned with the burn ointment, the kitchen was already empty, and the steak had been eaten clean.

He followed the sound of running water to the bathroom and saw Li Qingze sitting on the edge of the bathtub, holding his burned fingers under the running tap. When he saw Yan Han return, he tilted his chin proudly.

“Perfect timing, I was going to take a bath anyway. This way the water doesn’t go to waste.”

Li Qingze’s pale, tender feet were already soaking in the tub. He wiggled his toes smugly. The water had already covered the tops of his feet. Yan Han reached in to feel it and found that it was ice cold.

“You’re taking a bath in cold water?” Yan Han turned on the hot tap and then pulled Li Qingze’s hand out. “Come here, let me put on the ointment.”

“Okay oh.”

“We’ll bathe together in a bit.”

“…Okay oh.”

(2)

For people in the restaurant business, there was no such thing as a Spring Festival vacation. On the contrary, from the end-of-year gatherings all the way to the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the lunar new year, it was their busiest season—especially New Year’s Eve dinner.

Even though Yan Han’s family ran a hot pot restaurant, society had progressed to the point where many people now chose hot pot for their New Year’s Eve meal.

From New Year’s Eve to the fifth day of the new year, every seating at Yan Hotpot was packed to capacity.

Father Yan held the fort in Z City, overseeing the overall operation, while Yan Han was managing his newly opened three branch stores in H City.

In the few days before New Year’s, Yan Han had stayed with Li Qingze at the Li family home. It wasn’t until the afternoon of New Year’s Eve that Li’s parents, being very considerate, cooked a pot of dumplings for him at 4 p.m.

“Xiao Yan, try the dumplings Mom made. Are they different from how you Northerners make them?”

Yan Han ate several in a row, then gave a thumbs up. “Delicious, Mom.”

That’s right—both of them had long since changed the way their calling each other’s parents. Each family gained a son, and the two of them gained an extra set of parents.

Father Li watched how heartily Yan Han was eating and sat down at the table too. “We cooked fifty. Is that enough?”

Yan Han was caught off guard and nearly choked.

Thankfully, Li Qingze came to his rescue. “He can’t finish that many, no way. Ten more at most. He’s got to go to work at the store later.”

Yan Han did indeed have work that night, but when he was about to head out, he saw Li Qingze also all dressed up, waiting by the door with his fluffy mohair scarf wrapped snugly around him.

“…What are you doing?” Yan Han gave him a sideways glance—though in truth, he had already guessed.

Li Qingze ran up and hugged him with a grin. “I’m going with you to work!”

“No way. You should stay home and keep mom and dad company.”

“They don’t need me to,” Li Qingze said, turning to look at his parents standing to the side. “Right?”

Mother Li was a CP fan of the two. Seeing how affectionate they were, she couldn’t stop smiling. “No need, no need, let him go with you. He can help out too.”

Yan Han sighed helplessly. “He’s not needed for any actual work…”

“Take me with you,” Li Qingze said, pouting. In the blink of an eye, he looked all pitiful.

Yan Han couldn’t stand him acting like this—despite the fact that eight out of ten times it was fake, he still fell for it every time.

“Alright, let’s go then.”

“Let’s go!”

Turnover rate was low during New Year’s Eve dinner, and the store’s service ran in a calm and orderly manner, covering everything thoroughly. Yan Han and Li Qingze sat at the front counter and helped out when manpower ran short, like checking out customers or grabbing drinks.

It was warm in the store, and Yan Han didn’t do well with heat. He took off his down jacket, leaving only the white short-sleeved T-shirt with the store logo underneath. His well-defined deltoids and biceps filled out the shoulders of the shirt, and with that handsome face of his, he looked sleek and striking.

Li Qingze was sitting in a corner, curled up with an iPad and a bottle of yogurt, binge-watching a drama. He only looked up when he heard voices. It was a few girls gathered at the counter, trying to strike up a conversation with Yan Han.

“Mhm, I’m the boss.”

“No, I’m not single,” Yan Han said helplessly, shaking his head. He pointed toward Li Qingze. “The boss’s wife is sitting right over there.”

The girls looked disappointed, but one of them had eyes that lit up even more. She glanced at Yan Han, then at Li Qingze, then back at Yan Han…

“Whoa! I totally ship them!”

After she left, she posted her encounter with the handsome CP at the hotpot restaurant on Weibo. She’d snapped a candid photo—it showed Yan Han’s handsome side profile and, in the distance, Li Qingze’s big round eyes looking over. The post attracted a lot of attention, and soon many CP fans came to Yan Hotpot to check it out, bringing Yan Han a flood of business and profits.

But that was all something for later.

At this moment, Yan Han sat down next to Li Qingze with a bottle of yogurt, and together, they shared a hotpot-flavored New Year.