Chapter 8: Delicious Dinner

YuanLi Pov:

We got into the car, and the driver immediately started the engine. Ding, the sound of a notification from WeChat rang from my phone. I grabbed my phone out of my pocket. I looked at the notification. It was a text from YuMing in the group chat.

"What do you guys want to eat today?"

"Are we going out to eat again today?" BoXu sent the message with a sighing emoji.

"You guys want to cook at the dorm instead?" YuMing asked.

"I don't mind!" XingCheng texted.

"YuMing, your idea of cooking at home is so much better than eating outside. I'm getting bored of eating hotpot every week." BoXu texted.

"Everyone else? Any ideas? Or we will settle with cooking at the dorm!" Everyone else replied with an okay.

"I only know how to cook ramen." Keye's message popped up.

"You mean those cup ramen? Better leave the cooking to XingCheng, YuMing, YuJun, MoXue, and YuanLi." BoXu replied.

"Yuan Er knows how to cook the best fried rice, and it's the spicy type. It's been a while since I got to taste his cooking! Today is a lucky day!" Keye sent with a grinning emoji.

"Is there not one day we don't hear YuanLi's name out of your mouth?" BoXu sent the message with an unamused face.

"Not my fault Yuan Er is talented and has a lot of things I can brag about!" Keye fought back.

"You're not claiming YuanLi till you learn how to be a good boyfriend." MoXue's texted.

A short period went by, and BoXu replied, "Keye, after when MoXue texted, you have no words?"

"I do not want to fight with Yuan Er's best friend. It's better for me to not do anything, or Yuan Er is going to ignore me again."

"Oh, is anyone free to buy groceries with someone? I have a list of stuff ready." YuMing texted.

"I'm free," Keye replied.

"Same here," BoXu replied.

"Nothing to do, so I'm free!" YuJun replied.

"The three of you can go to the nearby grocery store and buy the stuff we need." YuMing sent a long attachment. "Make sure to come back early, or some of the delicious dishes won't be able to be made in time for dinner!"

"Understood," the three of them replied. I closed my phone and looked at MoXue.

"Are you going to cook today?"

"I will only cook if they want to eat the food I cook."

"Last time out of everyone's dishes, yours was the most empty. Even the plate's sauce was gone."

"YuanLi, stop exaggerating. Your fried rice was all gone. I didn't even manage to get a scoop of your fried rice. There wasn't even a single piece of rice in the rice cooker. Keye had like two bowls. Poor me, I couldn't even taste your cooking."

"I will make more. This time, you will get the two bowls you wanted."

"I'm scared that Keye is going to hog that rice cooker like an animal who hasn't had food in 2 days."

"I promise you when I finish cooking. I'll put the freshly cooked fried rice in your two bowls. Then I will personally hand them to you, okay?"

"You better not be lying to me, YuanLi. Better keep your word, Su YuanLi."

"I'm scared of you when you use my full name."

"Yeah yeah, I used to scream your full name on the streets when I lost you."

"Well, that's then, but it's different now."

"Are you scared that fans will surround you and suffocate you to death or something?"

"Nope."

"Then there is nothing to worry about. All you have to do now is remember how you cook your fried rice, and I promise you I will never use your full name again."

"Yes, sir." It took us a long time to come back to the dorm. When we arrived, it was already 4 pm. We got out of the car and went straight to the elevator, arriving on floor 3. Floor 3 is our dining floor and living room. We usually host our group meetings here and sometimes cook dinner and eat together. Most of the time, members play video games with one another and chat about their day. I changed my work shoes into slippers and walked to the kitchen, where I saw YuMing washing the vegetables, XingCheng cutting green onions, and YuJun getting rid of the scales on a fish.

YuMing turned his head a bit to see MoXue and me standing there. "You guys are finally back! What are you two doing standing there? Come and wash your hands and start making your signature dish!"

I followed MoXue to the sink. After we washed our hands, we started to prepare the food we were going to make. "YuMing, where are the red dried chilis?" I asked. "I also checked the cabinets already," I added.

"Oh, check the grocery bags. I think they bought some back."

"Thanks." I was about to search for the chili, but Keye handed it to me.

"Can you add more spice to my bowl of rice?" he asked.

"Yeah," I smiled, and he smiled back.

Time went by as we cooked our dinner. 5 pm struck the clock and everything was ready. Some members came back from their activities right in time for dinner. Everyone seated themselves around the table, Keye sat next to me on my left, and MoXue sat on the other side. I walked to the kitchen, grabbed two bowls of fried rice, and walked back to MoXue. "Your two bowls that I promised." I placed the bowls in front of him.

"Yuan Er, where is my bowl of rice?" Keye grabbed my hand and shook it lightly.

"Keye, drink your soup first. Then you will get your bowl of rice."

"Okay." He let go of my hand and picked up his bowl filled with soup. I seated myself down and drank my soup. I got up and walked to the kitchen. Everyone was lining up behind me to get rice.

"YuanLi's fried rice is so good. It's the most unforgettable thing from our last meal at home," RouYu commented.

"Remember that every time we eat at home, YuanLi is cooking the rice," MiLie said as he handed me his bowl. I scooped rice into his bowl and handed it back.

"Thanks," he smiled and walked away.

"You guys act as if I can only cook good fried rice, and everything else I cook is trash."

"You can cook more dishes?" Xun asked.

"Yeah, a lot more than you think. I cook to save money during my trainee years, so I learned quite a bit."

"Keye, you lucky bastard!" Xun shouted.

"If I knew earlier, I would have snatched YuanLi before Keye could say anything," RuoYu jokes.

"Well, you're a little late on that." Keye hugged me from the back as I handed a bowl of rice to WeiQi.

"Maybe we should have made a rule that group members can't date one another," YuMing said with a mouth full of rice.

"Leader is always trying to ruin something for me," Keye sighed.

"Here's your bowl of rice." Keye let go of the hug and grabbed the bowl. I sprinkled more chili on the rice in his bowl. "The extra spice you asked for."

"Thank you, Yuan Er." I watch him walk back to the table before scooping a bowl of rice for myself.