Chapter 19: Dani Arrive

Qin Li had only enough batter left for four pancakes. After sharing one with the "human and beast alliance," three were left—one for each person.

Thomas devoured his portion in record time, his eyes darting to Yan Sen's plate like a scavenger spotting a meal. Seeing half a pancake still untouched, his eyes gleamed as he reached over.

"Bro, you don't seem to like it. Don't waste food! I'll finish it for you," he offered shamelessly.

Yan Sen shot him a warning glare before stabbing his fork into the pancake and shoveling the remaining bites into his mouth with lightning speed.

"Ouch!" Thomas yelped, nursing his hand that narrowly avoided the fork. Turning to Qin Li, he whined, "Can't you make more? This barely fills a corner of my stomach!"

She sighed, exasperated. "We're out of eggs."

Before Thomas could launch into another tirade, Yan Sen stood abruptly, glanced at the two of them, and dropped a single word: "Wait."

With that, he walked out, leaving Qin Li and Thomas exchanging confused looks.

Ten minutes later, Yan Sen returned, carrying a carton of eggs. Without a word, he set it down in front of Qin Li and asked, "Enough?"

She opened the carton, finding a dozen fresh eggs inside. It clicked—he'd gone to the chicken coop.

"Plenty," she said.

"Then make twelve more," he stated with his usual seriousness.

Qin Li blinked. "Oh, uh… sure."

Half an hour later, twelve new pancakes graced the table. Yan Sen and Thomas each had four, Qin Li had two, Schrödinger claimed one, and one was left over that nobody could finish.

Thomas leaned back in his chair, patting his stuffed belly. "That was amazing. Seriously, the best thing I've ever eaten!"

Qin Li gave him a skeptical look. "It's just pancakes. In China, this is a basic breakfast—costs about ten yuan and doesn't require much skill."

Thomas's jaw dropped. "No way!"

Puffing up slightly with pride, Qin Li added, "Haven't you heard of A Bite of China?"

Thomas frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means food is life. We Chinese are born foodies," she explained.

Thomas scratched his head. "But I've been to Chinese restaurants before. The food was… okay."

Qin Li smirked. "That's not real Chinese food. It's been adapted to Western tastes—watered down. Authentic Chinese food is on a whole other level."

"Can you cook authentic Chinese food?" he asked, eyes wide with curiosity.

She hesitated, then decided there was no point in being modest after enduring the trauma of their cooking. "Yes."

"Is it good?"

"Very," she replied with conviction.

"When will you cook for us?"

"Whenever," she said nonchalantly.

"Tonight?" he asked, rubbing his hands together in excitement.

"I'll need ingredients," she pointed out.

"No problem! We'll go to the supermarket this afternoon."

She shook her head. "I need Asian ingredients, and those are only available at specialty stores."

"Are there any in Berchtesgaden?"

"No."

"Where then?"

"In a major city."

"Munich?"

Before Qin Li could confirm, Yan Sen interrupted coldly, "Too far."

Thomas deflated. "A hundred seventy kilometers is a bit much."

Yan Sen nodded in agreement.

"So what's for dinner?"

"Italian pasta," Yan Sen said flatly.

Thomas's face fell, matching Qin Li's expression. Stuffing the last pancake into his mouth, Thomas mumbled, "I'll just eat enough now to skip dinner."

Suddenly, Qin Li had an idea. "My friend is coming from Munich this afternoon. I'll ask her to bring the ingredients."

She quickly dialed Qu Dani.

"Have you left yet?"

"Not yet," Qu Dani replied.

"Perfect. Can you bring me some seasonings?"

"What kind of seasonings?"

"Soy sauce, dark soy, sesame oil, cooking wine, chili bean paste… just the basics."

Qu Dani's voice rose in mock outrage. "What are you doing, moving house?"

"Let's just say, if you don't want to eat more 'experimental cuisine,' you'll bring them," Qin Li retorted cryptically.

After ending the call, Qin Li noticed both men staring at her. She cleared her throat and said, "The seasoning problem is solved, but I also need rice."

Thomas perked up. "That's easy. The supermarket has plenty."

Then he asked, "What's your friend coming here for? Visiting Königsee?"

Qin Li shook her head. "She's part of the production team."

"Oh," Thomas said, losing interest, and didn't press further.

After the meal, Thomas slouched over the table, playing with Schrödinger, while Yan Sen buried himself in a newspaper.

Qin Li glanced between the two and asked, "Which one of you is going to wash the dishes?"

Thomas shot to his feet, cradling Schrödinger protectively. "I've got a thesis to work on. You guys handle it."

Yan Sen looked up briefly, his gaze meeting hers before he said, "Chicken coop needs cleaning."

And just like that, both men disappeared, leaving Qin Li alone with a sink full of dirty pots and pans.

She sighed, resigned, and rolled up her sleeves. By the time she finished, the afternoon sun was high in the sky. One was out doing farm work, the other was busy with his thesis, and the farmhouse was eerily quiet. Outside, the day was bright and breezy, sunlight bouncing off the snowy mountain peaks, a picture-perfect paradise.

Unable to resist the allure, Qin Li grabbed her hat and phone, deciding to explore on her own.

The mountain trails twisted and turned, lined by a bubbling stream that rushed over smooth white pebbles. The water, melted snow from the peaks above, was crystal-clear with a hint of green. Qin Li sighed. She could walk these paths all day.

The scenery was too stunning to ignore, so she paused to snap a few photos of the landscape before switching to selfies, trying her best to capture the moment.

She wandered farther than she realized until her phone rang, snapping her back to reality. It was Qu Dani.

"Where are you?"

Qin Li looked around. No signs, no landmarks—just endless greenery. "Uh, just taking a walk."

"Well, get back here. The production team is here, and the director's looking for you."

"What for?"

"They want to see how you look on camera."

"Fine, I'm heading back now."

"Hurry."

Hanging up, Qin Li turned to retrace her steps, only to realize she had wandered quite far. The road stretched endlessly with no sign of a bus stop, let alone a taxi. She trudged on, her legs growing heavier with each step.

Just then, a faint rumbling sound caught her attention. She stopped, straining her ears. A car? No, too choppy. A horse-drawn carriage? Definitely not.

The noise grew louder until, rounding a bend, the unmistakable silhouette of a tractor came into view.

It was Yan Sen.

Qin Li's eyes lit up as she waved him down. The tractor pulled to a stop beside her, and Yan Sen removed his sunglasses, looking down at her from his lofty perch.

"The production team's here and looking for me," she said. "If you're heading home, mind giving me a ride?"

He nodded and motioned to the empty seat beside him. "Hop on."

"Thanks!" Qin Li opened the door, which was higher than her head. This time, though, she knew what to do. With the confidence of experience, she climbed up, using the step for leverage and twisting her way into the passenger seat.

"Wait."

Startled, she froze, turning to face him.

Yan Sen reached below her seat and, like a magician pulling a rabbit from a hat, produced a small bouquet of wildflowers. Without a word, he handed it to her, eyes fixed on the road ahead as he started the engine.

Qin Li blinked in surprise, clutching the flowers. Were these… for her?

Yan Sen glanced at her briefly, his expression unreadable. When her gaze met his, he quickly looked away.

"Thank you," he muttered after a pause.

For what? The breakfast? Staying here for the show? Could he not string together a full sentence? Qin Li couldn't decide whether he was deliberately curt or just awkward.

Still, she examined the bouquet. The flowers were simple but colorful—red, purple, blue, and yellow, with lush green leaves. For someone who seemed so rough around the edges, he had surprisingly thoughtful taste.

She brought the bouquet to her nose and sniffed. A faint, sweet fragrance lingered. "Thanks for the flowers," she said.

The corners of his mouth twitched into what might have been a smile—barely a 15-degree arc, but she counted it as progress.

The tractor rumbled down the path, carrying them back to the farmhouse.

By the time they arrived, the production crew was in full swing. People milled about, setting up equipment and props, transforming the tranquil farm into a bustling hive of activity.

The moment Qin Li stepped down from the tractor, a cameraman approached, his lens trained on her.

The host's voice boomed in the background, "Our male and female leads couldn't wait for us—they're already sharing romantic moments on a tractor ride, with flowers no less! Isn't this adorable?"

Adorable? Qin Li resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Romantic? A tractor ride with a bouquet of wildflowers? The sheer absurdity of it all nearly made her laugh out loud.

On the other side, Yan Sen disembarked, his stoic demeanor intact. The director motioned for the camera crew to shift focus to him.

"This is our leading man, Yan Sen! Can you introduce yourself?" the host prompted.

Yan Sen stared at the camera, his lips twitching. "I'm Yan Sen. I'm a farmer."

And… nothing more.

The host waited, awkwardly signaling for him to continue, but Yan Sen's silence stretched on. After five agonizing minutes, the host had no choice but to step in.

"Yan Sen is a humble man of few words," the host said, covering for him. "But he's excited to meet someone special on our show! He's a multi-talented farmer—raising chickens, cows, and crops."

After the host wrapped up Yan Sen's introduction, the camera turned to Qin Li for her segment. She tried to elaborate, but her broken German was a liability. The host took over again, embellishing her backstory with dramatic flair. By the end, he clasped her hands, looking straight into the camera. "We wish you all the best in finding happiness!"

As soon as the director called "Cut," the whirlwind dissipated, leaving the farmhouse eerily quiet again. Qin Li let out a long breath and spotted Qu Dani in the crowd.

Pulling out her phone, she called her friend. "I'm done. Are you still busy?"

"Almost," Qu Dani replied. "Where are you?"

"Turn around. I'm the one sitting the highest."

Qu Danni glanced back and burst out laughing. "Why are you still on the tractor? Come down!"

"I can't. Come help me."

Moments later, Qu Dani hurried over, reaching out to help her. "What a show! They film and leave like a tornado."

Qin Li chuckled. "Where are you staying tonight?"

"No idea," Qu Dani admitted.

"How can you not know? Didn't the company arrange accommodations?"

"In theory, yes, but it's Easter, and everything nearby is fully booked. Even next year's slots are filling up!"

Qin Li gawked. "That's insane."

Qu Dani sighed wistfully. "If I had money, I'd open a B&B here. Summer for sightseeing, winter for skiing—I'd be rich in no time."

Qin Li playfully smacked her head. "Focus on tonight's problem first."

Qu Danni's face fell. "Worst case, I'll sleep in the car."

"What about your coworkers?"

"They've got tents and sleeping bags. Hardcore stuff."

Not wanting her friend to suffer, Qin Li blurted, "Why not stay at the farmhouse?"

"Really?" Qu Danni's eyes lit up.

"You can share my room."

"Will Yan Sen be okay with it? He doesn't seem very… accommodating."

Qin Li smirked. "He won't say no." After all, if he wanted to keep eating decent meals, he'd have to comply.

"Great! I'll let the director know."

And just like that, the plan was set.