Chapter 96

The atmosphere was silent and awkward.

Yin Xian and Xian Eun-jung stared at each other for a while with wide eyes, then burst out laughing.

"We shouldn't be this awkward, right?" Xian Eun-jung said as she walked to the cutting board, picked up the knife, and prepared to cut the vegetables.

When things get awkward, finding something to do can really help ease the tension.

"En-jung, you just need to wash the rice. I'll handle this." Yin Xian snatched the knife from Xian Eun-jung and handed her the rice he was about to wash.

It was clear he was worried she wouldn't do it well.

Then the smile that Xian Eun-jung had managed to force onto her face disappeared.

"Actually, it would be fine if you just stayed here and chatted with me. You don't need to do anything." Yin Xian immediately realized his mistake and tried to make amends.

Then, he was kicked by Xian Eun-jung.

"Ouch!" Yin Xian pretended to be in pain.

Xian Eun-jung just gave him a look.

This kick seemed to bring them back to the state they were in before their fake marriage, when they were filming "Cafe Prince."

The atmosphere in the kitchen became more relaxed.

...

"En-jung." Yin Xian said while chopping vegetables.

"Hmm?" Xian Eun-jung was washing the rice very seriously.

"That cushion..."

"Hey! You still have the nerve to bring it up!" Xian Eun-jung immediately became coy and kicked Yin Xian again, "You just wanted to make fun of me for drooling in my sleep, didn't you?"

"…No… I just…" Yin Xian really felt the pain from the kick. He had intended to tease Xian Eun-jung to lighten the mood, but he swallowed the rest of his words.

"I've already thrown it away." Xian Eun-jung cut him off.

Yin Xian was speechless again.

"Maybe you could come to the recording studio at our company sometime." Yin Xian changed the topic.

"That song 'Some'? Didn't your album already come out?" Xian Eun-jung immediately knew what he was talking about.

"This song has nothing to do with the album. I promised to give it to you." Yin Xian looked very serious.

"This… still needs to be decided by the company…" Xian Eun-jung's gaze became very complicated.

... They fell into silence again.

"There's something I think I should tell you." Yin Xian suddenly spoke up.

"What is it?"

"Are you a bit angry with Juri because of recent events?" Yin Xian asked Xian Eun-jung.

"Juri-ssi? No!" Xian Eun-jung's expression was very complex.

"Actually, the reason I didn't let you contact me was conveyed through my sister. I didn't expect her to pass it on to Juri." Yin Xian thought for a moment and explained on Juri's behalf, "I'll have my sister explain it to you later."

Xian Eun-jung was stunned, and her complex expression became even more inscrutable.

"Why didn't you tell me directly?" Xian Eun-jung managed to say.

"I had my sister arrange it. If you want to know the specific reason, just ask her." Yin Xian shamefully backed down.

He couldn't possibly not know the meaning behind Xian Eun-jung's words. His words were also carefully chosen.

These things didn't need to be said explicitly, especially since Yin Xian wasn't sure why Xian Eun-jung was upset with Juri. Was it because of brotherly loyalty, or something else...?

The atmosphere became awkward again.

"There's another song on my album that's related to you, besides 'My Voice.'" Yin Xian changed the topic again.

"Oh? Which one?" Xian Eun-jung, who was preparing a cold dish, paused. Then, she said as if she had realized something, "The English song?"

"Yes. I got the inspiration that night when I saw your bare face." Yin Xian was focused on the green pepper, which is called a green yang pepper in Korea.

"Don't need makeup, to cover up… No makeup is beautiful…" Xian Eun-jung remembered the lyrics of the song.

"If it weren't for the time, I had planned to sing this song to you on the night we moved into our new home." There was deep regret in Yin Xian's voice, "But… sigh…"

"OPPA, thank you. I really like that song." Xian Eun-jung said softly.

...

They fell into silence again.

"Are we former husband and wife reminiscing about the past?" Yin Xian tried to lighten the mood, feeling the atmosphere was a bit heavy.

"Not divorced, just a couple who broke up under family pressure, right?" A voice came from outside the door.

"Hey! Bora! You were eavesdropping!" Yin Xian pretended to be angry, but secretly felt relieved.

"You two, if you still have feelings for each other, get back together! The family pressure is gone now." Bora still didn't come in.

"Bora-ssi! How many times have I told you not to talk nonsense!" Xian Eun-jung was about to lose it.

"En-jung, don't be embarrassed. I don't know who, but after coming back from a certain ice rink, the next day they dragged me to buy a new pillow." Bora's voice became more teasing.

"Do they have anything to do with each other? Did she break the pillow?" Yin Xian was confused, "Am I that hated?"

"Not broken, but soaked with tears. The little white ball melted into water…"

"Hey, Bora-ssi!" Xian Eun-jung rushed out of the kitchen, and there was a commotion outside.

But Xian Eun-jung didn't come back to the kitchen.

Yin Xian, though he seemed to have more to say, felt more relaxed in the kitchen alone.

After more than three hours, he finally finished preparing all the ingredients. He put the stir-fried rice cakes on the stove to simmer, then rubbed his sore shoulders and walked out of the kitchen.

The living room outside the kitchen was empty.

"Are Juri and Suyeon back? If they are, I'll start cooking." Yin Xian sat on the floor of the not-so-empty living room and called out to the closed bedroom doors.

"Not yet!" Xian Eun-jung answered from one of the rooms.

"You guys, I came to see you, and you just leave me here alone while you all play in your rooms. Don't you feel bad?" Yin Xian complained, getting up from the floor, "And there's no sofa in the living room. Where did the sofa go?"

No one responded.

Yin Xian went to knock on the bedroom door.

The response was the sound of the bedroom door being locked.

"Hey! Pervert uncle, what are you doing!" Park Ji-yeon's voice came from inside the room.

"Didn't you invite me to play?" Yin Xian felt a bit wronged.

"I also asked you to take me out for barbecue! Humph!" Park Ji-yeon was very confident.

Feeling a bit frustrated, Yin Xian returned to the kitchen.

Of course, he wasn't out of places to stay. He suddenly remembered a dish called sweet and sour pork, which he had forgotten to fry the meat for in this life.

So, after another half hour, Yin Xian finally finished the last of the preparations.

He estimated that from the start of cooking to serving all the dishes, it would take about ten minutes.

Then he walked out of the kitchen and lay down on the living room floor.

No one came out of their rooms to talk to him.

Park Hyo-min came out once, probably to use the bathroom, and saw Yin Xian lying there. She felt a bit awkward and wanted to chat with him, but after a couple of sentences, she was pulled back into the room by Bora.

After some time, Yin Xian was getting a bit sleepy. Park Ji-yeon came out of her room: "Pervert uncle, Juri-ssi just called me and said she's coming back soon. She told you to start preparing the meal..."

"She's not shy at all!" Yin Xian smiled and got up.

"OPPA, are you tired?" Park Hyo-min, who came out with Park Ji-yeon, looked a bit worried.

"No, I'm just a bit sleepy from waiting."

Although he estimated that these six girls rarely cooked in the kitchen, their cooking equipment was really good. The stove was very powerful. In just twenty minutes, five hot dishes were done. Then he started calling Park Ji-yeon, who was waiting outside with green eyes, to bring the dishes out.

"Do you always eat like this in the dorm?" Yin Xian watched as the two cold dishes, five hot dishes, a plate of stir-fried rice cakes, and a pot of soup were placed directly on the floor.

"The dorm isn't big, so we clear the living room to practice dancing occasionally." Juri, who had returned at some point, explained.

"What do you usually eat?"

"We eat the company cafeteria food, and when we're on our own, we usually order takeout." Juri answered nonchalantly.

While they were still chatting, Park Ji-yeon had already started eating without any hesitation.

Following Park Ji-yeon's lead, the girls completely lost their image concerns and started eating with gusto.

"OPPA, why aren't you eating?" The only one who remembered Yin Xian at this moment was Park Hyo-min, who was polite to him.

"It's fine, you eat first. I'll just have some soup." Yin Xian smiled and thanked Park Hyo-min for her concern.

Actually, Park Hyo-min was just saying that, but her hands didn't stop moving.

In just half an hour, the table... well, the floor, was left with only empty plates...

Even the soup in the pot was completely finished.

"How long has it been since you had a proper meal? Is CCM mistreating you?" Yin Xian looked at the girls with a bit of sympathy.

"OPPA, we had to maintain our figures for our performances recently, so we couldn't eat this much..." Bora, who was full, started to act cute.

"Poor kids. What do you plan to do after dinner?" Yin Xian asked, "Ji-yeon, go wash the dishes."

"Hey! Why me!" Park Ji-yeon, who was so full she could barely sit up and was lying on the floor, protested.

"Because you're the maknae." Suyeon said with a hint of malice.

"You're bullying a minor!" Park Ji-yeon started to clean up the floor, though she was complaining.

Yin Xian had just been joking, but seeing that the other girls didn't move, he understood why Park Ji-yeon had looked so capable in the kitchen.

What surprised him was that the older girls felt it was right, and the maknae also felt it was her duty.

What an ethical girl group! Yin Xian nodded in agreement.

"Let's go to Hongdae tonight?" Xian Eun-jung suddenly said.

"Are you not afraid of being recognized in such a crowded place?" Yin Xian asked.

"Just put on makeup, it's fine." Bora didn't seem to care.

"We didn't get recognized when we went shopping in the afternoon." Suyeon added.

"But my car can't fit all of you..." Yin Xian suddenly remembered that none of the girls seemed to have a car...

"Then what did you mean by asking what we planned to do?" Park Ji-yeon, who was still washing dishes in the kitchen, shouted.

"I was... just asking." Yin Xian smiled awkwardly.

"If we can't go out, we can stay home. There are some things I think Yin Xian OPPA needs to explain." Suyeon suddenly said, "Otherwise, I can't sleep well."

"Why can't you sleep well?" Yin Xian was curious.

"Hey! Suyeon-ssi!" Xian Eun-jung immediately started to act cute and whine.

"What is it?" Yin Xian's heart skipped a beat. Was it related to Xian Eun-jung?

We're just friends!

"About you and En-jung." Juri nodded as if she had just realized something and quickly got into character...

"Wait! I'll finish the dishes first!" Park Ji-yeon in the kitchen was trying to assert her presence...

...