Zongman: Unknowingly trapped in the hatchet

Chapter 358 Happy Birthday, My Gardenia Girl

?

"Come to think of it, were you just observing us from outside?"

On the way home, Mahiru suddenly asked.

"Well, although you said that you wanted to make a good break with the past, and I respect your opinion, but in the end I found that I still couldn't let it go." Su Qing said.

As if hearing some satisfactory answer, Mahiru nodded her head slightly, humming in ambiguous sounds from time to time, accompanied by low mutterings.

"Ah... I see. So you don't want to be a stalker?"

"How could I be like that?"

Although Mahiru's voice was very soft, Su Qing still heard it.

When he heard these three words, he froze in place, as if he was doubting his life.

Heart to heart.

He didn't see Mahiru following him when he went to Ginza before.

So, did I really go a little too far?

"Hey~ Are you scared by me?"

Mahiru suddenly covered her mouth and chuckled, her eyes curved into a beautiful crescent shape.

She waved her hands in front of Su Qing's face, as if she was performing a necromancy to call back the soul of her beloved.

"Of course I was just teasing you, seriously, how could I possibly think of you as a stalker?

At most, he is just a knight with a strong desire to protect~"

"Protective isn't a very nice word either."

It turns out that I was the one who scared myself.

Su Qing came to his senses and talked as he walked.

"Eh, isn't it good?" Mahiru tilted her head and trotted over to catch up. "If you don't like it, just change the wording! Hmm~ Let me think..."

Suddenly, Zhenri paused, took Su Qing's hand actively, and asked in a sweet voice.

"Hey, how about [Hero]? After all, you looked so cool when you showed up to save the day."

“I think I’ve said that before.”

Having said that, a smile was already on Su Qing's lips.

Unilaterally declared, this is Yui's most useful episode.

In the end, girls understand girls best.

"You haven't said whether it's good or not yet?"

Mahiru refused to give in and swung her hands vigorously like a pirate ship in an amusement park, slowly forming the same arc at the corners of their mouths.

"As long as you like it." Su Qing said finally.

……

When I took the subway back to the apartment, dusk was swallowing up the last ray of orange in the southwest.

It was not even six o'clock in the evening, but the sun had already set.

Winter seems to be just like that—a season when the days are short and the nights are long, blurring the concept of a 24-hour day.

Perhaps that is why people always look forward to the arrival of next spring.

……

"Eat first or take a bath?"

Su Qing asked while standing at the door.

"First..." Mahiru was about to answer, but asked suspiciously, "Wait, you haven't already prepared the meal?"

"The answer is correct, but there is no reward." Su Qing nodded with a smile.

"Then let's eat first? After all, it's too easy to get cold in this weather." Mahiru paused, "Besides... I'm looking forward to the dinner you make."

"I don't think you'll be disappointed, although I think it's still a little different from your meal."

As they were talking, the two had already walked through the entrance hall and arrived in the living room.

For some reason, Mahiru always felt that there was a faint sweet smell in the air, which was very familiar, but she just couldn't put her finger on it.

Several dishes have been placed on the table at this moment. Probably for the sake of hygiene, each plate is covered with plastic wrap.

Mahiru looked around and was surprised to find that most of them were her favorite foods.

There were also one or two dishes that she couldn't name, but they should be dishes from mainland China.

"It's a little cold, let me heat it up again."

Su Qing felt the temperature of the plate and thought it was a little too early.

Most of the meals are delicious when served hot.

He picked up the plate and was about to run to the kitchen, but a slender arm suddenly appeared in his sight.

"It heats up very quickly, you should know that."

Su Qing thought that Mahiru wanted him to stop bothering, so he spoke first.

"Of course I know, I just want to be with you, is that not okay?"

Mahiru's eyes twinkled with anticipation, and after Su Qing agreed, a soft smile appeared on her face.

……

After taking some time to heat up the food, the two began to eat dinner.

At the dinner table, neither of them tacitly mentioned the reason why Su Qing took the initiative to prepare this meal today.

"Unexpectedly... delicious."

After roughly tasting all the dishes, Mahiru slowly put down her chopsticks and spoke softly in a serious tone.

"Didn't expect me to have made such great progress?"

"No." Mahiru shook her head. "Although there is that reason, what I actually meant is that I have never eaten such delicious food before. It completely broke the upper limit of my cognition!"

"Is this considered encouraging praise? I'm almost floating with praise. Otherwise, I'll apply for the chef position in a five-star hotel tomorrow." Su Qing smiled and began to make fun of himself.

"Because... you put a lot of effort into making this for me, didn't you? I think this alone deserves my top rating."

"I understand because it's true for me, and for you too."

Mahiru raised her eyes, and her amber eyes were spinning with a liquid luster under the light.

Her expression was extremely serious.

"Really? If what I make can give you that feeling, that would be great.

In fact, I have been looking forward to it since before, fantasizing that someone I care about will appear and have dinner with me in the future.

Because I was always alone when I was a kid, and neither my father nor my mother ever took my existence seriously...

Now, that person not only appeared, but was incredibly talented. In a short period of time, he went from a cooking idiot to a chef that even surprised me.

The most important thing is... now he has prepared such a sumptuous dinner for me."

After Mahiru finished speaking, he picked up another piece of braised pork with evenly fat and lean meat.

Anyone who knows about food knows that this is simply the best braised pork.

But Mahiru didn't put it into her bowl, instead she held it in the air, facing Su Qing's mouth.

She opened her mouth and coaxed a child, "Thank you for your hard work today, Chef. Open your mouth and I'll feed you."

Su Qing did not resist, but just smiled helplessly and obediently opened his mouth to eat.

Seeing Su Qing act like this, Mahiru's face also broke into a satisfied, teasing smile.

After dinner, the two of them washed the dishes together as usual.

They cooperated with each other as skillfully as an old couple.

So quickly, they finished the work at hand and sat on the sofa.

"Well... I'm going to start talking, okay?" Mahiru pursed her lips and placed her hands on her knees.

At this moment, she suddenly felt a little uneasy.

This is reasonable, after all, she had never told anyone about such a thing before.

"Okay." Su Qing gently held Mahiru's hand.

The silent language instantly penetrated every inch of her skin and reached the girl's heart.

Mahiru panicked for a moment, and her snow-white neck turned pink with embarrassment.

She stuttered:

"It will be very boring, not fun at all!

So you have to be mentally prepared.

Ah...but you can't run away now, because you just agreed to my request to be my girlfriend!"

"On the contrary, Tian Gang, this is my home. If anyone is going to run, it should be you."

Su Qing took Mahiru's hand and raised it high.

Although she has been doing housework for a long time, her hands have always been smooth and delicate because she wears gloves and takes good care of them.

At this moment, she was tightly wrapped by Su Qing, as if she was the most beautiful pearl born from a river clam.

"If this isn't enough, why don't you try grabbing me with both hands?"

"Catch, catch if you want."

Sometimes people just get carried away easily.

Mahiru unwillingly took out her other hand, and although it was very reluctant, she finally wrapped it up.

"I told you before that I was born in a not-so-good family, right?"

"Ah."

“Strictly speaking, I haven’t suffered any undue injustice.

You can eat well, dress warmly, and not have to bear financial pressure.

But…like I said, I’ve been alone since I was a kid.

Neither my father nor my mother ever took me seriously, no matter how hard I tried, or how good my grades were, even if I won first place in the sports meet.

Because their marriage is only for the benefit of the family.

My mother had men outside, I’m not sure how many, and my father stayed in the company all year round and never came back.

So my appearance was just an accident, an accident of a one-night stand due to drunkenness.

It is said that children are the fruit of their parents' love.

But it is normal for an unexpected product, no matter how brilliant it is, not to be valued by parents, right?

But the funniest thing is that I have always had some strange fantasies about them.

One of the great things about a mother is the pain she endures during pregnancy and childbirth.

So no matter how cold she acted, I always fantasized that maybe for a moment she treated me as her own daughter.

But until today, I think I have completely given up. "

The bright light cast a shadow under Mahiru's eyelashes, sharp as a knife.

She recalled the conversation she had with Shiina Sayo not long ago and smiled bleakly.

"But it was not until today that I heard her say in person that she gave birth to me simply because she did not want to lose her reproductive ability and was forced to do so.

It turns out that even for a brief moment, she never treated me as her daughter. . .

So I should have given up my wishful thinking a long time ago.”

The things that had been hidden in her heart were finally revealed at this moment, and Mahiru thought she would burst into tears.

But the fact is just the opposite.

The feeling of disappointment accumulates bit by bit over years of loneliness.

Perhaps she no longer longed for that family affection, but she herself did not realize it.

But if it's not desire, then what is it?

Expectations on your own, disappointments on your own.

This twisted desire, turns out... is [obsession].

At this moment, Mahiru felt more relaxed than ever before, as if even the world in front of her had come alive.

“But in a sense, I should also be grateful for this wishful thinking.

Do you remember the first time we met?"

Mahiru raised her face, her eyes were filled with an unclear mist, but she showed a very soft smile.

Su Qing said in a very light and firm voice, "I have always remembered this. This kind of thing has nothing to do with memory."

Hearing this, she smiled even more, "That day I stayed under the swing on purpose because I was bored, although I didn't expect it to rain suddenly.