"You want me to go buy it?" You Ran wanted to confirm Qu Yun's meaning.
"Because it's what you wanted to eat," Qu Yun gave a leisurely and irrefutable answer.
When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. You Ran could only take her things and go to the supermarket again.
It was the height of summer, and the air was so hot and humid it felt suffocating. You Ran carried large bags of groceries back to Qu Yun's house from the supermarket, already drenched in sweat and feeling dizzy from the heat.
Qu Yun glanced at the contents of the shopping bag, nodded, and gave another order: "Then, I'll leave it to you... The kitchen is over there."
At this moment, You Ran looked as if she was soaked in sweat, and even her voice was weak: "You don't mean to make me cook, do you? Let me make it clear first, I'm terrible at cooking."
"It's alright, I've prepared a detailed recipe for you. Good luck." With that, Qu Yun grabbed You Ran by the collar and tossed her into the kitchen.
You Ran had no choice but to bite the bullet and cook according to the recipe step by step.
But two hours later—
"Are you trying to tell me that these things are the steamed prawns and braised pork you mentioned?" Qu Yun stirred the unrecognizable corpses in the plate with his chopsticks, then shook his head: "These prawns and this pig will never forgive you, even in the afterlife."
"I've already said I'm terrible at cooking, but you insisted I do it!" You Ran, her face covered in cooking fumes, was also full of grievances.
"Never mind, I'll do it." Qu Yun rolled up her sleeves to her elbows, revealing her jade-like arms, and waved them away: "You can go now."
He turned around leisurely, a sly glint in his eyes.
You Ran hadn't done much housework, but she hadn't done it in such a mess. The reason she did this was simply to let Qu Yun show off his skills.
Although she disliked Qu Yun, You Ran thought that a man with such a smart face must be a good cook.
But You Ran was wrong again. Not long after, the kitchen was filled with the sounds of breaking dishes, the oil pan bursting into flames, and the sound of a cleaver hitting the ground.
But from beginning to end, Qu Yun did not make a sound.
A minute later, the kitchen door opened, and Qu Yun walked out slowly. His posture was still elegant, and his face was still handsome, but you could clearly see the devastated kitchen behind him.
Qu Yun lowered his sleeves and said in a tone as light as a cloud and as gentle as the wind, "There was a slight accident."
You ran to the kitchen door and stared incredulously at the crime scene that looked like a murder, before finally concluding after a long while: "...You can't cook either."
"Did I say I would?" Qu Yun replied calmly.
"I give up. I'll go see if we can still rescue anything from inside." Although Qu Yun paid for the things, You Ran carried them back herself and had grown attached to them.
"Don't go in," Qu Yun said.
"Why?" You Ran asked as she took a step forward.
Then came a sharp pain that came from the sole of my foot.
The shards of broken dishes were embedded in You Ran's toes.
"Because there are shards under your feet." Amidst You Ran's gushing tears, Qu Yun helped her up and sat her on the sofa.
"You did this on purpose!" You Ran looked at the crimson blood flowing from her body, filled with fear and hatred, and began to curse Qu Yun: "You are despicable, shameless, and vile! You are not a good person! You..."
You Ran's words were stopped by Qu Yun's actions—he knelt down on one knee and naturally placed You Ran's injured foot on his knee. With his head down, he carefully and gently bandaged her wound.
You Ran was stunned.
This was the fourth lesson Qu Yun taught her—things can sometimes take a turn for the better.
[Lesson 5] Stockholm Syndrome is Terrible
You Ran didn't understand her own feelings. Although Qu Yun had treated her ruthlessly, like a class enemy, she completely forgave him the moment he knelt down like a prince and placed his feet on his knees.
Perhaps every woman harbors a fairytale dream within her heart.
Or perhaps, You Ran has contracted the legendary Stockholm syndrome, a disease with immense power that can kill anyone it encounters.
You Ran tried so hard to find the root of her psychological state that she... suffered from insomnia.
Insomniac You Ran lay on the sofa, with the air conditioning on and a thin blanket covering her, her mind filled with the image of Qu Yun carefully applying medicine to her that afternoon.
From her perspective, Qu Yun's eyes held a rare tenderness, like fire on an iceberg, stars in the night, or a trickle of clear spring water flowing through a crevice in a rock. Because it was rare, the impact was all the more pronounced.
The last time You Ran was so preoccupied with something was during her high school military training—for a whole month, she didn't touch ice cream, and as a result, she dreamed about its soft and sweet taste.
Thinking of this, You Ran suddenly sat up abruptly from the sofa.
Similarly, the reason she thinks this way about Qu Yun is because... she wants to devour him whole?!
You Ran's self-loathing must be due to excessive puberty, causing her to have terrible delusions.
"Are you sleepwalking?" Qu Yun's voice rang out beside her in the darkness.
You Ran turned her head and found that Qu Yun had come to stand by the sofa at some point, his eyes gleaming with a hidden light.
"Judging from the distance between us and our respective beds, you're the one sleepwalking, aren't you?" You Ran said.
"Let me explain, I'm here to deliver something to you." Qu Yun said, taking out a small star chart and placing it on the glass coffee table. He pressed the switch, and instantly, the dark living room was filled with dazzling starlight. Tiny halos moved across the ceiling and walls, turning the night into a dreamlike scene.
"Is it pretty?" Qu Yun asked.
"Hmm." You Ran was mesmerized, and in her heart, it felt as if she had been gently pushed by a rippling blue wave: I never expected... Qu Yun could be so romantic.
But then Qu Yun said something that almost made You Ran collapse: "My old cat really liked this thing."
Cat, another cat.
"Then, what about the cat?" You Ran asked.
“Once I ate too much and couldn’t digest it properly, I ate myself to death.” After saying that, Qu Yun slowly turned his head and looked at You Ran with a look of nostalgia in his eyes: “You and it really are quite alike.”
You Ran: "..."
After saying that, Qu Yun slowly went upstairs, leaving You Ran, who was chewing on the bed sheet with mixed feelings—it turned out that he had mistaken her for his deceased cat.
Despite the mixed feelings, I still had to sleep. I drifted into a dream, soaring through the sky and diving into the sea, passing through clouds and falling into mist, when suddenly I saw a young swordsman in flowing white robes standing on a mountain peak.
In a moment of excitement, You Ran was about to rush forward and introduce herself when she unfortunately stepped on a banana peel. Before she could even utter a cry, she plunged into the bottomless ravine.
With a sudden kick, I woke up abruptly, covered in sweat—I was terrified.
Half the reason was the nightmare of falling off a cliff, and the other half was because... that young hero looked exactly like Qu Yun from the side.
You Ran finally understood that this time, her feelings for Qu Yun were far more complicated than those for the ice cream she hadn't eaten for a month back then.
One shouldn't think about things. Before You Ran could even wipe the sweat from her forehead, Qu Yun came downstairs.
He was wearing a black silk pajama set that looked loose and casual, but some parts still clung naturally to his skin, easily outlining his toned and perfect muscles.
He swallowed leisurely—it was a little warm.
"Are you awake?" Qu Yun asked.
He nodded leisurely, his mind still a little dazed.
"Then go buy breakfast." It was yet another order.
This time, You Ran didn't resist, didn't grumble, and didn't even frown. She quickly changed her clothes, took the money Qu Yun handed her, and rushed out the door.
After all, she really needed to get away from Qu Yun for a few minutes and think things through.
Even though she was far away, You Ran still couldn't figure anything out as she bought breakfast and walked home—she simply didn't know what to think about.
You Ran found it strange. Where had the fierce determination she had felt a few days ago, the desire to bite Qu Yun to death, gone? Why had her feelings for Qu Yun undergone such a dramatic change in such a short period of time?
Could it be that I really have Stockholm syndrome, the one that strikes fear into people's hearts and makes them wet themselves at the mere sight of it?
Thinking of this, You Ran couldn't help but shiver.
This is serious, this is a very serious matter.
But fate had the opposite of what she thought; it didn't think the matter was serious enough, so it started to pour rain.
The rain came without warning. In just a few seconds, raindrops the size of soybeans began to pelt the ground. You Ran quickly spread her limbs, shielded her eyes, and ran forward. As she ran, she couldn't run anymore—ahead of her, Qu Yun was holding an umbrella and walking quickly towards her.
You Ran seemed to be frozen in place, watching as Qu Yun used an umbrella to shield her from the pouring rain.
"Now you've truly lost your mind," Qu Yun teased, taking the breakfast from You Ran's hand, gently putting his arm around her shoulder, and leading her home.
At this moment, You Ran's mind was indeed like it was filled with water, swaying back and forth.
She felt that the scene was very familiar, as if it had happened in a past life.
Could it be that I and Qu Yun are truly destined for each other across three lifetimes, as Grandma Qiong Yao described?
Thinking of this, You Ran's heart started pounding, thumping excitedly.
But after walking a few steps, she realized that she had confused the scene with the one in "The Legend of the White Snake" where Bai Suzhen gives Xu Xian an umbrella. Oh my god, what a predestined fate!
The rain was so heavy that even with an umbrella, the two of them were soaked to the bone when they got home.
He sat leisurely on the floor, took off his shoes, turned them over, and poured out the water.
She glanced up unintentionally and saw Qu Yun make a gesture by the sofa.
It was this action that led to their fate, or perhaps, destiny.
You Ran clearly watched as Qu Yun crossed his arms, pulled up the hem of his T-shirt, and lifted it up.
As the T-shirt fell away, Qu Yun's figure was gradually exposed to You Ran's eyes.
Although You Ran had been aware from the beginning that Qu Yun had a good figure, it was only through his clothes. This was the first time she had seen it in person, so the shock was even greater.
Qu Yun's chest had firm muscles, not the ruggedness of a burly man, but a delicate and gentle strength, that sense of security carried a kind of magnificence.
Then down, there's his slender, sexy waist, making every woman want to wrap her legs around it, transforming into a snake to entwine around him.
His firm, flat abdomen was covered with black hair, characteristic of men, which snaked downwards, extending along the path of human desire. There, the sinful fruit of Eden lay hidden; there, was a bottomless well of black ink, its vortex a magnificent black.
You Ran lost herself in this dark desire.
In the past, she wished she could bite Qu Yun to death, but now she wishes she could swallow Qu Yun whole.
Qu Yun took off her shirt in a very short time, but in that short time, You Ran made a big decision.
"Do you have a girlfriend?" You Ran asked.
Upon hearing this, Qu Yun turned to look at You Ran, a dark light in his eyes: "No."
"What a coincidence," You Ran said. "I don't have a boyfriend either."
"So what?" The light in Qu Yun's eyes dimmed even further.
But all light and brilliance are born from the deepest darkness.
“Um…” You Ran wrung out the water from her shoelaces and said something very retro: “Since that’s the case, why don’t we just start dating?”