Card Room (Rebirth)

Xiao Lou got up early and went to the bathroom to wash his face. Yu Hanjiang had just finished washing and the two people happened to collide in the corridor.

Xiao Lou thought of the ambiguous images from last night’s dream and didn’t dare look into Yu Hanjiang’s eyes. He whispered “Good morning,” and immediately lowered his head, rushing into the bathroom with red ears.

Yu Hanjiang wanted to greet him but Xiao Lou disappeared instantly? Yu Hanjiang was silent for a moment before realizing that Xiao Lou might be in a hurry. It wasn’t good for him to wait at the door of the bathroom so he simply went into the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

Old Mo was exercising on the balcony downstairs. He saw Group Leader Yu and greeted with a smile, “Group Leader Yu, you got up so early?”

Yu Hanjiang replied lightly, “Yes, I had a nightmare and woke up.”

Old Mo was curious. “The clearance of 8 of Hearts was smooth. How can you have a nightmare?”

Yu Hanjiang, “…”

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a nightmare. It was actually a hazy dream. He dreamt about himself and Xiao Lou in their marriage room. He called Xiao Lou to call him ‘Fujun’ but Xiao Lou blushed and refused. Finally, he softly called out ‘Hanjiang.’ (TL: Fujun is the respectful name a wife in ancient times used to call her husband)

Yu Hanjiang had woken up and felt some shame.

The story of Beacon in Troubled Times was over but he still couldn’t forget that world.

He had slept in the same bed as Xiao Lou for more than 10 days. He couldn’t sleep well every night because he could feel Xiao Lou’s breath and then his heart would beat too fast to control. He wanted to reach out to hug the ‘Madam’ beside him but he was worried that Xiao Lou would hate it. Therefore, he could only restrain himself desperately.

The secret room had been complex and the case filled with twists and turns, but these weren’t the most difficult things.

Every day, he slept under the same quilt as Xiao Lou but had to restrain himself from getting close. This was an S-level difficulty.

Yu Hanjiang recalled these scenes and his eyes became complicated. Old Mo carefully observed his expression and scratched his head in a confused and worried manner. “Was the nightmare… that terrible? Group Leader Yu, you don’t look very well!”

Yu Hanjiang was awakened from his thoughts and quickly regained his composure. “It’s fine, it was just a dream.”

He turned to the kitchen and whispered, “I’m going to prepare breakfast.”

Old Mo couldn’t help following. He thought that in the past, breakfast was usually prepared by Professor Xiao. What happened to Group Leader Yu today that he would actually cook?

Previously, they bought a lot of food from the supermarket and the eggs and milk were stored in the refrigerator. This time, they had gone to 8 of Hearts for decades but in fact, the time in the main city was only three days. The food hadn’t expired and was all readily available.

Yu Hanjiang took out some eggs from the refrigerator. He turned on the fire, poured oil and put on an apron, ready to make omelettes for everyone.

Old Mo rolled up his sleeves as he entered the kitchen, wanting to help with hot milk and toast. At this time, Xiao Lou came down. He had washed his face and looked refreshed. He wore loose home clothes with slippers and his hair was neatly combed.

Seeing that Yu Hanjiang was cooking in the kitchen with an apron, Xiao Lou froze for a moment before rushing over. “I’ll do it. I’ve always been responsible for the cooking. Group Leader Yu, just wait and eat.”

Yu Hanjiang glanced at him and spoke softly, “You rest today and I’ll make breakfast. I can’t always make you do it.”

The man’s deep eyes caused Xiao Lou’s heart to jump slightly. He pretended to be calm as he spoke, “It doesn’t matter. Cooking is also a type of rest. It relaxes the brain and exercises the muscles and bones. Have you heated up the oil? I’ll do the toast.”

Seeing Xiao Lou roll out the sleeves and walk to the toaster, Yu Hanjiang was forced to helplessly say, “Then we’ll do it together.”

Mo Xuemin stood there and couldn’t interject. It was strange. Once both Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou were in the kitchen, Mo Xuemin always felt that he was redundant. He immediately stated, “Cough, then I’ll trouble both of you to make breakfast. I’ll go for a run outside!” Then he immediately slipped away.

Once Old Mo left, there were only the two of them left in the kitchen and the atmosphere suddenly became ambiguous.

The oil in the pan was hot and Yu Hanjiang wore the apron. He treated the eggs as seriously as interrogating criminals. He stared at the pan out of fear they would be burnt.

The man’s always sharp outline became much softer due to this image. Xiao Lou stood by and watched Yu Hanjiang’s handsome side profile. Suddenly, there was the illusion of a ‘husband and wife making breakfast together.’

Xiao Lou immediately stopped thinking about this and turned to make toast.

The smell of cooked eggs soon came from the pan. Yu Hanjiang took out the first omelette and handed it to Xiao Lou. “I’m making this for the first time. Taste it.”

Xiao Lou found that the shape of the egg was a bit strange and was almost about to become a hexagon. It was obvious that Group Leader Yu wasn’t good at this but it was a decent attempt for a first time. He took it and tasted it, only for his mouth to become slightly stiff. He asked softly, “Did you put salt in?”

Yu Hanjiang made an innocent face. “Do I need to put salt in when cooking eggs?”

Xiao Lou didn’t know if he should laugh or cry. “If there is no salt then it tastes too light. It is better to put in a little bit.”

Yu Hanjiang nodded seriously. “Okay, I will make the second one now. Madam, you should guide me.”

Xiao Lou, “…”

Yu Hanjiang, “……”

The moment the words were spoken, both men were stunned. Xiao Lou’s ears turned red in an instant. Wait, what was with the ‘Madam’? He was called ‘Madam’ in the main city. Was this a slip of the tongue?

Yu Hanjiang also realized he called out the wrong name and was embarrassed. Then his expression became serious and his blush couldn’t be seen. Yu Hanjiang coughed softly and explained, “Sorry, I’m used to calling you this in the secret room and forgot to change it. Are you angry?”

Xiao Lou pretended to be indifferent as he stepped toward the other person. “It doesn’t matter. I didn’t hear clearly what you just said.”

Yu Hanjiang, “…”

He didn’t hear? That was good.

Yu Hanjiang solemnly changed his expression. “I want you to teach me how to make an omelette.” He paused before adding, “I usually get up early because I can’t sleep in. I will be responsible for breakfast in the future. You can sleep for an extra half an hour.”

Xiao Lou’s heart was thumping from being called ‘Madam.’

He didn’t hear Yu Hanjiang’s explanation but he grasped the key point. Teach this person how to make an omelette.

Seeing Yu Hanjiang pouring oil into the pan again, Xiao Lou came over and reminded him, “There shouldn’t be too much oil and the temperature of the oil shouldn’t be too high. Um, it’s almost done. Turn down the fire when cooking the eggs. Don’t cook them on a high heat. It is easy to burn them.”

Yu Hanjiang listened carefully while learning.

Xiao Lou continued, “Okay, now you can put in salt… put a little less in the oil and stir it well, so that the cooked egg will taste better. If you sprinkle the salt directly on the egg, it is easy to become salty and light.”

Yu Hanjiang did so while whispering, “Is this right?”

Xiao Lou nodded. “Yes. Pour the eggs in… don’t stir it or the shape will be strange.”

Yu Hanjiang suddenly realized. “No wonder why the shape of the omelette just now was so ugly. I turned it over several times.”

Xiao Lou, “…”

Turning it over made it a hexagonal omelette. Group Leader Yu was very powerful. Under Xiao Lou’s guidance, the process of making the omelette was smooth.

The kitchen was full of scents and Xiao Lou’s voice was particularly gentle in Yu Hanjiang’s ears. Liking someone was probably like this? As long as Xiao Lou was by his side, he was very happy doing even the simplest thing.

Yu Hanjiang couldn’t help thinking that if he could be with Xiao Lou in the future, he would prepare breakfast for Xiao Lou every morning when he woke up. His cooking ability was still poor but he would get better and better. He could download recipes to learn how to make Xiao Lou’s favourite foods.

He remembered Xiao Lou’s love of barbecue. This was the only cooking skill he could do well. Once he had the opportunity, he could ask Xiao Lou to eat barbecue. At that time, he would cook a variety of delicious skewers for Xiao Lou.

Yu Hanjiang cooked the egg while thinking and the second omelette was soon done.

Chef Xiao personally directed it and this omelette had a round shape and golden colour that increased Yu Hanjiang’s appetite. He took out the knife and fork that was used to eat Western food, cut the omelette in half from the middle and looked at Xiao Lou. “Try it.”

Xiao Lou joked. “Are you letting me be a lab rat to test your cooking?”

“This is the only one I can know your taste. Whether you like salty or light food, next time I will grasp it.”

Xiao Lou, “…”

It was like this omelette was made for him…

Xiao Lou’s heart beat like a drum. He instantly avoided Yu Hanjiang’s gaze by lowering his head and putting half of the fried egg into his mouth. He tasted it carefully before commenting, “It’s delicious.”

Yu Hanjiang put the remaining half into his mouth and praised it. “It’s really delicious.”

The two people looked at each other before looking away shyly.

They cooperated to make an omelette and finally ate it equally. The two people couldn’t help their heartbeats accelerating from this simple daily life. This type of ‘couple living at home’ feeling was particularly warm and an ambiguous atmosphere filled the kitchen.

Yu Hanjiang really wanted to take Xiao Lou into his arms and gently kiss Xiao Lou.

The real feeling must be many times better than the dream.

Yet every time he looked into Xiao Lou’s clear eyes, he felt guilty about his thoughts.

Xiao Lou was very calm and seemed to only regard Yu Hanjiang as a comrade-in-arms. If he acted at this time, would Xiao Lou be angry? If their relationship became stiff, it wouldn’t only affect personal emotional matters but it would cause problems with the other teammates.

Yu Hanjiang had always been decisive in his work. If this was the real world, he would directly confess, even if he was rejected by Xiao Lou. It didn’t matter. He would continue to pursue Xiao Lou in good faith until the other side was impressed.

However, this was the Card World. He couldn’t confess rashly before he was sure that Xiao Lou had a good opinion of him. If he failed, it wasn’t just a problem of his personal love affair. It might also mess up the entire team.

Yu Hanjiang’s mind was spinning as he wondered about how to pursue Xiao Lou.

He didn’t know that Xiao Lou was also feeling very complicated at this time.

Group Leader Yu was very good to him but Yu Hanjiang was too honest and was a completely ‘straight man’. Xiao Lou was naturally embarrassed to confess. How awkward would it be if Group Leader Yu told him seriously, “Sorry, I only treat you as a friend.”

He could only first hide his feelings in his heart. Later, he would take the opportunity to see if Group Leader Yu could accept a boyfriend.

The two men cooked breakfast while thinking about many things.

They were both calm people and wouldn’t confess directly out of impulse. The emotional history of two people who had never been in love was very simple. They were like snails hiding in a shell, secretly peeking their head and tentacles out of the shell to test each other but not daring to cross the line.

Shao Qingge came down the stairs and saw Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang cooking in the kitchen.

When Yu Hanjiang turned around, Xiao Lou would secretly look at Yu Hanjiang’s back. When Xiao Lou turned around, Yu Hanjiang would secretly look at Xiao Lou’s back. The eyes of the two people were full of liking, appreciation and admiration that couldn’t be concealed.

Yet once face to face, the two people immediately became serious and calm.

“Group Leader Yu, where do you think it will be better for us to go to the next round?”

“Don’t call me Group Leader Yu. We aren’t in a subordinate relationship. In private, you can continue calling me by my name.”

“I’m used to calling you that.” Xiao Lou’s face was slightly red as he changed his words, “Hanjiang, we used to go to Diamonds after the Hearts room. What about this time? Do you want to go to Diamonds?”

“Yes, go in order.” Yu Hanjiang was stunned after being called ‘Hanjiang’ but he maintained his calm on the surface. There was just a hint of gentleness from his brow and eyes. “The S-grade card that Old Mo drew can change the angle of view. There is no need to worry too much if we are in a maze.”

Shao Qingge quickly smiled.

He thought that the two people cooking together early in the morning was to progress their relationship.

The result was that they were making breakfast while pretending to chat calmly about a plan?

The two people were so strong when it came to the Hearts room mysteries. Why did they become a D-rated slag when it came to their own feelings?