LHKE Ch 6

The next morning, Shen Li woke up to the sound of his alarm clock.

He had set the alarm a bit early on purpose, quietly placed the gift outside Lu Changting’s room, and then went back to his own room to wash up and change clothes.

The vacation villa had a kitchen, allowing guests to cook for themselves. The kitchen was well-equipped, with fresh ingredients and fruits in the fridge. Shen Li took a quick look around, unsure of the young masters’ tastes, so he scanned the QR code on the kitchen door, ordered some ready-made breakfast items, and took out some fruit from the fridge, washing it and placing it in a fruit bowl.

Fu Jianshu and Fu Qingshan came downstairs, one after the other, and heard the noise, heading towards the kitchen.

“Good morning, Mr. Shen,” Fu Jianshu said as he opened the fridge, grabbed a carton of milk for Fu Qingshan, and took one for himself. He grabbed a strawberry from the fruit bowl and asked, “How did you sleep last night?”

“Pretty well,” Shen Li rinsed his hands and set the fruit bowl on the dining table. “I’ve ordered breakfast; it should arrive soon.”

Fu Jianshu took another cherry and said, “I’ll go wake them up.”

When breakfast arrived, everyone was already up. Shen Li uncovered the disposable containers and placed them on the table, serving the porridge.

After breakfast, as everyone discussed the day’s activities, Shen Li cleaned up the table and the trash. He seemed busy all morning, and when he finally sat down again, Lu Changting took the opportunity to talk to him.

“Thank you,” Lu Changting said quietly, sitting next to Shen Li. His voice was soft, almost like a whisper. “I really like the gift.”

“It’s not something valuable,” Shen Li replied with a smile. “I’m glad you like it.”

It was indeed not a valuable gift, just a box of chocolate. However, it was a flavor he had asked his assistant to search for in various stores and couldn’t find.

Lu Changting didn’t want to delve into the origins of the chocolate. He thought, just consider it a mistake from years ago, and that the chocolate Shen Li gave him was different from the one he remembered from back then.

The plan for the day was set: visit the Hundred Flowers Valley in the morning, go fishing in the afternoon, soak in the hot springs, and get a massage—a relaxing and leisurely schedule.

In this season, the Hundred Flowers Valley was in full bloom with peach and cherry blossoms. Lu Changyin and Lu Changge walked under the trees, laughing and asking their brothers to take pictures.

The Lu family members probably had good genes, with handsome men and lovely women, always looking good no matter how they were photographed.

However, Lu Changyin, being in the entertainment industry, was used to professional photography and thought Chen Xingye’s photos looked terrible: “Brother Xingye, look at these photos. The composition is all flowers, and only half of us are visible…”

“Qingshan, take some photos,” Chen Xingye pulled Fu Qingshan over. “You’re in the same circle, your aesthetic might be similar.”

Fu Qingshan silently took the DSLR and, having learned from the lesson, took a full-body shot.

Lu Changyin looked at the photo and said, “I look so short…”

She wasn’t particularly short, standing at 170 cm, but compared to her brothers, who were 183 cm and 187 cm, she looked small. With Fu Qingshan also standing, the photo made her and Lu Changge appear as mere background figures, highlighting her brothers’ tall and handsome appearances.

“Straight men taking photos,” Lu Changge covered her eyes. “Totally unwatchable.”

Everyone unanimously pushed Shen Li and Xiao Yao forward: “Mr. Shen, Brother Yao, our straight men have already been mocked. We hope you can handle it.”

“I’ll give it a try,” Shen Li spoke before Xiao Yao, taking the DSLR from Fu Qingshan.

Lu Changting, linked arm in arm with Lu Changyin, casually stood under the blooming peach trees, quietly serving as a photo prop.

Shen Li knelt down on one knee. Although it was just a simple kneeling action, to Lu Changting, it seemed like a slow-motion frame. He watched Shen Li take a step forward, kneel on his left leg, with a posture almost reverent.

His hands, clasped behind his back, slowly tightened. He suddenly wanted to take a serious look at Shen Li’s eyes.

Those eyes, always filled with gentle smiles, seemed to hide more than he could understand.

Shen Li quickly finished taking the photos and stood up. Lu Changyin ran over to look and smiled with satisfaction: “These are great photos. Thank you, Brother Shen!”

Shen Li also took several individual photos of the two young women, moving from the peach blossom forest to the cherry blossom forest. Lu Changge found a gardener trimming the shrubs, politely asked if he could help take a group photo, and then called everyone over: “Let’s take a group photo.”

Going out for a walk, taking photos was a must. Lu Changge and Lu Changyin stood in the front, with a row of handsome young men behind them. The photo would surely make many people envious on social media.

Shen Li stood next to Lu Changting, trying hard to control himself from looking at him. He stood straight, smiling warmly, but was actually nervous, his palms sweaty, and his heartbeat racing. His uncontrollable joy showed in his eyes, captured in the photo.

It was almost time for lunch. After the photo shoot, everyone left the Hundred Flowers Valley and headed to the barbecue area.

The young masters’ ability to handle tasks was directly proportional to their ability to cause chaos. When Chen Xingye burned the third skewer of meat, Shen Li helplessly handed him the skewers he had just grilled: “Go sit down and wait to eat.”

Fu Jianshu secretly threw away the burnt skewers and calmly wiped his hands with a napkin, ready to join the waiting line.

Xiao Yao did a bit better; although his grilled items were not aesthetically pleasing and slightly overcooked, they were still edible. He occasionally held up the skewers for Shen Li to see, and gradually got more skilled.

Fu Qingshan efficiently placed the grilled chicken wings and skewers onto a plate, calling out without looking up: “Brother, come over and get this.”

“Fu Qingshan actually knows how to cook,” Lu Changyin took a skewer from Fu Jianshu and tasted it, finding it quite good. She smiled and took several photos of Fu Qingshan at the barbecue station, saying, “I’m going to post this on Weibo to show those who only criticize him for his looks.”

Lu Changge peered over at the barbecue station and asked, “Brother Shen, are there shrimp?”

“Yes, I’ll grill them for you,” Shen Li replied. He set the oven to preheat at 220°C and then asked, “Do you like them spicy?”

“Yes,” Lu Changge replied with a smile.

Shen Li turned to Fu Qingshan and said, “Keep an eye on the fish, flip it once. I’ll go grill the shrimp.”

Lu Changting had been sitting for a while but couldn’t stay still. He got up and wandered around the barbecue area as if casually strolling.

Shen Li, expertly trimming the shrimp’s antennae and legs, cut a small slit under the shrimp’s head to remove the sand sac, sliced open the back, and removed the sand gland.

The ingredients were all cleaned, but for something like shrimp, the preparers hadn’t done much more processing, so Shen Li had to handle it himself.

Lu Changting watched as Shen Li efficiently dealt with a few shrimp and felt it wasn’t too difficult: “Do you need any help?”

Shen Li looked up and smiled at him: “No need, I can finish this small bowl quickly.”

“You seem quite skilled at cooking.”

“Hmm.” Shen Li lifted his arm, pushing up the slightly fallen sleeve, “It helps share some of the household chores with my mom.”

As long as he was at home, he wouldn’t let Cheng Zhao do any housework. Earning money to support the family was already hard enough, so he took on some of the household responsibilities to lighten Cheng Zhao’s load.

Lu Changting didn’t know what to say for a moment. He had always lived a life of luxury, even while studying abroad, he had hired housekeepers to cook and clean. Household chores were completely foreign to him…

He watched Shen Li’s wrist, with its bulging veins and the glaring red string, and reached out to fold up the fallen sleeve.

Shen Li paused in his action of slicing open the shrimp’s back and said softly, “Thank you.”

Lu Changting’s cool fingers accidentally brushed against Shen Li’s warm arm. He quickly withdrew his hand and went back to sit by the table.

Lu Changyin and Lu Changge were taking pictures of Shen Li and Fu Qingshan non-stop. After taking the photos, they huddled together, whispering and smiling. Indeed, no matter where or when, good-looking men who could cook were always popular with young women.

Lu Changxue poured him a glass of water and nudged his elbow teasingly: “Mr. Shen is quite skilled at domestic tasks, isn’t he?”

Lu Changting thought that describing a man as “skilled” seemed a bit odd, but he couldn’t think of a better word. He just replied with a soft “mm” and didn’t continue the conversation.

Shen Li neatly arranged the processed shrimp on tin foil, brushed them with oil, sprinkled salt and garlic, and placed them in the oven, setting the timer for 15 minutes. He then turned to check the fish Fu Qingshan was grilling.

Fu Qingshan turned the fish over for him to see; both sides were browned and crispy, and the fish’s fresh aroma wafted through the air. Shen Li nodded: “It’s almost done, you can take it out.”

Xiao Yao’s chicken wings were also nearly ready. He placed them on a plate and put another row of skewers on the grill. He kept two of the wings for himself and pushed them towards Shen Li: “Mr. Shen, try these.”

Shen Li ate one and urged him to eat the other: “Have a snack; we’re here to enjoy ourselves. Don’t shortchange yourself.”

Chen Xingye came over to take the plates and put a few skewers of potatoes, lotus slices, and seaweed on the grill: “We’ve got enough meat. Let’s grill some vegetables.”

“I want corn,” Lu Changyin called out. “Brother Xingye, I want corn on the cob. Grill a few more skewers.”

Chen Xingye added a few skewers of corn to the grill and grabbed a freshly grilled skewer of meat from Xiao Yao.

When the timer on the oven went off, Shen Li took the grilled shrimp out, sprinkled them with cumin and chili powder, and brought them to the table. There was already a table full of skewers. Lu Changxue called out: “Sit down and have some before you go back to grilling.”

Shen Li sat down next to them and took a moment to rest, sipping his water.

Lu Changge blocked Fu Jianshu’s and Chen Xingye’s chopsticks and said loudly: “No one touch the food yet, let me take a photo first!”

After taking the photos, she picked up a shrimp with her chopsticks and took a bite.

It was a bit hot; she slightly opened her mouth to cool it down, chewed, and swallowed the crispy shrimp meat with sparkling eyes: “Delicious!”

“Mr. Shen, you’re amazing.”

After finishing, Lu Changyin stuck out her tongue from the heat, drank some tea, and went for a second shrimp.

Fu Jianshu and Chen Xingye also praised the food. Shen Li, feeling a bit shy, drank some more tea, nervously observing Lu Changting eating the shrimp slowly, feeling tense.

Would he find it delicious? Was it too salty or spicy…

Lu Changting picked up a second shrimp with his chopsticks, and noticing Shen Li watching him, felt as if Shen Li was waiting for his praise.

“It’s good,” he paused, adding, “Very good.”

The shrimp that should have gone into his own bowl changed direction and ended up in Shen Li’s bowl: “Try some yourself.”

Shen Li looked at the shrimp in his bowl. His first thought wasn’t to eat it, but to offer it…

Lu Changting had served him food… served food… food…

He felt dizzy, thinking that today he had not only had his first photo with Lu Changting but also had his sleeve adjusted by Lu Changting, and now was being served food.

How… how could anyone handle this.