CHAPTER 56: CHAPTER 55: TRUTH OR DARE (PART 1)

After spending an hour, the delicate and small dumplings were finally hand-wrapped, with a few odd-shaped ones mixed in...

"Buns?" Huaiyi lifted one up for a closer look, raising an eyebrow in question.

Yanchuan snatched it away and pinched it repeatedly to fix its shape, his gaze evasive: "...Dumplings."

Huaiyi suppressed a laugh, turned on the stove to boil water, and touched each of Yanchuan’s dumplings: "I’ll take care of all yours."

As he said that, the ringtone of the Apple phone rang; it was from Yanchuan’s phone. Huaiyi understood and washed his hands to prepare to answer it, only to hear Yanchuan suddenly say flatly: "It’s my mom."

Huaiyi was instantly... frozen.

The mom of the dream guy...

The speakerphone was turned on, and Huaiyi swallowed: "Hi, Mom... Mommy... Mom..."

Yanchuan: "..."

Mrs. Xiang laughed: "Qi Chen, what’s wrong?"

Huaiyi: "Nothing..."

Mrs. Xiang: "It’s Mid-Autumn Festival today, where are you celebrating it?"

Huaiyi focused: "In... the crew, with Sister Yan and others."

"Oh, I see..." Mrs. Xiang’s tone was full of anticipation, "When will you have time to come home? I thought you could come back for this Mid-Autumn Festival."

"Well, Mom... I’ve been busy lately. I’ll definitely come see you next holiday..."

Mrs. Xiang replied joyfully: "Alright, alright, Mom hasn’t seen you in a long time."

Hearing this, Huaiyi instinctively raised her eyes to look at Yanchuan. He had his eyebrows lowered, his gaze downcast, and his expression gradually darkened.

"Okay, happy Mid-Autumn Festival, Mom."

The call ended, and just as the water in the pot boiled, Huaiyi put down the phone, dropped the dumplings one by one into the pot, and asked softly: "Qi Chen, don’t your parents live in Yanchuan?"

Yanchuan turned on the faucet to wash dishes, his tone indifferent: "They’re in the old home in S City."

Huaiyi bit her lip, contemplated for a moment, and valiantly patted her chest: "Don’t worry, next time you go on leave, whether or not we’ve switched back, I’ll go see your mom for you!"

Yanchuan looked up at her and slightly curled his lips: "What should we cook next?"

Huaiyi reached into a bag, pulled out two pieces of beef brisket, and shook them: "This, braised beef with radish!"

——

The dishes, with all colors, aromas, and flavors, were brought to the dining table one by one. Huaiyi set the tableware, leaned over to take a whiff, and took a picture with her phone, saying: "You could say this is all my life’s knowledge in one go."

Yanchuan came out after washing his hands, having a sudden thought: "Want to drink wine?"

Huaiyi smiled shyly: "I can only drink a little..."

Hearing this, Yanchuan had already taken out a bottle of red wine from the wine cabinet, opened it, and let it breathe.

It was Huaiyi’s first time drinking red wine. After three glasses, her face began to heat up.

Alcohol gave her courage, and Huaiyi, biting into a dumpling, rested her chin on her hand, staring straight at the person in front of her, grinning widely: "Qi Chen, you’re really good-looking."

Yanchuan: "...That’s your face."

Huaiyi nonchalantly: "You look good no matter whose face it is. Do you know what I like most about you?"

Yanchuan lifted his eyelids to glance at her, sipping red wine.

"Hehehe, I’m pretty shallow, I just like that you’re handsome!"

She said as she reached out to ruffle the bangs on his forehead, her expression particularly doting.

Yanchuan was left speechless.

Huaiyi poured herself another glass of red wine, as if seizing the opportunity to talk, she started to chatter endlessly: "Qi Chen, I’m your true fan."

Huaiyi spoke solemnly: "To me, truly liking someone means loving even their flaws, not blindly ignoring their shortcomings and thinking everything they do is right, don’t you agree?"

As she spoke, she leaned forward and lowered her voice: "Actually, to be honest, some of your fans are a bit blind... Even when your clothes don’t look good sometimes, they would still repost saying you look handsome, handsome, handsome. Admittedly, you are handsome, but it doesn’t change the fact that those clothes are ugly!"

Yanchuan: "..."

"And, even though you’re off-key and lip-sync sometimes when singing, they still keep saying ’Oh, my Qi Chen sings so well, acts so well and sings so well, really amazing.’" With those words, Huaiyi made a face and spread her hands indifferently.

Yanchuan was amused by her vibrant demeanor, touched his nose, and got straight to the point: "So, in your eyes, what are my shortcomings?"

Huaiyi pondered for a while, stood up to sit next to him, raised her glass to clink with his, then downed it in one go, speaking innocently: "This glass is for apologizing in advance, just in case what I say makes you upset, you have to forgive me."

Yanchuan couldn’t help but laugh, patted her head, and said: "Go ahead, I want to know too."

"In my view, a crucial point is..." Huaiyi instinctively leaned back, "I feel that your idol persona... is too burdensome..."

Yanchuan raised his eyebrows, signaling her to continue.

"A few years ago, back when you weren’t this famous, watching the reality shows you participated in, you were truly carefree, sunny, and natural. Ever since ’The String that Moves Your Heart’ aired, you became popular, and your looks won the love of the majority of netizens. I don’t know if it’s because people kept praising your looks, or if your agency set up this image for you, but since then, you just gave me this ’I’m very handsome, high-up’ feeling. Whether acting, airport street shoots, or attending events, you always hold yourself up, unwilling to let go... It just doesn’t feel like you have that vitality..."

As the conversation came to a close, Huaiyi watched Yanchuan’s gradually subdued smile, and her voice softened: "Of course, this is just my personal opinion..."