Early in the morning, sunlight streamed through the window as Xiao Chen slowly opened his eyes.
Thinking of how affectionate Su Qing and Su Xiaomeng had been when they returned last night brought a warm smile to his face.
After lounging in bed for a while, he finally got up, washed, and headed to the living room. Normally, Su Qing would have already prepared breakfast by this time, but today the kitchen was unusually quiet. With a smile, Xiao Chen walked over, opened the fridge, and began cooking himself.
By the time the eggs were nearly done, soft footsteps approached. Su Qing, still in her pajamas, appeared at the doorway and froze when she saw Xiao Chen in an apron, frying eggs.
"Xiao Chen, why are you—"
"Good morning." He grinned, plating the half-cooked eggs. "You weren't up yet, so I thought I'd make breakfast."
"I stayed up late chatting with Xiaomeng, so I overslept…" Su Qing stepped forward. "Let me take over."
"No need, it'll be ready soon. Go wake her instead." Xiao Chen cracked another egg into the pan.
Watching his practiced movements, Su Qing was momentarily dazed—memories of her elder brother cooking for them surfaced vividly.
"Su Qing? What's wrong?" Xiao Chen asked, noticing her absent stare.
"…It's nothing," she murmured, before admitting softly, "I was thinking about my brother. He used to make fried eggs just like this. Xiao Chen, his current mission… it won't be dangerous, right? When will he return?"
Xiao Chen stiffened, then forced a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. He's the best of the best, and he's not alone. He'll be fine."
Though she nodded, unease lingered in Su Qing's chest.
Soon, Su Xiaomeng was brought down, still rubbing her eyes. But the moment she saw the golden fried eggs on the table, her sleepiness vanished, and she nearly dove for them.
"One bite and her eyes lit up. "Wow, it's perfect—just the way I like, half-cooked!"
Su Qing too was surprised. When she tasted hers, her heart jolted—the flavor was exactly like her brother's cooking. The same heat, the same taste.
Her emotions overflowed. Su Xiaomeng, usually stubborn, grew quiet as well. The omelet brought back memories too vivid to ignore.
"How do you know I like them this way?" she asked Xiao Chen with reddened eyes.
He smiled gently. "Your brother told me. He often mentioned you… how you like half-cooked eggs, how you like the color blue, and more."
"Stop it!" Su Xiaomeng snapped, her voice trembling before she rushed upstairs in anger.
Xiao Chen gave Su Qing a helpless look, but she sighed, explaining softly, "It's not your fault. Xiaomeng still misses her brother, though she refuses to admit it."
Later, when Xiao Chen tried to clear her half-eaten egg, Xiaomeng reappeared, snatched it, and ate it defiantly. "Don't throw away such a delicious egg."
He chuckled. "If you like it, I'll make it for you every day."
Her eyes widened. "…Really?"
"Of course."
"Then pinky promise!" she demanded, holding out her finger. Xiao Chen smiled helplessly but obliged.
Relieved to see Xiaomeng's spirits lift, Su Qing soon led them out. They dropped Xiaomeng at school before heading to work. On the way, Su Qing thanked Xiao Chen sincerely—last night had been the first time in a long while that she'd had such a heart-to-heart with her sister.
At the company, Xiao Chen settled into his office. Before long, Tong Yan arrived with documents. Embarrassed about what had happened the previous evening, she avoided his eyes. Xiao Chen reassured her lightly, then reviewed her work, which passed without issue.
After she left, he killed time with computer games, thinking idly how boring office life felt compared to school—except that here, at least, he got paid.
By noon, Ding Li appeared, inviting him to lunch at the company cafeteria.
"Is it good?" Xiao Chen asked.
"Delicious—and full of pretty girls," Ding Li grinned.
Rolling his eyes, Xiao Chen scolded him for being shameless, though he was just as eager to go. Laughing together, they headed out for lunch.