Desire is the driving force behind human progress, but if it is not controlled, it is also the root of human depravity.
Lin Yi wouldn't say that he had 100% control over his desires, but at least he could still restrain himself.
Victory was within sight, and he wouldn't ruin the good situation because of a momentary impulse, causing everything to be lost.
After steadying his mind, Lin Yi reminded her, "With so many ingredients, it might take you a lot of time to prepare them all by yourself. How about I help you with the prep work?"
Xiaolan looked at the ingredients, and indeed, that was the case. She hesitated for a moment, then handed the knife to Lin Yi and said, "Then please help me prepare the ingredients… I'll take full responsibility for the cooking part, so don't interfere!"
"Okay."
Lin Yi readily agreed.
This was Xiaolan's way of expressing her feelings, and he wouldn't interfere and ruin her good intentions.
What he had to do was to enjoy this sentiment and respond to it…
As for what kind of response to make, needless to say, everyone understood.
After Lin Yi took the kitchen knife from Xiaolan, a strange sense of familiarity came over him.
Lin Yi knew that this feeling was brought about by his dexterity, coupled with the effects of elementary cooking skills.
Suddenly, a thought stirred in his heart, and an urge to show off could no longer be restrained.
He threw the kitchen knife upwards, letting it spin three hundred and sixty degrees three times, before his palm accurately grasped the handle.
Without hesitation, he let the kitchen knife fall.
He chopped at the ingredients with a flurry of blows, quickly and accurately separating them.
The rhythmic sound of chopping, "Da-da-da-da," was a unique kind of enjoyment.
"So amazing."
Although she had guessed that Lin Yi's knife skills wouldn't be bad, Xiaolan didn't expect him to use them so skillfully.
As someone who cooks, she naturally knew that separating ingredients into shapes of roughly the same size was not an easy task, let alone cutting so quickly like Lin Yi; most chefs couldn't do it.
"Have you practiced specifically?" Xiaolan couldn't help but ask.
"Yeah."
Lin Yi nodded in acknowledgement, unhesitatingly making up a story: "I used to work in an open kitchen, where the emphasis was on letting customers see the entire food preparation process… I was mainly responsible for processing ingredients, and I wanted to earn more tips, so I put in the effort to improve my knife skills."
During their conversation, Lin Yi had already finished processing the ingredients, put them on a plate, and started working on the next batch.
Lin Yi asked Xiaolan, "Do you often cook at other people's houses?"
"Not really."
Xiaolan stopped admiring Lin Yi's knife skills and began washing the ingredients on her side: "Only a few times, and I was just helping out… so this is the first time I've taken the helm in someone else's house. If it doesn't taste good later… don't mind it."
"I'm already very grateful that someone is cooking for me."
Lin Yi said, "Just this intention alone is satisfying enough for me, even before I've eaten."
Xiaolan was a little embarrassed by what Lin Yi said: "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have been scolded by the manager… forget it, let's not talk about these unhappy things."
The atmosphere was good, and Xiaolan didn't want to talk about those bad things. She said, "You know what? Lin Yi, you're really amazing… not only can you cook, but you also make it so delicious. My dad doesn't know anything about cooking."
"Then… the most basic reheating of dishes should be possible, right? It's not difficult, just put the dish in the pot and stir it a few times."
"No, no! Last time when he was reheating a dish, he ran off to watch TV halfway through… When I got home, I saw that the wooden spatula had turned into charcoal!"
"…"
"Also, last time when I went to participate in a three-day karate training camp, he ate instant noodles at home for three days! I'm really impressed by him."
— — — — — — — — — — — —
While cooking, they chatted.
The atmosphere was harmonious, vaguely creating a feeling of home.
Lin Yi was very satisfied with this.
It seemed that his carefully designed scenario plan had successfully played the role he had planned!
Lin Yi took the time to glance at Xiaolan, and the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned!
These micro-expressions on a person's face never lie!
Obviously, she was already immersed in this atmosphere, and even while concentrating on making the dishes, she revealed a knowing smile!
This meant that Lin Yi's chosen strategy was correct!
The strategy used on Sonoko was to start from a world she had never been exposed to, creating a feeling she had never experienced before, which successfully opened her heart.
That's why Lin Yi chose to use the element of "racing" as an entry point, and slightly showed some violent means to help her boost her adrenaline, and then take her to a quiet place.
In the end, the novel experience brought by the unknown world, coupled with the quiet environment, plus a single man and a single woman, plus Sonoko having a good impression of Lin Yi, combined with multiple factors, finally succeeded in capturing Sonoko.
And Xiaolan?
When strategizing for her, Lin Yi didn't take any particularly special methods.
Xiaolan is different from Sonoko; she comes from an ordinary family.
To be more specific, she comes from a single-parent family.
Most of the time, she grew up with her father, and although Eri Kisaki didn't ignore her, she couldn't stay by Xiaolan's side for a long time, so a lack of maternal love was inevitable.
Fortunately, Sonoko's appearance later filled in some of that maternal love for Xiaolan.
Due to the incompleteness of her original family, Xiaolan is prone to sentimentality when she is alone, which is a typical manifestation of a lack of security.
Therefore, instead of giving Xiaolan a romantic atmosphere, it is better to give her a sense of security.
And the atmosphere of home is the best embodiment of security.
Judging from Xiaolan's pleasant mood, she very much likes the sense of security that Lin Yi brings her.
Especially after having Shinichi as an unreliable comparison, this sense of security has been rising steadily.
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