Mo Fang gave a huff in response. “I could have told you that before. Well, did you eat anything while you were out?” He couldn’t help but remember that he had eaten while he was sitting with Linghu Jiahao. Si Tao had only arrived later and then gone to make the call for him before they already left again. So it was questionable whether he had eaten anything this evening.

Si Tao who was still busy staring into the fridge turned to Mo Fang with a blank expression. “This … isn’t an invitation to cook for me, is it?” He wasn’t sure if he trusted this offer. Sure, Mo Fang had told him when he started a cooking course back then, and he also knew that he had been cooking a little more while abroad but he couldn’t imagine that it was all that good. Mo Fang shouldn’t have had that much time to actually practice.

Mo Fang saw his skeptical look and chuckled. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

Si Tao glanced at the fridge and then stepped back, raising his hands. “No, no, I didn’t say anything. I’ll gladly give your cooking a try. I just don’t want you to tire yourself out. But if you’ve already offered …” He stepped further back and leaned against the cooking aisle in the middle of the kitchen, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Actually, he still was worried about this but then, how bad could it be? It was better to give it a try. After all, hadn’t his goal for today been to check up on Mo Fang and cheer him up a bit? Even if the food was really horrible, it wouldn’t matter. As long as it could make Mo Fang forget about everything else for even half an hour, it was worth it.

Mo Fang gave him a doubtful look but when Si Tao motioned for him to go ahead, he still gave a hum. Looking through the fridge and picking out a few ingredients, he started to make two simple dishes. Anyway, he shouldn’t challenge Si Tao’s patience too much. The guy still looked apprehensive even if he might not mean to.

Mo Fang didn’t say much and simply focused on cooking.

Si Tao also didn’t insist on making conversation. Instead, he used the opportunity to watch Mo Fang’s moves closely. Actually, this did look a lot more practiced than he would have thought. It seemed he hadn’t given Mo Fang the credit he was due. Maybe his dinner wouldn’t be totally horrible.

A few minutes later, Mo Fang turned off the stovetop, filled the dishes into two bowls, and then handed one to Si Tao while walking over to the table with the other one.

Si Tao secretly sniffed at the food in his bowl while following him over and then nodded faintly. Well, the process had looked good and the smell was acceptable as well. He didn’t think he’d go home with food poisoning tonight.

He sat down opposite Mo Fang who pushed the second bowl toward him and picked up his chopsticks. “Are you not going to eat anything?”

Mo Fang shook his head. “I already ate after I arrived at the restaurant. If you stay longer though, maybe we can both have a snack later.”

Si Tao gave a hum and lowered his head. “Are you worried that I’ll stay or is that you being hopeful?” He shot him a smile and wriggled his brows while carefully taking the first bite of the food.

When he did, his eyes lit up. The dish wasn’t perfect. In fact, compared to the food he usually ate, he wouldn’t even call it good. It was alright though. Definitely the type of food you could eat every day without worry that you’d get tired of it. “I had no idea your cooking progressed to this point.”

Mo Fang shook his head at him. “You really thought it would be horrible.”

“No! How could that be?” Si Tao took a bite from the second dish and nodded. “Really not bad. Anyway, I’m only praising your here. In fact, even if I had thought it would be horrible, you can’t really blame me. You were never interested in cooking when we were dating. Ah, thinking back now, it’s almost as if you’re a different person.”

Si Tao sighed, feeling that this wasn’t that wrong to say. Over the years, Mo Fang had changed a lot. In fact, it hadn’t only been the three years abroad but even before that. It was just that being away from home had apparently sped that process up by a lot.

Mo Fang smiled wryly. “You’re not wrong. I’m not sure if it’s a good thing though. Sometimes … I just wish all of it hadn’t happened. My life could have been …” He shook his head, not finishing the sentence.

Anyway, where was the point from which everything had changed? If he had one chance to change the past, what was it he would do? The night when Yu Ting left him? The day he went abroad? His breakup with Li Ming? When he met Li Ming for the first time? His first relationship?

Somehow, all of these things had led him to where he was now. He didn’t like his current situation but if he were to think back, he had always done what he believed to be right.

Yes, he hadn’t been mature enough and he hadn’t known what he wanted so many things he did had been wrong. Naturally, he regretted them. And yet … to take away even one of them would mean that he wouldn’t have lived through the good times either. And missing those memories … he also wouldn’t be able to take that.

He sighed and leaned back. “I guess there is no use crying over what happened in the past. I should just try and cherish it for what it is. In the future … who knows what will happen?”