Chapter 73: Date

Chapter 73: The Date

Jiang Xun leaned against the railing, letting the sea breeze ruffle his hair, and smiled faintly at Liu Hai. "I somehow feel you have the potential to be quite the rascal too."

Liu Hai blinked in confusion.

"Want to come up?" Jiang Xun chuckled. "A Yu's first batch of takoyaki was a bit rough, but the second batch looks much better."

"Want me to snag you some first?"

"Okay, I'm coming up!" Liu Hai called back, scrambling. "Can you really out-compete them?"

"Of course," Jiang Xun replied with a smirk. "Just some 'Seagull Doctor' and 'loafers'..."

"Huh?" Feng Yan, the "Seagull Doctor," blew on his scalding hot takoyaki in surprise. "You actually give people nicknames? 'Seagull Doctor'—I kinda like it."

"Wait!" Kong Tela whirled around in shock. "So... I'm the 'loafer'?"

His voice rose in disbelief. "You're kidding me! Jiang Xun!"

Liu Hai was just hauling himself out of the water, shaking himself like a wet dog. As he wrapped himself in a towel, he spoke up for Jiang Xun: "He probably said it because he thinks you're cute, right? Right, Jiang Xun!"

He frantically gestured to Jiang Xun, who, holding a plate of freshly made takoyaki, mumbled, "Yeah, something like that."

Kong Tela snorted. "This kid shows absolutely no remorse!"

Liu Hai held up the takoyaki he'd helped retrieve, curiously eyeing the dancing bonito flakes and brown sauce. "Looks pretty much the same as the takoyaki Xiao Jin bought."

"The inside is completely different!" Xiao Jin declared solemnly, brandishing a knife. "They're not even on the same level!"

"Uh-huh, uh-huh." Kong Tela's eyelid twitched as he reached out to stop her. "Got it, just put the knife down first."

Liu Hai adopted the air of a gourmet. "Then I'll taste it!"

"Careful, it's hot!" Jiang Xun's warning came too late; Liu Hai had already popped an entire takoyaki into his mouth, promptly joining Feng Yan in panting and blowing from the heat.

Jiang Xun: "..."

The two, eyes watering, communicated in a series of "mmphs" and "aahs."

Kong Tela frowned. "What are they even saying?"

"It sounds like..." Xiao Jin attempted to translate, "Feng Yan said, 'I told you it was hot, now you're suffering too,' and Liu Hai replied, 'Hot hot hot, what are you even saying, hot hot hot!'"

Kong Tela looked even more stunned. "You can actually understand that?"

A Yu said expressionlessly, "It must be that telepathy between idiots."

"I wasn't referring to IQ."

"Huh?" Xiao Jin turned around, hands on her hips. "How dare you!"

A Yu tapped the takoyaki machine. "Hmm?"

Xiao Jin: "..."

She put on a fawning smile. "Hehe, the chef can be bold."

"Chef Fish, your hard work is appreciated."

"Whew!" Liu Hai finally swallowed the takoyaki, eyes brimming with emotion. "So hot but so good! Wow, I don't know why, but it's extra delicious!"

"Because it's your own handiwork," Xiao Jin said with a smile. "You caught the octopus yourself!"

"But how did you catch it?" Kong Tela asked, a little curious. "I didn't see you with a spear—did you just grab it barehanded?"

"Hands?" Liu Hai looked down at his own hands seriously. "Hands are pretty useful. You can reach into holes and pull the octopus out."

"But more importantly—strength!"

He proudly flexed his "strong" physique. "I'm really strong! It was no match for me!"

"Sounds fun," Feng Yan said, rubbing his stomach. "Are we just eating takoyaki today? Should we catch some other fish too? I want to get in the water now."

"Kong Tela, can you swim?"

"I can, but..." Kong Tela glanced uneasily at the sky. "The sun's too strong. I—"

"Wow, seriously?" Feng Yan's eyes widened. "You need sunscreen?"

"There's coral here—only natural sunscreen works."

"Obviously I know that," Kong Tela retorted, rolling his eyes. "I'm fundamentally different from an instinct-driven savage like you."

"Tch, pretentious." Feng Yan whispered to Liu Hai, "Wanna team up and push him overboard?"

"Ah—" Liu Hai whispered back. "That's not nice. He might cry."

"It's fine," Feng Yan assured him, giving a thumbs-up. "No one sees tears in the sea."

Kong Tela: "I can hear you! And I'm the one who's gonna dunk you to wash that overly muddled mind of yours!"

Feng Yan stripped off his shirt and dove into the water. Kong Tela looked conflicted before turning and heading into the boat cabin.

"Huh?" Feng Yan called from the water. "Who chickens out?"

Kong Tela snapped, "Changing clothes!"

"You need to hide in the cabin to change?" Feng Yan sounded incredulous. "What, are you a princess?"

Kong Tela stormed back out in his swimwear. "Obviously I'm a man!"

Feng Yan smoothly amended, "Prince, then!"

Kong Tela: "...Are you using that as an insult?"

Jiang Xun disdainfully shifted his fishing rod aside. "Go swim somewhere else. Don't scare off my shrimp."

"There weren't any shrimp biting anyway," Feng Yan teased. "Not very skilled at sea hunting, are you, Jiang Xun? If you ever live underwater, you'll just have to be Liu Hai's kept man."

Liu Hai completely missed the "if you live underwater" part and cheered, "Yeah, yeah! I can support him! Jiang Xun doesn't eat much anyway."

Jiang Xun coughed lightly. "Well... thanks for that?"

"You're actually considering it?!" Feng Yan gasped. "How about this—lend me Liu Hai for two days, and I'll catch you two shrimp to hook for you."

"No deal." Jiang Xun lazily moved his rod away, acting indifferent to whether he caught anything.

Feng Yan deliberately splashed around Jiang Xun's fishing spot before suddenly turning and drenching Kong Tela with a splash, then diving underwater to escape.

As they were about to brawl in the water, Liu Hai excitedly propped himself on the railing to watch the spectacle: "Go, Kong Tela! Go, Feng Yan!"

Jiang Xun chuckled: "Why are you cheering for both sides?"

"Because winning or losing doesn't matter," Liu Hai chuckled. "It's all about having fun."

He asked proudly, "So, what do you think?"

Jiang Xun was puzzled: "How is what?"

Liu Hai said matter-of-factly: "The date!"

Jiang Xun's normally quick mind seemed to freeze for a moment, and it took him a while to find his voice again: "A... a date?"

"Uh, is this a date?"

"Yeah!" Liu Hai looked surprised. "Jiang Xun didn't know? That's what I learned! Hanging out with someone you like is called a date. Jiang Xun..."

Jiang Xun reached out and covered his mouth, sighing softly: "Okay, I understand."

He consoled himself, "You mean I'm just one of the many people you 'kinda' like, right?"

"Well, if you put it that way, I guess it can count as a date."

"Right!" Liu Hai lifted his chin proudly. "I saw it on TV—they said this place is a perfect date spot!"

Jiang Xun gave a small laugh: "Fine, then I'll give my review of Liu Hai's carefully planned date."

He pointed at A Yu, who was still diligently making takoyaki, and Xiao Jin, the octopus prep chef. "The takoyaki is delicious."

Then he gestured toward Kong Tela and Feng Yan, who were splashing wildly in the water as their battle intensified. "The water show's entertaining too."

Finally, he reached out and ruffled Liu Hai's hair. "And Liu Hai is very cute."

Liu Hai blinked expectantly: "What else?"

"What else?" Jiang Xun frowned in distress. "I'm not good at sharing thoughts. This third-grade-book-report level response is already my best effort."

"But you missed the most important part," Liu Hai said seriously, staring into his eyes. "What about how *you* feel?"

Jiang Xun: "..."

After hesitating, he decided to be uncharacteristically honest and mumbled, "Very happy."

"Hehe!" Only then did Liu Hai feel satisfied. He turned to A Yu and said, "Chef A Yu! Another serving of takoyaki!"

He bounded over to A Yu, looked up, and said, "Your takoyaki is especially delicious—it tastes like happiness! A Yu is amazing!"

Jiang Xun, who had just felt proud of himself for saying "very happy": "..."

The contrast was stark.

"Then eat more," A Yu said gently. "I don't mind making it for you."

"What about praising the hard-working octopus chef, Xiao Jin?" Xiao Jin deliberately leaned in. "Isn't Xiao Jin amazing too?"

"Very amazing!" Liu Hai hurriedly praised her. "Xiao Jin just started learning, right? You got the hang of it so fast!"

"Heh." Xiao Jin grinned and squeezed his cheeks, then suddenly turned to look at Jiang Xun. She slowly let go and took a couple of steps back. "Boss, you're making a strange face."

"Don't worry, it's not about you," Jiang Xun said with a complicated look. "I just think Liu Hai, in some ways, also has the potential to be a heartbreaker."

Liu Hai looked back, puzzled: "Huh?"

He looked to Xiao Jin for confirmation. "Was that an insult just now?"

"Uh, well..." Xiao Jin dodged the question guiltily. "Did Kong Tela and Dr. Feng Yan catch anything? Ahaha, I'm so curious—I'll go check!"

She made a quick escape.

Left with no choice, Liu Hai turned his gaze to Chef Yu, who was stuck at the takoyaki station.

A Yu: "..."

"He just doesn't understand."

A Yu tried to defend Liu Hai. "Maybe let him watch some romance movies? They're all about love."

"Boss, do you have any favorite romance movies?"

He expected Jiang Xun to say he never watched that kind of thing, but to his surprise, Jiang Xun actually thought about it seriously.

"Recommendations for Liu Hai?" Jiang Xun lifted his eyes. "Guess I could use the lesson too."

Liu Hai understood his meaning and wagged his tail happily: "Then we can watch together!"

"Jiang Xun, do you have work tonight? We can start tonight!"

"Ah," he said, playing at being mature by placing his hands on his hips and nodding. "Just saying the word 'love' makes me feel so much more grown-up."

"Tonight?" Jiang Xun checked the time. "After eight."

Liu Hai was surprised: "Do you have work scheduled for the evening?"

"Yeah," Jiang Xun replied with a smile. "I need to meet that roundabout boss—there are some things I have to discuss with him."

"You can choose something to watch with Xiao Jin and the others first."

Liu Hai enthusiastically invited them: "Then, Xiao Jin and A Yu, do you want to watch with us?"

Before A Yu could answer, Xiao Jin—who had somehow snuck back—quickly said, "No! We're good! Ahaha, right, A Yu?"

A Yu felt sudden pressure and gave a slow nod: "Yeah..."