Chapter 103: Eating Together?

Chapter 103: Eating Together?

In the days that followed, the two of them kept in touch, but Su Lichen would only contact Xu Moxing about the cats. He knew he had no good reason to reach out to Xu Moxing otherwise.

"Don't worry, the vet said the tabby has a good chance of survival. The black-and-white cat is in worse shape and needs more observation."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work."

Xu Moxing felt a bit apologetic. It was his first time rescuing cats, and he’d never kept pets before, so he had no idea they needed to see a vet for checkups.

Only recently, after rescuing these two little ones, had he stumbled upon videos on how to care for and rescue cats.

So this is how complicated proper rescue work is?

It’s not something you can do with just passion and love—you need money, time, and effort.

The third day of the kittens’ hospitalization was the weekend.

Last night, Su Lichen had messaged Xu Moxing: "What time tomorrow?"

"How about we go after lunch?"

"Okay."

Su Lichen assumed Xu Moxing meant they’d each eat lunch separately and then head over together. He didn’t expect Xu Moxing’s next words to shock him.

"I’ll cook. Do you want to come over and eat? Then we can go from my place?"

Su Lichen couldn’t believe Xu Moxing was actively inviting him for a meal. He thought he was dreaming, but his instincts kicked in, and he immediately agreed.

"Sure! I’ll be there tomorrow!"

When it came to the kittens, Xu Moxing felt a bit guilty.

He felt he had caused Su Lichen trouble: because he’d found the cats, and after Su Lichen adopted them, not only did he have to spend money on their treatment, but he also put in a lot of effort.

After all, Su Lichen had been running around taking care of the kittens, while Xu Moxing hadn’t done much.

Right now, Xu Moxing felt like an irresponsible breeder who’d given away two sick cats, costing Su Lichen a lot of money and time.

But if he offered money, Su Lichen would definitely refuse. After thinking it over, the only option was to treat Su Lichen to a meal.

Su Lichen didn’t seem to cook and ate out all the time, which wasn’t healthy anyway. This was the only way Xu Moxing could ease his guilt.

Every day, the first thing Xu Moxing did when he woke up was turn off the desk lamp that had been on all night.

Saturday morning, as usual, he turned off the lamp, got up, washed up, and leisurely went out for breakfast.

He’d narrowed it down to three favorite breakfast spots. After eating, he walked to the nearby market to buy groceries.

Since Su Lichen had spent so much on treating the cats, Xu Moxing figured he should at least treat him to a nice meal.

At this point, Xu Moxing had no special feelings for Su Lichen. He was just treating him like an ordinary friend or a kind-hearted "adopter" who adopted stray cats—no intimate emotions involved.

Xu Moxing spent over three hours cooking that lunch...

Meanwhile, Su Lichen got up just as early, humming a tune as he opened his closet to pick out clothes.

He decided not to style his hair too elaborately, keeping it casual. He skipped the cologne too, since they were going to see the cats anyway. Just dress nicely, that’s all.

After getting ready, Su Lichen kept checking his watch, thinking, "Why isn’t it 11:30 yet?"

When Xu Moxing answered Su Lichen’s call, he still had two dishes left to cook. He’d held off cooking them earlier because he didn’t want the food to get cold by the time Su Lichen arrived.

"Hey, Mo, I’m at your building, but I can’t get in."

"Okay, I’ll come down and let you in. You’re right on time—I still have two quick dishes to whip up."

Xu Moxing ran downstairs to open the door. Su Lichen was holding a bag of fruit.

"This is for you. Consider it a little something for my first visit. Last time doesn’t count."

"You didn’t have to buy anything."

Xu Moxing took the bag anyway, and they went upstairs to his room.

Carrying the fruit, Xu Moxing invited Su Lichen to sit on the sofa and wait.

"Just sit and wait a bit. Food will be ready soon."

Since Su Lichen had brought something, they could have it as a snack after the meal.

"Okay."

Su Lichen watched Xu Moxing head into the kitchen and took the opportunity to look around the place.

The studio apartment was spacious enough that if you put up a partition wall in the middle, it could become a one-bedroom unit.

Xu Moxing had hung a curtain to separate his bed, ensuring some privacy when friends came over.

Since the curtain was open, Su Lichen could see the stuffed animals on the bed. It seemed Xu Moxing really treasured those little things.

"Su Lichen, come eat."

Xu Moxing brought out the last dish and set it on the table.

"Okay."

Su Lichen sat down at the table.

Xu Moxing scooped rice into a bowl, placed it in front of Su Lichen, and sat down across from him.

They picked up their chopsticks and ate in silence. Neither spoke.

Su Lichen picked up a sparerib and took a bite. It was braised so tender that the meat fell right off the bone.

He chewed and swallowed. "It’s really good."

He wanted to say, "Your cooking seems even better than before," but he stopped himself.

He was afraid Xu Moxing would think he was trying to be too familiar.