Imperfect Desires

566 Brought Him Before Her

Precisely after 40 minutes, Xiu served the food. And that possibly be the most awkward 40 minutes of Han Bohai\'s life. He really had no way out. And he didn\'t know how or what to talk to Xiu either. For some reason, he couldn\'t even call her name. Even though he was very used to saying, Sister Xiu. But she wasn\'t his Sister Xiu and he couldn\'t bring himself to even say Xiu.

Xiu, on the other hand, didn\'t notice how fidgety he had been since she was too engrossed in preparing everything with the best of her abilities just for him. She couldn\'t neglect it at all. It was the first time in five years he was gonna eat something made by her, how could she do it half-heartedly?

When Han Bohai looked at the dishes, he was taken aback slightly. Everything on the table was his favorite. This left a complicated feeling in his heart but he didn\'t voice it out.

Xiu sat at the dining table as well and continued to put different things in his bowl saying, "Try it! Hurry up! Don\'t be shy."

Nodding his head, he picked up his chopsticks and took the first bite. His expressions shifted visibly. He took the spoon and scooped up some soup to take a sip. And the reaction was still the same. This taste... It was so familiar. Even the feeling of warmth it brought within him was very familiar to him.

*Flashback*

\'I\'m telling you, little assistant, you\'ll miss me once I\'m gone! Don\'t say I didn\'t warn you!\' Chen Xiu was used to warn him that way which he never took seriously.

\'I don\'t know whether I\'ll miss you or not but I\'ll certainly miss the food you make.\' He used to answer with graceful simplicity.

She would laugh at his reply and say, \'Idiot! That\'s just another way of saying you\'ll really miss me.\'

\'How so?\'

\'Because you can\'t find this taste anywhere else.\' One could hear the hint of pride and self-satisfaction in her voice.

\'Aren\'t you being narcissistic?\'

She shook her head at him, \'Not at all! Can you find the taste of your mother\'s meals anywhere?\'

\'Not really.\'

\'That\'s exactly why my food is also special. I don\'t just add the ingredients, I add in all my love, sincerity, and magic that only belongs to me.\'

\'I can\'t believe an award-winning actress is actually being proudful of her cooking skills instead of her acting skills. Sister Xiu, you\'re truly one of a kind, eh!\'

She would unhappily glare at him and grumble, \'One day you\'ll look for this taste everywhere but won\'t be able to find it.\'

\'Then I\'ll just find you,\' he answered.

\'As if I\'m that easy to find. Once I decided to hide, you won\'t even be able to see my shadow! Then you\'ll regret talking so rudely to me all the time. And looking down at my skills.\'

*End of Flashback*

But the one thing he loved about the things she made was that it brought a very homey feeling. It reminded him of those summer days in his childhood where he would run home just to eat the food made by his mother. And he loved that feeling.

"Is it that spicy?"

Xiu\'s question brought Han Bohai back to the present and he realized that this meal was made by the girl sitting before him. Who had the same name as his Sister Xiu.

"Is it really spicy?" Xiu repeated her question and he shook his head in reply. "Then is it that bad?" He shook his head again. He seemed to have not eaten this good of a meal in years. How could it be bad? "Then why are you crying?"

Only now did Han Bohai lifted his hand to touch the cheek where a tear was rolling down. He didn\'t even realize when his tears had fallen. It was truly a wonder to himself how he could cry so easily and that too before a stranger. Perhaps, the taste of the food touched him so deeply that he couldn\'t hold back his emotions.

"Why are you really crying?" Xiu asked in a soft voice again.

Shaking his head, he answered, "The taste just reminded me of someone."

Xiu\'s expressions also softened as she asked, "And who is that person?"

"Someone very special," said Han Bohai.

Xiu didn\'t even notice how her lips curled up into a wide smile when she heard that. Even if he wasn\'t talking about her, she\'d just assume he was. That thought was enough to keep her happy for the whole day. Actually, no! Seeing him in person today was also enough to keep her in a good mood for the whole week.

Wiping his tears, he said, "I\'m sorry for spoiling the mood. I couldn\'t help it."

"It\'s fine as long as you are enjoying the food." Xiu obviously didn\'t mind anything right now. In fact, right now she was in such a good mood that even if someone slapped her she\'d still be grinning like an idiot. "Eat more. Don\'t hold back just because of me."

Han Bohai didn\'t need to be told twice. He was already enjoying this meal very much. How was he supposed to shy away now?

Xiu couldn\'t express in words just how much she was pleased to see the way Han Bohai enjoyed his food. It reminded her of old times when he would do anything to eat at her place. At every chance, he would avoid the takeout food saying, \'It\'s not healthy. Homemade food is still the best.\'

Seeing him like this, Xiu thought he hadn\'t changed at all. He was still that Xiao Bobo who heartily enjoyed eating everything she cooked no matter how simple it was. Even if she made instant noodles, he would say it tastes better when she made it.

There was a bit of sadness in her eyes as she watched him eat. But mostly it was just pure happiness of seeing him so close. God really knew how to play this game. In the end, he was still brought right before her.