I’m Face-Blind, But I Devoted Myself To Three Guys - Chapter 34

Chapter 34: Secret Love is a One-Man War…

Chi Hui: “…” Qi Xu: “?” Chi Hui: “………” Qi Xu: “??”

Chi Hui stared at Qi Xu expressionlessly, not saying a single word.

With no one to pick up the joke, it fell to the ground with a “splat,” making Qi Xu feel a belated sense of shame. He slowly turned his head away.

What’s wrong? Does Chi Hui not appreciate this kind of sucking up? But this was exactly how he used to coax his brother.

While Qi Xu was doubting himself, Chi Hui finally snapped out of it. He stared intently at Qi Xu, his face a complex swirl of emotions that he didn’t know how to express.

Feeling embarrassed by the gaze, Qi Xu could only offer a placating smile, his eyes curving into sparkling crescents—he looked incredibly beautiful when he smiled.

“…” Chi Hui opened his mouth and closed it several times, wanting to say something but ultimately failing to find the words.

In the end, the awkwardness was hastily brushed aside in their mutual silence. Chi Hui finished processing the remaining food and carried it into the kitchen. Qi Xu, acting like a little tail, followed behind and watched as he dumped all the chopped meat and vegetables into a pot.

It looked like he was making a big stew.

Before turning on the heat, Chi Hui hesitated, took out a smaller pot, and set aside a portion. He removed the duck meat, celery, and carrots, then blanched the rest and added seasoning.

After that, he led his “little tail” back to the dining table. There was still a batch of minced meat to deal with.

Qi Xu initially thought they were making dumplings, but then he saw Chi Hui rolling the meat into balls and flattening them into patties. This operation didn’t require much technical skill, so Qi Xu felt eager to try.

Chi Hui glanced up out of boredom and saw the boy staring fixedly at the bowl of meat filling, looking full of interest. Qi Xu met his gaze, his clear, bright eyes full of anticipation and inquiry—exactly like the silly dog at home when it wanted someone to take it out to play.

“…Gloves are in the kitchen cabinet,” Chi Hui said, looking away.

Knowing this was permission to help, Qi Xu immediately went to get the gloves. Upon returning, he mimicked Chi Hui’s movements: scooping the filling, rolling it round, and pressing it flat.

The meat filling had a peculiar texture, different from the pastry dough he had worked with before. He wasn’t sure what was added, but it was sticky and stringy, making it easy to shape. As he worked, Qi Xu forgot he wasn’t at home, and his playful side took over.

Hearts, cat heads, little bunnies…

Qi Xu pursed his lips, smiling at his handiwork. The words “Look, Auntie!” were about to slip out when he looked up and saw Chi Hui watching him with a look of utter disbelief.

“…” He closed his mouth halfway and silently squashed the meat patty he was shaping into a flower back into a circle.

“You finish the rest,” Chi Hui let out a soft scoff, not exposing the boy’s clumsy attempt to cover his tracks. He wiped his hands and looked toward the stove in the kitchen.

Qi Xu knew he was going to handle the ingredients in the pot, so he nodded obediently. Once Chi Hui left, Qi Xu rebelliously restored the circular patty to its flower shape and made the subsequent ones into flowers as well, while keeping the rest as standard circles.

The patties needed to be baked. Fearing his “special editions” would be left behind, Qi Xu specifically loaded them onto the baking tray first. He followed Chi Hui’s instructions, placing the tray in the preheated oven and setting the time and temperature.

By the time Qi Xu was finished, Chi Hui was also done. He poured the food from the small pot into a large bowl, drizzled it with a freshly made vinaigrette, and pushed it toward Qi Xu.

“You can eat now.”

Looking at the single serving of food, Qi Xu blinked: “Aren’t you eating?”

“I ate this morning,” Chi Hui replied.

Only then did Qi Xu think to check the time. It was only 10:00 AM, not yet time for lunch. Why did Chi Hui start preparing so early then? Qi Xu wondered.

Seeing him dazed, Chi Hui frowned: “Are you not eating again?”

Qi Xu immediately protected his food: “I am!”

The ingredients were fresh, and the preparation was light; the vegetables and meat were simply boiled and drizzled with sauce, resembling a luxury salad. However, the sauce Chi Hui mixed himself tasted surprisingly good.

“Your cooking is amazing,” Qi Xu praised sincerely.

Chi Hui, who was sitting nearby scrolling through his phone, looked up: “You learn when you have to do it a lot as a kid.”

Hearing him mention his childhood, Qi Xu recalled the data the system had given him: Chi Hui had grown up in a small orphanage in a neighboring city. His childhood was likely difficult, forcing him to learn many survival skills.

Lost in thought, Qi Xu’s eating pace slowed down. By the time the meat patties were finished baking, he had only sluggishly finished half his bowl.

Chi Hui brought out the baking tray, and Qi Xu immediately went to check his results. Among the pile of cute, round patties were a few mysterious objects that had shrunk and deformed into eerie shapes. One could vaguely identify a cat head and a “desperate version” of a bunny; only the heart shape was somewhat recognizable.

Such conspicuous artwork made even Chi Hui look twice. After looking, he felt his eyes were blinded and turned to leave.

Qi Xu bit his fork, staring at them for a while before finally taking out his phone to snap a photo. To commemorate his first time making meat patties—and to pester Jiang Ying-shen—he sent a message.

「Look at the meat patties I just learned to make.」 「When are you done with your work, Senior? Come to my house and I’ll make some for you to try.」 「[Photo of the Desperate Meat Patties]」

The message didn’t get an immediate reply. Their chat history still ended with Jiang Ying-shen saying his elderly relative was having surgery, so he was quite busy. It seemed he was still taking care of his family.

Qi Xu tapped his fork against his lip, wondering if he should forward this information to the other protagonist. But thinking about the bite mark on his neck, he was still a bit unhappy with that one.

When Chi Hui came out with another pot of boiled vegetables, he saw the boy staring at his phone with a serious expression. Seeing Chi Hui out of the corner of his eye, Qi Xu immediately closed his phone. He was full but didn’t want to give up “Lickspittle Points,” so he just pushed the food around in his bowl with his fork.

After a while, Qi Xu suddenly remembered: “Ah, can you teach me how to make these meat patties?” Once he learned, he could use them to trade for points with the other two.

Chi Hui, standing by the Golden Retriever, asked in confusion: “Do you have a dog at home too?”

Qi Xu didn’t yet understand the connection between making meat patties and owning a dog—until he noticed the Golden Retriever at Chi Hui’s feet, feasting greedily. He realized at a glance that the food in the dog’s bowl was made of the exact same ingredients Chi Hui had prepared earlier.

He looked down at his own bowl, then at the identical food in the dog’s bowl, and finally at the half-finished meal he had just eaten.

“…” “…”

Made for the dog… it really was made for the dog.

Recalling his thick-skinned behavior of begging for food earlier, Qi Xu’s ears instantly turned scarlet. A few seconds later, he quickly reacted and pointed at the cooling meat patties on the table: “Are those also for the dog?”

Chi Hui stared at Qi Xu warily, afraid that if he admitted it, the boy would let out another “Woof” in the next second. But his expression had already given Qi Xu the answer. Qi Xu blinked twice and immediately pulled out his phone.

However, the message he sent to Jiang Ying-shen could no longer be retracted.

Qi Xu pursed his lips: “…”

It should be fine, right? He won’t be able to tell it’s dog food.

Chi Hui frowned, puzzled by his erratic behavior. But Qi Xu soon accepted his own stupidity and continued stuffing the remaining food into his mouth.

Anyway, a “lickspittle” is also a “dog.” Barking like a dog for a meal of dog food while earning two extra days of life—no matter how he thought about it, it was a bargain. All he lost was his dignity.

Having comforted himself, Qi Xu suddenly realized a moment later that the portion he was eating had been specially set aside for him by Chi Hui. Recalling the vegetables Chi Hui had picked out earlier, Qi Xu asked curiously: “How did you know I don’t eat celery and carrots?”

He didn’t remember being that specific yesterday.

Chi Hui patted the dog’s tail and said naturally, “Didn’t you just pick those two out of your dried fruit snack and feed them to this silly dog?”

Qi Xu bit his fork and blinked, guiltily looking away. He thought his little movements were subtle, but they had all been seen.

Having solved the dining problem for both the “Big” and “Little” troubles, Chi Hui declined Qi Xu’s offer to show off his skills and just put together a simple lunch for himself.

In the afternoon, while Chi Hui was resting on the sofa, Qi Xu and the dog huddled up next to him again. “What” had the leash in its mouth, the meaning obvious.

Qi Xu: “‘What’ seems to want to go out to play.” Chi Hui didn’t even look up: “Then take him for a walk downstairs.” It wasn’t snowing anymore anyway. “Do you want to come out for some fresh air too?” Qi Xu suggested.

Chi Hui did want to go out—he couldn’t stand being cooped up—but his leg was really inconvenient. As if seeing his concern, Qi Xu smiled: “I can push you in the wheelchair.”

“…” Chi Hui looked at the wheelchair in the corner, his face full of resistance.

Qi Xu had brought the wheelchair to please him because he remembered Xu Changshu saying Chi Hui couldn’t sit still, so he wanted to push him for walks when he was free. However, his performance this morning seemed to have cost him Chi Hui’s trust. Another Lickspittle Plan had failed halfway.

Although Qi Xu wanted to go out with the dog, he hadn’t forgotten his mission, so he decided to stay and accompany his “lifeline.” But he still tried to struggle, looking pitifully at the man who had rejected him.

Seeing that the person who was excited to take him out had suddenly gone quiet, the Golden Retriever turned in circles, confused, before finally sitting at Qi Xu’s feet and staring at the person on the sofa along with him.

Chi Hui, stared at by four watery eyes: “…”

Qi Xu sat perfectly straight, looking neither left nor right. “What” also sat perfectly straight, looking neither left nor right.

Ten minutes later.

“Tsk, turn off those searchlights.”

Secret love is a one-man war, but being a lickspittle clearly isn’t, because the person being “licked” is more flustered than the one doing the licking.

The “searchlights” flashed twice, and Qi Xu blinked as he leaned in: “So, are we going out to play?”

Chi Hui looked at the ceiling, speechless: “If you pull any more stunts, don’t come back tomorrow.”

Satisfied, Qi Xu beamed: “Heh, I won’t. I’ll be very careful.”

Finally, the two men and the dog went downstairs. Fortunately, the snow on the paths had been cleared by the property staff, making it much easier to walk than in the morning. Qi Xu pushed Chi Hui straight to the small park in the middle of the neighborhood.

But as soon as they got outside, “What” became excited, and Qi Xu could barely hold it back. Understanding the silly dog’s nature, Chi Hui operated the wheelchair to stop under a pine tree: “You take him for a walk first, I’ll wait for you here.”

Qi Xu was a bit worried but felt it was better to let the dog burn off some energy first, otherwise, it might accidentally knock into Chi Hui. He took two hand warmers from his pocket and stuffed them into Chi Hui’s hands: “Then wait for me obediently. Don’t get down and walk around.”

Chi Hui was speechless. What’s with this ‘taking care of a child’ tone?

Qi Xu was pulled far away by “What.” At first, he could still see Chi Hui’s figure, but then it disappeared completely. Worried that Chi Hui might be inconvenienced alone, Qi Xu wanted to head back, but the Golden Retriever had suddenly become stubborn and refused to turn around no matter how hard he pulled.

Qi Xu had a bit of a headache. Remembering he had brought the baked meat patties he made, he tried to lure the dog with food. However, the dog ate the nice-looking ones but refused to even touch the ones Qi Xu made himself.

The rejected Qi Xu clutched his abstract artwork, feeling a bit indignant: “You’re a dog, what do you know about aesthetics?”

Just as he finished grumbling, “What” suddenly looked up alertly, staring in a certain direction. Before Qi Xu could react, the dog suddenly bolted, dragging him along.

Qi Xu didn’t expect its explosive power and nearly tripped. Having finally stabilized himself, he saw a person appearing ahead. “What” was charging straight for that man. Seeing the dog getting closer and closer, about to collide, Qi Xu couldn’t stop it and could only shout: “Watch out!”

Thinking Oh no, Qi Xu instinctively closed his eyes.

Thump! They finally collided.

But it wasn’t the man-dog collision Qi Xu expected; it was Qi Xu who crashed into the person.

“Ugh.” Qi Xu felt dizzy from the impact and was about to fall backward. Fortunately, the person he hit reacted quickly and reached out to catch him.

Still shaken, Qi Xu grabbed the person’s arm to steady himself and glanced at the troublemaking Golden Retriever at his feet. To his surprise, the dog had become perfectly behaved, sitting by his feet and wagging its tail fawningly. It wasn’t being picky now; it started licking the meat patty out of Qi Xu’s hand.

Qi Xu almost wanted to laugh. A moment later, he remembered the innocent bystander.

“I’m sorry, are you okay?”

“…” Jiang Ying-shen looked down at the meat patty he had just seen on his phone. “I’m fine.”

As soon as he spoke, the air went silent. One second, two seconds…

Qi Xu suddenly looked up: “Eh?”