What to Do If the White Moonlight Omega Falls in Love with Me - Chapter 28

“Hiss!”

A splash of hot grease from the grill suddenly popped, landing right on Yan Qingran’s eyelid. The searing pain forced her to snap her eyes shut immediately and stumble back a few steps.

Cha Yuxuan quickly grabbed her and led her toward the light, leaning in close. “Don’t open your eyes, let me see.”

Watching from the side, Yan Na and Bo Hang stepped up to take over the grilling duties. Bo Hang began expertly brushing sauce onto the meat while Yan Na fanned the coals and handed out supplies.

Yan Qingran raised a hand to cover her eye and gave Cha Yuxuan a gentle nudge sideways, her eyelashes trembling. “It’s fine, it just caught the eyelid.”

“Let me look.” Cha Yuxuan was persistent, circling back in front of her. She firmly pulled Yan Qingran’s hand away to inspect the area thoroughly, then took out a tissue to dab away the physiological tears seeping from the corner of her eye.

Yan Qingran opened her eyes slightly and reached for the tissue. “I can do it myself.”

Cha Yuxuan caught her wrist and leaned even closer. “Don’t move. Your eye is all red, and you’re still saying it’s fine.”

Muttering under her breath, she stood pressed against Yan Qingran to wipe the tears. She even stood on her tip-toes to gently blow air on the eyelid, claiming it would help dissipate the heat.

The distance between them vanished until their clothes brushed and they could feel each other’s body heat. Yan Qingran felt as if her breath had stopped. The surrounding noise faded away entirely; the smell of the barbecue couldn’t mask the faint, lingering scent of Cha Yuxuan’s pheromones. That milky fragrance swirled around her nose, making the gland at the back of her neck burn slightly. She suddenly wished she wasn’t so sensitive to sweet-scented pheromones.

“That’s enough.” She pushed Cha Yuxuan away awkwardly, blinking a few times to prove she was okay. However, in a detail no one noticed, her ears had turned completely red.

Everyone took turns on duty, and within half an hour, most of the food was cooked. Since they ate as they grilled, no one went hungry. After resting for a while, Yan Qingran returned to the grill. She made the honey mustard chicken wings, concentrating harder on this batch than anything else, despite the fact that she didn’t like honey—she actually found it somewhat distasteful.

She sliced shallow cuts into the wings, brushed them with honey mustard, and continued coating them as they cooked. When the skin became charred and crisp with a hint of sugar crystallization, they were ready. Cha Yuxuan took one, blew on it to cool it down, and took a small bite. The sweet honey flavor combined with the smoky, charred skin was an instant hit.

She polished off several in a row, her lips becoming glossy with honey-colored grease, and gave Yan Qingran a big thumbs up. “Delicious!”

After finishing a skewer of three wings, Cha Yuxuan stood up and walked to the grill. “I’ll grill some for you too. What do you want?”

There wasn’t much left—just a few skewers of potatoes, enoki mushrooms, and some meat. Yan Qingran handed her the beef skewers. “Just do these; I’ll assist you.”

“Okay.”

Cha Yuxuan placed the skewers over the center of the charcoal. At first, it wasn’t bad, but as time passed, the heat became intense. The backs of her hands turned red, and the skewers became almost too hot to hold. She finally felt the scorching intensity of the grill, realizing why everyone took turns.

Yan Qingran immediately took over. “Go wash your hands with cold water. I’ll watch these for you; you can come back in a bit.”

Cha Yuxuan shook her hands and ran inside. Yan Qingran moved the meat to a lower heat, refined the undercooked skewers, and moved them back to the center once she saw the girl returning.

Xue Jiu, having finished eating and rested, saw Yan Qingran still at it and offered to help. “I’ll do it.”

“No need, I’m resting once I finish these.” Yan Qingran stayed at her post, refusing to budge. Judging by her expression, she didn’t seem tired at all. Xue Jiu returned to the dining table.

When Cha Yuxuan came back out, she was holding a tube of ointment. With a smile, she handed it to Yan Qingran. “Burn cream. Rub it on your hands, or they’ll hurt when you wake up tomorrow.”

Yan Qingran took the tube and stepped aside for her. “Mm, thank you.” She unscrewed the white cap and squeezed some cream onto the back of her hand. The icy sensation brought instant relief. Suddenly, she thought to ask, “Did you apply it?”

Cha Yuxuan leaned away from the grill, shakily brushing chili sauce onto the meat. “Of course! You go first, then we can share it with the others.”

Due to her lack of technique, a lot of sauce dripped into the coals, sending a thick cloud of black smoke up from the grill. Yan Qingran told her to be careful and not get too close, then walked to the table to hand out the cream. “Chacha brought this. It’s burn cream; everyone should use some.”

Xue Jiu took it and passed it to Bo Hang. “Ladies first.” Since Bo Hang had spent the most time grilling after Yan Qingran and Xue Jiu, she thanked him and took it.

Suddenly, Cha Yuxuan let out a yelp. Yan Qingran spun around to see a flame erupting from the grill as the grease acted as fuel. She quickly pulled Cha Yuxuan back two steps, grabbed the iron lid nearby, and slammed it down, smothering the fire.

Xue Jiu rushed over. “Are you hurt? Let’s stop for now. There’s too much oil on the grill and the charcoal is too hot; it catches fire easily.”

Cha Yuxuan looked at the blackened, unidentifiable lumps that were supposed to be her beef skewers and sighed. “Fine.”

Yan Qingran comforted her. “It’s okay. You can grill for me next time.”

Cha Yuxuan slumped back to the table. “I know, I’m just a little disappointed. Let me have another honey wing to feel better.”

Xue Jiu pulled out a hidden skewer. “Here, I saved one for you.”

Calling it a “skewer” was generous; it held only a single, lonely wing compared to the standard three. Cha Yuxuan looked at the pile of chicken bones in front of everyone in shock. “Where did they all go?! Sister Yan just grilled six skewers!”

Yan Na stuck her tongue out. “They were so good, we almost forgot to save you any.”

Yan Qingran patted her shoulder. “Good food should be shared. Don’t be mad; I’ll grill some just for you next time.”

Cha Yuxuan huffed and nibbled on her solitary wing as if it were a rare treasure. Xue Jiu pushed a plate of greasy-looking meat toward her. “I grilled some honey mustard pork belly. Will this do?”

“Who wants to eat that? One bite of that looks like it’ll add three pounds.” Cha Yuxuan’s disdain for the pork belly made everyone laugh.

Yan Qingran transitioned the conversation. “What were you all talking about?”

Yun Qi picked up the thread. “University life. Most of us freshmen are from out of town, so we were planning to visit Jingcheng’s tourist spots during weekends or holidays.”

Su Meng, a local, offered to be the guide. Xue Jiu agreed as well, though his work schedule was tight.

“Speaking of travel, I really want to go diving,” Cha Yuxuan said wistfully, having finished her wing. “I haven’t been in two years.” She added, “I also want to surf. Basically, I want to go to the beach.”

“Oh?” Bo Hang looked thoughtful. “You mentioned you liked extreme sports. Is that what you meant?”

“Mm, sort of. Gliding, skydiving, bungee jumping—I like all of them. I can do every thrill ride at an amusement park in one go!” Her expression grew animated.

Yan Na looked envious. “As a kid from the inland, I’ve never even seen the ocean. I have to go if I get the chance.”

Quan Yinshiao was in her element here; she also loved the beach and extreme sports. “I have a diving certificate. We can go together next time. I can surf, too.”

Cha Yuxuan looked at her in surprise. “Really?” It was rare to find girls into those hobbies.

“Of course, though my certificate might not work in your country.” She shrugged.

“That’s fine; we’ll have a coach anyway. I have a good friend in Shangcheng who loves this stuff; we can all go together.” Cha Yuxuan suddenly turned to Yan Qingran. “Sister Yan, will you come?”

Yan Qingran gave a forced smile. “I don’t know how to dive.” This is the kind of life she should have, Yan Qingran thought. Maybe I really am too old-fashioned and stuck in my ways.

Cha Yuxuan coaxed her. “You can come even if you don’t know how! I’ll teach you; you’ll get the hang of it fast. Plus, there’s a coach. Don’t be afraid.”

Yan Qingran nodded. “If there’s a chance, then let’s go together.”

“Great!” Cha Yuxuan was thrilled, chatting animatedly and making sure everyone was included.

They talked about anime and subculture, which was the domain of Bo Hang, Su Meng, and the “Otaku” Xue Jiu. They touched on games, novels, and movies. Yan Qingran watched movies and read, but her tastes seemed miles apart from theirs.

She fell somewhat silent. Her life revolved around studying and research. Although she was only a junior, she had finished most of her undergraduate curriculum and half of her master’s, occasionally even working on projects with her grandfather’s PhD students.

Sensing her low mood, Cha Yuxuan quietly took her hand under the table and steered the conversation back to academics. “I wonder what we’re studying this semester?”

Su Meng checked her schedule. “In my freshman year, I had Calculus, Sketching, Computer Culture, Architectural Design, Spatial Expression, History of Ancient Foreign Architecture, PE, Ideology, and English. Plus one elective.”

Yan Na immediately donned a “mask of pain.” “Calculus is the death of me. I lost so much hair to it in high school.”

Su Meng patted her shoulder. “Friend, it’s a rite of passage. Accept your fate.”

Yan Qingran added, “But you only have to take Calculus in the first semester. After that, your focus shifts to Architectural Construction, Mechanics, and Design. Computers are just a tool, but a very important one for drafting.”

Cha Yuxuan nodded, feeling a bit lost. “Oh!”

The freshmen asked the Senior more specific questions and begged for teacher recommendations. Xue Jiu sighed, “A teacher who doesn’t track attendance, has no midterms, and gives open-book finals that’s a good teacher!”

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