Chapter 61: The Birthday of the Commander-in-Chief

  Lyu brought the trio to his workplace - the kitchen.

  The three of them had never been to this place before and were looking around curiously. Lu didn't rush, letting the others watch as he carefully rolled up his sleeves, preparing to start making dinner.

  He said to let a few people try the dishes. Although he initially wanted to trick them, he later gave up on that idea. He had been wanting to try out some new dishes anyway, and with three people coming this time, they could help him test the flavors.

  There isn't anything too spicy here, he wants to try a few Sichuan dishes and see if there will be any unexpected good effects.

  The reason I want to try a few new dishes is not some wild and fanciful idea. It's just that when I calculated the days, Levi's birthday is coming up soon. The previous birthdays didn't go well due to various reasons, so this time I wanted to prepare properly. Although I don't know what Levi is being stubborn about for no reason, a birthday still needs to be celebrated once a year. To be honest, I don't think this matter is a big deal either. After all, it's not something that will cause a rift, so it doesn't count as a problem.

  Actually, Lute has thought about it for a long time. If he had to say what Llewellyn was interested in, even though Lute and Llewellyn have been together for so long, it would be really hard to assert. Except for training, Llewellyn hardly has any free time of his own.

  So Lute racked his brains and finally thought that maybe Llewellyn would be more interested in food. Although he didn't show much enthusiasm, Lute found that Llewellyn's mood was always good when eating the meals he made.

  So he decided to cook something fresh for Llewellyn. After all, food that goes into the belly is more practical than useless things.

  After selecting a circle of law, I found that the people here don't eat spicy food much, and the styles are too simple. Some dishes lose their original flavor and charm after being served.

  The first dish chosen by Lv Xuan was Maoxuewang.

  When he was Lin Xiao, he often stayed at home with Mei Qian to eat. The two of them would cry and sniffle from the spiciness, but they could also enjoy themselves freely.

  After making up your mind, what's left is to practice. After all, you've only eaten law before, but never actually done it yourself.

  I don't know what's missing, but somehow the flavor is never as good as when I eat authentic ones. It always feels like something is lacking in terms of flavor.

  However, all the necessary procedures were there, and Lut decided to let Allen and his team try it out and see if they could provide him with some good suggestions based on their own feelings.

  So Allen and the others began to watch with great interest as the chef performed one procedure after another, all feeling a little impatient, looking forward to when they could taste this unprecedented dish, what kind of flavor it would be.

  When Ryuto and Trio were conducting a culinary research experiment, Mei Shallow found Livel.

  Lewell was somewhat surprised. This girl had been having her own circle of life since she came to the troops, what wind blew her here today?

  Mei smiled slightly and said, "If you have time, can we talk?"

  Lewell raised an eyebrow and nodded slightly, "Come this way."

  The two of them stopped at a deserted corner of the playground. Llewellyn said briefly, "If there's something to say, hurry up and say it."

  Mei nodded slightly and went straight to the point. "Have you had any conflicts with Lv recently?"

  Lewell didn't think Mei Qian was here to talk about this matter and felt somewhat surprised again.

  Pausing for a moment, Llewellyn said, "No. Nothing else..."

  Mei smiled lightly, interrupting. "I can probably guess what you're after. For five years, I've been watching from the side, starting with nothing but my own interest in fabricating stories, and step by step, walking to the present where that intangible emotion has become substantial. The changes in between, I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I see them clearly. Although I'm also a bit surprised, I won't judge others' emotions. Moreover, as long as it's Ritsu's idea, I'll support it unconditionally. Ritsu may be slow to react, but he's not a slow person. I just came to tell you one thing. I want to explain this so that you won't hesitate about the future for some inexplicable and insignificant reason."

  "What are you talking about."

  Mei's expression was calm and determined. "You know what I'm talking about. Having observed you for so many days, you should choose to reveal your true self in front of a sensitive woman. Futile lies will always be exposed, and the one who will regret it is not the bystander, but yourself."

  "What do you want to say."

  Mei smiled slightly, easing the tense atmosphere that had just been somewhat strained.

  "I just want to talk to you about some of my memories."

  ——————————————————————————————

  Yu divided the food into three small bowls, indicating that the three of them could eat now.

  Allen's expression looked surprised, and it was unexpected that Allen could eat spicy food. It is possible that Llewellyn is not afraid of spicy food either. Except for his face turning a bit red, Allen just nodded at Llewellyn repeatedly, without making any substantial suggestions.

  Mikasa's calm face cracked slightly after taking a sip, and Levi pointed it out with a hint of kindness.

  "The water is over there."

  Mikasa nodded and walked away to get a drink of water.

  Lü had a slightly depressed thought, well, out of three experimental bodies, two have already passed away, as for the last one...

  A Ming didn't have a very obvious reaction, but slightly furrowed his brow, and tasted it bit by bit, not knowing what he was thinking.

  It seems like it's going to work out.

  After waiting for half a day, Ah Ming raised his head and asked, "Spicy?"

  Lü fell silent for a few seconds before slamming the door and leaving.

  ——————————————————————————————

  Lewell crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for Mei Qian's next words.

  "Actually, Lü wasn't just fifteen years old. In fact, he was my cousin."

  He hadn't expected it to start like this, and Llewellyn's eyes widened slightly in surprise. He then pursed his lips and fell silent.

  "You may not believe it, but please hear me out."

  Mei Qian's face had a hint of nostalgia. "His original name was Lin Xiao. I always thought his name was very well-chosen, not too complicated or profound in meaning, but it gave people a warm feeling. Lin Xiao's original appearance and now are similar, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to recognize him at first glance when I saw him again just now."

  "I didn't grow up with him, so I'm not sure if his past was as carefree as he was when I met him. But the first time I saw him, his smile was bright and gentle, making me choose to like him without hesitation - of course, not that kind of like."

  "I don't know if it's true that there's such a thing as 'eye fate', but even though we didn't grow up together, we get along really well. Lin Xiao is someone who is very easy to get along with, and although he has changed somewhat compared to before, some things are just inherent and won't be erased no matter what happens. Like his little habits, his mischievous pranks, his rich and warm smile. No matter how much time passes, I think I'll always remember that when I was feeling lonely, that smile gave me so much strength."

  "Lü isn't someone who will boast about what he's done for you, but as long as you turn back, he'll definitely be behind your back."

  "I ran to Lin's house when my parents were fighting, his house was empty and quiet, only he was there alone. But I never thought that he might feel lonely too. Not because I was selfish, nor was I not concerned about Lin Xiao. It's just that Lin Xiao always had a smile on his face, as if all the problems didn't exist. As long as he was around, people would become lazy to think. When I was with him, I never felt lonely. Even when my parents were cursing each other every day, having Lin Xiao there made me feel like I could hold on. Even if both of my parents left me, I thought I could still move forward."

  "I had never seen Lin Xiao reveal a sad expression before, until that one time."

  "The day Lin Xiao went to attend the funeral, I couldn't see a trace of anger."

  "At that time, I felt very panicked and didn't know how to comfort him. Until then, I realized that all along, I had only been enjoying Lin Xiao's efforts, but never considered things from his perspective."

  Later, Lin Xiao still looked the same as before, after experiencing all that. When he smiled, his eyebrows and eyes curved. But although it seemed like nothing had changed, I was very clear that something was already different.

  "I tried to bring him out of that shadow, but it was in vain."

  "Lin Xiao is no longer Lin Xiao, I thought so until I saw him again here."

  "I don't know what Lin Xiao went through before, nor do I know if it's because of you."

  "But I'm willing to believe you're the one who can bring Lin Xiao back to being Lin Xiao. Because you're reliable and won't run away."

  Lewell spoke calmly. "You don't have to put on airs for me."

  Mei smiled lightly, "Whether or not I'm wearing rose-tinted glasses, I don't know. What I do know is that perhaps you need to sort out your own thoughts. In the meantime, it's not necessarily a must to be alone with your thoughts. Why not take the opportunity to carefully feel things out when you're together with the person involved? Maybe, you'll gain something you've never had before."

  Lewell's eyes were filled with contemplation and inquiry, but he didn't say a word.

  "My time limit in this world is five years. The days are almost up, and I'll soon have to return to my own world. Before that, I need to make sure if the law will be happy or not. I don't know what your final answer is, but if you don't want him to stay, I'll discuss with Lin Xiao in person whether he should go back to his own world. If he wants to, I'll find a way to make it happen. I'm just Lin Xiao's sister, and if he has someone he likes, I'll leave on my own. But if not, I think one's own world is the best place for a person's soul to return to, and I believe Lin Xiao will think so too."

  "That's all I have to say. Farewell, Lieutenant Levile."

  In the end, I still have to think about it myself and figure out why the flavor is off.

  By the time he finally solved this problem, it was already completely dark outside.

  She hastily packed a few more small dishes and rushed to Lewell's room.

  I don't know what time it is now, will I be too late?

  When the law arrived, the light inside had already overflowed. And where the moonlight could shine, Livel was standing on the steps, calmly looking at him.

  He was taken aback for a moment, and subconsciously asked, "Were you waiting for me?"

  As soon as he spoke, Lu felt like he was really stupid, what kind of problem is this? Like an idiot.

  What was astonishing was that Lyle didn't mock him, but instead said very calmly, "Mm-hmm."

  Lü felt like he was probably sleepwalking, because this was just too unscientific.

  Before he could react, the big and small bento boxes in his hands had already been taken away.

  Lewell turned and entered the house, seeing that Lut hadn't followed him. "Aren't you coming in?"

  She came back to her senses and walked in.

  The big and small plates were lined with colorful dishes, which made people's appetite even stronger. Livel sat down and said with a smile.

  "Happy birthday, Leviel."

  Leweil didn't say anything, he just quietly looked at Lü.

  Lü felt a bit awkward, thinking that Livielle didn't like the gift that wasn't even a birthday present, and somewhat reluctantly said, "Uh, if there's nothing else, I won't bother you then."

  As soon as he stood up, his wrist was grasped by Llewellyn.

  "Huh?"

  Lewell's eyes had a deep color like the night sky. His voice was steady, soft yet equally clear.

  "I think I'll confirm it."

  Lü only felt a soft touch on his lips, but it was so brief that he almost ignored the pause before retreating, yet it startled him to the point of nearly stopping his breath.

  It was just a barely passable dragonfly kiss, a simple touch of lip to lip, yet it carried a precious and heavy feeling that didn't feel like teasing at all.

  This is Llewellyn's kiss.

  The author has something to say: Although it can't be counted as a kiss, but it can also be said that they kissed —— so please leave a message, kids who are lurking online will go hungry 【look up at the sky】