When Xia An'ge returned to the apartment, the crescent moon hung high in the sky.

  She felt like she had made it back purely on willpower. Her forehead was covered in fine sweat, and her freshly washed hair already felt greasy again. Her arms and thighs ached slightly—she had bought too many things, fully preparing herself not to step outside for a while.

  The living room was dim. Xia An'ge switched on the lights and dragged two rge bags of groceries to the fridge.

  Opening the fridge, she was momentarily stunned. Inside, everything was neatly arranged. The apartment’s fridge was huge—a double-door model from Midea, taller than Xia An'ge herself, a full 178 cm.

  What surprised her was that the left side was packed with food, utilizing every inch of space efficiently, while the right side was completely empty—a perfect depiction of the phrase "cold and desote."

  Xia An'ge was taken aback, not just by the neatness but also by the fact that the fridge’s left compartment was smaller than the right. Yet, he had intentionally cleared out the rger space for her.

  Her impression of Gu Zhinan shifted once again. Beyond being a brute who could cook, he seemed unexpectedly considerate.

  Meanwhile, inside his room, Gu Zhinan was leisurely browsing through information when he suddenly sneezed twice. He quickly shut off the air conditioner—he knew keeping it on all day while wrapped in bnkets to write was a terrible habit!

  Unintentionally, Xia An'ge mimicked Gu Zhinan's way of arranging food as she pced her groceries into the fridge. Just as she finished, her stomach let out a growl. To punish herself for eating so much st night, she had only drunk a bit of milk today—the one she bought earlier.

  But now, her stomach was protesting. Pressing her lips together, she took out some noodles, vegetables, eggs, and lean meat and headed to the kitchen.

  The st time she cooked noodles for herself—was it in her second or third year of university? By her senior year, she had been busy juggling graduation and preparing for a talent show. Time was strange—it always seemed to slip away unnoticed.

  Gu Zhinan had no idea what Xia An'ge was doing outside. He wasn't working on his Chinese Padin sequel either. Instead, a post from a literature website had caught his attention.

  Poetry Submission and Appreciation Event!"An old saying goes: A person well-read in poetry naturally exudes elegance. China’s culture is vast and profound. As people of China, we have been immersed in poetry since childhood. Over time, we are subtly influenced by our traditions, enriching our artistic and cultural depth.

  In this spirit, the Literature Network, in colboration with Chinese Poetry Network, is proud to announce the First Poetry Creation and Appreciation Event for all our authors and readers!

  Submission Guidelines:Organizers:

  Chinese Literature NetworkChinese Poetry NetworkWho Can Participate:

  All authors and readers of the Literature NetworkPoets, artists, and enthusiasts from the Poetry NetworkSubmission Requirements:

  Poems must follow proper meter and structure, but themes are unrestricted.The goal is to celebrate and promote poetry, allowing people to appreciate its beauty and find inspiration in it.Judging and Prizes:

  Free to enter. Submissions will be judged fairly through public voting and an expert panel.Prizes: Gold Prize (1 winner): 50,000 yuan; Silver Prize (2 winners): 30,000 yuan each; Bronze Prize (10 winners): 10,000 yuan each.Winning works may be featured in newspapers, online publications, or edited into an anthology.Submission Process:

  A dedicated poetry submission page is now open. Simply fill in your information and upload your work.The event closes on July 1st, and results will be published between July 1st–15th.First pce gets 50,000 yuan!!!

  That was equivalent to several months of his earnings from writing Qin’s Moon!

  Gu Zhinan fell into deep thought. He did know quite a few poems—not all of the Five Hundred Tang Poems, but enough. The poem needed to be stunning, catchy, and evoke strong imagery to truly capture people’s hearts.

  He started digging through his memory. That 50,000 yuan was seriously tempting—it could significantly improve his parents' lives. His father and mother worked in a factory in a small county. Their family was financially stable but had no extra savings.

  Crash!

  A sharp sound from outside startled him. That was the sound of gss breaking!

  What was going on out there?

  His train of thought was abruptly derailed, like a rushing river suddenly blocked by a dam. Without hesitation, he got up and walked toward the door.

  When he stepped out, the living room lights were bright. In the kitchen, shattered gss y scattered across the floor. A slender figure, her ponytail swaying slightly, crouched down, carefully picking up the shards.

  It was Xia An'ge.

  Gu Zhinan sighed—not for the mess, but for the sacrificed bowl.

  He grabbed a small cloth from the hanging rack outside the kitchen, then squatted beside her, blocking her from picking up more shards with her bare hands.

  "That’s dangerous."

  Without another word, he started carefully gathering the gss pieces with the cloth and tossing them into the trash, not even gncing at Xia An'ge.

  She lowered her head, so no one could see her expression. But the flush on her earlobes was as red as if they were about to bleed.

  She had simply lost her grip. The noodles were ready, and she had reached into the cabinet for a bowl—only for it to slip and shatter on the floor.

  Gu Zhinan swiftly finished cleaning up and cpped his hands in satisfaction. Then, noticing Xia An'ge standing in the living room, looking slightly uneasy, he asked:

  "Did you get hurt?"

  She shook her head, a little surprised by his competence in housework.

  "Good."

  With that, Gu Zhinan turned to head back to his room. He still had a grand mission to complete—what poem should he submit? The open-theme rule made it even harder. He had too many great ones to choose from!

  "You… want some noodles?"

  He had only taken two steps when he heard a quiet voice. He turned, surprised.

  Xia An'ge avoided his gaze slightly.

  "It’s just to thank you for handling the gss. If you don’t want it, forget it."

  Her tone remained cool and indifferent.

  "Sure, I was just getting hungry. Thanks."

  Gu Zhinan wasn’t actually hungry. But for some reason, he was curious about how her noodles tasted.

  This time, he took out two rge bowls and handed one to Xia An'ge. She took it with both hands, briefly touching his fingers before quickly pulling away.

  Cold.

  That was his immediate impression.

  At the dining table, they sat at an angle, deliberately keeping some distance.

  Gu Zhinan looked at the steaming bowl of noodles—egg, shredded pork, and vegetables. It looked good, but how did it taste?

  Blowing on the noodles, he took a bite. His eyes instantly lit up. He carefully took a sip of the soup—rich but not greasy!

  He really hadn’t been hungry—just look at that now-empty bowl!

  Stretching in satisfaction, he said, "That was delicious! I didn’t expect you to be so good at cooking noodles!"

  Xia An'ge gnced at him, noticing that he had finished everything in under ten minutes. She still had half a bowl left. Hearing his praise, she simply responded with one word:

  "Mm."

  But this time, her voice carried more warmth than any of their previous conversations.

  Gu Zhinan, knowing her personality, didn’t mind. She was just the cool and aloof type. He turned his gaze toward the balcony—the night sky was deep, a crescent moon hanging amidst a sea of stars.

  Wait—stars?!

  Suddenly, a poem fshed through his mind. One of his favorites. Especially the st two lines, a cssic that many people only remembered by heart.

  "Thanks for the noodles!"

  Gu Zhinan abruptly stood up, eyes bright with excitement.

  He had figured out his submission!