The Taste of Love Starts in the Kitchen (GL) - Chapter 66

After returning to the room, Song Qinyao explained everything that had happened at the bar in great detail, covering every little detail clearly.

Song Baili sat quietly, listening attentively, but her expression gradually grew tense. When she mentioned Song Yongjun’s impulsive behavior, her brows furrowed, and she muttered under her breath, “Just because Li Shao said a few words about bullying Qian Qian, he got into a fight with him? When did he become so impulsive?”

“People who are always too rational in relationships end up with nothing in the end. If it were someone else talking about the person I like, I’d probably fight them too,” Song Qinyao responded calmly.

“A gentleman avoids conflict with a petty person. There are many ways to teach them a lesson, why bother fighting them head-on?”

Song Baili furrowed her brow, and there was a hint of confusion in her eyes. When she spoke of her dissatisfaction, her straight nose wrinkled slightly.

Song Qinyao was deeply intrigued by her sister’s reaction, her lips curling slightly into a smile. She thought to herself, “Pretty people are always like this; even when they’re angry, they still look adorable.”

“But seeing how anxious Miss Qian is, could it be that she has feelings for my brother? I bet right now my brother is probably thrilled, thinking that the little pain was worth it for this sweet result.”

Song Baili paused for a moment, lowered her eyelids, and said in a faint, indifferent tone, “Maybe she feels guilty, after all, Xiao Jun got hurt because of her.”

“I don’t see it that way. If I weren’t interested in someone, I’d think they were out of their mind to do something like that for me. But if I did like them, I’d react just like Miss Qian did.”

“If two people truly love each other, they wouldn’t need to go through all this. These tricks only stir her pity, not real feelings.”

Song Qinyao paused, leaning back in her chair, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, her eyes squinted as she stared intently at Song Baili.

“Sister, do you not agree with me? Could it be that you also like Qian Qian?”

On the surface, Song Baili remained unmoved, but her fingers tightened into a fist without her realizing it.

In her eyes, the secret of liking Qian Qian was like a fragile membrane. If it were torn, it would shatter the current balance, triggering unpredictable consequences.

She feared Qian Qian might distance herself, worried Song Yongjun would begin to suspect her, and even more afraid that Song Qinyao would interfere with Qian Qian.

Song Baili raised her eyes and found Song Qinyao staring at her with an intense, cutting gaze, as if trying to pierce into her soul.

Under such a piercing gaze, she felt a pressure rising in her chest and knew she had to be very careful in her response.

“I obviously like Qian Qian. Can’t you see how good our relationship is?”

The door to the room was half-open. Song Qinyao raised her eyes and spotted a slender figure in a white shirt at the door.

Her lips curved into a slight smirk, a mischievous gleam flashing in her eyes as she spoke.

“So, you like Qian Qian, is it love or friendship?”

At that moment, in order to maintain family harmony, protect Qian Qian, and to make sure Song Qinyao would give up, Song Baili chose to swallow her pride and say something she didn’t truly mean.

“I only have pure friendship with Qian Qian. I’m not interested in love, so don’t overthink it.”

Just then, Qian Qian, who had been listening from the door, felt as though her heart was gripped by an invisible hand. Her breath became heavy, and all her hopes and expectations shattered like bubbles, leaving her with a cold emptiness.

She walked over, and Song Qinyao, pretending to just notice her, teased in a light tone, “Miss Qian, my brother has already let go of you so soon?”

“I just came to grab my phone.”

Song Baili watched as Qian Qian hurriedly grabbed her phone from the bedside table and left without even looking at her. Her actions seemed to confirm what Song Qinyao had said, showing that Qian Qian was indeed fond of Song Yongjun.

Qian Qian pushed open the door to the bathroom, stepped into the quiet space, and gently closed the door behind her.

She leaned against the door, and tears suddenly started flowing down her cheeks like pearls that had come loose from a string, falling to the floor with a soft tap.

This wasn’t the first time Qian Qian had experienced heartache, but this time, the pain was more intense than ever before. She felt a deep, soul-crushing despair, as though she had been cast into a desolate world, alone and helpless, unsure of who to confide in.

Sitting in the bathroom, she pressed her mouth shut, trying to stifle her sobs, but the pain was overwhelming, like a tidal wave that was hard to bear.

Her emotions were like an unopened bud that had been ruthlessly crushed, mercilessly snuffed out before it could bloom, leaving only silent sorrow.

Qian Qian stood quietly in the sky garden, the breeze lightly brushing her face, bringing a coolness, and the peaceful surroundings were beautiful. But inside, her heart churned like waves, unable to find peace.

Suddenly, her phone rang. She eagerly picked it up, her heartbeat quickening with the hope of seeing a special name on the screen.

However, when she saw the name on the screen, a flash of disappointment crossed her eyes, and her mood sank again.

“Xiao Qian, where are you?”

The voice on the other end wasn’t the one she had been hoping for.

“I’m in the garden on the second floor.”

Song Yongjun held the phone, feeling the heaviness in the voice on the other end.

He couldn’t help but recall the way Qian Qian had looked earlier—apologizing repeatedly about Li Shao, like a child who had caused trouble at home, feeling like her mother owed someone.

Every time Qian Qian mentioned Li Shao’s name, Song Yongjun felt as if he had been flicked by an elastic band—painful and annoying.

“What’s wrong? Why are you alone in the garden?”

“It’s nothing, I just wanted to come up and enjoy the weather.”

“I’ll come over to keep you company. Wait for me.”

“No need…”

Song Yongjun hung up the phone.

Qian Qian couldn’t help but sigh, thinking to herself that their emotions were so complicated, like a drama playing out.

Song Yongjun was rushing toward her, but she was stuck at the turning point of Song Baili, and Song Baili was heading towards…

She paused for a moment, furrowing her brow, and muttered to herself.

Hmm, who exactly was she heading towards?

In the past few days, Qian Qian had seen many people trying to chase after Song Baili like they were waiting in line to buy tickets. But she never noticed anyone’s name frequently coming up in Song Baili’s conversations, nor had she seen her take a second glance at anyone. Even those occasional flirtatious glances seemed to be directed at nothing in particular.

Lost in her thoughts, Qian Qian suddenly saw Song Yongjun’s figure entering her line of sight.

As soon as he spotted her, his face broke into a brilliant smile.

His fair and handsome face was dotted with green and purple bruises, with a faint red tint, looking like a model from a poster, casually graffitied by a child. As he walked toward her, the scene had a slightly comedic feel to it.

Qian Qian forced herself to suppress a smile but couldn’t stop the corners of her mouth from curling up.

To Song Yongjun, her expression looked like pure joy mixed with a hint of shyness, making his heart flutter like he had just eaten a huge piece of candy.

It seemed that the strategy had worked—he was even a bit grateful to Song Qinyao for adding that extra punch.

If he had known this would have such a clear effect, he would have intentionally let Song Qinyao punch his other eye to make his black eyes more symmetrical.

Qian Qian sized Song Yongjun up from head to toe, her eyes scanning his body before raising an eyebrow.

“Earlier, two people had to help you into the room. And now you’re fine? Able to walk and run?”

Song Yongjun scratched his head, smiling awkwardly.

Though he was quite handsome, he looked like an amateur actor trying to play a role everyone could see through but no one said it aloud.

“A few punches here and there are nothing. Yaoyao’s like that, she insisted on helping me into the room. My sister can be willful and spoiled, but she really cares about family.”

“Mm, I can tell.”

“She was just trying to help me.”

“Mm, I know.”

Song Yongjun felt like his conversation with Qian Qian was like two parallel lines—they seemed to be going back and forth, but in reality, their understandings might be worlds apart.

An awkward silence settled. Song Yongjun kept smiling, but because he was smiling too much, his wounds on his face started to ache.

He gently rubbed his cheek, wiped off his smile, cleared his throat, tilted his head slightly, and looked at Qian Qian with soft eyes.

“So, where did you and sister go wandering today?”

Qian Qian felt like her heart had been pierced thousands of times, but thinking of Song Baili still made her heart race.

The discomfort from being hurt mixed with a little sweetness and ambiguity, a mix of pain and pleasure, like an addictive drug.

“We went hiking, walked for a while, tried some good food. It was a bit tiring, but I was in a good mood.”

Song Yongjun looked sideways at her, thinking she looked like a drenched kitten curled up in a corner, secretly wondering, “Is this what she calls being in a good mood?”

Qian Qian raised her head and gazed into the distance. Her eyes flickered, and she sighed softly.

“I wonder, how wonderful and capable must Baili be to deserve someone like her?”

Song Yongjun paused for a moment, his eyes seeming to travel through time. A glint of light suddenly flashed in his gaze, and he said:

“Baili’s ideal type should be someone mature-looking, handsome, and someone who seems like they’d be into art.”

Qian Qian’s eyes shifted slightly, her brow furrowed in confusion as she lightly bit her lower lip.

She turned to look at Song Yongjun, and in her mind, she couldn’t help but wonder: Since he could imagine such a person, there must be a specific reference in his mind.

Maybe it’s Song Baili’s ex-boyfriend, or…

Could it be someone she currently has a secret crush on?

“Does Baili have a partner now? Or someone she likes?”

“Are you trying to get information for someone? Want to set her up with someone?”

Qian Qian froze for a moment, avoided Song Yongjun’s gaze, and looked down at her hands. She gently played with her fingers and quietly replied:

“Well, sort of.”

While asking about it, she silently wondered if she could somehow matchmake herself with Song Baili. Qian Qian felt she wasn’t lying to Song Yongjun.

Song Yongjun placed his hands on the railing, gazing into the distance with a smile on his face. He casually said:

“Let me give you some advice. There are really a lot of people chasing her, but she’s not into being set up or arranged marriages, so you might want to save yourself the trouble.”

“So, that ideal type you mentioned—was that just something you made up?”

“Of course not. I saw it in a photo on her Twitter. She doesn’t just casually put photos with someone as her profile picture. That’s gotta be someone she’s really close with. She denied it, saying he’s not her boyfriend, but I’m pretty sure she’s in love with him.”

Qian Qian felt like her bl00d had suddenly turned cold, followed by the sound of her heart breaking inside her chest.

She slowly raised her head, her gaze frozen on Song Yongjun, her face a mix of shock, confusion, and sorrow that she couldn’t hide.

“They’ve been apart for so long, yet it seems like she still can’t forget him.”

In that moment, everything clicked like a completed painting. All the clues connected, and everything seemed so natural and logical. The answer was becoming clear in Qian Qian’s mind.

It turned out that Song Baili had always liked someone…

No matter how well she treated her, it was only friendship…

These two sentences spun in her mind, sometimes clear, sometimes blurry.

Qian Qian turned her head again, her gaze staring ahead. The view was beautiful, but her eyes were filled with grayness, and all the colors had faded.

She stayed frozen for a moment, feeling like her heart was being torn apart. She lightly touched her cheek, a chill running deep into her heart. Her eyes were hollow, lost.

Finally, she whispered:

“Then I can only wish her the best.”

Her expression was calm, but her words carried a sense of resignation and helplessness.

Song Yongjun looked at her with a gentle and focused gaze. Unconsciously, he clenched his fist, then slowly released it. He cleared his throat and said seriously:

“I might be a little boring, but there’s one thing that’s special about me. I really like you, Xiao Qian. Would you be my girlfriend?”