He Yuan didn’t think much and replied, “Yes.”
When he was still a soft, chubby little baby, He Xin, who loved makeup, often caught him to practice on. Of course, He Yuan didn’t let her do that anymore, but helping to apply lipstick was still acceptable.
Seeing that the other party didn’t reply for a long time, He Yuan sent another question mark.
An An: [Little Yellow Bird folds its wings.jpg]
An An: Brother, be careful on your way back home at night.
He Yuan replied with a simple “yes,” holding onto the small biscuit box.
“Are you leaving?” He Xin asked while slurping fried snails.
“Yeah,” He Yuan said.
“Sister will drive you.” He Xin climbed up, clapped her hands, and said, “I haven’t driven much since I bought my car. There’s always someone fighting to pick me up every day.”
He Yuan, worried he’d miss the curfew, didn’t refuse and followed He Xin to the underground parking lot.
On the way, He Xin was no different from an ordinary elder, asking about his school life, whether he had breakfast, if he exercised properly, and whether he took out his quilt to dry in the sun when it was sunny.
Their mother had passed away early, and as an elder sister ten years his senior, He Xin would intermittently take on a maternal role—especially since their father was often out of touch.
But He Yuan had always been independent, so there wasn’t really anything to worry about.
The only problem was that he was too independent, needing no one in any aspect of his life, which made He Xin feel that her brother could probably live alone for the rest of his life.
The car drove for forty minutes before stopping at the main entrance of the University of Science and Technology.
“When’s winter break?” He Xin asked before he got out of the car.
“January,” He Yuan replied.
“Then will you come home for your birthday?” He Xin asked again.
“What’s the point of celebrating birthdays at this age?” He Yuan said expressionlessly.
At this moment, He Xin really wanted to hit him. “What birthday? It’s just an excuse to get you to come home. You haven’t been back once this semester, and Dad misses you every day.”
He Yuan fell silent for a moment. He really hadn’t been home much, but he also really didn’t want to go back.
Every time he did, the old man would bombard him with all sorts of arguments, trying to convince him to work at the family company. He’d hear about some engineer who suddenly died from overwork, or some collapsed building where the engineer responsible lost everything.
“Let’s talk after Chinese New Year,” He Yuan said.
He Xin had already guessed that answer and sighed. “Then at least call home more often. Once a week is fine.”
He Yuan simply said, “Okay.”
—
The small cookies from Xixizi were opened the next day. He Yuan usually didn’t snack, but curiosity got the better of him.
While Xu Zhaoyuan was in class, He Yuan quietly took out the package from his drawer.
After tearing off the courier bag, he found a very delicate, diamond-shaped snack box inside, tightly sealed. It took quite some effort to pry it open.
Inside, the cookies were packed to the brim.
Some were slightly burnt, but none were completely black. He Yuan let out a sigh of relief.
He had no idea what mold was used—these cookies looked strange. They resembled petals, but the “petals” were irregularly shaped.
He Yuan took a photo and sent it to Xixizi.
Wall: What are these?
The lazy and poor student Xixizi replied instantly: Cookies.
An An: You can’t even tell they’re cookies after making them. [Little Yellow Bird bursts into tears.jpg]
Wall: I can tell they’re cookies. I’m asking about the shape.
An An: The shape.
An An: This is an amoeba, a single-celled organism that looks like a poached egg.
To make sure he understood, he even attached a comparison picture.
An An: Doesn’t it look like it? [Little Yellow Bird hangs its head.jpg]
He Yuan: “…”
It did. It really did.
What he couldn’t understand was why someone would go through the trouble of making cookies in this shape so seriously.
After thinking for a moment, He Yuan replied: It’s very unique.
The other person immediately sent a spinning Little Yellow Bird emoji, clearly thrilled to be praised.
He Yuan picked out the cookie that most resembled a flower petal and took a bite.
It had a strong milky flavor—but it was a little too sweet for him, coating his throat in sweetness.
While he was still chewing, the dormitory door suddenly swung open, and Xu Zhaoyuan walked in.
“What’s that smell?” Xu Zhaoyuan sniffed the air, catching the scent of eggs and milk as soon as he stepped inside.
He Yuan almost slammed the lid shut on reflex and glanced at his roommate. “Aren’t you in class?”
“The teacher took a leave. What is this, biscuits?” Xu Zhaoyuan took two quick steps forward, reached out, and grabbed a handful—without even washing his hands. “Perfect timing. I overslept and didn’t have breakfast before rushing to class.”
He Yuan watched in disbelief as the other stuffed seven or eight cookies into his mouth at once.
“These are good. Where’d you buy them?” Xu Zhaoyuan was about to reach for more.
This time, He Yuan swiftly dragged the entire cookie box away, sealed the lid tight, and refused to let him have another bite.
“No way,” Xu Zhaoyuan finally noticed the packaging and put two and two together. “Did someone give these to you? The one who calls you brother?”
“If you’re hungry, go buy breakfast. There’s plenty in the cafeteria.” He Yuan ignored him and grabbed an A4 paper, mindlessly doodling on it.
Xu Zhaoyuan sensed his irritation. He quickly muttered an apology but couldn’t help but think—if He Yuan was this protective over the cookies, they must really mean something.
After all, whenever girls gave him snacks or gifts before, He Yuan never accepted them.
Once Xu Zhaoyuan left, He Yuan dragged the cookie box to the corner of his desk, keeping it visible to remind himself to eat it later when he got hungry.
It just so happened to be next to the bag of candy An An had given him a few days ago. He hadn’t eaten that either—just left it sitting there. Not like it would melt unless the room got unbearably hot.
A notification popped up on QQ.
An An: Brother, are the cookies good? [Little yellow bird peeking out.jpg]
He Yuan frowned, remembering how Xu Zhaoyuan had said, “These are good.”
Wall: So-so.
An An: [Little yellow bird petrified.jpg]
An An: Then I’ll try harder next time! I promise they’ll be even better!
He Yuan pursed his lips. Something odd swirled in his chest—like popping candy hitting water, tiny sparks fizzling one after another.
Still, he replied, “Study first.”
An An: Brother, I want to make jam for an interactive video.
An An: I’ll record myself making it, pack it up, and send it to you. Then you can film a reaction video when you open it. [Little yellow bird hesitant.jpg]
An An: Then you try it—apply it on your lips like lipstick.
An An: And then lick it off.
He Yuan blinked, seriously considering what the video edit would look like.
Then, one by one, the messages disappeared.
An An: Brother, don’t take it seriously! I’ll come up with something else! [Little Yellow Bird Explodes on the Spot and Spirals into the Air.jpg]
He Yuan thought about it carefully. Actually… the idea wasn’t bad.
On one hand, it was food. On the other, it was beauty. Two things that seemed unrelated but could be connected by a single jar of jam.
And most importantly, it wouldn’t take up much time. It wouldn’t interfere with studying.
Wall: Good. Let’s do it.
An An: !!!
An An: Really?!
Wall: Yes.
An An: [Little yellow bird flutters its wings excitedly.jpg]
An An: I have to make the prettiest color possible!
Suddenly, He Yuan felt a chill run down his spine.
A good-looking color… Hopefully, that still meant red.
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