The weekend came, and Li Xinya sat at her desk, chewing on the end of her pen. Her diary lay open, yesterday's crossed-out rule glaring at her.
She tapped the page and muttered, "Okay… Rule #1 was a disaster. But this time, I'll get it right!"
She scribbled in big, bold letters:
Rule #2: The way to a boyfriend's heart is through his stomach. Cook for him!
The idea seemed perfect. Every drama she'd watched showed girlfriends winning over their boyfriends with homemade bentos. If she could pull this off, Chen Yuxuan would surely see she was girlfriend material.
In the Kitchen
An hour later, chaos reigned.
The kitchen looked like a war zone: spilled rice scattered across the counter, egg yolks dripped down the edge of the stove, and the frying pan smoked ominously.
Xinya wiped sweat from her forehead. "Why is cooking so hard?! The video tutorial made it look so easy!"
Her mom peeked in, horrified. "Sweetheart, are you… trying to summon a demon or make lunch?"
"Neither! I'm making love!" Xinya cried dramatically, then quickly added, "I mean, a bento!"
The Next Day – Lunchtime at School
Xinya held the bento box like it was a bomb, her palms sweaty. She walked nervously toward Yuxuan, who was sitting under a tree with his book open. His calm, composed aura only made her stomach twist harder.
"Yuxuan!" she called, forcing a cheerful tone. "I, um… I made you something!"
He glanced up, surprised. "For me?"
She thrust the bento into his hands. "Yes! It's totally edible! I mean—it's totally delicious!"
He opened the box. Inside was… a questionable assortment of shapes. The rice balls were uneven and lumpy, one sausage looked slightly burnt, and the egg roll was more of an egg… blob.
Still, Yuxuan picked up a rice ball and took a bite.
Xinya leaned in anxiously. "Well? How is it? Be honest! No, wait, don't be honest—actually, yes, be honest, but not too honest—"
Yuxuan chewed slowly, then gave a small smile. "It's… different."
Xinya's heart sank. Different? That's code for terrible!
But then he added softly, "It tastes like you tried really hard. I like that."
Xinya's cheeks burned. She quickly pulled out her notebook and scribbled:
Rule #2: Cook for him.(Messy but worth it — keep practicing!)
She looked up to see Yuxuan watching her with quiet amusement.
"What are you always writing in that notebook?" he asked.
Xinya slammed it shut in panic. "N-nothing! Just… secret girl stuff!"
He raised an eyebrow but didn't press. Instead, he reached into the bento, picked up the least burnt sausage, and held it toward her.
"Your turn. Eat with me."
Her heart skipped. Sharing food with him like this… maybe love wasn't about being perfect at all.