Flora's Change

“Mr. Chen Mian, can you help me wash the rice?”

“Sure,” Chen Mian replied. He opened the bag of rice and turned back to look at Flora. “How much do you need?”

“Just a bowl is fine. You don't need much to make porridge,” Flora said with a smile, looking over her shoulder without stopping what she was doing.

“Pay attention, don't cut your hand,” Chen Mian couldn't help but warn her as he watched her movements.

“Okay~ I won't~” Flora playfully stuck out her tongue, then turned back to continue chopping vegetables.

Chen Mian poured the scooped rice into the pot, turned on the tap, and began rinsing it. After washing it two or three times, he added water.

At that moment, Flora turned around again to look at the rice in the pot. “Mr. Chen Mian, you need to add a bit more water so the porridge turns out just the right consistency.”

“How much more?” Chen Mian looked up at Flora. “And... stop chopping first. If you keep looking around while chopping, I won't feel sorry for you if you actually cut yourself.”

“I know~” Flora's voice carried a hint of playfulness. “But Mr. Chen Mian, my mana has mostly recovered now, so even if I cut myself, I won't get hurt.”

“Aren't you clever,” Chen Mian said helplessly.

Flora had already put down her kitchen knife and walked over to his side. “Let me show you about how much water to add.”

With that, Flora dipped her hand into the pot of rinsed rice, turned on the tap, and added about another half-cup of water. Only then did she look up and smile at Chen Mian. “Mr. Chen Mian, about this much is perfect!”

“Understood, Chef Flora~” Chen Mian looked down and said with a smile.

Flora looked up at his face, momentarily dazed. Then, her ears flushed slightly, and she stared at him in silence, as if struggling with something.

But soon, Chen Mian found out what she was hesitating about.

Suddenly, Flora stood on her tiptoes and lightly pecked Chen Mian on the lips. Then, blushing furiously, she quickly ran back to the cutting board and resumed chopping vegetables, her ears crimson.

Chen Mian was slightly taken aback. He touched his lips. Did Flora just flirt with him?

“Flora, you've gone bad...” Chen Mian echoed the words Loviki often said to Flora.

“Eh? What?” Flora turned around with a blush, putting on an innocent look.

“Nothing,” Chen Mian shook his head.

Flora kept her head down and continued chopping. As she did, she mumbled softly, “...Mr. Chen Mian kissed me so many times last night... If I've really gone bad, it's because Mr. Chen Mian corrupted me.”

“I heard that.”

“Eh? What?” Flora looked up innocently, then pointed at the potato beside her. “Mr. Chen Mian, the potato said that. Help me chop it up.”

The corners of Chen Mian's mouth curled up. “Okay~”

So Flora becomes this adorable after establishing a relationship, Chen Mian couldn't help but marvel.

Just like that, he assisted Flora while she cooked. It felt as though they were no longer in a landlord-tenant relationship—though it hadn't really felt like one before either.

By the time they finished cooking, no one else in the apartment had woken up yet. Flora had gotten up much earlier than usual today.

The prepared dishes were placed inside a nearby insulated box.

After they finished cooking, however, Flora didn't idle around. Instead, she bent down and took the baked cake base out of the oven.

She carefully spread the prepared honey, cream, and fruit over the cake base. Flora's culinary skills were reflected not only in the taste but also in the presentation. At the very least, the cake she made looked absolutely delicious.

Flora nodded in satisfaction as she looked at the cake, her eyes shining brightly as she turned to Chen Mian. “How is it? Does it look good?”

“Yes, it looks beautiful!” Chen Mian praised sincerely.

“That's great!” Flora smiled happily. “This is practice... I'll make one for you on your birthday too, Mr. Chen Mian!”

“So... when is your birthday, Mr. Chen Mian?” Flora looked up at him with a smile, her eyes full of anticipation.

“Exactly two and a half months from now,” Chen Mian answered after a brief thought.

Based on his calculations of the time before he arrived in this world, it should be around then.

“Okay! I'll remember that!” Flora nodded happily. “Then, Mr. Chen Mian... let's eat some cake together.”

“Aren't we waiting for the others to wake up?”

Flora shook her head and said, “We can just leave some for them. It tastes better when it's freshly baked.”

With that, Flora took a clean knife and divided the cake into seven slices. The extra slice was saved for Velyan, who was temporarily staying here.

“Flora, how come I never noticed you talked so much before?”

“Eh? Do I talk a lot now?” Flora stopped what she was doing and turned back to ask.

“Yes, a lot more than before.”

“...Probably because I already had so many things I wanted to say to you, Mr. Chen Mian, and they just piled up without me realizing it?” Flora lowered her head slightly, her face flushing, and then asked cautiously, “Do you find me annoying, Mr. Chen Mian?”

“It's very cute,” Chen Mian smiled and stroked Flora's head.

Hearing this, Flora looked up at him, a brilliant smile blossoming on her face.

Looking at Flora, Chen Mian leaned down slightly and planted a kiss on her forehead.

Then, under Flora's stunned gaze, he picked up two slices of the sliced cake with one hand, while using his other hand to lead her over to the sofa, where they sat down.

The cake Flora made was indeed delicious. Even the cake base was baked to a fragrant and soft perfection. It was indeed much better than the ones he made.

With that in mind, Chen Mian turned his head to look at Flora, who was happily eating her cake. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly. He felt like he understood Flora a bit more now; she had an even more adorable side to her.

“What is it, Mr. Chen Mian?” Flora looked up with a smile and met his gaze.

“You've got some cream on your mouth,” Chen Mian said softly, looking at her.

“Eh? Where?” Flora instinctively reached up to touch the corner of her mouth.

Seeing this, Chen Mian reached out with his finger to wipe away the cream from her mouth. Then, he naturally brought it to his own lips and licked the cream off.

Flora froze. Her face grew even redder, and she quickly lowered her head, pretending to eat her cake nonchalantly. However, the flush on her ears simply wouldn't fade, only becoming more and more obvious.

After a while.

“Morning~” Just then, a flurry of messy footsteps echoed from the stairs. Loviki walked down, yawning, her long black hair draped messily over her shoulders. Her eyes were barely open. “I think I smell cake...”

Her voice faltered noticeably when she saw where the two were sitting on the sofa. “Aren't you two sitting a bit too close...? And Flora, why is your face so red?”

“We left a slice for you.” Chen Mian gestured toward the kitchen with his chin. He stood up naturally, brought over the slice of cake they had set aside, and placed it on the coffee table.

Loviki looked at the cake, then back at their faces, seemingly wanting to say something more. Ultimately, she just uttered an “Oh,” sat down at the other end of the sofa, poked a piece of cake with her fork, and stuffed it into her mouth, her cheeks puffing out.

Only then did Flora let out a small sigh of relief.