Xu Xingguang had already forgotten about it, and if Huo Wen’an hadn’t brought it up, Xu Xingguang really wouldn’t have remembered.

She looked at Huo Wen’an, who was carrying ingredients as a guest, and suddenly thought of the big golden retriever she had seen on TikTok that bit a bowl to beg for food.

Faced with Boss Huo like this, Xu Xingguang couldn’t refuse. "You go in and sit for a while, I’ll be down shortly."

Xu Xingguang first took Sister Lin and Xu Qingnian to formally meet, and then went downstairs to cook.

When she went downstairs, Huo Wen’an was already in the hall, and the bag of ingredients had been placed in the kitchen by him. Xu Xingguang asked him, "What did you buy?"

Huo Wen’an entered the kitchen with her, took out the ingredients from the canvas bag, neatly arranged them in the sink, and gently said, "I bought anything that looked fresh."

He bought beef, lamb ribs, a freshly slaughtered duck still steaming, some green leafy vegetables, and a few potatoes.

There were so many ingredients that Xu Xingguang thought Ye Mingluo would also come, so she asked Huo Wen’an, "When is Doctor Ye arriving? Does he have a big appetite? Should I cook more rice?"

Huo Wen’an was peeling potatoes and replied without looking up, "He’s busy, not coming."

In fact, Huo Wen’an hadn’t invited Ye Mingluo to dinner at all, and Ye Mingluo had long forgotten about Xu Xingguang’s invitation from last night.

"Is he very busy?"

"A bit." Busy looking for that lake Medicinal Farmer Star mentioned.

"There are too many ingredients; let’s cook only half tonight." Xu Xingguang took out the inner pot of the rice cooker, just scooped two cups of rice, and suddenly heard Huo Wen’an ask, "What about the rest?"

His tone was somewhat subtle, seemingly full of expectation.

Xu Xingguang looked up at Huo Wen’an and noticed that his ears were perked up, clearly waiting for her answer.

Tsk.

"Let’s eat it tomorrow night, you come too."

Huo Wen’an immediately grinned, happily saying, "I might not be free tomorrow night." He indeed had plans for tomorrow night, as it was the full moon night, and he needed to meet Medicinal Farmer Star.

"I also have something tomorrow night," Xu Xingguang said, "Then let’s have dinner early."

"Alright."

Sister Lin came downstairs, wanting to ask Xu Xingguang if she needed her to help with the chores. Seeing Mr. Huo helping in the kitchen next door, Sister Lin wisely went upstairs.

The two of them bustled about together until after eight, when the dishes were finally placed on the table.

Sister Lin joined them for dinner. She observed Huo Wen’an eating with great ease, without a hint of restraint, indicating this wasn’t his first time dining at Xu Xingguang’s house.

Knowing she would be staying in this household for a long time, there were some things she needed to understand in advance to avoid mistakes.

Sister Lin decided to clarify their relationship.

She secretly glanced back and forth between Huo Wen’an and Xu Xingguang, before lowering her head to sample a duck wing.

After finishing, she praised Xu Xingguang’s cooking skills, "Miss Xu’s culinary skills are truly excellent—the stir-fried lettuce is crisp and sweet, the duck meat is fragrant without being gamey or tough, it’s simply splendid. Mr. Huo is truly fortunate to have found such a capable girlfriend like Miss Xu."

This statement caused Huo Wen’an’s chopsticks to shake, and the piece of beef on the tip plummeted straight into the plate.

Xu Xingguang glanced at him playfully.

Huo Wen’an’s facial expression remained unchanged as he seriously picked up the piece of meat again and clarified, "Sister Wang misunderstood, Miss Xu and I are not romantically involved."

"Really?" It was Sister Lin’s first time seeing something wrong.

Realizing she guessed wrong, Sister Lin masked her embarrassment with laughter and sincerely said, "Mr. Huo with his dashing looks and Miss Xu with her beauty and capability, you seem so well-matched. I thought you two were a couple. I must have been blind this time."

But she wondered inwardly: If they’re not romantically involved, why is he dining at Miss Xu’s home?

As a bachelor, visiting a pretty single lady’s home at night is bound to invite gossip, isn’t it?

Mr. Huo’s looks may be handsome, but his behavior lacks decorum.

Sister Lin silently assigned the label ’flippant and indiscreet’ to Mr. Huo in her heart.

The atmosphere in the dining room gradually quieted down.

Just as Huo Wen’an finished eating and intended to put down his chopsticks, Xu Xingguang suddenly broke her silence, "Is Boss Huo alone now?"

Huo Wen’an was unsure of her intention behind the question, hesitantly providing a safe answer, "I don’t have parents."

That wasn’t the answer Xu Xingguang wanted.

Xu Xingguang asked him more directly, "What about a girlfriend?"

Huo Wen’an’s face remained calm and composed, as if wearing a mask. Yet now, this mask seemed to crack slightly.

Although the time for pain had not arrived, Huo Wen’an felt an aching heart, and his body was slightly warm.

Huo Wen’an spoke with an uncommon tone of nervousness, "A girlfriend, not yet."

Nodding, Xu Xingguang said, "That’s good."

"Hmm?" Huo Wen’an turned perceptively to stare at Xu Xingguang.

The person he stared at seemed completely oblivious of how ambiguous their conversation had been. She sipped seaweed soup slowly, her starry eyes glistening with enchanting ripples.

Very unexpectedly, Huo Wen’an thought again of yesterday afternoon, when Xu Xingguang lifted her shirt to wipe sweat, exposing her slender, ivory waist.

Huo Wen’an unconsciously gripped his chopsticks again, casually asking Xu Xingguang, "What’s good?"

Only then did Xu Xingguang lift her gaze towards him.

She said, "I’m young and beautiful, unmarried, and you—a bachelor—come to my house for dinner. What would people think? Since you don’t have a girlfriend, there won’t be any unnecessary misunderstandings."

So that’s what it was about.

"I don’t have a girlfriend." He emphasized again.

"Okay, understood."

After dinner, Huo Wen’an prepared to leave but was stopped by Xu Xingguang. "I cooked, shouldn’t you wash the dishes?"

Huo Wen’an raised his brows but said nothing, rolling up his sleeves to wash the dishes.

After dinner, Sister Lin fed Xu Qingnian and wiped his body clean. She planned to hang the used towel in the courtyard to dry and disinfect it with sunlight tomorrow.

As she took the towel downstairs, she happened to see Huo Wen’an finishing his tasks and bidding farewell to Xu Xingguang.

Sister Lin stood in the hall until Huo Wen’an left; only then did she head to the courtyard. As she hung the towel, she whispered to Xu Xingguang, "Miss Xu, is Mr. Huo courting you?"

Sister Lin felt Mr. Huo’s gaze towards Miss Xu wasn’t entirely innocent. Like a flint waiting to ignite when thrown into a fire, it would inevitably blaze up.

Xu Xingguang folded her hands behind her head, standing in the courtyard gazing at the night sky, tilted her head to look beneath the adjacent eaves, and saw Huo Wen’an with his back turned to her, opening the door.

In the moonlight, his slim and solitary silhouette seemed more alive than when they first met.

Xu Xingguang smiled subtly, without speaking.

She glanced down at the row of nearly sprouting small pots beside the wall and suddenly, inexplicably said, "When they bloom, it’ll surely be a fitting time to confess."

"Authors sure talk elegantly," Sister Lin said, not understanding, and she turned upstairs to busy herself.

The next day, carrying a canvas bag with books, Xu Xingguang had just reached the school gate when Zhang Zhiyi, waiting outside, intercepted her.

"Xingguang!" Zhang Zhiyi pulled Xu Xingguang into the car, holding her shoulders to prevent her from running away. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

With a suspicious gaze, Zhang Zhiyi scrutinized Xu Xingguang for a while before hesitantly saying, "Yesterday, I went to Tuo Ling Peak but didn’t find you there."

Before Xu could explain, Zhang Zhiyi continued, "Actually, you went to the Xiahou Family yesterday, right?"

Xu Xingguang opened her mouth but didn’t know where to begin.

Seeing her hesitation and reluctance to explain, Zhang Zhiyi understood.

Zhang Zhiyi released Xu Xingguang and sat in the empty seat beside her. She muttered incredulously to herself, "How is this possible? How could you be Medicine Farmer Star?"

The very Medicine Farmer Star that even Ghost Doctor’s Divine Hand Ye Mingluo admires—how could she be my little junior sister?

Others might not know Xu Xingguang, but Zhang Zhiyi certainly did.

Teacher Mo placed great emphasis on educating his children and devoted much effort to nurturing Xu Xingguang.

To Zhang Zhiyi’s knowledge, aside from her innate talent for writing that exceeds others, Xu Xingguang has only excelled in piano and traditional Chinese painting.

As for planting medicine and practicing medicine, those are fields Xu Xingguang has never ventured into.

Moreover, during these over three years, Xu Xingguang was in a deep sleep—how could she be the Medicinal Farmer Star causing a storm in the medical world!