I Only Choked on Noodles, Why Am I Here?! [BL]

...

Han Yan had just finished arranging his thoughts when he stood up.

"I’ll go prepare something for everyone to eat."

He had been outside for most of the day.

From the market trip to purchasing supplies and settling various matters, he had barely stopped moving.

Even after returning home, he had helped arrange the goods and tidy the courtyard with the others.

Although Han Yan showed no sign of it on his face, both Lin Xin and Dong Hai could tell that he must have been exhausted.

After all, he had been busy from morning until now without much opportunity to rest.

Yet Han Yan himself seemed completely unconcerned.

Seeing him head toward the kitchen, Lin Xin’s first instinct was to stop him.

However, now that both Han Yan and Dong Hai were looking at him, he suddenly felt embarrassed.

"Yan-ge."

The call came a little hurriedly.

Lin Xin rose to his feet so quickly that his chair nearly scraped against the ground.

In just a few steps, he had already moved in front of Han Yan, blocking his path.

The unexpected action caught everyone off guard.

Han Yan stopped mid-step.

Dong Hai immediately widened his eyes in surprise.

It was only then that Lin Xin realized how impulsively he had acted.

A faint flush crept across his face, and the tips of his ears quickly turned red.

The moment he saw Han Yan heading toward the kitchen, his body had moved before his mind could react.

Now that he had everyone’s attention, retreating was no longer an option.

His fingers unconsciously tightened around the edge of his sleeve.

The faint flush on his face deepened slightly.

It was already too late to back down.

After all, he had stopped Han Yan so decisively.

If he retreated now, wouldn’t that be even more embarrassing?

"E-Ehem..."

Lin Xin lightly raised his sleeve and covered his mouth as he coughed softly, attempting to hide his embarrassment.

However, the faint flush lingering on his face made the effort largely ineffective.

Avoiding the gazes fixed on him, he lowered his eyes and spoke in a hurry.

"I will cook tonight, Yan-ge."

His voice remained as gentle as ever, yet there was an unexpected firmness hidden beneath it.

"You must be tired after returning from the market town."

"You should rest more."

"Don’t do anything else."

Han Yan looked at him quietly, a trace of surprise appearing in his eyes.

Being stared at so intently, Lin Xin’s ears grew even redder.

Nevertheless, he forced himself to continue.

"Dong Hai will keep an eye on you, okay?"

Only after saying those words did he finally dare to glance up.

Unfortunately, the moment his eyes met Han Yan’s, the little courage he had gathered instantly disappeared.

Without waiting for a response, he hurriedly turned around.

"That’s settled then."

Leaving those words behind, he quickly headed toward the kitchen.

His steps were noticeably faster than usual.

The hem of his robe swayed lightly behind him as he disappeared through the kitchen doorway.

No matter how one looked at it, it seemed less like he was going to cook and more like he was fleeing the scene.

Dong Hai watched his retreating figure disappear into the kitchen.

Then he slowly turned his head toward Han Yan.

Han Yan also happened to be looking in the same direction.

The two exchanged a silent glance.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

The courtyard fell unusually quiet.

Han Yan was still genuinely stunned.

He had never expected Lin Xin to take the initiative so suddenly.

Usually, Lin Xin was gentle and soft-spoken.

Even when he cared deeply about something, he rarely expressed it so directly.

Yet just now...

He had stepped forward without the slightest hesitation.

He had blocked his path, insisted that he rest, and even assigned Dong Hai to watch over him as though afraid he would secretly sneak off to work again.

Recalling the scene from moments ago, Han Yan could not help but feel a strange warmth spread through his chest.

The corners of his lips lifted slightly.

Before he knew it, his gaze had once again drifted toward the kitchen.

Somewhere inside, the sound of pots and bowls being moved could already be heard.

For some reason, the usually simple sounds felt particularly pleasant today.

Han Yan lowered his gaze slightly.

A strange feeling stirred within his heart.

Before he realized it, the tips of his ears had become slightly warm.

After a moment, he looked toward Dong Hai.

"Little Hai, could you help Xin-gege in the kitchen?"

Dong Hai blinked.

"But..."

The little boy hesitated.

Xin-gege had specifically told him to keep an eye on Big Brother Han.

If he left now, wouldn’t that mean disobeying Xin-gege’s instructions?

Dong Hai turned to look toward the kitchen before looking back at Han Yan.

His small face immediately filled with conflict.

Han Yan naturally noticed his hesitation.

A faint smile appeared in his eyes.

"Don’t worry."

"I won’t move."

"And I won’t go near the kitchen."

Dong Hai narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Really?"

Han Yan nodded solemnly.

"Really."

Only then did Dong Hai finally relax.

Since Big Brother Han had personally told him to help Xin-gege, it should be fine.

After all, he could not disobey both of them at the same time.

"Then I’ll help Xin-gege!"

The little boy quickly jumped to his feet and hurried toward the kitchen.

Han Yan watched his small figure disappear through the doorway.

The corners of his lips lifted slightly.

A family...

The thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.

It seemed that, without him realizing it, everyone had gradually become more comfortable around one another.

The once quiet courtyard now contained voices, movement, and warmth.

For some reason, he found himself liking this feeling.

Just as Han Yan was lost in thought, a familiar figure slowly swaggered over.

A black cat stepped into the courtyard after jumping down from the wall.

Its golden eyes swept across everything.

The newly arranged supplies.

The warmer atmosphere.

The sounds of Lin Xin and Dong Hai moving around in the kitchen.

The cat’s expression immediately became very strange.

Then, with its chin raised proudly as if nobody could possibly notice, it walked forward with its tail held high.

Each step carried an inexplicable confidence that made people itch to beat it up.

As though it was not a cat entering a courtyard.

But some great predator returning to inspect its territory.

Brother, you’re just a house cat.

The black cat stopped beside Han Yan.

Its tail swayed slowly.

Truly, it made one’s teeth ache.

"Not bad, human."

"I thought you were still going to be dirt poor and could only wait for the sky to drop something for you to survive on, but..."

The cat nodded to itself.

"At least this place no longer looks like a ruined little shelter of brokenness."

Han Yan glanced down, completely ignoring all the sarcastic comments coming from the dumb cat.

"You’re back."

He replied plainly, resisting the urge to pick at his ears.

Why hadn’t this dumb cat fallen into a pile of manure somewhere?

The cat completely ignored his greeting.

Instead, it continued looking around with a smug expression.

"Naturally."

"This sovereign has important matters to attend to."

"I cannot waste my precious time wandering around like ordinary creatures."

Han Yan stared at it.

He did not believe a single word.

This lazy cat had probably spent the entire day basking in the sun.

The cat immediately noticed the look in his eyes.

"What?"

"This sovereign speaks the truth."

Han Yan remained silent.

He thought that if he ignored it long enough, perhaps it would finally shut up.

The cat narrowed its golden eyes.

"Why are you looking at this sovereign like that?"

"Did you doubt my words?"

Still no response.

The cat’s expression slowly became more annoyed.

"And yet..."

It paused.

Its gaze slowly shifted toward the kitchen.

"...I am now being ignored in favor of food?"

Han Yan almost smiled.

The cat noticed immediately.

"You laughed."

"I saw it."

Han Yan turned away so quickly he nearly snapped his neck.

"I didn’t."

He lied with a completely straight face.

The cat stared at him.

"Shameless."

"This sovereign clearly saw it."

It walked closer, looking extremely dissatisfied.

"Humans truly are strange creatures."

"One moment they are struggling for survival."

"The next moment they are smiling because someone is cooking for them."

The cat shook its head.

Then it suddenly looked toward the kitchen again.

A smug expression appeared on its face as it licked its mouth.

"However..."

"Having someone prepare food for you is not bad."

Han Yan raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

The cat immediately returned to its arrogant expression.

"Of course, this sovereign would never admit that I am jealous."

A long pause.

"Because I am not."

Another pause.

"...Perhaps only slightly."

It said this while closing one eye and glancing at him from the side.

Han Yan looked at the cat mockingly.

The cat immediately became angry from embarrassment.

"What are you looking at?"

"This sovereign is merely making an observation."

"Nothing more."

Then it suddenly sneered.

"In fact, I thought you would be kicked out of the bedroom while begging for forgiveness."

"Haha, that would have been quite the spectacle."

It spoke hatefully while presenting its little backside to him.

Han Yan gave it a flat look.

"Single dogs truly do enjoy watching the excitement."

The cat almost choked from anger after hearing Han Yan’s words.

Han Yan truly had a talent for poking at other people’s sore spots.

At that moment, Dong Hai’s voice drifted out from the kitchen.

"Fatty Fluffington!"

The black cat froze.

It looked as though someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over its head.

Then, very slowly, it turned its head.

Its expression changed instantly.

The sight was truly entertaining.

The smug look tried to return.

Unfortunately, it was failing miserably.

"Hmph."

"This child and his cursed mouth."

"Tch."

It walked toward the kitchen with slow, elegant steps.

Every movement was filled with unnecessary pride.

Han Yan watched the cat leave, seriously considering where he should dump it.

For some reason, he suddenly felt that this bald cat truly possessed a remarkable talent for making people want to beat it.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

Indeed.

This cat...

Was still as troublesome as ever.

Wait.

Where was the black panther?

....