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"Good morning, Shizun!"

"Mn." Sitting down, Shen Qingqiu nodded at a beaming Luo Binghe, who was carrying a tray piled with delicious food. He rubbed his eyes, stifling a yawn.

Luo Binghe leaned over and kissed his eyelid, his voice softening. "Is Shizun tired?"

"Just a little bit."

"Would you like me to cancel my arrangements for today? This disciple would be more than honoured to spend the time with you here."

Shen Qingqiu shook his head. "Tend to your duties, Binghe. I'll be fine."

Luo Binghe stuck out his lower lip just a little bit, but Shen Qingqiu only smiled in mild amusement. He tapped his disciple on the head with his fan. "It's only a day. You can't neglect work."

"I can't neglect Shizun either."

"You're not neglecting me." He pointedly ate some of his breakfast, arching an eyebrow. "See? I'm more than well taken care of."

"Okay, but I'll be thinking about you the whole day."

"Of course you would be." Shen Qingqiu shook his head affectionately. I wouldn't expect anything less from you. "Now eat your breakfast like a good boy and head to the demon realm. I'll be here waiting for you."

Luo Binghe kissed his forehead before shifting to eat his own meal. "Then I'll come home quickly," he promised.

Shen Qingqiu just smiled.

The two finished up and said their goodbyes, with the shizun gently nudging his reluctant disciple out the door.

"If you get hungry, I left some noodles in the kitchen. Ning-shijie is helping us prepare our carriage for that trip to the south, and there are some candies in the cupboard. I've left the washed clothes to dry outside, and—"

"Binghe," he interrupted, exasperated, "I understand already. You mustn't be late."

"Shizun…"

Shen Qingqiu sighed, knowing that the other was hoping for a little treat before work. "Look, I appreciate the sentiment; really, I do. But you needn't worry about me." He hesitated momentarily before tilting his head upwards, closing his eyes.

"Alright." Luo Binghe tucked a few stray strands of the other's hair behind his ear, kissing him gently on the lips and smiling when he saw him turn pink. "I'll see you later, Shizun. I love you."

"I-I love you too."

With that, he was finally able to sweep his clingy disciple outside and shut the door. Leaning against the wall, he opened his fan before letting out an amused giggle.

All the chores—done! Now I can just lounge about. He was quite lucky; the mighty Demon Lord, so scary and intimidating with piercing black eyes that occasionally glowed a menacing red to anyone else, was so doting and soft with him!

Shen Qingqiu soon recomposed himself, fanning absentmindedly as he gazed out the window. Ah, the snow's mostly melted. That's good. It had been nearly two months since he'd introduced Christmas to Cang Qiong Mountain. So now we should be approaching…

He blinked. Valentine's Day?

For a second he stared blankly at nothing.

Then Shen Qingqiu's cheeks flushed as he fanned himself a little harder. Why do I feel like I need to do something special? I mean, it's not like I'm obligated to… Valentine's Day doesn't even exist here…

But he couldn't help but recall all the art and stories that went up around this time online, including those of the PIDW fandom. Shen Qingqiu was a little embarrassed remembering how much he'd scrolled through the new fan art of Luo Binghe and his wives that got posted around this time—every fan artist had their own favourite that they would focus on.

Shen Qingqiu himself would be too self-conscious to admit it out loud, but he'd personally liked browsing those drawings for Luo Binghe alone. I mean, it's totally normal, isn't it? Binghe was the only interesting character in PIDW. That, and it was cool seeing how different artists interpreted Luo Binghe's design (although none of them ever came quite close to capturing the beauty of the real thing—how lucky his disciple was, being a technically fictional character!).

Even Airplane Bro, Shang Qinghua himself, updated specially on Valentine's Day. Some of the fandom's favourite chapters came from these Valentine's updates.

Shang Qinghua had once even started a new 20-30 chapter arc about some special maiden or another for Luo Binghe to conquer, even if it made no reference to the holiday in canon.

But I don't have to do anything. It's not like I'm uploading anything online. Shen Qingqiu slowly stopped fanning himself. I can easily just let this day pass by without saying or doing anything.

Part of him wouldn't have minded avoiding the holiday altogether, if only because he felt embarrassed thinking about it, but at the same time, he knew he'd feel guilty doing so.

If Luo Binghe knew about Valentine's Day, Shen Qingqiu just knew his disciple wouldn't give it a rest. He'd go all out, preparing chocolates and food and flowers and gifts and God knows what else. He'd ask for kisses and maybe more, giving Shen Qingqiu those giant puppy dog eyes filled with star-like tears.

Shen Qingqiu sat down at the table and brewed some of the tea leaves Luo Binghe had left him as a gift earlier that week. He sipped the drink while pondering. As expected, these are perfect. Binghe really knows my taste best. He gazed down into the tea.

Luo Binghe, as adoring as he was, was still occasionally shy with his romantic requests, acting like a young maiden. This was especially true before the two had gotten together. And he was so easily sad every time Shen Qingqiu turned one of his requests down.

But Luo Binghe did so much for Shen Qingqiu. Blushing again, he fidgeted with his fan, opening and closing it. I should do something for Luo Binghe. I mean, he's always so considerate and we've been through so much. So this would be a way to show my thanks. And…my love.

I guess I could…make something?

But what?

"Chocolates? Shidi, could you clarify what that item is?" Yue Qingyuan furrowed his brow.

Shen Qingqiu sighed. "So Zhangmen-shixiong doesn't know either then? Not even with all your travels and experience?" Twisting his lips a little, he poked his fan at the wooden table. Traditionally, chocolates were given on Valentine's Day. But he really wasn't sure he could get cacao or chocolates in this universe, and the results so far had been discouraging.

He shook his head. "I'm afraid I've never heard the term before. Does Qingqiu-shidi want this elusive item? You can tell me what it's like and I'll do my best to procure some for y—"

"No need," he said earnestly. "I don't wish to trouble you. I'll just keep asking around."

Yue Qingyuan frowned a little but let the matter go. "Very well. I wish you luck on finding it."

"Thank you, Zhangmen-shixiong." Shen Qingqiu bowed before taking his leave. He suppressed another oncoming sigh, lifting his face to the mild February sun.

Then he began making his way toward his next stop.

As he approached the familiar training field of Bai Zhan Peak, he could hear swords clashing and students yelling. But as soon as he stepped into view under dappled sunlight, a hush fell across the crowd.

It took a moment before they seemed to gather their wits. Then they were all approaching and bowing. "Shen-shishu," a group of the disciples chorused.

"Good morning." Shen Qingqiu smiled vaguely as he opened his fan. "Is Liu Qingge around?"

The younger men stiffened, suddenly appearing nervous, and only one dared step forward.

"Is Shen-shishu here to train?" asked Yang Yixuan, Liu Qingge's sole formal disciple.

"No, I just have something to ask my shidi. Is this a convenient time?"

The disciples seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. At least we're not getting beaten up today! their expressions said.

"I'll fetch him for you!" Yang Yixuan bowed quickly before disappearing.

Shen Qingqiu waited patiently, watching the students continue their training. His mind was beginning to drift off back to Valentine's Day plans when Liu Qingge finally arrived.

Shen Qingqiu smiled. "Liu-shidi, good morning."

"Good morning." He looked the other man up and down. "Yixuan said you had something you wanted to ask me?"

"Mn." He snapped his fan shut, tilting his head. "Have you ever heard of chocolate?"

Liu Qingge arched an eyebrow slightly. "I can't say I have."

"And not cacao either?"

"No."

Shen Qingqiu sighed deeply. "Oh well. Can't say that's much of a surprise."

"What do you need this…'chocolate' for?"

"Now that," he replied, grinning a little, "is meant to be a surprise. It's alright you don't know though. I'll just go pester someone else about the matter."

"You could ask Mu Qingfang. If it's some plant, he should know."

"Ah, he was the first one I asked, exactly with that same logic, but no luck." Shen Qingqiu shrugged delicately. "Oh well. I'll head down the mountain first. I need to get some items from the marketplace anyway."

Before he could leave, Liu Qingge took a step toward him. "Do you need someone to accompany you?"

Shen Qingqiu shot him a grateful smile. "If you wish to! I'm sure it'll be some fun to escape your Peak for a while. You must be terribly bored, with no one who can defeat the mighty Liu Qingge."

The other man let out a "humph." "I am not looking for an excuse to escape my Peak."

"Sure, sure. Whatever Shidi says," he chuckled teasingly.

"Shen Qingqiu, you—!"

He smiled behind his fan before they left and descended the mountain together.

Almost immediately, Shen Qingqiu found himself distracted by various knickknacks and snacks, chatting politely with a few vendors while Liu Qingge hovered nearby.

He asked each seller about chocolate. Again, there was no luck, with Shen Qingqiu getting mostly only confused looks in response.

In the end, he left with some sweets and lotus for his favourite blackened white lotus.

"I know you have a sweet tooth, but is this really necessary?" Liu Qingge narrowed his eyes at the small pile in Shen Qingqiu's arms.

"Oh, yes. Very necessary." He covered his mouth so that the other party wouldn't be able to catch his almost mischievous grin. Even though I didn't get my hands on any chocolate, I'm sure Binghe will love these presents.

As if somewhat reading his mind, his companion questioned, "And what about that…thing you wanted to find earlier? That 'chocolate'?"

"Ah, yeah. That. I'll figure it out! Don't worry about it, Liu-shidi." He smiled. "Thanks for your help today."

Liu Qingge coughed before looking away. "You're welcome." He took a step toward Qing Jing Peak. "I'll walk you back."

Shen Qingqiu squinted up at the sun. Hmmm. It must be almost noon. Binghe is probably waiting with lunch. Then I can keep going around Cang Qiong Mountain…

"It's okay," he said quickly. "I can make it back on my own." I'm pretty sure Luo Binghe wouldn't want to see us alone together, with me carrying so much of this mushy stuff. 

"You sure?"

"Mn. I'm sure."

"Then I will see you later." Liu Qingge turned to leave before glancing back. "If I see or hear anything about this elusive 'chocolate,' then I'll let you know."

"Thank you, Shidi!" Shen Qingqiu waved his fan in goodbye and stuffed the gifts in a qiankun pouch before continuing on his merry way. All through the journey back, he kept mulling over this dilemma of what to do next.

When he entered the bamboo cabin, Luo Binghe looked up from the table, his whole face brightening. "Shizun! Welcome home! I made you some steamed fish, assorted vegetables, and rice for today."

"Mn," he responded distractedly, seating himself at the table.

Luo Binghe set a few dishes down, but Shen Qingqiu was still staring vacantly at the table, lost in thought.

Luo Binghe knitted his eyebrows together, concern etching itself on his face. "Shizun…?"

"Hm?"

"Are you okay?"

Starting, Shen Qingqiu looked up to smile. "Oh, this master is fine. Just have something on my mind, is all."

"This disciple is more than willing to listen to any burdens weighing on Shizun's heart and to help ease them," he offered, also sitting down.

"It's okay, Binghe. It's no big deal." Shen Qingqiu waved the matter aside, picking his chopsticks up and beginning to eat. "Mmm, delicious as always."

Luo Binghe smiled and nodded, but he still appeared worried, despite saying nothing more on the matter.

The two switched topics as they continued to eat, discussing how their day had gone.

"It was mostly a paperwork day," Luo Binghe concluded. "What about for you, Shizun?"

"Oh, I went to see some of the Peak Lords, and Liu Qingge and I went to the marketplace," he replied.

"Oh? Why did Shizun go see them? And why did Shizun go with Liu…Liu-shishu to the market?"

Shen Qingqiu paused, a piece of fish halfway inside his mouth. He smiled awkwardly, starting to sweat. Fuck! I answered without thinking. While Luo Binghe's tone was mostly unreadable and he still wore a mostly serene expression, Shen Qingqiu had a feeling the Vinegar King was already brewing a storm up beneath the surface. "Err…no real reason; just had to ask them about something."

"Did something go wrong? Does Shizun need any help?" Luo Binghe's voice increased in emotion, although it was still hard to read exactly which emotions he was expressing. "Is it another demon? Or something else?"

"No, no, it's okay. Nothing so urgent." He set his chopsticks down, readjusting his smile to be more reassuring than nervous. "I just wanted to ask them about a certain object. It's not anything too serious."

"What object is it? I'd be more than happy to help Shizun acquire it."

Shen Qingqiu felt gratefulness swell in his heart even as he quickly interjected. "It's just some—exotic food."

Luo Binghe frowned. "I could open a rift in space with Xin Mo if it's truly difficult to find. We could go together, and I'll prepare the food for—"

"This master can handle it on my own. Don't worry."

Luo Binghe's brow remained furrowed and his lips still curved downwards, a watery disappointment swimming in those large black eyes of his.

There it is again. The look of the hurt young maiden with a heart of glass.

Shen Qingqiu softened but immediately hardened his heart and shifted his eyes away just a little. He apologized silently with his whole being: Sorry, Binghe! This master will definitely, certainly, absolutely make it up to you later! I promise!

Out loud, he cautiously said nothing, only smiling apologetically. He patted Luo Binghe's head and left the matter at that, causing the rest of lunch to continue in silence.

Afterwards, Luo Binghe cleared the dishes and walked off to prepare them for washing, saying nothing the entire time. Of course, he didn't radiate any kind of anger, but Shen Qingqiu could still tell he was a little upset he was refusing to confide in him.

Shen Qingqiu watched him go. He only let out the deep breath he'd practically been holding after his disciple was gone. Then he turned to gaze out the window, weighing his options.

Having asked around, he was still no closer to finding anything on how he could get chocolate. None of the Peak Lords or vendors he'd questioned so far knew, despite their well-traveled experiences. So that only leaves…

Shen Qingqiu's lips curved a little upwards, but now there was an almost mischievous glint to his crescented eyes. Ah, of course. I know just the perfect person to ask.

And luckily for him, that person was coming back before Valentine's Day.

The day before Valentine's Day, Shen Qingqiu finally received news of this person's return from Ming Fan.

Relieved, he thanked his head disciple and snapped his fan shut, getting up and leaving.

As he walked, he considered the past few days. He'd been cautious and a little aloof with Luo Binghe, which he knew upsetted his disciple even more. Once again, Luo Binghe was being distant and focusing more on work, throwing his usual tantrum.

Binghe, hold on! Shizun will make it up to you really, really soon! It just has to be a surprise. Sorry!

And first, I need this person's help.

So soon he was pounding on someone's door, yelling, "Airplane Bro, open up!"

A squeak and a crash sounded before the door slid open a few centimetres. "C-C-Cucumber Bro! What are you doing here?"

"This time you shouldn't be so startled to see me—unlike that time for Christmas, so why do you seem more surprised?" Shen Qingqiu was incredulous as he pushed his door open further and swept in. "It's almost—" He cut himself off.

Mobei-jun was standing in a corner of the room, eyes narrowed at Shen Qingqiu.

He glanced at Shang Qinghua. "Ah…"

"We just got back to An Ding Peak," explained Shang Qinghua. "We were just about to rest."

"Then let us leave him to rest. I need to talk to you."

Mobei-jun frowned, taking a menacing step forward.

"Ah, sorry for disturbing you, my King! We'll leave you to your sleep right away," Shang Qinghua said quickly, dragging Shen Qingqiu away.

Shen Qingqiu, for his part, smiled apologetically.

Mobei-jun sent him a glower that was somewhat unnerving, as if saying he'd wished to be alone with Shang Qinghua. But before Shen Qingqiu could decide whether he should give up the An Ding Peak Lord to the ice demon, he was already whisked out the door into a different room.

Shang Qinghua closed it behind them and faced his companion. "So what do you want? My King is always grouchiest after travel and needs me usually to accompany him to sleep."

Shen Qingqiu kept his frozen, fake smile on his face. You realize that sounds like "your king" wants to sleep with you, right… Are you aware of that? Is this a…he views you as a stuffed animal situation, or…

He cleared his throat. "Valentine's Day is fast approaching, and you should definitely know this, considering how much you wrote about Bing-ge charming young maidens in PIDW. I need to know if chocolate or cacao exist in this universe or not."

"Ah, that's not an easy one to answer." Shang Qinghua wrung his hands. "It's not nonexistent—because how could I make such a staple of romance nonexistent in this story ah—but it's exotic and expensive and far away."

"Of course it is." Shen Qingqiu rolled his eyes. "I'm shocked you wouldn't make it at least easier to access, considering all of Bing-ge's exploits."

"Making it rarer is no big deal! It only makes his romantic gestures all the more impressive if he ever goes through all those hoops to get his hands on some chocolate for a blushing young lady."

"Well, just tell me if I can get my hands on some before Valentine's Day."

Shang Qinghua shook his head. "You'd have to travel really far to get it legitimately, find a super wealthy merchant to buy it easier but for a lot more, or go to some shady underground market."

"Damn you, Airplane Bro. Always making my life so hard." Shen Qingqiu grabbed a crumpled up paper ball from Shang Qinghua's desk and lobbed it at him.

"You could always make something else for Bing-ge, Shen-dada. There's lots of different desserts in ancient China."

"I guess so. I'm…" Shen Qingqiu hesitated now, a little embarrassed. "I'm not exactly a great chef like Binghe, but I can try."

"I could give you some ideas. I did quite a bit of research on desserts to write PIDW, you know." Shang Qinghua raised an eyebrow. "Still, you're surprising me again by proving to be so romantic. You introducing Christmas was cheesy enough, but Valentine's Day too?"

"Oh, please." Shen Qingqiu made a face at him. "I wouldn't feel the need to be romantic in this situation if it wasn't for your sticky candy stallion protag always doing so much for me. I'd feel guilty if I did jack-shit."

The other man grinned. "Truly a hopeless romantic. No wonder you never liked my harem story—no wonder you were chosen as the one to 'fix' it!"

He picked up another paper ball, causing Shang Qinghua to raise his hands.

"Don't shoot, don't shoot!" he laughed. "Listen, what you just said gave me an idea."

"What, about guilt?"

"No, before that."

"Being romantic?"

"A little after that."

He creased his eyebrows and pursed his lips, thinking over his words for a brief second. Then his eyes widened. "Oh! You mean…"

"Yes!" Shang Qinghua nodded. "Exactly that."

Shen Qingqiu rolled up his bell-top sleeves. "Well then, let's get to the marketplace, get our ingredients, and then go to the kitchen and get straight to work."

"Are you sure this is right?" Shen Qingqiu squinted down at the flour in the bowl in front of him, which had glopped together with the syrup and water they'd prepared.

It'd taken them time to gather the necessary ingredients, so now it was on the next day that they started working—on Valentine's Day.

Usually, he would've preferred not to do things so last-minute, but this didn't seem so bad considering the recipe wouldn't take long and the rarity of chocolate had delayed his preparations a lot, so he'd let it slide.

He'd enlisted Ning Yingying and Ming Fan's help in diverting Luo Binghe's attention if necessary, as his disciple would probably have work to attend to but may still be around Cang Qiong Mountain Sect while they were cooking.

It was after breakfast but before lunch, so they had some time before Luo Binghe would come make lunch for his shizun.

"Well…?" he prompted, glancing at his cooking companion.

"I'm pretty sure…" Shang Qinghua thumbed through the recipe book in his hands. "This would certainly be a lot easier with a video recipe."

"Your fault for writing a xianxia cultivation novel and not a science fiction," he replied drily.

"Of course, of course, everything in this world is my fault." Shang Qinghua stuck his tongue out at the other man before glancing back down at his book. "Anyway, now that it's a paste, you need to mix and melt the sugar and syrup—"

Alarmed, his head jerked upwards. "But you already told me to add the sugar!"

"Well, we're supposed to prepare it now…"

"Airplane! Shooting! Towards! The! Sky!" Shen Qingqiu gestured at the bowl. "It's already in the flour!"

"That's fine! Just heat a little more with the sugar. Just follow the recipe."

Shen Qingqiu groaned but did as he was told, all while Shang Qinghua kept reading.

"It's fine," he insisted. "We haven't strayed too far from the righteous path."

"It better be fine." He stuck up a cordial middle finger at his companion. "If these get ruined, it's your fault."

"Shen-dada, you can't just blame everything on me," Shang Qinghua said exasperatedly. "I'm doing my best here to help you, you know! I even agreed to make something for Mobei-jun as well so you don't have to do it alone. I don't have to do all this."

Shen Qingqiu turned quiet now. He knew Shang Qinghua was right, but a part of him was so scared of messing up he wanted to be able to blame good ol' Airplane Bro, as he usually did, when things in this universe went wrong.

"The water should be equal—"

Letting out an undignified yelp, Shen Qingqiu nearly dropped the cup he'd been pouring with. He immediately set it down. "Couldn't you have said that earlier!?"

"I'm reading the recipe as it's written!"

"Well, read ahead and rearrange the steps so it makes sense!"

"Look, if you just calm down and listen, you wouldn't need to panic so much!"

Shen Qingqiu drew in a deep breath, his shoulders loosening. Right. Shang Qinghua has a point. He nodded despite his hands still being shaky. "Okay, okay. Next step."

Shang Qinghua continued explaining the steps while preparing things for his own dessert. Shen Qingqiu listened attentively—in between nearly slipping on the tons of flour that now coated the floor, the counter, and the walls, nearly breaking a bowl, and dropping a bunch of sesame seeds.

Finally, he lowered the simmered dough into the sesame seeds and began to relax somewhat. Almost there.

"You should be glad we went with this recipe instead of Dragon's Beard candy. Now that shit is hard to make."

Shen Qingqiu shot him a doubtful look. Don't minimize my efforts, alright! This is already plenty hard, alright!?

"Lots more ingredients and measurements and intensive labour—if you consider all the pulling and stretching the candy needs," Shang Qinghua quickly clarified, probably sensing the disagreement on Shen Qingqiu's face.

Not replying, he refocused on rolling the dough until it was a good thickness. He squinted down at the messy product.

It looked close enough to the real thing, but it definitely also looked somewhat amateurish.

"Nice!" Shang Qinghua exclaimed in English, giving him an encouraging thumbs up.

Shen Qingqiu wiped his cheek with the back of his hand, forgetting about the dough and syrup that coated his fingers. "Okay, what next? Or…can we be done, at long last?"

"Pretty much." Shang Qinghua hopped down from the counter. "Now you just cut them into the sizes you want after they've cooled down."

Finally, an easy step. He let out a breath he'd been holding in relief.

Shang Qinghua, meanwhile, returned to his own dish while they waited for the batch to cool.

Shen Qingqiu stayed nervous, fidgeting and staring at his handmade gift. Suddenly, his eyes became super critical as he picked apart all the flaws of how lumpy and messy and unevenly covered in sesame seeds his candies were.

"Will you stop staring at them? I know you're nervous, but they are how they are now. Plus, they're going to take some time to cool, so you might as well help me with mine…"

Soon that devolved into a mess too, with Shen Qingqiu exclaiming, "Why did you choose to make something as complicated as this dish!?"

"It's fitting, alright? Very fitting." Shang Qinghua was defensive as he studied his bowl of ingredients with a scrunched up face. Under his breath, he muttered, "Is this right…?"

"Well, if we mess this up—"

"Yeah, yeah, I knoooow. My fault, right?"

"—You're the one who'll have to suffer the consequences." Shen Qingqiu paused, crinkling his nose as he cut up his candies. "I don't blame you that often, do I?"

Shang Qinghua gave him a blank stare with an eyebrow raised.

"Oh, shut up," he said, sweeping some flour toward the other man.

"I didn't even say anything!" Shang Qinghua swept some right back, and the two burst out laughing.

When they settled down, Shen Qingqiu popped one of the candies that had ended up being too small into his mouth.

"So? Does it taste right?"

He licked his lips. "I guess it tastes good enough." He surveyed the room then, chortling. "Fuck, this kitchen is a mess now."

"What's important is that we're having fun and working together," he responded, kneeling in front of a cabinet while digging for ingredients.

"Right, fun. Guess you could call us the real mess in this situation, finding fun in this torture." His tone was dry but also amused, and Shang Qinghua sent him a dry but also amused smirk in response.

When they started wrapping up their gifts, Shen Qingqiu leaned against a counter, heaving a huge sigh as he slumped. "Oh my God. I think we're finally all finished."

"Yeah, and they didn't turn out half-bad either." He held up the finished product of his dessert. "Look, doesn't it look like the real thing?"

While it was certainly reminiscent of the real thing, he felt like it was also still quite flawed. "Close enough," he answered. He paused before adding teasingly, "But of course Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky would accept something this rough."

"Haha, very funny." Shang Qinghua nudged some more flour onto Shen Qingqiu's robes. "It's the thought that counts, right?"

The two laughed some more as they finished wrapping the gifts.

As Shen Qingqiu tied the ribbon into as neat a bow as possible, he felt his heart flutter. My present for a young maiden's heart. It's done.

Shang Qinghua eyed him. "See? Didn't my suggestion turn out to be a great present?" Then he grinned playfully. "Is the young maiden feeling shy about giving it away?"

He coughed, ignoring the other as he started to say, "Enough. Now we—"

"Ah, A-Luo, wait!"

Starting, both men's heads swivelled toward the door, where Ning Yingying's frantic voice sounded.

"I didn't finish cleaning and preparing the carriage for the upcoming trip you and Shizun have! Could you come take a look and tell me what else you may need?"

"Ning-shijie, the trip isn't until next month; we can discuss it then. Right now, I must prepare lunch for Shizun." There was a hint of impatience to Luo Binghe's tone.

Shang Qinghua glanced at Shen Qingqiu. "Really a good disciple, ah. Even his timing is perfect!"

"Shhh!" he whispered back, motioning for silence. The two gripped the desserts in their hands as the door opened and Luo Binghe stepped inside.

He stopped almost immediately in his tracks.

"Ning-shijie…"

"I tried to stop you," she said, peeking inside.

Shen Qingqiu felt like fainting. Why is everyone here!? He could see not just Ning Yingying and Ming Fan, but Mobei-jun lingering behind Luo Binghe. Liu Qingge, Qi Qingqi, Yue Qingyuan, and Mu Qingfang were also all present behind the demons, with Liu Qingge looking somewhat murderous.

Everyone suddenly stopped, clearly shocked by the state of the kitchen, which, besides the flour coating everything, very well may have sported a few egg stains and leftover sesame seeds.

"Mobei-jun."

"Mn."

"Go with Ning-shijie and get me a broom—"

Shang Qinghua then elbowed Shen Qingqiu sharply, causing him to let out a hiss.

Luo Binghe's head snapped upwards. "Shizun…?" He still looked startled, but as soon as he met Shen Qingqiu's eyes, his gaze cleared.

At the same time, the Peak Lords present expressed their own confusion.

Shen Qingqiu felt like he was freezing up. I did not sign up for this! I did not sign up for everyone to be present for this!

"Shizun?" he asked again, walking toward him. "What happened?"

Liu Qingge also stepped inside. "We've been wondering where you went!"

Qi Qingqi added, "We came to tell you we found out a place that sells chocolate and that—"

Luo Binghe shot them a look with narrowed eyes, moving so that he swept Shen Qingqiu up in his arms. He brushed away the dough and flour that streaked his shizun's face. "What have you been up to? Was Shizun cooking?" he asked quietly. He furrowed his brow, his lower lip wobbling as he donned those big puppy dog eyes. "Does Shizun not want this disciple's cooking anymore?"

"Umm…I-I…" Shen Qingqiu felt his face heat up until he was sure he resembled a tomato, his hands trembling and his heart starting to throw itself against his chest from anxiousness.

Shang Qinghua gave him a discreet, encouraging poke—which felt more like a harsh jab in his ribs—before walking over to Mobei-jun. "My King!" he said with a flourish, holding out the item in his hands. "I made something for you."

Mobei-jun blinked, evidently taken aback. He looked down at it.

"It's a present." The man waited, but when the ice demon didn't do anything, he clarified further: "You have to open it."

He made an "oh" sound before delicately untying the silver string with his claws.

Luo Binghe's eyes widened before his head whipped back to Shen Qingqiu. "Shizun, you also…?"

Shen Qingqiu became very aware of every gaze resting on him as he nodded meekly. He snapped open his fan, looking away as he slowly pulled his gift out. Shy and embarrassed and mortified, he mumbled, "F-For my beloved."

It seemed nearly too quiet in the kitchen suddenly, with everyone looking on in shock.

But almost immediately, a galaxy of stars seemed to light up in Luo Binghe's eyes as he let out a delighted cry of "Shizun!", breaking the silence.

Meanwhile, Mobei-jun and Shang Qinghua were focused only on one another. After the item was unwrapped, the ice demon continued to stare at it with the same blank look. "It's…almond jelly."

"Yeah!" Shang Qinghua confirmed, his voice perky. "I thought it was fitting, you know, since it's a cool treat for the summer, and I was sure you were tired from our journey, my King, so I took the liberty to…"

As the human rambled on, Mobei-jun picked up a spoon and began eating. Finally, he murmured, "Mm." A beat. Then: "It's good."

"Oh! That's good. I was worried it wasn't close enough to what it should be since I messed up with this one step where you're supposed to—"

Mobei-jun reached out and shoved the spoon into Shang Qinghua's mouth. He started, and Mobei-jun patted him on the head. "Thank you."

Shang Qinghua immediately turned silent, pulling the spoon from his lips and returning it to Mobei-jun. He was too shaken by the soft touch to speak much more as his face became red. "Mn," he could only say, "y-you're welcome."

Luo Binghe, however, was a blubbering mess, gently tearing open Shen Qingqiu's gift. He looked down with fat tears rolling down his cheeks.

It was a box of sticky niupi candy.

"Is this what you wanted to find the chocolates for?" Liu Qingge asked, his nose crinkled. He looked like he wanted to hack them to death.

Yue Qingyuan simply smiled, his expression unreadable. "Never mind. We found it, so if Shidi wants them next time, now we know…"

Shen Qingqiu gave them thankful, apologetic smiles before he reached out and brushed some of Luo Binghe's tears away, unable to stop the exasperation that seeped into his voice. "Why on Earth are you crying?"

"Shizun, this disciple is too touched by your kind and loving gesture," he cried, pouncing on Shen Qingqiu with a tight bear hug.

Qi Qingqi and Liu Qingge let out noises as if they had been scandalized, while Yue Qingyuan and Mu Qingfang looked politely away.

Flustered, Shen Qingqiu's cheeks burned. "Stop making a scene," he muttered.

Luo Binghe nuzzled his face into the crook of the other man's neck. "But this disciple must do his best to show his gratitude."

That I'm fine with, but can't you do it some other time when there isn't everyone staring at us!? Outwardly, he cleared his throat. "Enough."

He reluctantly pulled away, but only somewhat. He gazed down at Shen Qingqiu with so much love it made Shen Qingqiu shift his head away. His heart pounded too much like a giant drum when he met that look head-on.

"Binghe…"

"This is such an amazing, heartfelt gift. This disciple is filled with nothing but adoration for his shizun."

"I-I'm glad you like it… I thought it was fitting, considering how much like this sticky candy you are."

"I'm stickiest to my shizun," his disciple agreed. Then his voice lowered. "I wonder how these taste. Would they be as delicious as Shizun? If I maybe take a bite of Shizun right now, do you think I would taste the niupi candy?"

Shen Qingqiu coughed. "Shameless."

Luo Binghe smiled at his pink cheeks and how he was biting his lip shyly. He leaned down and remarked, "Shizun is so cute whenever he gets shy like a young maiden."

Shen Qingqiu's eyes widened, stunned, just as Luo Binghe began kissing him all over. Frozen in place, he screamed internally, HUH!? Who's the young maiden!? Isn't it you!?

I made these for your delicate young maiden heart, okay!

Still, despite his indignation, when Luo Binghe kissed him on the lips, Shen Qingqiu closed his eyes and kissed back.

On the table, the box of niupi candy awaited their consumption.