The Silly Alchemist

“Hmph! Weren’t you the one who told me to eat more?” asked Zhen Xiaoyan as she watched Ye Lang devour her food. She was still gentle with him despite her frown. 

“That’s why you should prepare more. Just let me know if you’re short on cash. I’ll pay you.”

“I don’t need your money. Who do you think I am?” replied a now frustrated Zhen Xiaoyan.

“Haha, you’re my cook! You’ll probably have to cook for me for my lifetime. Don’t worry though, I’ll pay you enough! I've got to support you for my sake!” laughed Ye Lang. 

“Huh?”

Cook? A lifetime? 

The crowd was now confused again. They were moving so quickly! That shouldn’t be true, because if it was, why would Ye Lang let Zhen Xiaoyan pursue Moya? 

Someone, god, anyone! Please explain what’s going on here!

No one could place their finger on what was going on between Ye Lang and Zhen Xiaoyan, or if this was a prank! But one thing was certain…

Moya was put in a very awkward situation.

Still, the two couldn’t care less about how people perceived their relationship. They continued to act in a way that sparked envy in people, rendered them speechless and caused mass confusion!

“Fatty, do you still have more of this?” Ye Lang asked after finishing one of the dishes.

“Yeah, here you go!” As usual, Zhen Xiaoyan gave her share of lunch to Ye Lang. While she always looked unwilling, she would end up giving them to Ye Lang. 

“Hmph! Let’s see how you’re able to take my Moya away now. Would he still want you if he knew how you behaved with Ye Lang?” murmured Sha Lan.

It wasn’t just her, everyone thought the same. It would be difficult for Zhen Xiaoyan and Moya to have a romantic relationship due to Ye Lang being in the picture. But at the same time, had Ye Lang not been here, Zhen Xiaoyan and Moya would not be together at all., Rome wasn’t built in a day!

It had been a month now. Moya’s attitude towards Zhen Xiaoyan was something that could only be described as interesting. Fondness had come into the picture and finally, affection. Sha Lan hadn’t had a single opportunity to make a move during this period of time. 

As time passed, problems arose between the two. Zhen Xiaoyan had a very serious problem, and this affected their relationship quite badly.

Because of this, Moya’s affection towards her slowly began to die off. Sha Lan saw that golden opportunity and started spending more time with Moya. Moya then started spending more time with Sha Lan compared to Zhen Xiaoyan.

What was the problem with Zhen Xiaoyan?

Firstly, while Zhen Xiaoyan and Moya were madly in love, they never had any physical contact, not even a kiss or a hug. They never held hands, never touched.

She was a reserved girl. While her hands were held by Ye Lang, that was for medical purposes, so that was an exception!

Bigger problems came when they went on dates. Zhen Xiaoyan often mentioned Ye Lang’s name too many times, and left their date to prepare meals for Ye Lang.

It would be hard for anyone to accept this. A partner might not be able to tolerate this despite knowing she was deeply in love and loyal to him!

This was her biggest problem. Subconsciously, she had put Ye Lang as her top priority, even above her lover!

However, she was confident in saying that she had no romantic feelings for Ye Lang. She treated Ye Lang as a very good friend and showed him kindness that was normally shown by friends.

To her, Ye Lang deserved her kindness. He had given her the one thing she wanted most and understood her when many didn’t.  This was a fact that couldn’t be denied.

After being done a favour like this, some chose to forget, some remembered and others chose to repay. Not only did she choose to repay Ye Lang, she also prioritized it in a way that nothing was more important!

And this was what came in the way of her romantic relationship. Heck, she didn’t even realize it!

Someone entered the room, approaching Ye Lang. Zhen Xiaoyan stopped the person before Ye Lang noticed. 

This person wore ordinary clothes, you could tell there was no extravagant spending involved. She exuded grace in simplicity, in complete contrast to aristocrats. She was young, thirteen or fourteen years of age at most.

“Why won’t you listen? I’ve told you, he won’t agree!” Zhen Xiaoyan seemed to know who the girl was, and this was likely not the first argument they had over the same matter.

“That’s what you say. How would I know if he is the one saying no, and not you? Don’t treat him like he’s yours! Don’t you dare keep him for yourself!” The girl’s voice was shrill, filled with frustration and maturity that did not match her age.

“Nonsense! I just don’t want to trouble him with unnecessary matters like this!”

Zhen Xiaoyan was taken aback by what the girl had said and was also flustered. Was she angry because it would trouble Ye Lang or because of what the girl had said?

“What do you mean unnecessary? It’ll benefit him!” 

“That’s why he won’t accept it…” said Zhen Xiaoyan with a sigh.

“Just let me go to him!”

“No!!”

“You’re being insane! It’s just a meeting, it’s not a big deal!”

“No way...”

While the girls argued, Ye Lang continued to eat. He was oblivious to what was going on.

“Fatty, what are you doing?” Ye Lang finally realized that Zhen Xiaoyan was arguing with someone.

“Um, who is this? Your younger sister?”

“Nope.” Zhen Xiaoyan shook her head. When she was about to say something, she was interrupted by the girl.

“I don’t have such a cruel sister! She won’t even help me!” whined the girl, her lips pursed.

“Oh…” replied Ye Lang. He then stood up and walked towards the door. Everyone knew he was going for a leisurely stroll, then a nap on the grass. It was his after-lunch routine. 

The girl stood with her mouth hanging. Ye Lang had completely ignored her. It wasn’t even a question he asked because he wanted an answer. And even if she were Xiaoyan’s little sister, she wasn’t sure he would’ve cared. Maybe he’d say hi at most.