Chapter 20

Only after the door clicked shut did Yu Qing open her eyes and look toward the window.
Earlier that morning, Xiang Changge had drawn back the blackout curtains, leaving only the gauze. It was still raining; the sky was dim enough that even the thin fabric didn’t make the light too harsh.
By that gray daylight, Yu Qing could see the little table by the window, crammed full.
The smell of food hung in the air, with a hint of something fried.
Unbidden, she thought again of fried chicken.
Maybe last night’s battle of wills had drained her more than she knew. Her stomach had been empty to begin with; now, at the whiff of those scents, her perpetually numb tongue seemed to stir.
She stayed in bed a few more minutes to make sure no one else was coming, then finally slipped out and padded over, barefoot.
The table was covered edge‑to‑edge with breakfast options.
Oatmeal, sweet‑potato millet porridge, steamed egg custard, wontons, dumplings, plain noodles in broth, spinach‑and‑tofu soup, toast grilled golden on both sides… like a mini hotel buffet.
The smell that had drawn her over belonged to a single, tiny piece of fried dough.
It was so small it could have passed for a lighter.
Maybe they were worried oily food wasn’t good for her, or that she wouldn’t finish it, so they’d made it bite‑sized on purpose.
Next to it sat a steaming bowl of soy milk.
The aroma of fried dough was always bold. In the seconds she stood there, it climbed insistently into her nose.
“……”
So that was it. Xiang Changge couldn’t beat her at gomoku, couldn’t force her out of bed, so she’d resorted to this—dangling temptation under her nose.
Well.
It worked.
Yu Qing retreated to the bathroom to wash up.
Five minutes later, she settled onto the sofa by the window. After a few sips of warm water, she picked up her chopsticks.
For all the options laid out, the first thing she reached for was the tiny piece of fried dough.
It had clearly been brought up straight from the fryer and had now cooled to the perfect temperature.
Her teeth broke through the crisp crust to the softness inside.
It had been a long time since anything had tasted *that* good.
At first the dough was simply savory, but as she chewed and the starches broke down, a quiet sweetness spread through her mouth.
She took another bite, eyes drifting to the bowl of soy milk beside it.