"Good morning, Wende."
In the early morning, a smiling Wendy greeted a just-awakened Wende.
"Mm... Morning, Wen... Wen-Wen-Wendy!? Why are you in my bed?"
Wende shot up from the bed, his face a mask of terror, staring dumbfounded at Wendy, who clutched her chest in feigned shock.
"Ah, I just came to see if Wende was awake. I made you breakfast... would you like some?"
Wendy's face flushed red, and she shyly tapped her two slender index fingers together.
"Mm... Let's not do this next time, okay? As for the food Wendy made, of course I'll eat it. Let me see how much of my craft you've learned."
Looking at Wendy, Wende let out a helpless sigh. He then placed his large hand on her short, dark cyan hair, gently stroking her head as he spoke.
"Okay! Come and try it!"
Wendy looked thrilled. She hopped off Wende's bed and scurried to bring in a bowl of noodles.
"Here! Eat it while it's hot!"
Wendy handed the noodle bowl to Wende, her face full of anticipation.
"Er..."
Wende wanted to say that eating in bed was a bit messy, and besides, he hadn't even washed up yet...
But seeing Wendy's expectant expression, he swallowed his words. After all, this was a gesture from her heart, and it wouldn't be right to disappoint her. Besides...
Wende took the noodles, noting the vibrant red and yellow of the tomato and egg topping. A sweet, sour, and refreshing aroma wafted from the bowl into his nostrils. The dish looked quite presentable. It should be delicious, right?
Under Wendy's eager gaze, Wende took a small bite of the noodles she had made.
"Mmm..."
Wende nodded at Wendy, chewing the firm noodles before giving her a thumbs-up.
"It's delicious. Wendy's cooking skills are quite good."
Wende praised her.
"Really? I'm glad you like it! Oh, right! I should bring some to Stelle and March, too!"
Wendy seemed to remember something, then strode out of Wende's bedroom on her long legs.
"Uh..." Wende glanced at the noodles in his hand, ultimately finishing the bowl in just a few large bites. He then slipped on his slippers, got out of bed, and carried the empty bowl to the kitchen sink. It was only then that he saw Wendy had cooked a massive pot full of noodles.
"Here, let me help you."
Wende walked over to Wendy's side and helped her portion the noodles into takeaway containers, topping each with a thick layer of tomato and egg. Perhaps considering it was breakfast, Wendy hadn't used too many seasonings, so adding a bit extra was fine.
"Mmm..."
Feeling the warmth of Wende's presence beside her, Wendy's earlobes couldn't help but turn red.
Wende was quite pleased with Wendy's actions this morning. Putting aside the part where she casually climbed into his bed, the fact that she had cooked herself and was willing to share with her companions was enough to make Wende feel gratified.
This way, March and Stelle shouldn't have any issues with Wendy, right? After all, they were all his kids ().
Since March and Stelle's room was right across the hall, Wende didn't bother changing out of his pajamas. He pushed his door open, looked at the locked door opposite, and skillfully opened the keypad lock before entering the password.
Click... "Welcome."
"Those two are probably still asleep at this hour. Wendy, you wait in the living room for a bit. I'll go wake them up."
Placing the two containers of noodles on the dining table, Wende said to Wendy.
"Oh, okay."
Wendy nodded obediently, her gaze drifting towards the duo's bedroom with a hint of curiosity.
March and Stelle... Although she had only met them yesterday, why did she always have this strange feeling? She couldn't put her finger on it, nor could she describe it. It was like...
Never mind, she really couldn't describe it...
Wendy gave up trying to put her complicated feelings into words. It was better to just focus on getting along with them in the future.
When Wende entered the bedroom, the scene before him made him wear an expression that said, "just as I expected."
March and Stelle were hugging each other, sleeping soundly and peacefully.
Wende was already used to this. At some point, these two kids had started using each other as hug pillows...
There was nothing wrong with that, really. As long as they didn't start hugging a pillow with his face on it like Wendy, or end up like Jingliu and Tingyun, it was fine...
Swish...
Wende pulled open the curtains first. The moment the curtains were drawn, the entire room was instantly flooded with light.
"Stelle, March, time to wake up and eat," Wende called out softly to the inseparable pair.
"Ugh... What time is it..."
The sunlight seemed a bit too bright. March rubbed her eyes first, speaking with a hint of displeasure. Then, she opened her eyes and saw a smiling Wende standing beside the bed. She quickly scrambled out of Stelle's embrace and then began shaking her awake.
"Wake up, Stelle!"
"Mmm... what time is it... five more minutes..."
Stelle smacked her lips, stretched out her arm, and pulled the now-sitting Little March back down onto the bed.
"Er... Wendy and I will be waiting for you outside. The noodles won't be as good if you wait too long."
Wende looked helplessly at the bed-loving Stelle, then walked out of their bedroom.
A moment later, as if a delayed reaction had kicked in, Stelle shot up from the bed with a jolt. Had she just heard Wende say he brought them food?
"Whoa! Why'd you sit up so suddenly? You scared me to death..."
March looked at Stelle, who seemed to have just been resurrected, and patted her chest with a frightened expression.
Ten minutes later, the two, now washed and dressed, sat across from Wende and Wendy, wolfing down the noodles Wendy had made.
"Ahm! So good!"
"Eat slowly, there's more next door. Here, have some water."
Wende placed three glasses of water on the table. Watching the three little ones eat, he was suddenly struck by a feeling of... being a divorced dad with three kids?
Ahem... maybe not divorced. But if he were to, you know, get together with a certain someone, according to Xianzhou law, Jingliu would have to serve two or three years in the Prison of Shackling Song. Don't ask why. The reason is that she once participated in the smelting of Xianzhou's heavy industry!
Watching the three of them eat, a thought suddenly surfaced in Wende's mind... "How wonderful it would be if I could see a scene like this every day."
Mmm... on the condition that March doesn't act silly, Stelle doesn't go crazy, and Wendy doesn't develop yandere tendencies...