On the flower bed next to the police station, Cynthia sat crying for a long time. Just as her emotions began to settle, Ethan chuckled.

Cynthia wiped the last bit of tears on Ethan's clothes. "What are you laughing at?"

"What? I wasn't." Ethan denied.

Cynthia nudged Ethan's stomach with her elbow. "You definitely were, I saw it."

"Feeling better now?" Ethan asked.

Cynthia did feel better, then she realized she had been leaning on Ethan's chest the whole time. She coughed lightly twice and then straightened up, moving away from Ethan's embrace.

"That's cruel, tossing me aside after using me, huh?" Ethan feigned a hurt expression.

Cynthia wondered if she misheard. "What?"

"Do you know that mermaid tears turn into beautiful pearls when they fall? I just thought if you were a mermaid, you'd definitely be rich. At least you wouldn't worry about medical bills," Ethan smoothly changed the subject.

Cynthia grinned. "You're laughing about that?"

Ethan nodded, reaching out to wipe away the last traces of tears on Cynthia's cheeks. "Yes, exactly, laughing about that. Isn't it funny?"

Cynthia laughed a little louder but said, "Not funny at all."

"It's almost ten now. You've been through a lot today. How about you go rest properly, take a hot bath or something?" Ethan's stomach rumbled loudly.

There was a moment of awkward silence around them. "Well, this is awkward..." Cynthia felt very apologetic. "Oh my, with everything that happened, we didn't even have time to eat. I didn't even notice, and I made you accompany me all this time."

Cynthia stood up and walked towards Ethan's car. "How about this? I'll treat you to dinner, neighbor. Come to my place, I'll cook authentic Chinese cuisine for you."

Ethan flashed a charming smile. "I'm honored to have this opportunity."

Back at the apartment entrance, Ethan asked Cynthia to wait a moment while he went to fetch a bottle of his prized red wine. Cynthia immediately declined, "Maybe we should skip that today. Considering what just happened, I don't think I'll want to drink for a while."

Ethan raised a finger, gesturing in the air. "Right, right, almost forgot. You're right, let's not touch that stuff tonight."

Cynthia chuckled as she opened her apartment door, noticing Isabella hadn't returned yet, and her shoes were missing from the doorway. Ethan stepped into Cynthia's bedroom, finding it quite cozy, just like the room of a girl he imagined. Cynthia retrieved ingredients from the fridge, spotting the pickled vegetables Gabriel had gifted her. After a brief silence, she tossed them into the trash bin.

She cut the chicken into small pieces and soaked them in saltwater, then added scallions, ginger, and star anise to remove any fishy odor. She also added a bit of her favorite dried tofu, which was firmer and more fragrant than regular tofu due to being marinated in brine. Cynthia sliced the dried tofu and set it aside.

"Can you handle spicy food?" Cynthia's voice echoed from the kitchen. "Because in my hometown, dishes must have plenty of chili peppers."

Ethan, seemingly curious, leaned in. "Of course, I love spicy food. Put in as much as you like, I'll eat it all."

After some thought, Cynthia nodded in agreement. Ethan spoke again, "Are you sure you don't need my help? I could assist you with chopping or something."

Cynthia's voice came from the kitchen again, "No need at all. Just stay put. I won't let my savior lift a finger today, okay?"

Ethan chuckled happily, "Looks like you're quite confident in your cooking skills." He stood up, moving closer to Cynthia to get a better look at what she was doing.

"Well... it's alright, but sometimes there might be a little mistake," Cynthia admitted, a hint of confusion in Ethan's expression. "What kind of mistakes?" he asked.

Cynthia paused for a second, then resumed her actions. "Um... you'll find out later. But today, these are my specialty dishes. There won't be any mistakes."

"Alright, alright, I can't wait," Ethan said eagerly, glancing at the two rooms. "Which one is yours? Can I have a tour maybe?"

Thinking of her messy table with books, a computer, and recently laundered underwear, Cynthia quickly declined, "No! I mean, next time, okay?"

"Okay, seems like you still have some personal items to clear," Ethan remarked, seemingly seeing right through her, leaving Cynthia feeling exposed, without any privacy. She nudged Ethan playfully, "Just be a good boy and wait at the table, alright?"

Ethan's laughter echoed from above Cynthia's head. "Haha, alright, I got it."

Cynthia blanched the chicken to remove any remaining odor, then heated the oil until it sizzled. She added the chicken, giving it a crispy texture like frying but with the flavor of stir-frying, making the skin slightly crispy without being too dry. After adding salt, she tossed in the sautéed ginger, garlic, and dried chili peppers, completing the delicious dish.

The preparation for the dried tofu was similar, except Cynthia fried it briefly before stir-frying, giving it a barbecue-like flavor after adding cumin. Finally, she sprinkled some chopped scallions and cilantro on top.

Two very authentic Chinese dishes were now ready.

When Cynthia brought out the dishes, Ethan couldn't contain his excitement. "Wow, it smells amazing! I can't resist trying it right now." He reached out and grabbed a piece of dried tofu from the plate Cynthia was carrying, completing the action before she could stop him. "Ouch! Ouch! It's hot!"

Cynthia chuckled at Ethan's awkwardness. "Of course it's hot, who told you to be so impatient?"

Struggling to swallow, Ethan managed, "Although it's hot, it tastes just as delicious as it smells."

"Good to hear. I didn't make any new staple food, as time was running short. These are homemade pancakes I kneaded and baked in a pan over low heat. We can use them to soak up the sauce from the chicken."

"You kneaded the dough yourself? And baked them in a pan? That's really impressive," Ethan remarked.

"Let me get you some utensils. I assume you're not used to chopsticks. Try it and let me know if it's good," Cynthia said, handing him a knife and fork.

Ethan picked up a piece of chicken with his fork, examining it. "I know there's a famous Chinese dish called Orange Chicken, is this similar?"

"What? Orange what?" Cynthia doubted her ears. Rarely dining out and never having been to an American Chinese restaurant, she had never heard of the dish. "Although I haven't tasted that dish, it's obviously not a traditional Chinese dish."

Looking at the chicken skin on the fork, which was particularly yellow, Ethan asked, "Why is this chicken skin so yellow?"

"I used a very natural spice to color it. Don't worry, it's definitely non-toxic."

Ethan tasted the chicken and his eyes lit up. "Wow! It's really delicious! I've never tasted anything like these two dishes before."

Satisfied, Cynthia dipped a piece of pancake into the sauce and tasted it, then used chopsticks to pick up a piece of tofu and put it in her mouth. "You're really good with chopsticks."

Glancing at her hand holding the chopsticks, then picking up another piece of tofu, Cynthia said, "Of course, I'm Chinese."

Ethan's face gradually reddened, his lips becoming slightly pink, and he started sweating. "I feel like... you might have put too much chili."

Seeing him panicking, Cynthia poured him a glass of water to help ease the burning sensation. "I had my doubts when you sounded so confident. I thought you must have tried it before. Because the chili I used is dried chili from China, which is a bit spicier than what you're used to."

Ethan exhaled heavily, trying to alleviate the fiery sensation inside. "Oh my, I really love this dish, but it's hurting my mouth." Cynthia handed him more water to help relieve the pain. "I think I can only eat the other dish now, I can't handle this 'Spicy Chicken' anymore."

"You even gave it a name?"

"Yeah, next time you make this dish, if I'm lucky enough to have the chance to taste it again, because I'm now being 'killed' by the chili, I hope you'll use less chili, okay?"

"Haha, alright, I'll remember next time."

They looked at each other involuntarily. Cynthia gazed at his reddened lips, which somehow made him even more attractive. "Your lips..." There was an impulse to kiss him, but she didn't say the rest of the sentence. Maybe she felt a little guilty about her boyfriend; they hadn't officially broken up, so she shouldn't say flirtatious things like that.

Ethan touched his lips. "They're definitely red, aren't they? Quite comical."

"No, not at all comical, they look good."

Ethan looked at Cynthia with puzzled affection. "Good?"

Cynthia's voice softened a bit nervously. "Yeah, good."

Ethan didn't inquire further about what Cynthia meant by "good." His rapidly beating heart told him all he needed to know about his current feelings in this moment.

"Cough, cough, oh my, I suddenly realize I haven't even changed out of my suit yet, and my hair is still a mess. I really want to take a hot shower right now," Cynthia said, breaking the moment.

Ethan snapped out of it. "Indeed, my bad. I can't believe I overlooked such an important issue and made you cook with me."

"It's okay, treating you to dinner is the least I can do."

"Should I... leave now?" Ethan asked hesitantly.

"Sure," Cynthia replied, glancing at the clothes draped over the chair. "I'll wash your clothes for you before returning them, okay?"

Internally cheering, Ethan maintained a calm demeanor on the surface. "Sure, that would be great. Thank you."

As he left Cynthia's apartment and took a few steps toward his own door, Ethan heard the sound of Cynthia closing her door behind him. Once the door was shut, he couldn't help but pump his fist and mutter to himself, "You did great, buddy," then took a deep breath before opening his own door.