The Return of the God Level Assassin

AT noon, Shen Ji Yun had just finished cooking what they will eat for lunch. All of them were traditional dishes. Since Wu Xiang Ye and He Yu Lan had been eating foreign food for the past five years or so, they should at least eat authentic Chinese food while they're here.

Besides, it had been so long since he last cooked for the two. That's why he suggested of meeting here for lunch instead of going to a restaurant.

After he's done, he arranged all the dishes he made on the table. As he was doing that, he couldn't help but think back to his conversation with Luo Yan earlier. About being lucky for having the family that they had. At least in comparison to Wu Xiang Ye and He Yu Lan.

But if Shen Ji Yun would take into account the members of his maternal and paternal families, then he wouldn't be any different from the two.

The Shen family would have never approved of his relationship with Luo Yan. As evidence of how his grandfather and eldest uncle reacted when Uncle revealed his sexuality to them.

Even if he's not favored in the family, he still bore the surname 'Shen'. Being a political family, they would not allow anyone to taint their name. Uncle threatened them so he and Uncle Yue would be left alone. But he had the capital and the strength to do that.

He didn't yet have that level of power and influence.

And then there was his mother's family. There likely wouldn't be any issues on that front, considering they practically disregard his existence. In fact, his own mother might have even forgotten about him altogether.

Truly, just like what Luo Yan had said, his only family was his Uncle. There was also his grandmother and Uncle Yue as well. And maybe, in the future, Luo Yan would also be part of his small family.

Just as Shen Ji Yun finished arranging all the dishes on the table, the doorbell rang. He immediately walked over and opened the door. Wu Xiang Ye and He Yu Lan were standing there.

"Ha, thankfully we went to the right house," Wu Xiang Ye said, letting out a sigh of relief. "I thought we have gotten lost or something."

"The car has GPS. If you just followed it, you wouldn't have been worried," He Yu Lan said.

A small smile crossed Shen Ji Yun's lips. "Come in."

The two walked inside the house. Seeing the many dishes on the dining table, Wu Xiang Ye couldn't help but whistle.

"You cooked all this, Xiao Yun?" he asked. "It must have been a lot of work."

"No, they are all simple dishes, so it's fine," Shen Ji Yun said.

"Xiao Yun's cooking skills must have gotten even better, right?" He Yu Lan said, looking at the dishes on the table with appreciation.

Shen Ji Yun only smiled at that.

Soon, Bai Ze and Su Yuqi also arrived, and the five of them started eating lunch.

"Wow, this is so good," Wu Xiang Ye commented as he ate a piece of pork dumplings.

He Yu Lan also nodded in agreement as he quietly ate a spring roll.

Bai Ze looked at everyone enjoying their lunch and he suddenly felt emotional. "It's like we're back in the old days."

"Ah Ze, you're speaking as if that's a lifetime ago," Wu Xiang Ye said with a teasing gaze.

"It might as well be!" Bai Ze said indignantly. "The both of you have been gone for so long. And now, you're leaving again."

"Do you really have to go so soon?" Su Yuqi asked in a rare moment where she agreed with Bai Ze.

"We have responsibilities that we couldn't put off. Even if we wanted to stay a bit longer, we can't," He Yu Lan explained.

"We didn't expect that the final tournament would be moved like this. We thought Arcadia Cup would be over by the end of April. That's why we only cleared our schedule for a month," Wu Xiang Ye added. "Don't worry though, we will try to come back to watch you in the finals."

"Way to go, pressuring them like that," He Yu Lan said with a scolding tone.

"Lan-er, I'm not pressuring them. Rather, I'm expressing my confidence in their abilities," Wu Xiang Ye reasoned.

"Don't worry, Brother Yu Lan. With our team's strength, it's not impossible to reach the finals," Bai Ze said confidently. "So, you better show up to watch us live."

He Yu Lan only shook his head helplessly, but still said 'okay'. While Wu Xiang Ye gave Bai Ze a thumbs up.

"But it's such a shame that Yan Yan and Xiao Jin are not here to join us," Wu Xiang Ye said after a while. "They can't enjoy Xiao Yun's delicious cooking."

"That might be true for Xiao Yan, but Xiao Jin would never agree that Ji Yun's cooking is delicious. No matter how true it is," Bai Ze said.

"Ah right. That little guy seemed to really dislike Xiao Yun," Wu Xiang Ye said, remembering the interaction between the two that he had seen so far.

"It's a classic case of 'brother complex'," He Yu Lan commented. "He probably dislikes Xiao Yun based solely on the fact that he's in a relationship with his brother."

Wu Xiang Ye nodded, seemingly agreeing with that. Then, as if he thought of something good, he turned to Su Yuqi. "Maybe Xiao Qi can help convince Xiao Jin that Xiao Yun is not such a bad choice for his brother."

Bai Ze tilted his head in confusion when he heard that. "How can Su Yuqi convince Xiao Jin? Shouldn't Brother Xiang Ye ask me instead? I'm his cousin, after all."

Wu Xiang Ye looked at Bai Ze. "Why else? Because your little cousin has a crush on Xiao Qi."

Bai Ze's chopsticks dropped on his rice bowl. Then, he vehemently denied what the other had just said. "How is that possible? Surely my cousin's taste isn't that questionable!"