Chapter 22: He Quietly Made Up His Mind

"Brother, what are you daydreaming about here?" Yunxue asked curiously as she walked out of Shengyu Liu High School, seeing Yunxuan standing there.

"It's nothing. I'm waiting for you so we can go home together, and on the way, there's somewhere I'd like to stop by," Yunxuan replied, shaking his head.

"Where are we going? Where's Qingyu?" Yunxue was puzzled.

"I told him to head home first. This place is just for the two of us," Yunxuan said, extending his hand to take Yunxue's.

Yunxue hesitated for a moment, then quietly followed Yunxuan away.

...

"This place..." Yunxue gazed at the French restaurant in front of them, memories from childhood resurfacing.

When Yunxue was very young, this restaurant had already been here. Every time they passed by, Yunxue would always linger, peering inside.

Yunxuan had once promised, "When your brother has money, I'll definitely take you inside for a meal—several meals, if you like." Young Yunxuan had said this seriously, holding Yunxue's hand.

Back then, they were still children from the orphanage.

After being adopted by Yunxun'er, neither of them had ever come back to this street.

"I've wanted to come here for a long time too. Come on, Xue'er," Yunxuan said, leading Yunxue into the French restaurant.

"Welcome," a waiter greeted them with a bow as they entered.

"I've reserved table thirty-two," Yunxuan said, showing a card.

The waitress glanced at the card, surprised, and led them to table thirty-two by the window.

"Brother... the dishes here are so expensive..." Yunxue whispered to Yunxuan.

"It's alright, your brother is treating. I've already paid," Yunxuan replied with a smile.

"Your meal will be served shortly. Please wait," the waitress said, seeing them talk, and left them alone.

"Brother, how much does a table here cost?" Yunxue asked, puffing her cheeks and looking at Yunxuan.

"Less than a thousand," Yunxuan replied awkwardly, rubbing his nose.

"Where did you get so much money?" Yunxue pressed, staring at him insistently.

"Ah, that's a secret. But rest assured, Xue'er, your brother didn't do anything bad to earn it," Yunxuan said with a smile.

"Alright, I'll trust you—just this once. I'll call Sister Xun'er now; she's already taken leave to accompany us to Japan," Yunxue sighed. Since the bill was already paid, there was no turning back.

"Really? So soon?" Yunxuan was startled, suddenly remembering Wen Xiaoya and feeling uneasy.

"Yes. When Sister Xun'er arrives, you can explain it to her," Yunxue said, dialing her phone.

"...", Yunxuan thought.

In less than half an hour, Yunxun'er arrived.

"Xuan, shouldn't you explain yourself to your sister?" Yunxun'er asked, half smiling, half stern.

"Xun'er, uh... can I tell you after I've thought it through?" Yunxuan hesitated.

"Alright, tell me when you're ready. Today, your sister will indulge for once and enjoy some French cuisine," Yunxun'er joked.

The French dishes were served. In this small city, the restaurant wasn’t anything grand, yet Yunxue and Yunxun'er enjoyed their meal immensely.

"Perhaps this isn't so bad. The thought of leaving them pains me," Yunxuan mused, watching their smiles, feeling warmth blossom in his heart.

This must be what family feels like.

...

After their meal, the three finally left the restaurant.

Yunxun'er took Yunxuan and Yunxue by the hand, just as she did when she walked them out of the orphanage years ago.

Yunxuan noticed Yunxun'er's hand was cold, yet she held on tightly.

Looking at her profile, Yunxuan silently resolved not to simply stand by any longer.

"Xun'er, Xue'er, tonight I have something to announce," Yunxuan said seriously.

"Xuan, you don't have to force yourself. Your sister and Xue'er believe in you," Xun'er replied gently, shaking her head.

"Xun'er..." Yunxuan lowered his head. The more she reassured him, the more guilty he felt.

His desire to leave them faded away. Whether or not they ever realized he wasn’t Yunxuan, he would treat them as family.

Back home, Yunxuan never did reveal that he was the creator of the Northern Sauce meme pack.

He went to his room first, packing his things. He didn’t need much; the spatial backpack he’d acquired early on contained enough food for five people for a week.

The backpack’s size was immeasurable; Yunxuan could only put things in and a virtual screen would display a list. To retrieve something, he simply selected it from the list with a thought.

He opened his computer and, as usual, began replying to messages on his public account. Many urged him to release more versions of the Northern Sauce meme pack.

After some thought, Yunxuan decided to upload it on the first of August.

Northern Sauce: Just finished my exams, and I’ll be traveling with family soon, so I haven’t had time to work on new memes. On August first, I’ll upload the second batch of Northern Sauce memes, along with the first batch of a mysterious new meme pack. (PS: The new pack is even better!)

Within ten minutes of sending his message, replies soared past a thousand!

The very first reply was from Nangong Xiaoxiao.

Nangong Xiaoxiao: Teacher Northern is going on a trip and just finished exams? Feels like Teacher Northern must be a high school student, right? (laughs) Looking forward to the new memes, and highly recommend checking out the Culinary Academy.

Northern Sauce: @Nangong Xiaoxiao, how could I possibly be a high school student? (seriously) The new memes will be even more interesting.

Nangong Xiaoxiao: Teacher Northern, have you considered making comics?

Northern Sauce: @Nangong Xiaoxiao, comics are a bit early for me. I’ve decided to start with light novels—almost finished planning one. After it passes the Manga World review, I’ll publish it.

Nangong Xiaoxiao: Light novels? Teacher Northern, you really are impressive. Ah! I just discovered some new delicacies, I’m off to taste them!

Yunxuan read Nangong Xiaoxiao’s reply and thought she might have a foodie’s soul.

Their interaction was shared widely, basically confirming rumors that the two had a good relationship.

The public account’s news push shot to trending, with all sorts of headlines.

"The Untold Story of Northern Sauce and Nangong Xiaoxiao."

"Nangong Xiaoxiao’s Love at First Sight—Northern Sauce."

"Nangong Xiaoxiao’s Mysterious Boyfriend—Northern Sauce."

Yunxuan looked at the headlines, speechless. No matter the world, news titles were always crucial.

He promptly posted a Northern Sauce meme on his public account—a pitiful character holding a sign that read: "You’re all bad people."

Instantly, the replies were all jokes, his followers surged, and the image of Northern Sauce lost its legendary aloofness.

Yunxuan smiled, about to shut down the computer, when a message popped up on the QQ public account.

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