Chapter 705
Little Fans
Su Mo took the pen and signed his name, "EDG.Mo," in a flowing style on the blank space of the canvas bag. After thinking for a moment, he added a sentence next to it: "Wishing you academic success and a happy new year."
After signing, he handed the bag and pen back to the girl and took out his phone from his pocket.
"It's almost Chinese New Year, so this meal is on me. Head back to school early and be careful on the road."
After saying that, Su Mo walked straight to the front desk without waiting for the two girls to react.
"Hello, the bill for table number 7 in the casual seating area will be settled together with the bill for our private room," Su Mo said casually to the receptionist, handing over a black card.
Only after Su Mo's figure disappeared at the end of the corridor did the two female college students snap out of their daze. Looking at the extremely precious autograph on the canvas bag, and then at the bill that had already been paid, the short-haired girl was so excited that she hugged her companion and burst into tears.
"Waaaaah... He not only signed my autograph, but he also paid for our meal! I knew BLACKPINK would never regret it! He usually seems so aloof, but he's incredibly kind at heart!!"
……
After paying the bill and returning to the private room, everyone had almost finished eating.
"Let's go, we still have to catch the Spring Festival travel rush tomorrow." Su Mo put on his coat and picked up his thermos.
Stepping out of the restaurant, the Shanghai night wind was still chilly, but the team members felt warm inside. They said goodbye to each other at the intersection, promising to meet again at the base after the New Year.
After seeing his teammates off, Su Mo drove away from his apartment and headed to a high-end residential complex on the other side of the city.
This is an apartment he rented through an agent a couple of days ago. Since he's decided to spend Chinese New Year in Shanghai this year, and some people are coming over for a free meal, his river-view apartment, while having a great view, has a small kitchen that's not suitable for cooking a lavish New Year's Eve dinner. Besides, it would be a bit cramped if all the girls were crammed in there.
The newly rented apartment is a large duplex with a huge open-plan kitchen island and a spacious dining area.
Pushing open the door, the room was warm and filled with a faint sandalwood scent.
On the sofa in the living room, five girls were huddled together without any regard for their image, watching a Lunar New Year comedy and laughing so hard they were doubled over.
Upon hearing the door open, they all turned around in unison.
"Brother Mo is back!" Luo Xin, wearing a fluffy bunny pajama, ran over barefoot and took the car keys from Su Mo's hand with complete ease. "You took a long time to finish this meal. We were all so bored."
hope Ran and Yu Shuang also came over. Yu Shuang was wearing a bright red knitted sweater today, and she looked radiant. She took a pair of brand-new men's cotton slippers from the shoe cabinet in the entryway and placed them next to Su Mo's feet.
"Weren't you supposed to move in tomorrow? Why did you all come over tonight?" Su Mo changed into slippers, looked at the five girls who already considered this place their home, and smiled helplessly.
“It’s too lonely being alone in the dorm.” Xiaoyu hugged a cushion and came over. “And I heard you bought a lot of delicious food in the fridge. Rita’s mouth is watering so much that she dragged us over to raid it.”
Rita, sitting on the sofa, rolled her eyes but didn't argue. She just stretched lazily and said, "What, you're not welcome? This house is so big, don't you find it too empty living alone? We're here to bring some festive cheer to your New Year."
"Welcome." Su Mo walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. It was packed full of ingredients, including not only what he had bought himself, but also various snacks and drinks that someone had stuffed in there.
"However, I'm not going to be your babysitter. Have you decided on the menu for the New Year's Eve dinner?" Su Mo unscrewed his thermos and leaned against the kitchen island, looking at them.
"I've already thought it through!" hope Ran excitedly held up a tablet computer, which was filled with the names of more than a dozen dishes. "I'll be in charge of making braised lion's head meatballs and sweet and sour pork ribs, Sister Yu will be in charge of making soup and steamed sea bass, Rita and Xiao Yu will be in charge of cold dishes, and Luo Xin... Luo Xin will be in charge of eating and washing dishes!"
Luo Xin protested, raising her fist: "Why not! I can make scrambled eggs with tomatoes too!"
Watching them chatter and argue, a deep tenderness welled up in Su Mo's eyes. On this holiday when families should be reunited, in this unfamiliar city, there were a few people willing to stay with him, turning a temporarily rented house into a home full of warmth and life.
"Alright, stop arguing. Leave the head chef position to me." Su Mo interrupted their argument, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable sense of control. "You can just assist. Go to the market tomorrow morning and buy some fresh Spring Festival couplets and 'Fu' characters."
"Yes, Chef Su!" The five girls saluted in unison, then burst into cheerful laughter.
On the eve of Lunar New Year's Eve, the streets of Shanghai were rather deserted, as most people had already embarked on their journeys back to their hometowns.
At seven o'clock in the morning, Su Mo got up on time. He put on a black wool coat, wore the red cashmere scarf that hope Ran and the others had given him the night before, and left home.
Beside her were five girls fully armed. To avoid attracting attention, each of them wore a hat and a mask, covering themselves completely.
The group marched in a grand procession toward the largest farmers' market in the vicinity.
The area wasn't deserted despite the approaching Lunar New Year; instead, it was filled with a vibrant, bustling atmosphere. Crowds of shoppers were gathered around the stalls, their calls and the sounds of bargaining filling the air.
Su Mo walked at the front, like an experienced househusband. He stopped in front of the seafood stall, skillfully selecting plump prawns and fresh crabs, and even haggling with the stall owner in Shanghainese.
"Oh my, young man, you have a sharp eye for seafood! These crabs just arrived this morning." The proprietress weighed the seafood while smiling at the five girls standing behind Su Mo, whose faces she couldn't see but whose气质 (qi zhi - a combination of temperament, bearing, and charm) was outstanding. "Bringing so many pretty girls to buy groceries, you're quite the lucky one!"
Hearing this, Xi Ran and Luo Xin, who were hiding behind, secretly blushed. Yu Shuang, on the other hand, stepped forward gracefully, took Su Mo's arm naturally, and said to the proprietress with a smile, "Auntie, we'll take these crabs. Could you please help us prepare them?"
At that moment, Yu Shuang's demeanor was exactly like that of the mistress of the house.
After buying groceries, everyone was carrying large and small bags of their spoils on the way back.
Su Mo was carrying the heaviest seafood and meat in his hands. Although he remained taciturn, his steps were lighter than usual.
Su Mo stopped in her tracks as she passed a flower shop near the entrance of the residential complex.
He went into the shop and picked out a large bunch of bright red wintersweet in full bloom, as well as a few elegant lilies. "It's almost Chinese New Year, so we need to add some festive cheer to the house." Su Mo paid for the flowers and handed the bouquet, still glistening with dew, to hope Ran beside him.
hope Ran paused for a moment, then took the flowers. A faint fragrance lingered around her nose, and her heart skipped a beat. Looking at the man in front of her, wearing a red scarf, with a cool demeanor that revealed extreme gentleness, she could no longer hide the smile in her eyes.
"Thank you, Brother Mo... The flowers smell wonderful," she said softly.
The other girls weren't jealous; they simply exchanged knowing glances. In this unusual family, they were already used to Su Mo's impartial yet meticulous care.
Back home, a silent war immediately broke out in the kitchen.
Some were washing vegetables, others were chopping meat. Su Mo tied on a black apron, stood in front of the stove, and skillfully tossed and stirred the food. His fluid movements were no less impressive than when he played Camille in Summoner's Rift.
The whole room was filled with an irresistible aroma.
Just then, the cell phone on the coffee table in the living room suddenly rang.
Rita ran over and glanced at the kitchen, then shouted, "Brother Mo, an unknown number is calling you. The location is Beijing. Should you answer?"
Su Mo was reducing the sauce for the braised fish when he said without turning his head, "Hold this call for me, put it on speakerphone."
Rita pressed the answer button, and a slightly tired but distinctly amused, cool female voice came from the other end of the line:
"Teacher Su, I'm lost in the underground parking garage of your apartment complex. Do you have a spare set of chopsticks and a bowl for your New Year's Eve dinner tonight?"
The sound of chopping vegetables in the kitchen stopped instantly.
The five girls turned their heads in unison to look at the man wearing an apron standing in front of the stove.
Su Mo turned off the stove, ladled the tempting braised fish onto a plate, and spoke calmly, without a trace of emotion:
"Yes. Wait a moment, I'll come down to get you."
The air in the kitchen seemed to freeze at that moment.
The pork rib soup simmered softly in the clay pot, while the range hood emitted a low hum.
After a brief silence, Rita broke it first. Her charming peach blossom eyes widened slightly as she glanced at the phone that had been hung up, then looked at Su Mo, who was slowly washing his hands. Her tone was three parts teasing and seven parts incredulous: "Brother Mo... if I'm not mistaken, that voice on the phone just now was that Grand Slam Best Actress Lin Xuan, right?"
"Yes, it's her." Su Mo grabbed a kitchen paper towel to dry his hands, casually untied his black apron, and draped it over the back of the chair. "She was sick a few days ago, and I went to the film set to bring her some ginger soup. I casually mentioned that I was making New Year's Eve dinner at home. I didn't expect that she didn't have any filming today and actually came over."
This seemingly casual explanation sent shockwaves through the hearts of the five girls.
A national-level film queen, instead of staying on set or returning to her home in Beijing on New Year's Eve, went to an underground parking garage in Shanghai in the middle of the night just to mooch a New Year's Eve dinner cooked by Su Mo? Anyone who isn't a fool can understand the implications of this.
Luo Xin and Xiao Yu exchanged glances, while hope Ran bit her lower lip, looked down at the freshly washed scallions in her hand, and her heart inexplicably quickened.
At the crucial moment, it was Yu Shuang who demonstrated the aura of an empress as the "head housekeeper".
She stepped forward and naturally straightened Su Mo's slightly disheveled collar, which had been messed up from cooking. She smiled gently and said, "Guests are guests, especially during the New Year. It's not easy for a young woman to be all alone out there. You should go down and meet her. The underground parking garage is winding around, so don't keep her waiting. I'll finish up the remaining dishes and make sure I don't tarnish your reputation as Chef Su."
"Okay, thank you for your hard work." Su Mo looked into Yu Shuang's forgiving eyes, a hint of tenderness flashing in his own. He didn't offer any further explanation, picked up the long black down jacket draped over the sofa, and turned to leave.
Watching the door close, Rita crossed her arms, moved closer to Yu Shuang, and muttered in a low voice, "Sister Shuang, you're too carefree. That's Lin Xuan! She's as beautiful as an angel. Our Brother Mo is such a hot commodity, even the top beauties in the entertainment industry are eyeing him now."
"So what if they're eyeing us?" Yu Shuang turned her head, skillfully thickening the sauce for the vegetables in the pot while a smile played on her lips. "We've known him for seven years. When have you ever seen him actively bother anyone? He's like a central air conditioner... no, he's a heater with a constant temperature. Anyone who gets close to him will crave that sense of security. Since we can't live without him, what's the big deal about having one more pair of chopsticks?"
hope Ran listened silently and nodded. Yes, in this vast city full of interests and calculations, the sense of security Su Mo gave them was unique. Since this favoritism could be shared among the five of them, having one more didn't seem unacceptable.
……
In the underground parking garage, cold air rushed in through the ventilation openings, carrying a biting chill.
A very low-key black Alphard minivan was parked in the corner. The door slid open, and Lin Xuan, wrapped in a long beige down jacket, wearing a mask and a beanie, stood by the door looking around.
The intense, non-stop filming schedule left her eyes with an undeniable weariness, but when she saw that tall figure in a black down jacket and a bright red cashmere scarf walking out of the elevator, the weariness in her eyes was instantly replaced by a bright radiance.
"Su Mo," Lin Xuan called softly, and quickly went to greet him.
"It's windy in the garage, why didn't you wait in the car?" Su Mo walked up to her, his gaze naturally sweeping over her somewhat pale face, and reached out to take the two exquisite gift boxes she was carrying.
"I was afraid you wouldn't be able to find it." Lin Xuan looked at the red scarf around his neck, her eyes lighting up slightly, her tone carrying a rare hint of playfulness, "A new scarf? It suits you very well."
"A gift from a friend for my birth year." Su Mo said calmly, without hiding anything. He held the gift box in his left hand and, with his right hand, very naturally took out his signature black thermos from his pocket and handed it over. "It's cold outside, warm your hands with this."
Lin Xuan was slightly taken aback. In this industry, male celebrities would fawn over her with hand warmers, hot milk tea, or even take off their coats. But only Su Mo would hand her a thermos he always carried, one that even retained his body heat.
This is a pure and simple form of intimacy, devoid of any performative element.
"Thank you." Lin Xuan took the thermos, the warmth spreading through her palm. She held it tightly, as if grasping a flickering flame. "I hope I didn't bother you on New Year's Eve?"
"No, it's quite lively up there. You'll see when you get up there." Su Mo smiled faintly, turned around, and pressed the elevator button.
With a "ding," the elevator doors stopped at the top-floor duplex. (End of Chapter)