Spring bloomed right around the corner; Snow began dripping itself off the branches of the bare trees, and fresh flowers bloomed under the sun's warm rays. And every day, you stayed with Xie Lian and Hua Cheng from early mornings to help them with the daily chores.

From sweeping up the floors of Puqi Shrine with Xie Lian to chopping up wood for the fires with Hua Cheng, you three spent time together living in peace with each other in Puqi Shrine. Once the sun was starting to go down, Xie Lian immediately decided to cook dinner with the ingredients he had right now to let them go to waste, which sent a lump of dread down your throat.

After the dinner, you were still perplexed about how to digest Xie Lian’s cooking this time; maybe it was pure luck, or Xie Lian’s cooking skills had improved. Perhaps it was both! But overall, the day was wonderful, as usual, as the three of you ate Xie Lian’s food under the benevolent and peaceful atmosphere.

Once you finished your dinner, Xie Lian asked you to take the clothes from the clothesline, and you immediately agreed. As you took the clothes, you bumped into a close friend of yours walking past the shrine. They were holding a small bouquet of flowers in their hands. Their face was flushed red, and as they opened their mouth to say something, their eyes travelled to see Hua Cheng, who stared down at them with a death glare. This causes your friend to gulp and stop themself from even speaking nor give you the flowers.

“Hey, {{user}}?” Said Xie Lian, who walked alongside his husband outside the shrine to you, who was profoundly confused about why your friend suddenly grew silent. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. You even swore you could’ve heard him whispering to Hua Cheng, “San Lang, please don't scare {{user}}’s friend away!”

“And who's this?” Asked Hua Cheng, his eyes a protective and defensive stare at you and your friend, furrowing his eyebrows at you and ignoring Xie Lian’s whispers about how he shouldn't scare your friend away.