Falling Into Your Smile

Yue's New Chair

We all sat at the table, pretty weirded out, to be frank. I was worried someone was going to die. Kidding.. or not. Chubby stood at the head of the table, and Cheng looked at him expectantly, just like Yao, K, Ming, Rui, and Yue. I looked at everyone else's face. Chubby seemed to feel the awkwardness too, so he didn't say anything. K and I decided to stick with awkwardly looking at the food, ignoring Chubby for the time being. The tension was constant, and the silence was overwhelming.

Just then, I decided to break it. "I didn't expect you to be such a great cook. It's the first time enjoying this treatment since I joined. Actually, since anyone has, according to Rui. Hey, come back. I'll get whatever you need." I said, starting to get up. Chubby shook his head in refusal. "No need. Just sit down."

"Rui, I heard you deducted three-months' wage from Pang. It's that bad?" Yao asked. Rui squinted his eyes and nodded in agreement. "That means he'll try to borrow money from me for the next three months. He does think I'm rich." I sighed in disdain and regret. Why did I have to help him with last week's grocery?

"Can I choose not to eat this meal?" K asked, and Yao nodded. "I guess I'm not eating either." I said. "Trying to be snarky? I'll deduct your wages." Rui threatened. I held my hands up in surrender. Chubby arrived, with a special bowl for Yue. Why was it special? You'll know soon enough.

"I deserved it. It's all my fault." Chubby said, as Yue looked up to him. Chubby rushed to his seat, and sat down. I ate one bite, and realized something was wrong. "Chubby, although your salary was deducted, you should've bought more meat, if you want to make food. There is literally none!" I said, in shock and frustration. I am a picky-eater, and do not like when anyone messes up, or with my food. Call me names, but leave the food alone.

"Yeah. Why isn't there any meat?" Yao asked, in astonishment. "Give it to me if you don't want to eat it." Chubby said. I remembered Rui's threat. "No, no, it's fine. I'll eat it." I said, and Yao vigorously nodded to it. I had spent a lot of money in the stock market, plus my mother's company deducted money on a monthly basis in thousands of yuan. I might go broke on this streak, and I regret e-sports at the moment. It's almost been a month here.

"I'll try to look for it." Yao said, very doubtfully. "Do you want mine?" K asked, after looking at my expression. Cheng had also noticed it. Yao was on the verge of copying it. "Does it have meat?" I asked in return. I didn't want the same thing I had. "A few pieces." He said, shrugging. We willingly traded. K was fine without eating meat. Just then, Yue ate his first bite. Lo and behold, he got meat. Yao and me looked at it in confusion.

I was sitting next to Yue and Cheng, who also noticed the discrepancy in the food. I dug around Yue's plate. "What are you doing?" Yue asked in annoyance. I was surprised at what I found. I showed it to Yao. "Chubby, I don't believe it. You're actually giving your favorite kid all of the meat? I thought it's no longer popular since my mother's generation." I said, with my frustration wanting to blow up. Yue looked at his plate with wide eyes. Rui and Ming also looked at Chubby, and being the eldest and least petty, unlike me, didn't say a word.

"I.." Chubby left the table. "Hey! Look. He's angry now." Rui said, sighing. Yue grinned, as he was no longer the criticized one. Chubby literally Naruto-ran up the stairs. This is the peak of disappointment in a person, and more in a chef. Not to act spoiled, but as a child when working at my house, you could get fired or work for free upto a year.

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After five minutes, he came back. Still Naruto-running, by the way. He was in his room for those approximately five minutes, but no one really bothered to check. He came back down, and had gotten some shame, but how does one do that in five minutes? No one knows. I was still angry at his for favoritism, but then I remembered I followed it too. We all stared at him in weird sync, but everyone still concentrated on eating. I was still pissed off, just to emphasize.