When Ye Chuxue reached out to knock on the door, she realized that her raised right hand only touched empty air, as the door in front of her had not been closed from the inside.

"Can I come in, Sister?"

After asking for permission, and hearing no response from the room, she assumed it was okay to go in and confidently stepped into the room.

Upon entering, she noticed a dark aura lingering around, and just by breathing it in, she felt her mood turning melancholic; the source of this darkness was none other than the temporary occupant of the room, the person sitting with knees hugged to their chest in the corner.

At that moment, Wang Xiaole seemed like a humanoid dark matter, molded by the whims of a sadistic creator, placed in the corner of the room. This transformation was not sudden; Ye Chuxue saw it clearly: since returning to the inn, he had been in a hopeless state.

In Ye Chuxue's opinion, he was down because he felt rejected by his own people, abandoned by Dibiles. But that was only half of the truth.

Being attacked by his own people did bring Wang Xiaole dismay, but what truly haunted him was Ye Chuxue's reaction at that time. The girl, with her kindness, had unwittingly worsened his situation and deepened his despair.

The incident of being escorted to escape by an enemy nation's knight had solidified Wang Xiaole's status as a "fake" in the eyes of others. Now, he was at a loss for words. Even if he went back to the fortress, people there would not trust him anymore. In other words, because Ye Chuxue did not extend false kindness, he found himself in a situation where he had nowhere to go back to.

Even if Wang Xiaole directly explained to his disciples, the situation would only deteriorate further. After all, he had anticipated today's events long ago, and the news had already reached his disciples' ears. If he were to go back to meet them, questions about his relationship with Ye Chuxue were inevitable. And no matter how he defended himself, it would only make matters worse.

If Bai Meow and other girls interfered midway, the situation would get even more chaotic.

"Sigh…."

Thinking about the disasters ahead, he couldn't help but sigh. This pessimism was almost contagious and could affect Ye Chuxue's mood.

"Have something to eat and cheer up."

Instead of directly advising, Ye Chuxue considered from his perspective and cooked a meal, personally bringing the food over.

In front of Wang Xiaole's eyes, several utensils were neatly arranged on the carpet, filled with seemingly delicious food. Finally, he noticed that someone had trespassed into his temporary abode.

"I'm not hungry."

A lie! Wang Xiaole was worried, but not to the point of losing his appetite completely. Even though he was famished, his reluctance to leave the room had kept him from the cafeteria before. Now that food was in front of him, the issue was resolved, and he could pick up his chopsticks.

But at that moment, he noticed something: "This isn't food from the cafeteria, did you make this yourself?"

"Yes, how did you know?"

Ye Chuxue was surprised.

The trick wasn't complicated, as Wang Xiaole explained, "The food in the kitchen isn't this delicate, and it doesn't look as delicious as what you made."

Note the words "look like." From his dining experiences, Wang Xiaole had noticed a rule: the tastier the food looked, the more likely it was to taste like a disaster in Dark Cooking.

Unable to ignore his surroundings while earnestly tasting the food, he also listened to the voices coming from outside the door.

He spotted the eavesdroppers hiding by the door, but Ye Chuxue did not. One reason was that Wang Xiaole was facing outside while she was seated opposite him. The second reason was that Ye Chuxue noticed a piece of fish had fallen onto the carpet.

She didn't want to waste food, especially the efforts put into making it, so she instinctively bent down to pick up the fallen fish with her fingers.

At the same time, Wang Xiaole wanted the female knights to leave, so he deliberately leaned forward to make his gestures visible to them.

He wasn't aware of their antics and misunderstood that they happened to make those movements. So, he also turned his head to let them see.

Bending forward and turning his head, his head slightly shifted diagonally compared to when he was eating, making his face align with Ye Chuxue's cheek in the next moment.

Here, we unveil Ye Chuxue's special mask. For some reason, she wore it every time she slept, never taking it off, even for an entire day.

A typical mask only leaves the eyes exposed;

But she personally modified the mask so that the mouth area was also revealed, allowing her to breathe more easily.

Coincidentally, at that moment, Wang Xiaole's mouth was positioned directly at the part of the mask that was not fully covered, right at the lips.