There comes out the good flavor smell from the kitchen which can trigger anyone's appet.i.te who pa.s.ses the kitchen. Prince Li also smells it, and he is slowing down his pace. The thought that if HuaMuTan might harm FangFang in his mind slowly disappear, in his heart somehow he starts to believe it won't happen again coz HuaMuTan he knows right now is different, but he still needs to be sure. The closer his steps to the kitchen, he can hear the shout of FangFang,

"Auch..."

But he stops before getting in, he waits and turns out the shout is followed by a gently scolding.

"Be careful, it's still hot! Let me see..."

Prince Li hears FangFang mumbles painful about her wounded finger coz by touching a hot bowl of rice ball soup.

"Uh...but I want to eat it now..."

"You must patient, FangFang...Come, let me see your wound..." Tan Tan's gentle voice makes Prince Li steps slowly. He watches how TanTan treats FangFang as like mother and daughter supposed to be. He feels amazed at what he sees. Something in the woman he looks at right now makes him can't stop to stare on her.

Aunt Tong realizes his presence, she almost calls out his name but Prince Li gestures her not to. Same also with XiaoRue. Aunt Tong obeys and she also drags XiaoRue to step out while Prince Li slowly walks closer to TanTan and FangFang,

"Now...now...let me give you a magic spell to make the pain disappear..." TanTan holds FangFang's wounded finger, blow it gently and make a rhyme, "Pain...pain..fly fly away, don't come back again..."

TanTan smiles to FangFang, "Now it's done, feeling better?"

Although it's a silly way to remove the pain, it seems working for FangFang, she responds it by nodding and smiling.

"Hm, I don't know you can do magic too? Is it a healing spell?" Prince Li smirks and his voice surprises TanTan, especially because he talks right behind her left ear.

TanTan instantly stands up, she turns shockingly and nervous, doesn't expect that Prince Li can be so close by her.

"YiFu..." FangFang in the other hand looks so surprisingly happy, she approached Prince Li, shows him what just she did with TanTan,

"YiFu, look we make a yummy rice ball soup..."

Prince Li looks to the soup and the kitchen's condition, many traces of cooking everywhere. He comments,

"Looks you both were busy here..."

"We just cooking" TanTan still feels surprised, she wonders what makes Prince Li comes to the kitchen at this time, 'Didn't he busy talking with Uncle Hua? Are they done?'

Prince sudden asks FangFang,

"FangFang....are you okay?"

FangFang and TanTan confuse with the question....' What is this? Does he think that I harmed FangFang?'

Prince Li continues,

"You don't scare with the fire anymore?"

FangFang shakes her head, she and TanTan now understand..being in the kitchen, reminds him about the past incident when HuaMuTan almost burned FangFang alive...

'No wonder, he immediately comes here to check if I did the same thing like HuaMuTan did...' A sadness occurs in TanTan's heart, thinking about it.

"It's not scary at all,...it's really fun, YiFu...we knead the flour..roll the rice ball...and we..." FangFang continues excited to explain what just she did with her YangMu,

Prince Li wipes some flour powder on FangFang's face and smiles,

"Look at you, so messy..."

Prince Li is also looking at TanTan. Suddenly TanTan feels shy with her appearance that has become messy by flour and sweat.

TanTan isn't comfort being looked at by Prince Li.

"FangFang, I think we are done the cooking for today....lets us clean up first before eating this rice ball soup together..."

"Aah, can't we eat it right now, YangMu! I want to eat it now..." FangFang is really not patient to taste the rice ball she made.

Prince Li pats her head gently,

"Your YangMu is right, FangEr...Let Aunt Tong and XiaoRue help you clean up immediately then we can eat this rice ball soup together in dinner. YiFu is also curious about the taste of this rice ball soup you have made with your YangMu"

"Okay, YiFu" FangFang obediently goes out to find Aunt Tong and XiaoRue. Although XiaoRue wants to wait for TanTan Aunt Tong asks her to come with her and FangFang. In their way back to the room, they meet ManQi and Qingqing walk together.

ManQi reflex to ask XiaoRue,

"Do you see Prince Li?"

But XiaoRue just pa.s.sed by ManQi coldly...It confused ManQi...

"Hey...?!"

QingQing also asks Aunt Tong and Aunt Tong shortly explains that Prince Li is in the kitchen with TanTan.

In the kitchen, TanTan gets ready to go out also coz she doesn't want to stay with Prince Li alone.

"I think I have to go clean up also...excuse me..."

"Wait" Prince Li stops her, TanTan wonders what does he want to say?

Prince Li slowly walk close to her, in a second he already stands in front of TanTan, so close that makes TanTan's heart starts to beat faster.

Prince Li keep staring at her, suddenly he chuckles seeing TanTan's face.

"Look at you! Messy like FangFang..."

And then he raises his hand and does the same thing he did to FangFang before. With gentle he wipes a flour mark on TanTan's cheek. For a moment, there is a silence and their eyes just look to each other. TanTan suddenly nervous and be stiffen, she lost words to say for a moment and Prince Li slowly unconsciously moves his face closer to her.

Just a little bit for their lips almost touch to each other, a sound of steps and opened door make Prince Li pulls back his motion.

QingQing and ManQi who enters the room feel awkward,

"Ehm Master...I am sorry to disturb..." says ManQi.

Prince Li feels shy for what he almost did, and now seeing QingQing, he remembers he actually wants to ask something to TanTan,

"HuaMuTan, Tell me honestly...!"

"What...what is it?" TanTan obviously feels not gaining full her mind just now. She blames herself to easily follow the moment.

"Why did you send QingQing to join with the gift delivery?"

TanTan widens her eyes, 'QingQing joins?' She turns and looks to QingQing. QingQing just smiles to her, while she whispers 'I'll explain later'

"Well? What's your plan?" Prince Li looks to her sharply, very different than the look he gave just now.

TanTan twists her brain quickly, 'QingQing must have a reason to join it, it can be just for fun? but it might be good also for me coz I can ask her help to monitor the delivery safely...and also uncle Hua...'

"Is it bad for her to join?" TanTan asks back, "You don't let me join so I think its a good idea...she can represent me to help to deliver the gift safer...Isn't it QingQing?"

"Sure...Just trust me...I will make sure nothing can disturb the delivery..." QingQing relieves that HuaMuTan also agrees with her impulsive action.

"..." Prince Li seems hard to believe her plainly but he chooses to follow the plan "I hope so..."

"Now if you excuse me, I need to clean up my mess" TanTan pulls QingQing to join with her walk out from the kitchen, leaving Prince Li and ManQi.

ManQi observes around the kitchen to guess what happened, he sees the rice ball soup in a bowl. He can't help to speak out his confusion,

"I never know that Young Madam can cook..."

"Me either, ManQi...I never see she cooks before..."

Prince Li takes a spoon and tastes one rice ball from the bowl,

Triggered by his curiosity, ManQi asks,

"How is it, Master?"

"... it's good..." In his mind, the fact that HuaMuTan can cook is new information he knows about this new HuaMuTan, but what makes he surprised is that he's no longer feel hatred toward this HuaMuTan, but the oppositely, he becomes attracted with her. Prince Li doesn't want to be deeper in his mind about what he feels so he changes the topic,

"ManQi, let's back to my room, we must prepare everything carefully for tonight... we already get the place and the time...tonight operation can't fail"

"Yes, Master!"

Both them then walk out of the kitchen.

Out from the kitchen, in the other side than study room, TanTan dragged QingQing till to the outer yard if her own room.

"Wait, HuaMuTan...I can explain..."

Sudden TanTan stops, turns to QingQing,

"You better explain...why suddenly you join the delivery?"

"Because I want to help you of course...

I heard that this gift is so important for you, and I have many experiences delivering things..so I thought why not, besides... it's a good opportunity to work beside my beloved ManQi..." QingQing explains,

TanTan rolled her eyes,

"As I thought...the real reason is that you only want to be with ManQi..." She sighed,

"Very well, I am grateful if you can really help me to deliver that gift safely but before that don't forget you need to really help me with another thing,...tonight!!"

"Tonight?" For a moment QingQing seems to forget about the black market meeting tonight, "Ahh yeah..tonight, but are you sure want to do it, HuaMuTan? I must warn you..."

"Its danger, I know...You repeat it too many times... but I still want to go there, I need to find that masked man, to get any clues otherwise I feel being stuck here forever...so don't worry about me, just show me the way..."

"Well, you are brave HuaMuTan...ok, I'll help you but do you think you can sneak out tonight?" QingQing wonders.

"I'll find the way" TanTan smirks