There wasn't much to do here. Like, at all. If boredom had a capital city, this place would be it. The air hung thick and still, the kind that makes you want to start a fight with a squirrel just for entertainment.

This wasn't just some random let's go sit and stare at rocks kind of date, oh no. This was a planned outing. You know, the kind where someone actually cooks food and takes it somewhere other than their kitchen table. Which, let's be honest, is a low bar for adventure.

XiShi and FengXiu, bless their hearts, had decided that the great outdoors was their culinary stage. Apparently, crafting a meal worthy of being hauled outside was an Olympic-level feat. XiShi, in a move that can only be described as brave, had actually cooked. Like, with heat. She'd managed eggs―a culinary masterpiece if you ask her―and a salad, which I'm sure involved all sorts of leafy green groundbreaking innovation. But the real showstopper? Spaghetti and meatballs. The sheer audacity! She'd channelled her inner Italian chef―or at least what she'd seen on some show―and somehow, against all odds, created something that was both cooked and edible. They'd packed the whole edible shebang, trekked over to the valley of flowers―which, let's be honest, which  had some flowers blooming even in fall―found a vaguely flat spot, and scarfed down their hard-earned feast in blissful, probably slightly awkward, silence.

Then came the conversational portion of The Date, which is where things took a turn. FengXiu, with the confident swagger of a lion surveying his territory, decided it was time to unleash his inner romantic. "You know, little XiShi...." he purred, his voice a low rumble that probably made the wildflowers tremble slightly, "watching you cook, so focused…it reminded me of a hunt. You chased down that boiling pot of food like a proud wolf." He paused, letting that image sink in, a smirk playing on his lips. "And, while I admit a challenge is always pleasing, it makes me wonder, do you have a preference when it comes to, say, taming a wild beast like myself?" He leaned closer, his eyes glinting with mischief. "Or perhaps you fancy the type who prefers to lead the pack?" He was laying it on thick, like some sort of overripe cheese, but somehow, it wasn't terribly offensive. More like…endearingly ridiculous. XiShi, trying not to giggle, asked something about his favorite type of berries, clearly hoping to change the subject. FengXiu's response just made her laugh harder.

They had fun.  Because, you know, planned outings and all that. It's fun .....