Chapter 42

• Y A S M E E N
• Everything needs to be perfect. I have never wanted to perfect something so much in my life because I never had to impress someone as hard-headed as Marcus Wang before. In fact, I've never actually wanted to impress a boy before. I always went with the flow and as everyone knows by now, that never worked out. But something about Marcus makes me want to work harder, makes me crave his attention, and makes me pull for his approval. It is absolutely maddening and honestly, I would not want it any other way. Why? Because I thrive from the feeling of every nerve in my body pulling me towards him. So many people are afraid to fall, afraid of things not working out, and afraid they will end up torn into pieces but that doesn't bother me. Of course, I do care about being heartbroken and would prefer if I do not end up in a million pieces, but it's all part of life, no? We fall, we get hurt, and we learn. It's all part of the experience or maybe I'm just an insane masochist who enjoys getting my heart broken over and over again.
• I shake off my thoughts, that doesn't matter today. Today, I will remind Marcus of home with my special recipes that will ignite the definition of comfort food for him. I didn't hold back when it comes to having a variety to eat. I prepared chǎofàn [fried rice], Cong you bing [scallion pancakes], baozi [meat bun], mápó dòufu [mapo tofu], xiao long bao [soup dumplings], chūnjuǎn [spring roll], húntun soup [wonton soup], and kǎo ròu [roast meat]. And for dessert, I made dòu shā bāo [red bean bun] and somlói Galuska [Hungarian sponge cake]. However, I had to go out and buy Hong Kong-style mango pudding because I wasn't sure how to make it and didn't want to risk it. I finish setting up the table with some candles, napkins, and eating utensils.