Lingering Fragrance at the Bottom of the Bowl

Su Wanqing lunged toward the island counter like a starving mother leopard, driven by a desperate ferocity. Her sole target was the white mug in Ling Ye's hand, radiating chaotic starlight and an intoxicating aroma!

All pretense of being a CEO, all fear and awe, all shattered worldview, were cast aside in that moment! That bowl of "God-tier Instant Noodles," infused by Chaos Origin Qi, was the only salvation for her famished body and soul! It was the oasis in the desert, the light in her despair!

Ling Ye, holding the mug, was about to take another sip when he felt a gust of wind, thick with intense craving, wash over him. He tilted his head slightly, his calm, unruffled gaze sweeping over the charging Su Wanqing.

There was no resistance, no reprimand.

In fact, his deep eyes showed not even a flicker of surprise or annoyance at being disturbed. It was as if the charging figure wasn't a billionaire CEO, but a... stray cat begging for food?

Just as Su Wanqing's fingers were about to brush against the mug's scalding ceramic wall--

Ling Ye casually shifted the hand holding the mug to the side... by a few centimeters.

The movement wasn't large, nor was it fast, yet it seemed to perfectly calculate every inch of space, precisely and naturally evading Su Wanqing's pounce.

"Thump!"

Su Wanqing, having overcommitted, couldn't stop herself and slammed her upper body heavily onto the cold marble countertop! The hard edge dug into her chest, almost bringing tears to her eyes.

"Ugh!" she cried out in pain, sprawled pathetically on the counter, her arms still reaching forward in a futile attempt, mere inches from the coveted mug!

Inside the mug, the amber, glass-like broth rippled slightly, chaotic starlight swirling. The noodles were like polished jade, the beef gleamed, and the aroma drilled even more aggressively into her nostrils, making her insides ache!

"My..." Su Wanqing looked up, her eyes teary (half from pain, half from desire), her voice thick with a sob and desperate accusation, "Just one bite... just one! Please!"

Ling Ye looked down at Su Wanqing, who was wincing in pain but whose eyes were glued to the mug, then at the remaining half of the noodles and broth in his cup. The corner of his eternally expressionless face twitched almost imperceptibly, as if he were... thinking?

A moment later, under Su Wanqing's gaze, a mixture of despair and longing, Ling Ye made his decision.

He didn't hand her the mug.

Instead... he very naturally picked up the disposable plastic fork from inside the mug.

He slowly, deliberately, stirred the contents of the mug and precisely picked up... one noodle.

Just one.

A single, crystal-clear noodle, shimmering with jade-like luster, entwined with wisps of chaotic starlight!

Then, with a flick of his wrist, as casually as if feeding koi in a pond, he brought the single, solitary noodle on the fork to Su Wanqing's lips.

"Here," his voice remained calm and steady.

Su Wanqing: "..."

She stared at the noodle before her, radiating a fatal allure, as if it contained the essence of heaven and earth, and then at Ling Ye's nonchalant expression, as if bestowing a taste. A wave of overwhelming grievance and absurdity instantly washed away her reason!

But... her body's instincts reacted faster than her thoughts!

"Ah-woo!"

With sheer determination, she suddenly opened her mouth and snatched the noodle, devouring it in one gulp! Her movement was as swift as a crocodile hunting!

The moment the noodle entered her mouth!

"Boom--!"

An indescribable, ultimate deliciousness and gentle power, seemingly from the very source of life, exploded in her mouth! The noodle seemed to come alive, melting instantly! It transformed into a warm current, carrying the purest wheat fragrance, an indescribably rich meat aroma (despite being just one noodle), and the Chaos Origin Qi that cleansed the soul and nourished all things, instantly sliding down her throat and spreading through her limbs!

Fatigue dissolved like ice in the sun! The headache from staying up late, the palpitations from fear, were gently soothed by this warm current! Every cell in her body erupted in satisfied, almost moaning, cheers! A warm, powerful sensation filled her, making her feel ten years younger! Her mind was clearer than ever, as if her brain had been thoroughly cleansed by the purest spiritual spring!

This... this wasn't noodles! This was an immortal pill! No! It was a hundred times more miraculous than an immortal pill!

After swallowing the single noodle, the soul-stirring craving didn't subside; instead, having tasted this supreme delicacy, it surged even more powerfully! It was like opening Pandora's Box!

"I want more!" Su Wanqing's head shot up, her eyes shining terrifyingly, filled only with greed and longing for the ultimate taste. All previous fear and reserve were thrown to the winds! She even subconsciously licked her lips, savoring the unparalleled flavor.

Ling Ye, however, had already put down the fork. Without even glancing at Su Wanqing's emerald-green eyes filled with desire, he picked up the mug and poured the remaining broth, along with the few pieces of top-grade "braised beef" radiating chaotic light, directly into his mouth.

"Slurp--gulp!"

A satisfied swallowing sound.

Then, he put down the empty mug.

Su Wanqing's gaze was instantly drawn like a magnet, fixated on the empty mug! A few drops of amber liquid, with chaotic starlight not yet fully dissipated, still clung to the inside of the cup!

Her reason told her: this was leftovers! Licking the bowl! An utterly ungraceful act!

But her body and soul, under the lingering aftertaste of the ultimate deliciousness and the maddening temptation of the residual aroma, issued a thunderous command: lick! Must lick! Not a single drop could be wasted!

Under Ling Ye's calm gaze, Su Wanqing's pretty face instantly flushed crimson, a product of the fierce battle between shame and desire. Her body trembled slightly from extreme restraint, her eyes engaged in a heavenly struggle.

In the end...

The craving for the residual essence of the "God-tier Instant Noodles" overwhelmingly crushed the last shred of her pride as the CEO of the Su Corporation!

She suddenly reached out and snatched the white mug, still warm to the touch!

Under Ling Ye's gaze, which seemed to see through everything yet remained utterly placid, Su Wanqing closed her eyes, as if completing a sacred ritual, with a sense of desperate resignation, and buried her face... into the mouth of the cup!

"Slurp... slurp..."

Clear, greedy licking sounds echoed in the morning living room.

She extended her small tongue, meticulously, devoutly, licking every last drop of amber soup clinging to the cup walls, every trace of chaotic starlight attached to the ceramic, even the almost invisible fragments of vegetables... meticulously, thoroughly... licking it clean!

Her expression was one of such intense focus, as if she were performing a life-or-death act of salvation.

Ling Ye watched quietly, his gaze as calm as ever, as if the scene before him, which would have made anyone who knew Su Wanqing drop their jaws, was nothing more than the ordinary falling of a leaf in the morning garden.

It wasn't until Su Wanqing finally licked the inside and outside of the mug until it was as bright as if it had been washed (even cleaner than washed) that she finally looked up, still unsatisfied and reluctant to part with it. A flush of satisfaction from licking lingered on her face, along with a hint of... unconcealable shyness? She looked at Ling Ye, her lips moving as if she wanted to say something, but didn't know how to start.

Ling Ye's gaze, however, shifted away from her face and landed on the now gleaming, polished mug.

"Mm," he said, as if finally completing a task, nodding and concluding in a flat tone, "The bowl... was washed okay."

Su Wanqing: "..."

She felt a rush of blood surge to her head! Washed... washed okay?! Was she washing a bowl just now?! That was a sacred act of worship! Damn it!

A wave of immense shame and the grievance of being misunderstood instantly overwhelmed her, making her wish she could dig a hole and disappear into it! But the warm, comfortable, and powerful feeling deep within her body, nourished by the Chaos Origin Qi, prevented her from truly getting angry at this man.

Just as she was overcome with shame and anger, unsure of how to conduct herself, Ling Ye's voice rang out again, carrying a hint of the laziness that comes after breakfast, but posing a question that sent Su Wanqing plummeting into an ice cellar:

"Alright," he said, clapping his hands. His gaze finally settled seriously on Su Wanqing, as if appraising the value of an item. "You ate the noodles, you stayed here... Now, it's time to talk about 'rent'."

The words "rent" pierced her heart, which had just been enveloped in warmth, like two ice picks!

She looked up sharply, meeting Ling Ye's calm, unfathomable eyes. The oppressive black staff from last night, the small chaotic basin that seemed like the entrance to the silence of all things, the pressure that instantly froze plants and souls... all the terrifying memories flooded back!

What kind of rent would this "immortal" demand?! Her soul? Her company? Or... something buried beneath this house... something she didn't know about?!

Immense fear seized her once more, and the warmth she had felt from the "God-tier Instant Noodles" instantly froze over! Her face turned paler than it had been when she was licking the bottom of the bowl! Her body trembled uncontrollably.