Xiao Yexuan spent some time sorting medicinal herbs in the courtyard.
Whenever he thought of the dishes Zhu Zhuqing had made for him that morning—so awful they were practically inedible—he couldn't help frowning.
That burnt taste mixed with the raw, fishy smell had his stomach churning even now, just thinking about it.
So Xiao Yexuan simply didn't dare let Zhu Zhuqing cook again.
If Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu also found out that cooking for someone you liked was romantic, the two of them would definitely follow suit.
And with their half-baked cooking skills, the food they made would surely be just as hard to swallow.
By then, Xiao Yexuan was afraid he wouldn't be able to escape them.
He might as well cook for them himself and get them hooked on his food, eagerly looking forward to eating it every day. That way, they wouldn't think of cooking and wreaking havoc on him.
By the time all the food was ready and steaming on the table, it was just about lunchtime.
Although the three women had indeed been exhausted the day before and ought to have caught up on their sleep, sleeping through the whole morning was enough. They still needed to eat properly, or their bodies wouldn't be able to take it.
When Xiao Yexuan carried the food into the room, he saw the three women fast asleep, clutching the blankets and pillows on the bed.
Zhu Zhuqing lay curled up, her long lashes lowered and her breathing even.
Xiao Wu hugged a pillow, the corners of her lips slightly raised, as if she were having a lovely dream.
Ning Rongrong, meanwhile, was sprawled out in every direction, one arm hanging outside the blanket.
Xiao Yexuan couldn't help thinking to himself that if he slipped his hand beneath the blanket and took a few liberties, they might not even notice.
But he quickly shook his head and banished the thought.
He was a gentleman, after all. His charm was so overwhelming now that these women were eager to throw themselves into his arms.
Making those little moves himself would be completely unnecessary.
Then Xiao Yexuan arranged all the dishes on the table in the room.
He bent over slightly, reached out to pat the three women on the bed, and gently shook their shoulders as he spoke softly:
"Time to get up. It's lunchtime."
Xiao Yexuan's voice seemed to carry a kind of magic. The three women reacted strongly as soon as they heard it.
First, Xiao Wu's lashes fluttered. Then Zhu Zhuqing's brow twitched, while Ning Rongrong mumbled something in her sleep.
Before long, all three of them had gradually opened their eyes.
They had only just woken up, so they were still groggy, their bewildered eyes wandering around the room.
It took them quite a while to realize that they were in Xiao Yexuan's room.
Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu were the first to sit up.
The blanket slid down with them.
To be closer to Xiao Yexuan's scent, they had both slept completely naked the night before.
As they sat up, the blanket slipped off them, baring their soft, shapely figures.
Xiao Yexuan's eyes went wide.
The sight was so beautiful it was practically blinding!
Zhu Zhuqing's figure was especially stunning, with its perfect curves and milk-white skin. It made him swallow hard, longing to rush over and devour her on the spot.
Unlike Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu, who had woken up, Ning Rongrong was clearly grumpy when roused.
Instead of opening her eyes, she let out an unhappy little whine, tugged at the blanket, and buried herself completely beneath it.
She even gave it a hard yank, dragging most of the blanket over to her side.
Xiao Yexuan's blanket wasn't very big to begin with.
With that pull, Ning Rongrong, lying in the middle, took up most of it, leaving Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu on either side suddenly exposed to the chill.
The blanket had been pulled away, revealing their long, slender legs and half of their soft, rounded bottoms.
Only then did Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu notice something was wrong and remember where they were.
They both let out piercing, mortified shrieks, their eyes darting instinctively toward Xiao Yexuan.
Their cheeks turned red as ripe apples.
But when they saw what Xiao Yexuan was doing, warmth stirred in their hearts.
The moment they had sat up, Xiao Yexuan had already turned his face and body away, his back to them. He hadn't looked in their direction at all.
His gentlemanly conduct truly won their admiration.
Even Ning Rongrong, who had been so grumpy about waking up, was completely roused by Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu's shrieks.
Sleepily, she lifted the blanket and rubbed her eyes as she sat up.
When Ning Rongrong saw what Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu looked like and recalled what she had just done, she regretted it so much her guts twisted.
Why had she insisted on being so grumpy when she woke up?
If she had sat up with them, stretched, and sprung out of bed, her perfect little body could have been on display in front of Xiao Yexuan too!
She wanted so badly to show Xiao Yexuan everything she had!
But Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu had gotten all the benefits this time.
And it had all been her own doing!
Ning Rongrong was so frustrated she wanted to pound the bed. She felt like such a fool.
Blushing furiously, Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu hurriedly grabbed clothes from nearby and pulled them on. They moved so quickly and frantically that they almost put them on backward.
Only then did they walk over to Xiao Yexuan, terribly self-conscious, their heads lowered so they wouldn't have to meet his eyes.
Xiao Yexuan's face was red too, the tips of his ears tinged pink. It was obvious he'd seen quite a bit of the "scenery."
They sat around the table, all tacitly agreeing not to mention what had just happened.
They didn't explain why the three of them had slept completely naked, especially in a boy's bed. It was terribly improper.
A faint awkwardness hung in the air.
But the three women were soon distracted by the delicious aroma rising from the food on the table, their eyes sparkling.
The rich scent of meat and vegetables wafted under their noses, and their stomachs rumbled despite themselves.
"Did you make all this yourself, Young Master? It smells so good! Can we eat it?"
Xiao Wu was the first to speak, her voice brimming with anticipation.
"Of course. I made it for our lunch, so dig in before it gets cold."
Xiao Yexuan smiled, nodded, and picked up the chopsticks to hand them around.
When the three women heard that Xiao Yexuan had cooked the meal himself, they immediately came alive, brimming with excitement.
They all opened their mouths and wolfed down the food, thoroughly enjoying every bite like little wolf cubs who hadn't eaten in days.
Chopsticks and spoons clinked against the bowls and plates.
In the end, the three of them even fought over the last bun right there at the table.
Zhu Zhuqing was quick enough to snatch it into her bowl. Ning Rongrong reached over to grab it in frustration, while Xiao Wu cheered them on from the side. The three of them descended into chaos.
By the time they had eaten their fill and walked out of the room, they were all full of energy, practically bursting with life.
The awkwardness from earlier had long since vanished.
"Young Master, are you going to keep studying those medicinal herbs?"
Ning Rongrong was the first to speak. Her tone was ingratiating, and her eyes darted about.
"I remember that our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has also studied some alchemy techniques."
"Those techniques aren't particularly powerful, but I believe they could still be quite useful to you."
"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is a bit far from here, though, so the earliest the materials could arrive would be tonight."
"Tonight, Young Master, I'll bring them to your room myself."
The corners of Ning Rongrong's lips curled up as her little scheme went clickety-clack in her mind.
That way, she could use delivering the alchemy formulas as an excuse to enter Xiao Yexuan's room openly that night.
Then she could arrange a little "accident" for herself, like pretending to twist her ankle or having a sudden downpour leave her with no choice but to spend the night in Xiao Yexuan's room.
That would be a wonderful thing for her!
Before you continue