Boiled Fish

At dinnertime, the living room was filled with an overbearing, fiery spicy aroma that nearly drowned out the faint savory scents of the other dishes.

On the dining table, aside from the bowl of boiled fish occupying center stage—bright red and glistening with oil, its surface blanketed by a thick layer of dried chilies and Sichuan peppercorns—there were several ordinary stir-fried dishes. Yet against the backdrop of that "Flaming Mountain," they looked especially plain and understated.

Tang Wulin looked at the fish, still faintly steaming and alarmingly red, and his Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily. He secretly glanced at Gu Yue beside him. She sat upright, chopsticks in hand, her fingers slender and long. Her expression was as aloof as ever, but a tiny flame seemed to flicker within those violet eyes.

"Um... honey," Tang Wulin cautiously began, making one last attempt at resistance. "Isn't this fish... a little too heavy on the chilies? I remember you usually can't handle food that spicy."

Gu Yue slowly aligned her chopsticks and lightly poked at the mound of chilies covering the fish. She gave a faint snort. "I can't handle it. That doesn't mean others can't. Isn't Xie Xie pretty good with spicy food? This is the perfect lesson for him."

Tang Wulin's mouth twitched. Xie Xie was probably still in the training room questioning his entire existence. Whether he could even walk out alive was uncertain, much less get the chance to taste this "specially made" spicy fish. Tang Wulin tried to reason with her. "But... our family usually doesn't eat this heavily seasoned, and fish tastes best steamed or mildly spicy. If you make it like this..."

"Tang Wulin." Gu Yue cut him off. She raised her eyes, her clear gaze sweeping over him. "There are other dishes. If you don't want fish, eat something else."

The implication was clear: if he thought it was too spicy, then don't eat it. No one was forcing him.

Tang Wulin immediately shut up and innocently shrank his neck. He understood now. Tonight's meal was the concentrated release of all the grievance and anger Gu Yue had bottled up over the afternoon. Resistance was useless. Surrendering was the only sensible option.

Just then, the training room door finally opened. Xie Xie walked out with his head hanging like an eggplant wilted by frost. His hair was still sticking up wildly, and his clothes were rumpled. Only now, his face wore the tragic expression of someone who had endured endless torment yet remained strong. He had clearly followed the scent here. The moment he entered the dining room, his eyes stuck to that brilliantly red bowl of boiled fish.

"Wow! Boss! Sister-in-law! There's fish too!" Xie Xie's eyes instantly lit up. As if he had forgotten the physical suffering from moments ago, he rubbed his hands and moved toward the table, taking a deep breath. "Smells amazing! So spicy! This has got some kick!"

He completely failed to notice Tang Wulin's look of you're on your own, nor did he notice the aura around Gu Yue that seemed to lower the room temperature. He skillfully pulled out a chair and sat down, casually reaching for the plumpest-looking piece of fish belly.

"Xie Xie," Gu Yue's chilly voice sounded, "did you wash your hands?"

Xie Xie froze, then sheepishly withdrew his hand. "I did, I did! I just... exercised a little in the training room, then washed them again!" He gave an awkward laugh, swiftly picked up a huge piece of fish, and eagerly stuffed it into his mouth.

The next second, Xie Xie's expression froze.

His cheeks visibly swelled at a speed the naked eye could see, as though he had stuffed two ping-pong balls into his mouth. His already large eyes widened even further, his pupils contracting violently. His face changed from pale to flushed, then to a strange bluish-purple. His mouth hung open, and his throat made hoarse wheezing noises like a broken bellows, as if someone had grabbed him by the neck.

"Water! Water! Water!!" Xie Xie squeezed out through clenched teeth, wildly waving his hands toward the water dispenser.

Tang Wulin hurriedly stood and poured him a cup of warm water. Xie Xie snatched it over and gulped down more than half the cup before barely suppressing some of the burning sensation rushing toward the top of his head. He stuck out his tongue and panted, tears and snot nearly bursting out together. Pointing at the bowl of fish, he rasped, "S-Sister-in-law... th-this fish... was it cooked in Sichuan hotpot base?!"

Gu Yue expressionlessly picked up some greens with her chopsticks and said blandly, "I grew the chilies myself. They're fresh."

Xie Xie: "..."

He looked at Tang Wulin, hoping his boss would uphold justice.

Tang Wulin had already silently lowered his head, concentrating on the single stir-fried broccoli floret in his bowl as though it were an unparalleled delicacy. His actions perfectly embodied the meaning of self-preservation.

Xie Xie looked at the fish with sorrow and indignation, then at the other mild dishes on the table. In the end, hunger won. He reluctantly picked up some stir-fried greens, chewing while secretly glancing at Gu Yue. His eyes were filled with reverence and... lingering fear.

Just then, Gu Yue moved.

She set down her chopsticks, picked up the serving chopsticks, and reached toward the bright-red bowl of boiled fish with a speed that was both elegant and astonishing. Her target was obvious: she specifically chose the spiciest portions, covered in red oil and crushed chilies. She steadily picked up a palm-sized piece of fish belly soaked in broth, not even bothering to avoid the densely scattered red chili seeds on top.

Tang Wulin's heart rose to his throat. Honey, aren't you afraid of spicy food?

Gu Yue put the fish into her mouth and chewed slowly, her movements almost pleasing to watch. Yet only two or three seconds later, she slightly opened her mouth and deftly spat the entire piece of fish, clean and stripped of even the tiniest soft bones, onto the bone plate before her. There was not even a trace of having been overwhelmed by the spice at the corner of her lips, only a faint red tint left by the chili oil.

The entire process was smooth and effortless!

Tang Wulin was completely dumbfounded.

He had never seen Gu Yue handle fish so... efficiently. In the past, she had always been careful when eating fish. Since she disliked picking out bones, she never ate it very quickly. But today, it was as if she had activated some kind of "Unrivaled Mode." Every piece of fish that entered her mouth was accompanied by faint chewing sounds, followed by a perfectly deboned piece of fish being spat out. Her speed was astonishing, and she seemed utterly unaffected by that terrifying level of spice. She ate with great relish, her cheeks even flushed with a thin layer of red from the heat. She was breathtakingly beautiful, and... terrifyingly frightening.

"Cough, cough..." Tang Wulin was so busy watching that he forgot to chew his food and nearly choked.

Gu Yue glanced at him, picked up another piece of fish equally covered in chilies, and said blandly as she ate, "What are you looking at? If you're not eating fish, eat something else."

Tang Wulin hurriedly shook his head. "I'm eating! I'm eating!" He quickly picked up a piece of fish as well, cautiously blew on it, and tentatively took a small bite.

Boom!

An overwhelmingly fierce spiciness instantly exploded in his mouth, as if countless steel needles were stabbing his tongue and oral mucosa. Then came an intense burning sensation that traveled all the way down his throat and esophagus. His face instantly turned as red as a monkey's backside, sweat beading on his forehead as tears nearly burst from his eyes.

"Water! Give me water!" Tang Wulin shouted miserably.

Xie Xie gleefully handed him his own cup. "Boss, my condolences."

Tang Wulin chugged a large cup of water before he barely caught his breath. Watching Gu Yue remain as calm as ever, devouring one piece after another from the spiciest parts of the fish, his mind filled with enormous question marks. Is this really the Gu Yue I know, whose tolerance for spicy food is ordinary? This combat power... did getting angry give her some kind of spice-resistance aura?

He turned to look at Xie Xie and found that the boy had already given up challenging that bowl of fish. He was honestly shoveling down a bowl of white rice with a little greenery, his eyes brimming with tears—half from grievance, and probably half from the physiological tears triggered by the spice earlier.

Tang Wulin ate the whole meal in terror, while Xie Xie felt as though he were walking on thin ice.

Gu Yue, however, ate with exceptional contentment. Only after she had wiped out more than half of the fish's finest and spiciest portions did she finally put down her chopsticks. She elegantly wiped the corner of her mouth with a napkin, then picked up the warm milk beside her and took a small sip.

Her bearing made it seem as though the person who had just activated "Ravenous Spicy Mode" had not been her at all.

"I'm full." Gu Yue stood up, her tone calm, as though none of what had happened before had ever occurred. "Take your time eating."

With that, she turned and returned to the bedroom, leaving behind two men in the dining room staring at each other, their minds muddled by the spice.

Tang Wulin watched Gu Yue's departing figure, then lowered his head to look at the frighteningly red piece of fish in his bowl, sinking into deep thought.

Only after confirming that Gu Yue had left did Xie Xie let out a long sigh of relief. He slumped in his chair, rubbing his growling stomach and gazing resentfully at the bowl of "devil fish" with less than half remaining. He muttered, "Boss... is Sister-in-law... usually this amazing? Next time... should I consider bringing gifts when I come visit...?"

Tang Wulin did not answer. He merely silently poured himself another cup of water and watched the liquid ripple within it. For the first time, he had a tangible understanding of just how unfathomable his wife was. Suddenly, he felt that the "physical education" Xie Xie had received that afternoon might only have been the tip of the iceberg.