Scooping out the cooked noodles, Wen Yanyu lowered his head slightly, deftly mixed in the seasonings, then poured a ladle of hot broth over them.
The person before him was wreathed in the warmth of cooking, every movement carrying an inexplicable allure.
Whether it was the aroma of the food or something else, Duan Mufeng unconsciously swallowed, staring unblinkingly at Wen Yanyu, utterly unable to look away.
[Didn't really notice before, but seeing Wen Yanyu next to Duan Mufeng, he suddenly looks so tiny.]
[Such a slim waist. I want to hug him.]
[Tsk, tsk, someone's eyes are practically glued to him.]
[Speaking of which, does anyone else think Wen Yanyu has lost a ton of weight? I remember watching him on that talent show six months ago, and he still had a little flesh on his cheeks. Now he looks like a gust of wind could knock him over.]
[He brought it on himself, making himself miserable over some guy every single day. I used to like him, but now just seeing him annoys me.]
[He was such a well-behaved idol during the talent show, really sweet and pretty hardworking. He did his job properly, so it was hard not to become a mom fan. But then he somehow got involved with Fu Hanchuan and instantly became a completely different person, not caring what happened to his fans or himself.]
[Love-addled people are so annoying. I can't like him at all.]
[Okay, but hahaha, Fu Hanchuan is Fuxin Group's biggest shareholder and the one actually in charge, an entrepreneur who became the richest man at such a young age. Why are the comments making him sound like some blond-haired punk? Hahaha, help.]
Wen Yanyu scooped the cooked meatballs out of the pot, took out a pair of chopsticks, and tasted one.
Duan Mufeng stepped forward and braced one hand beside Wen Yanyu. His tall frame enveloped him, making it look from a distance as though he had his arms around the person beside him.
With the distance between them suddenly closing, Wen Yanyu instinctively started to move aside.
Duan Mufeng suddenly spoke. "Can I try one?"
He had been running around working just now, so he was probably hungry.
Wen Yanyu nodded. "Sure, but they're a little bland. Let me first..."
Duan Mufeng bent slightly, caught his wrist, and bit off the remaining half of the meatball from his chopsticks.
Wen Yanyu's hand went rigid, and he froze there, at a loss.
"It's already delicious." With a smile in his eyes, Duan Mufeng stared straight at him. "You're a really good cook."
There was laughter in the man's voice.
The emotion in his eyes was something Wen Yanyu couldn't understand, and it made him inexplicably uncomfortable.
Wen Yanyu pressed his lips together, wanting to move away, and exerted a little force with his hand, ready to break free of the other man's grip.
Duan Mufeng pulled away and brought up another topic, affectionate and natural, immediately dispelling the strangeness of a moment ago.
Wen Yanyu fell silent for a few seconds, recalling that his interactions with Fu Hanchuan before had seemed much the same.
Lowering his head and setting down his chopsticks, he silently wondered, Have I been controlled by the plot and gone without making new friends for so long that I can't adjust to close relationships anymore?
Except...
I don't dislike being close to Fu Hanchuan.
Wen Yanyu shook his head, stopped dwelling on that moment of discomfort, and added some more seasoning to the meatballs before turning on the heat and cooking them a little longer.
[Duan Radish, you really are...]
[Why does Wen Yanyu seem so clueless? Doesn't he like men?]
[Maybe he only likes Fu Hanchuan, and every other guy is just an ordinary member of the same sex to him.]
[To be fair, Fu Hanchuan really does have the looks to pull it off. At first I thought he was just some wealthy businessman, but after watching his interview, damn, what a handsome, charismatic man. Hmm... I guess Wen Yanyu acting like that isn't incomprehensible.]
[Didn't someone leak that Wen and Fu used to be good friends? That would count as friendship turning into something else, hahaha.]
[No way. With Fu's status compared to Wen Yanyu's? Friends, seriously? Fu was just unlucky enough to get pestered by him, okay?]
At the dining table.
Sang Yu accepted the noodles Wen Yanyu pushed toward her and politely thanked him.
Duan Mufeng picked up a piece of fish and put it in his mouth, speaking indistinctly as he ate. "This tastes incredible!"
Jiang Wanrou also nodded in agreement.
The little fellow was such a good cook.
Starving after going so long without food, Jiang Keyan had stuffed her mouth full, her cheeks puffed out like a little hamster's, yet she still remembered to chime in. "Boohoo, thank goodness for Aunt Jiang and Yanyu. Otherwise, I would've blown up the kitchen."
Holding a small plate with less than half a serving of rice soaked in clear broth, Wen Yanyu sat quietly at the table and began eating.
Jiang Wanrou caught sight of it out of the corner of her eye and frowned slightly.
The meal proceeded in a somewhat strange atmosphere, and one after another, they were nearly finished eating.
Duan Mufeng's gaze kept wandering over the person opposite him. Distracted, he casually picked up the last slice of fish in his bowl and put it in his mouth, chewed it a few careless times, then swallowed.
But in the very next second, Duan Mufeng's expression abruptly changed.
A fit of violent coughing broke out. Duan Mufeng clutched his throat tightly, trying to swallow the fish bone lodged there.
But the sensation of something in his throat refused to go away. As though deliberately defying him, the fish bone remained firmly stuck.
"What's wrong?" Lu Mingxu frowned and asked in concern.
Sang Yu also looked up.
"Oh my god, Radish, did you get a fish bone stuck in your throat?" Jiang Keyan put down her chopsticks and hurried around to Duan Mufeng in a few steps.
Duan Mufeng's face had turned bright red. Unable to hold back another few coughs, he kept a hand pressed to his chest, looking extremely uncomfortable.
Jiang Wanrou brought over a glass of water. "How about eating something to push it down?"
Duan Mufeng hurriedly waved his hand. "No, cough..."
Before you continue