"Mom~" Murong Xue shot her mother a glare.
Madam Murong chuckled, "I'm sorry, Mr. Li. My daughter isn't very outgoing, but she's actually very happy you're here. Come, come, pick up your chopsticks and don't just stare. Try this, it's my specialty. See how it tastes."
"Thank you, Auntie. I can do it myself," Li Yang said with a smile as he picked up his chopsticks.
Just as Li Yang was about to eat, Murong Xue suddenly remembered what she had done. Her expression changed, and she quickly reached out her delicate hand to grab Li Yang's, "Wait a moment."
"Hmm?" Li Yang looked at her suspiciously. What was she up to?
Madam Murong saw their hands touch and revealed a delighted expression. Oh my, she said she wasn't happy about Mr. Li, but look at her!
Before I even said anything, this girl made a move first!
"This rice looks tastier, I want to swap with you," Murong Xue reached out, took the bowl of rice from his hand, and then handed him her own bowl.
Li Yang was a bit bewildered. Wasn't this all rice from the same rice cooker? What difference could there be?
Could it be because Madam Murong had served him food?
He never expected Murong Xue to be so lacking in maternal affection.
Li Yang shook his head inwardly and said with a smile, "So that's it. You should have said so earlier. I thought my rice was poisoned, you looked so nervous, you scared me."
"No, absolutely no poison," Murong Xue quickly replied.
Li Yang, who had been indifferent at first, felt something was amiss when he saw her overly strong reaction. A divine light, imperceptible to ordinary people, flashed in his eyes as he glanced at the bowl of rice in Murong Xue's hand.
The bowl was fine; it was an old model from over a decade ago. But the rice inside was another story. It had been mixed with a generous amount of chili oil!
Holy cow!
Anyone who ate this would immediately breathe fire, more impressive than any acrobat!
"Murong Xue, you..." Li Yang quickly reached out to take the bowl back.
Unexpectedly, Murong Xue, fearing her plan would be exposed, grabbed a small green vegetable and started shoveling rice into her mouth.
The moment the rice touched her tongue, her fair, delicate face turned red from the spiciness.
Li Yang opened his mouth, coughed, and asked, "Are you okay?"
"I, I'm perfectly fine," Murong Xue, almost unable to speak from the spiciness, her forehead beaded with sweat, still tried to act tough in front of Li Yang.
Li Yang found it both amusing and a little heartbreaking. He could see now that Murong Xue had intended to prank him but, at the last moment, couldn't bear to embarrass him and ended up suffering herself.
This silly woman, with so much rice in the cooker, why didn't she just swap for another bowl?
Seeing Murong Xue shovel more rice into her mouth, Li Yang sighed inwardly. He scooped a bowl of light-tasting chicken soup, blew on it, and offered it to her, "Have some."
"Mmm." Murong Xue was too spicy to speak, but she still held on, picked up the chicken soup, and drank it.
But it was still so spicy!
Seeing her daughter's ears and neck turn bright red, Madam Murong was genuinely delighted. This girl, usually so quiet, was actually the passionate type. When she met a man she liked, look how shy she was!
Young people were always saying one thing and meaning another.
"Heh, Mr. Li, I have something to attend to. You two chat, I'll excuse myself." Madam Murong felt that her daughter's lifelong happiness was secured. She immediately stood up and walked out of the house without even putting on her coat.
Li Yang said, "Auntie, take care."
"Alright, Murong Xue, now it's just the two of us. You don't need to keep pretending."
"Pretending what, I'm perfectly fine." Murong Xue quickly drank another bowl of chicken soup, but it still didn't reduce the spiciness in her mouth, making her feel hot all over.
Seeing her about to force herself to eat again, Li Yang took the bowl, pointed to the red part inside, and said, "Devil's chili oil, you think I can't see it?"
"Why did you expose me!" Murong Xue said angrily. She had already eaten it; what was the point of exposing it now?
As she spoke, she reached out to snatch the bowl back.
Li Yang raised an eyebrow and grabbed her wrist, "Stop messing around. You need to eat something else now to neutralize the taste, or you'll quickly be so spicy you'll pass out."
"So what if I pass out? I don't need you to care," Murong Xue said defiantly.
Li Yang was getting a little annoyed. Why was this woman so stubborn! "If you pass out, and it's just the two of us here, a man and a woman alone, what do you think I'll do to you?"
"You, what will you do to me?" Murong Xue's expression changed slightly, and she looked at him warily.
Li Yang chuckled, "You're so beautiful, with fair skin, lovely looks, and long legs. If you pass out, as a normal man, I'd have to play with your beautiful legs first, then your face, and then I'd put my hand inside your..."
"Shut up! You pervert, you're vulgar!" Murong Xue's heart skipped a beat. She covered her face with one hand and pressed her other hand on her thigh.
Li Yang laughed, "Heh, covering your face and legs won't help. I can also touch your..."
"Shut up, shut up!" Murong Xue shouted.
Li Yang laughed heartily, "Scared now? Then be good and eat something else."
"Got it, you jerk!" Murong Xue glared at him. On the surface, she was reluctant, but inwardly, she was a little happy that Li Yang cared about her so much.
After eating for a while, their relationship seemed to have become much more harmonious.
Li Yang stood up and said, "I've finished eating, shall I head back now?"
"You're leaving already?" Murong Xue was surprised and said reluctantly, "My mom hasn't come back yet. Why don't you wait a bit longer?"
"A man and a woman alone, is it appropriate for us to stay like this?" Li Yang asked.
Murong Xue's cheeks flushed slightly, and she shot him a look, "You can't spit out anything decent from that mouth. Will you die if you don't say something improper!"
"Wait, I'll make you some tea. We have Tieguanyin, Biluochun, and Jasmine tea at home. What kind of tea do you want?"
"As long as it's tea you make, even if it's just water without tea leaves, I'll be happy," Li Yang said with a smile.
Murong Xue's heart fluttered, "Improper!"
"Hey, I'm clearly complimenting your tea-making skills. Even plain water would taste delicious. How is that improper?" Li Yang cried out in feigned innocence!
"It's improper!"
Murong Xue turned to make tea. Under the light, her curvaceous figure looked even more alluring.
Watching her back, Li Yang felt as if he were admiring a work of art.
"Have some tea."
Murong Xue walked over with a cup of tea. Just as she was about to hand it to him, the cup suddenly cracked with a 'kacha' sound!