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Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The two of them entered the kitchen. Huo Shaoheng opened the refrigerator and took out a pack of saffron. He selected two to crush into a powder, then put them on a small plate with white orchids.
Gu Nianzhi watched over his shoulder and asked some technical questions occasionally.
“What is the ratio of rice to saffron?”
“If we switched the prawns with lobsters, would the taste be the same?”
There were creative questions as well. “Can we put crabs in seafood paella?”
“Can we switch peppers with small Spanish chilies? Would it taste better if it was spicier?”
Huo Shaoheng explained patiently to her while he prepared the ingredients. His replies were short answered her questions thoroughly.
Gu Nianzhi used her photographic memory to memorize every single thing that Huo Shaoheng was doing, including the weight and quantity of the ingredients.
By the time all of the ingredients were stir-fried and ready to be placed into the pan to simmer, two hours had passed.
Gu Nianzhi wiped the perspiration off her forehead. “Cooking is such a waste of time.”
Huo Shaoheng was surprised. “As long as you don’t think that it was a waste when it’s time to eat…”
Both of them washed their hands and returned to the living room to sit down. Huo Shaoheng spoke first. “You’ll be going to the Christmas party organized by your class?”
“Yes, I will.” Gu Nianzhi took out her phone and began looking through Weibo. She replied to Huo Shaoheng without even looking up.
Huo Shaoheng took her phone away from her and said gently, “I am talking to you. It’s a bit rude to continue playing with your phone when I’m talking to you.”
Gu Nianzhi was merely using her phone as a cover. She didn’t wish to face Huo Shaoheng alone. She couldn’t deny that the anxiety that Huo Shaoheng gave her was still significant after all this time.
“…I will not play anymore. Return my phone to me.” Gu Nianzhi smiled as she stuck her hand out. “I promise!”
Huo Shaoheng looked at her for a while before returning her phone to her. Placing it in her hand, he warned, “I will confiscate it if you play with it again while talking to me.”
“Sure, sure, sure. Whatever you say.” Gu Nianzhi placed her phone back into her bag and discreetly made a face at him. She thought that Huo Shaoheng didn’t see that. However, she did not know that, by sitting right beside her, he could turn around slightly and see every single thing that she was doing.
By the time Gu Nianzhi turned back with a smile, Huo Shaoheng had already moved in close to kiss her lightly on her lips. It was as amazing as she had remembered it to be.
From the moment they kissed, it was impossible to separate them. Whenever Gu Nianzhi backed off, Huo Shaoheng would move in closer.
She could only mumble, “Let me go… Softer… Don’t bite…” If her lips were injured, how could she go to the party tomorrow?! She did not dare to struggle too much as well, worried that Huo Shaoheng would be more forceful if she did…
Huo Shaoheng wanted to bite her and leave his marks on her lips, announcing his possession of her. However, he was still rational and stopped himself from doing so.
Gu Nianzhi had a life on her own. Although he was unhappy that she wanted to go to her class party instead of spending time with him over Christmas, he had no good reason to stop her from going.
Moreover, he would be busy. He had to attend the performance by the military performing team and would not be able to accompany her. So why should he stop her from having some time for herself?
Seeing her lonely made him sad.
Huo Shaoheng softened his approach and stopped biting her lips. However, he still kissed her lips gently, feeling the smooth and soft texture of them. There was something about them that made him feel out of breath.
Finally, they stopped. He hugged her head close to him and their foreheads touched. Then, they sat on the sofa in silence.
Gu Nianzhi only moved onto his lap when she felt that he had calmed down.
Huo Shaoheng chuckled and caressed her forehead. “Just sit however makes you comfortable. You do not need to care about me,” he said, his voice as hoarse as ever.
“…I am finding a comfortable spot,” Gu Nianzhi grumbled as she smacked Huo Shaoheng on the thighs. “So hard. It is uncomfortable no matter how I sit. Put me down.”
Huo Shaoheng remained silent for a while and relaxed his arms so Gu Nianzhi could sit on the sofa beside him. He stood up and said, “I will go to the kitchen to check on the paella. It should be almost done.”
Upon entering the kitchen, Huo Shaoheng heard the sizzling from the pan. This meant that the soup had already dried up and the rice was sizzling.
Turning off the fire, Huo Shaoheng let it sit for a while before opening the lid and preparing a bowl for Gu Nianzhi. He also took a small bowl for himself… Just a little.
He’d actually had already had lunch. Not only that, he’d had a huge lunch. He could only eat a little now because he was so full. However, when Huo Shaoheng brought the rice out, seeing that he had taken so little for himself, Gu Nianzhi thought that he had purposely left most of it for her and gave him half of hers.
“Eat more. You have not eaten in so long. Your body will not be able to take it.”
Huo Shaoheng touched his nose guiltily and saw how much rice there was in his bowl. Calmly, he said, “It’s precisely because I have gone on an empty stomach for so long that I can’t eat too much at once.” This excuse was normal.
Gu Nianzhi accepted it and took the rice back.
She could not deny that the seafood paella Huo Shaoheng made was really good.
Although she’d already had lunch, it had been two to three hours since then and she was slightly hungry. Therefore, she finished the entire bowl in no time and went ahead to take a second portion.
Huo Shaoheng stopped eating after the small bowl. He went to make some Pu’er tea. Twirling the cup in his hand, he observed Gu Nianzhi quietly.
Since the case had ended, Gu Nianzhi seemed to have lost weight. Her skin was always fair, but it had turned quite pale. Her waist seemed more slender too…
He remembered the last weekend and felt that he had gone overboard. He could still remember his red fingerprints on her fair skin. She’d looked like her skin had blossomed saffron all over it.
Huo Shaoheng felt his mouth go dry and took another sip of tea.
Gu Nianzhi finished her rice and took the initiative to clear the utensils away and place them into the dishwasher. Then, she wiped the kitchen down.
From the kitchen, Gu Nianzhi could see that Huo Shaoheng was sitting alone in the dining area. He had a cup of tea in his hand. His hands holding the teacup were so long and strong. His palms were not big, but their shape was perfect. His fingers had some calluses–evidence of handling guns over time.
His features were deeply set. Under the soft evening rays of sunset, he was extremely handsome. No words were not enough to describe how handsome he was.
However, Gu Nianzhi had outgrown the phase of being solely attracted to looks. She was merely sighing because he was such a handsome man. Sadly, he had no heart. Sometimes, his unconcerned attitude made people feel worse than if they had been betrayed.
You were able to feel anger when you were betrayed, but when your other half was unconcerned with you, all you could do was to feel helpless.
Gu Nianzhi stopped looking and removed her apron. Coming out of the kitchen, she said, “Huo Shao, thank you for your seafood paella. Dinner was amazing, but I have to go back now.”
Huo Shaoheng did not move. He sat quietly in the dining area. He supported his face with one hand and used the other to hold his teacup.
He turned to look at Gu Nianzhi but remained silent. It seemed like he had so much to say but did not know where to begin.
Gu Nianzhi felt rather at a loss. She walked to the sofa in the living room, carrying her bag. Huo Shaoheng finally caught up with her as she walked towards the door.
He hugged her from behind and kissed the nape of her neck. “Nianzhi, stay. Be with me.” His extremely sexy voice surrounded her. It went from her ears straight into her heart. It wrapped around her heart ruthlessly, making her open her heart to him again.
Gu Nianzhi could not explain why, but she turned around and hugged him.
The two of them stayed entangled from the living room to the bedroom.
…
Gu Nianzhi did not know when she fell asleep, but before she did, she vaguely remembered thinking about why Huo Shaoheng wanted to cook for her. He’d wanted to feed her before slaughtering her…
…
When Gu Nianzhi woke up the next day, she realized that she was snuggled into Huo Shaoheng’s arms.
One of Huo Shaoheng’s arms was supporting her neck, the other was hugging her by the waist. It was a clear sign of authority. It meant that she belonged to him.
No wonder she still felt tired from last night. It felt like she’d been carrying an extremely heavy log up a mountain…
So it had been this heavy log.
Gu Nianzhi moved away from Huo Shaoheng’s embrace slightly.
Huo Shaoheng opened his eyes and smiled as he looked at her. “Awake?”
Gu Nianzhi stretched her neck and sat up. “What is the time now?” She craned her neck to look over Huo Shaoheng and took the phone from the bedside table. “What? It is already ten o’clock?!”
She had overslept by a lot!
She looked at her phone again and saw the boy had sent her the location of the party.
“Bar Jinling…” Gu Nianzhi looked at it and opened Qiandu to search for the exact location of the bar.
Huo Shaoheng got up and headed to the bathroom for a shower. He had initially wanted to get Gu Nianzhi into the shower with him, but he saw that Gu Nianzhi had a call coming in and didn’t distract her. He headed to the bathroom on his own.
When Gu Nianzhi answered He Zhichu’s call, not knowing why she was feeling guilty. “Professor He?”
“Where are you, Nianzhi? I didn’t see you in the library,” He Zhichu said, standing in front of the library at B University.
Gu Nianzhi smiled awkwardly. “Haha, I am not at school right now. Is anything the matter, Professor He?”
“Oh, yes.” It seemed like He Zhichu understood something. He felt his heart skip a beat and sink, but did not say a thing about it. When that feeling got better, he finally said, “I have an invitation to go watch the performance of the military performing team. Would you like to go? I can bring you along if you’d like.”
Gu Nianzhi replied, “I have agreed to go to the Christmas party organized by the class, so I will have to decline. Enjoy, Professor He. The performance by the military performing team sounds like it will be amazing.”
When He Zhichu heard that Gu Nianzhi was going to attend her class party, he immediately said, “Where will the party be? I will go with you.”
“I thought you had wanted to go to the military performing team’s performance?” Gu Nianzhi asked, puzzled.
“Not going anymore. If you’re not going, what’s the point of me going alone?” He Zhichu said immediately.
