Jiang Yao’s foot froze in mid-air, her toes curling slightly from the pain in her rear. The sole of her foot was flawlessly fair and tender. Not only was its arch perfectly smooth, but it also had a shy sort of cuteness.
Chen Yuan, however, was in no mood to admire the view. He quickly went over to help Jiang Yao.
"Ouch..."
Jiang Yao winced in pain, holding the left side of her butt as her brow furrowed tightly.
"You should have let me do it. You bought a lot of stuff for the start of the semester, not just clothes, and stuffed it all in the suitcase. Of course it wouldn’t open when you yanked it like that."
"Now it probably won’t open at all..." Jiang Yao bit her lip, aggrieved, and held out the broken zipper puller in her hand.
"Uh..." For a moment, Chen Yuan didn’t know how to comfort her.
Jiang Yao remained on the floor, meeting his gaze for a long moment.
’She knew she must look absolutely pathetic, having messed up such a simple task.’
’At first, I just wanted to show him how capable I was. But now... forget impressing my boyfriend with my ’good wife and mother’ act. I’ll be lucky if he doesn’t find me completely useless.’
She looked like a total sad sack, blinking repeatedly, making no move to get up.
As for her small leather shoes, she was in no mood to bother with them. They lay abandoned in a corner of the room.
"I didn’t do it on purpose..."
"What’s the big deal? If the suitcase is broken, it’s broken. We’ll just force it open later."
Chen Yuan couldn’t quite understand her reaction. A person was obviously more important than an object.
’There was absolutely no need for her to blame herself over something like this.’
He remembered a time when he was a kid. Wanting to show off, he had offered to carry the pot of braised rib soup from the kitchen. But just seconds after carefully lifting it, the scalding rim of the bowl burned his hands, causing a sharp pain that made him instinctively let go.
The bowl hit the floor, shattering into countless pieces.
Hearing the crash, Mr. and Mrs. Chen rushed in.
At first, Mrs. Chen had been about to say a few scolding words, but she had barely begun when the gentle Mr. Chen stopped her with a look.
Not only was Chen Yuan not blamed, but he ended up being comforted for a long time.
This incident left a deep impression on his young mind.
「At this moment.」
「In the bedroom.」
Chen Yuan reached out and, with that same gentleness, patted Jiang Yao’s head, wanting to help her up.
But the more Jiang Yao thought about it, the more upset she became. She had always tried to project the image of a cheerful, sensible older sister to Chen Yuan, but no matter how well she played the part, it was still just an act.
’A chef who can’t cook is bound to make a mess of things in the kitchen.’
’Besides, so many unexpected things happen when you’re with someone. There were bound to be moments when her facade would crack.’
’What am I going to do?’
’All that hard work to maintain a good image!’
’Will Chen Yuan think I’m hopelessly stupid?’
Women are often emotional creatures, and Jiang Yao, who was usually spoiled by her older sister, was no exception. Chen Yuan hadn’t even blamed her, yet she was the one throwing a fit.
Even after he tried to coax her, she remained on the floor, refusing to get up.
It was just like a child’s temper tantrum.
Her eyes, filled with immense resentment, glared at the suitcase.
Chen Yuan tried to coax her for a while longer, but to no avail. He was gradually losing his patience.
"Isn’t the floor cold?"
"..."
"Are you getting up or not?"
"..."
Seeing that she wouldn’t budge, Chen Yuan came closer. He decisively slid one arm under the soft bend of Jiang Yao’s knees and wrapped the other around her waist.
The instant he made contact, Jiang Yao froze.
She didn’t have time to react.
All she felt was her body becoming weightless!
With a faint gasp, she was swept into Chen Yuan’s arms. Feeling suddenly insecure as her feet left the ground, she instinctively threw her arms around his neck, afraid she would fall.
She stared at him, an astonished look on her face. From her expression, it was clear Jiang Yao was completely dumbfounded; she had never imagined Chen Yuan would do such a thing.
’Weight-wise, lifting her was no effort at all.’
’But as he held her, the unique softness of a woman’s body stirred an unfamiliar feeling within him.’
’Jiang Yao was such a beautiful woman. Carrying her like this, in a princess carry, suddenly made his heart skip a beat.’
None of this showed on his face. Chen Yuan’s expression remained neutral; he didn’t even glance down. He simply carried her into the living room.
Pressed against his chest, she took in the faint lemon scent of his clothes, the completely unfamiliar sensation, and the warmth of his body.
Her hair cascaded down, spilling over Chen Yuan’s arm.
The room was so silent you could hear a pin drop. Neither of them spoke, leaving only the distinct sound of their heartbeats.
Jiang Yao tilted her head up, her gaze fixed on the profile of Chen Yuan’s face. She wasn’t sure why, but she suddenly found him incredibly handsome from this angle; it made her heart race. Perhaps it was the "boyfriend filter" at work, or perhaps the thrill of being carried in his arms for the first time was simply too potent.
An irrepressible blush flooded her cheeks, and a sparkle lit up her eyes.
Jiang Yao was suddenly struck with the impulse to sit up and kiss him.
In the end, she didn’t dare. The racing of her heart made her mind go blank, and her earlier anger vanished without a trace. She quickly averted her gaze, her eyes darting about uncertainly.
’Being carried like this... It’s so embarrassing.’
For Jiang Yao, this was a first as well.
Chen Yuan set her down on the sofa. He then returned to the bedroom, found her little leather shoes, and brought them over, placing them at her feet.
"Why don’t you get the ingredients ready? I’m getting a little hungry. By the time I finish tidying up, we can eat together."
"...O-Okay!"
Jiang Yao snapped out of her daze and nodded.
Long strands of hair fell across her cheeks, hiding her flushed face.
Since she was wearing a short skirt, when Jiang Yao picked up her shoes to put them on, she instinctively crossed her legs, pressing her fair thighs together.
Long legs, a short skirt, and small, clean, fair feet.
The sight was simply stunning.
Chen Yuan struggled to tear his eyes away from her feet. His heart was suddenly pounding like a drum, far more intensely than when he had been carrying her moments before.
"I’ll go wash my hands first, then prep the ingredients."
"You don’t have to wash them."
The words slipped out of Chen Yuan’s mouth before he could stop them.
"Huh?"
Jiang Yao looked at him, bewildered, not understanding what he meant.
"Nothing."
Chen Yuan turned around, pretending nothing had happened, and headed straight for the bedroom.
Jiang Yao watched his retreating figure, a puzzled look on her face.
’My hands touched my feet... they’re dirty. It wouldn’t be right not to wash them, would it?’
...
In the living room, steam drifted up from the coffee table. The red chili oil in the hot pot churned and boiled, huge bubbles surfacing and bursting one after another. An irresistible aroma filled the air.
Brown Sichuan peppercorns and bay leaves bobbed in the broth, while bright red chili peppers practically filled half the pot.
In contrast, the creamy mushroom soup base on the other side of the pot looked refreshingly light and mild.
A dazzling array of ingredients was laid out on the coffee table. There was not only Chen Yuan’s favorite beef tripe, duck blood, and sliced lamb, but also the quintessential hot pot staple: napa cabbage.
Jiang Yao had prepared seven or eight kinds of vegetables alone. Freshly washed in the kitchen, they were arranged on plates, still glistening with water droplets and looking vibrantly crisp.
Jiang Yao carefully arranged each ingredient, her delicate nose wrinkling slightly. The spicy aroma wafting through the air was already making her mouth water.
She hadn’t felt hungry at lunchtime, but now!
If they didn’t start eating soon, she felt like she might just pass out from hunger.