"Why did it suddenly start raining?"
Startled by the thunder, Jiang Yao scurried into Chen Yuan’s arms. Tugging his sleeve, she led him to the window. Although she was scared, she craned her neck to peek outside, listening to the rain fall as densely as drumbeats in a torrential downpour.
When the two of them were together at noon, the Lanjing air had just been chilly, not humid at all.
The sky had been gloomy, but there was no sign of impending rain.
But now, in the pitch-black night sky, thick bolts of lightning flashed relentlessly, followed by the low, muffled rumble of thunder.
The violently rattling window made one fear it would shatter at any moment.
’This has to be at least a thunderstorm!’
Jiang Yao instinctively shrank deeper into Chen Yuan’s embrace. ’If I could, I’d shrink down to the size of a fingernail and hide in Chen Yuan’s hair or his pocket. I’d just poke half my head out and tremble while waiting for the storm to pass. Only then would I feel safe enough.’
People don’t fear the planet beneath their feet, which usually bends to their will. It is mostly benevolent—until it reveals a sliver of its terrifying nature.
Swept up by the gale, pedestrians on the street didn’t even dare to open their umbrellas. They found storefronts to hide under, but the rain poured down on them. Only by fleeing into the shops could they shake off the water and watch the scene outside with trepidation.
...
"It’s okay." Chen Yuan patted Jiang Yao’s head and took out his phone to check the weather. The phone’s built-in weather app was already showing a yellow alert.
Heavy rain, forecast to turn into a torrential downpour.
"It feels like the end of the world..." Jiang Yao had lost all inclination to act cute, her face a mask of fear.
"I think I saw weather like this a few times when I was a kid. I was actually pretty excited back then. I’d run around like crazy with a bunch of friends in front of my house. The wind even blew away the washbasin in our yard."
"Aren’t you boys scared of this stuff?"
"What’s there to be scared of? Who knows, maybe getting struck by lightning would give you superpowers."
Seeing Jiang Yao clinging to him tightly without letting go, Chen Yuan suddenly felt a sense of warmth.
The raging storm outside couldn’t affect the two of them cuddling under the soft indoor light. The contrast created a truly special feeling.
’She looks pretty cute when she’s frightened,’ Chen Yuan thought at that moment. ’Hugging me like a dazed little koala. She’d look even more like one if she were wearing a similar set of pajamas.’
"Why are you staring at me..."
Sensing his gaze, Jiang Yao asked softly.
"Hm, I just suddenly realized you’re kind of cute."
"Really?" Jiang Yao shyly bit her lip, avoiding his gaze.
For someone who loved to talk big, the scariest thing was when someone else was being sincere. She could ask, "Do you love me?" a hundred times without batting an eye, but a genuine compliment or confession would immediately make Jiang Yao drop her defenses, her heart fluttering in her chest.
"It’s rare for you to be so sweet," she muttered under her breath, her cheeks pink as she walked toward the kitchen.
That shy, head-lowered expression was, by all accounts, a clear sign of a blossoming crush.
In the kitchen.
Jiang Yao turned the gas switch back on and grabbed an unopened bottle of cooking oil. Her expression was solemn as she silently cheered herself on. ’I have to do a good job this time!’
As the old saying goes, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach!
She planned to make stir-fried tomatoes and eggs so delicious it would bring tears to his eyes, to show Chen Yuan her astounding culinary talent. The best-case scenario would be for him to grab her hand after eating and say with utmost sincerity, "Your cooking is really delicious."
Then she would say, "Young Master, it’s my duty to cook for you. If it’s alright, I’d like to cook for you from now on, too."
"Then... can you do it for me now?"
"Didn’t we just finish eating? This isn’t appropriate... Ah! Chen, what are you doing! You’re so bad, stop it..."
While opening the bottle cap in the kitchen, Jiang Yao was lost in her fantasy with a dreamy smile on her face. Her fair legs pressed together, she was already giggling to herself.
’Damn it!’
Her expression suddenly froze. She pinched her thigh to snap herself out of it.
’I’ve really been reading too many overbearing CEO novels; my brain is completely fried. That kind of plot development is totally unacceptable!’ she cursed herself inwardly for being such a romance-addled homebody and angrily twisted the cap open.
’Huh, how much oil am I supposed to use for scrambled eggs again?’
She pondered for a few seconds, then guiltily turned her head to glance at Chen Yuan in the living room.
’Good, he’s not looking this way.’
Jiang Yao pulled out her phone and started looking it up on a short-video app.
"How to make stir-fried tomatoes and eggs you’ll never get tired of! First, let’s steam the washed tomatoes in a pot—"
The short video’s audio blared out. With a horrified look on her face, Jiang Yao scrambled to turn down the volume and peeked back at Chen Yuan.
The sound of the rain seemed to have covered it up; he hadn’t heard.
Jiang Yao breathed a sigh of relief and began to cook, meticulously following the instructions from the video.
She poured in the oil, waited a few seconds for it to heat up a bit, and with a WHOOSH, dumped in all the beaten eggs. She grabbed the spatula and started stir-frying with a furious CLANG CLANG CLANG!
The egg mixture, solidifying in the hot pan, took on a golden hue. Under the movements of her spatula, it gradually broke into small pieces and began to release a pleasant aroma.
’Isn’t this easy? Anyone with hands could do it!’
As she stir-fried, Jiang Yao started to think that maybe she really did have a talent for cooking. In the future, besides being a homebody, she could add "little chef" to her list of titles. ’I have to take a gorgeous photo of this dish later.’
’I’ll post it in the group chat and show those girls what a domestic goddess I am!’
But unexpectedly, the heat seemed a little too high. After just a few stirs, she actually smelled something burning...
Jiang Yao’s little nose crinkled. Staring at a few pieces of egg stuck to the edge of the pan, she quickly scraped at them a few times.
’Crap! I forgot to take them out as soon as they were cooked. Now not only are they overcooked, they’re burnt!’
She frantically grabbed a plate from the side and dug the eggs out. In her haste, a few pieces even fell on the floor.
There was no time to pick them up. She hadn’t turned off the stove either, and the parts she hadn’t scooped out were burning even worse.
In the living room.
Chen Yuan watched Jiang Yao flailing about. The spatula in her hand looked like chopsticks in the hands of a child who hadn’t learned how to use them yet. Looking closer, he saw she was even holding it with a backhand grip! ’Good grief, can she even apply any force like that?’
After a fierce battle!
A few pieces couldn’t be saved. They had turned into fried egg-bombs, charred at the edges and rock-hard when poked with chopsticks.
"Master!" She hid the plate behind her back, turned around with a smile, and called out to Chen Yuan. "I think I left my hair tie on your bed. Can you get it for me?"
"Okay."
Seeing him get up, Jiang Yao quickly used her chopsticks to throw the burnt eggs into the trash can, her movements so fast they left afterimages.
"Phew~"
’How could this not be considered perfect?’
Looking at the remaining portion, she raised her eyebrows smugly.
Next, stir-fry the tomatoes!
Pouring in more oil, Jiang Yao dumped all the tomatoes into the pan. The next second, with a loud SIZZZLE, the oil and water met, SPUTTERING and splattering countless tiny droplets of oil everywhere.
She was completely stupefied. Grabbing a nearby pot lid, she took a few steps back, her face a mask of terror.
’The oil wasn’t even that hot, was it? Why is the reaction so violent!’
Jiang Yao muttered in confusion. Steeling herself, she picked up the spatula, holding the pot lid in her other hand.
She got into a horse stance, squinted her eyes, and would retreat after every single stir of the ingredients in the pan. Dodging left and right, she could be described as quite agile.
Chen Yuan, who had just walked out of the bedroom, was dumbfounded by the sight.
’One shield, one spear? A living, breathing Spartan warrior!’
"Are you sure you’ve got this? Why don’t I take over?" he asked worriedly.
"I’m fine... Rest assured, Master. For a qualified chef, the kitchen is a battlefield," Jiang Yao said, raising her ’shield’ high and turning back to give him an awkward smile. "It’s just a small incident. I can handle it."
Chen Yuan didn’t believe her nonsense and leaned against the wall nearby.
If anything went wrong, he could pull her away in an instant.
"Time to add the eggs."
Jiang Yao’s eyes widened. Holding her breath with intense focus, she grabbed the plate, dumped the eggs in, and went at it with a furious stir-fry.
At the same time, the rice on the side finished steaming, already giving off a pleasant, fragrant aroma.
...
「Two minutes later.」
"Success!"