She had bought the clothes according to her aesthetic, suitable for his daily work—mostly casual or mature styles. Besides, Ye Yansheng had a good physique; he looked great in them, and she was very satisfied.
Ye Yansheng listened as she talked about these daily details. He watched her drink the porridge, noticed the residue at the corner of her mouth, and wiped it away with his thumb.
His eyes brimming with tenderness, he supported his cheek with one hand. "Our Xiaodai is really amazing." His gaze was entirely fixed on Song Guanyu as she obediently ate the food he had cooked. His heart, like a sponge, kept contracting and expanding, his fondness nearly overflowing.
After finishing the entire bowl of porridge, Song Guanyu realized Ye Yansheng hadn't eaten. "Dr. Ye, why aren't you eating?"
"I'll wait for you to finish first. Whatever you don't finish, I'll eat. No waste." He knew Song Guanyu loved many foods, but her stomach was limited. He wanted to let her try everything, so he made quite a variety.
"But you'd be eating what I've touched... It makes me feel like I'm mistreating you." Her eyes darted, her expression lively. Despite her words, her mouth and hands were not polite at all. She took a bite each of the crystal shrimp dumplings, carrot and egg pancakes, sticky corn, and tangelos.
Finally, as she swallowed the last shrimp dumpling, she said, "Don't look at me like that. It's kind of creepy."
"I enjoy watching you eat. You make it look delicious." Then Song Guanyu added, "Dr. Ye, your cooking is really good. Better than mine."
Ye Yansheng raised an eyebrow at this. "Oh? You can cook?"
Song Guanyu blinked at him, then looked at the last shrimp dumpling. Understanding, Ye Yansheng picked it up and put it in her bowl. Song Guanyu beamed even brighter.
She held up eight fingers, her eyes sparkling with joy. "Believe it or not, Dr. Ye, I can cook in the 'Eight Great Cuisines'!" Ye Yansheng was genuinely stunned this time.
"Really?"
"Of course—" She deliberately drew out her tone because Ye Yansheng actually seemed to believe her. Then, feigning mystery, she said, "Of course not." Wiping her hands, she picked up her phone, opened a food delivery app, scrolled through it, and held the screen up to Ye Yansheng.
"Here, this is what I meant by 'Eight Great Cuisines.' Next time, Dr. Ye, whichever city's cuisine you want, I can 'make' it for you."
Ye Yansheng: "..."
He looked at her with a smile and shook his head helplessly.
Pleased with herself for having teased him and gotten back at him for what he did last night, Song Guanyu bit into the shrimp dumpling. Suddenly, Ye Yansheng said something, and the dumpling fell with a 'plop' back into her bowl, her expression utterly comical.
She immediately flared up. "How do you know my nickname!"
Ye Yansheng raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise. "Huh? Did I just call your nickname?"
He hadn't intended to tease her, but seeing her puff up in anger only delighted him more. The nickname 'Song Zhuzhu' had been privately revealed to him by Song Guanyu's mother, who said that if Song Guanyu ever tried to tease him, all he had to do was call her by that name, and it would work every time.
Now Ye Yansheng rested his chin on both hands and softly said, "Song, Zhu, Zhu." He enunciated each syllable perfectly, the sound lingering on his tongue as if he was kissing the name. Song Guanyu stopped eating altogether, bristling.
She charged at Ye Yansheng, straddling his lap and grabbing his neck with both hands, looking fierce.
"Ye Yansheng, you're really annoying. Not just annoying—you're a nag, an old man!" It was the first time Ye Yansheng had seen her like this. The string of strange words pouring from her mouth made him laugh uncontrollably.
Finally, afraid she might fall, he half-embraced her waist and then, with the utmost tenderness and the gentlest tone, called out, "Zhuzhu." The strength in Song Guanyu's hands instantly waned. She looked at him.
"Last night, what I did to you... Was it hard for you to accept? If it's really too much, I won't do it again. Don't be mad at me, okay?"
Song Guanyu's face flushed bright red. She stopped gripping his neck and instead clutched his collar, shyly murmuring, "...I'm not really mad. It's just the first time I saw you like that. You're different from the you I met at the coffee shop."
"Then what am I supposed to be in your eyes?"
"Hmm... a gentle and refined gentleman."
"..." Ye Yansheng sighed. He never thought of himself as gentle. Those who knew him well knew he was quite cunning.
He wondered how to explain this to her. His heart churned with thoughts, and in the end, he only confessed a rather cheesy line.
"Because I like you, I have a strong desire for you. That feeling will only grow, never diminish." He hugged her tightly, pressing his face against the hollow of her shoulder. "Song Xiaodai, when a man is with the girl he likes, no one can stay completely rational. Do you understand?"
The skin on Song Guanyu's neck grew hot. Her eyes trembled, and she called out foolishly, "Dr. Ye."
"Hmm."
"Are you saying you really want to sleep with me?"
"..." He pulled back, staring at her with a strange expression. Cupping her round face in both hands, he looked her up and down, frowning slightly.
How did someone with this understanding come up with those divine lyrics?
He leaned in, touching his nose to hers. Looking at the mole on her nose, he lifted his eyelids to meet her eyes and said, "I only have desire for you."
"Song Xiaodai, I like you."
So I hope you can like me too. I hope fate binds us tightly together, the tighter, the better.
He said this in his heart.
Author's Note:
Finally made the update on time. (Curse the capitalist boss who made me work late at the company today!)