This guy really...
Ye Qingli realized that she always lost face around Xiao Yu. Now she raised her hand to cover her eyes, too embarrassed to even look at him.
How could he be so bad? Daring to tease her like that!
Ye Qingli turned her face away to avoid his kiss, but Xiao Yu grabbed her chin and forced her head back. While kissing her lips, his hands roamed, his thumb stroking the faint blue veins on her neck.
Her skin was so smooth and soft. If they weren't at her house, he'd want to bite her collarbone and leave a hickey.
In fact, Xiao Yu had a thousand more lewd thoughts, but knowing none could come true, he bit her lip in retaliation until Ye Qingli let out a muffled groan. Then he reluctantly straightened up and got off the bed.
"Why'd you stop kissing?"
Xiao Yu looked up to see Ye Qingli propped on her side, chin in hand, watching him. Her usual cool and obedient demeanor was gone; the corners of her mouth lifted, and her eyes curved like a sly fox.
She was no child. As she grew older, she understood certain things, especially with his increasingly heavy breathing.
"Feeling it, huh?"
She smiled even wider as she spoke. The room was still bright from outside; she didn't know where she found the courage to tease him so openly.
Xiao Yu was stunned for a moment, then laughed.
At nearly 1.9 meters tall, retrieving the bedding from the wardrobe was no trouble at all—he simply reached up and got it. He tossed the quilt onto the bed in front of her, and the pillowcase, light as air, he flung onto her face.
Ye Qingli's hair was already messed up from his earlier antics, and now it was even more chaotic under the pillowcase.
She frowned at Xiao Yu, who smiled at her nonchalantly.
"Ye Qingli, you're not always at home."
"I hope you can still say that so calmly when we're alone."
"I'll definitely take good care of you."
Each sentence he uttered gave her a few seconds to ponder its meaning. Sure enough, by the last sentence, Ye Qingli's face was bright red. He was in a great mood. He sat down beside her, pulled her out from under the bedding, and hooked his finger under her chin.
"Let's get to work. Don't you know how to be a good host?"
Ye Qingli's blush spread to her earlobes. She lowered her head and reluctantly stuffed the quilt into the duvet cover, puffing out her cheeks. How annoying—he had turned the tables on her.
Where had that timid, deferential attitude from when he first entered the house gone? He must have been possessed by something; he was anything but refined.
...
Staying in the room forever wasn't right. As the prospective son-in-law, Xiao Yu needed to go to the kitchen to lend a hand. He and Ye Qingli left the room one after the other; she had fixed her hair before stepping out.
Ye Yaohui was an excellent cook, and the aroma of his dishes filled the house. Unfortunately, he was usually too busy, spending his days in the shop and rarely coming home, so Ye Qingli only got to eat his cooking during the New Year. Hearing this, Xiao Yu's lips curled, feeling he was quite lucky.
"What's lucky about a meal? You're too easily satisfied, kid. If you want to eat, just come over. Even if I have to drop everything at the shop, I'll come back to cook for you!" Ye Yaohui laughed, skillfully wielding his spatula. The dish contained chili peppers, filling the air with a pungent fragrance.
Xiao Yu stood nearby helping, squinting as the chili smoke stung his eyes. Between coughs, he said,"Okay."
Zhang Luan stood off to the side, a bit exasperated. Even with the range hood, it was still smoky. Thinking about it, she asked Xiao Yu, "Can you cook, son?"
"Yes," Xiao Yu replied, his voice cutting through the cooking fumes.
Before, when he lived at home, Aunt Zhang took care of him—his meals were always ready when he got back from school. Naturally, he didn't know how to cook. But now living alone, his first attempts were half-raw and inedible. After several phone calls with Aunt Zhang and some practice, he got the hang of it. After all, there were only so many seasonings: oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar—add a bit of each, and the taste couldn't be too bad.
At that moment, Xu Qingsong's words echoed in his mind: Don't show off when you get there. Be humble. When it comes to comparisons, praise them to the skies.
"But definitely not as good as Uncle's," Xiao Yu added with a smile.
Ye Yaohui didn't humble himself: "You've got good taste, young man. My skills are indeed decent."
"..." How were they finishing each other's sentences?
It was too much to watch—one willingly praised, the other gladly listened. Zhang Luan silently rolled her eyes and turned to get the dishes and utensils.
"Auntie, let me," Xiao Yu said, taking them before she could.
Zhang Luan's gaze flickered. She withdrew her hand. "Aren't you supposed to help your uncle?"
"I only help by passing seasonings and dishes. The rest of the time, I'm just standing around. There's nothing useful for me to do." Xiao Yu carried the dishes into the living room, nodding toward the sofa. "Auntie, go sit down. I'll handle this."
"I'll help too!" Ye Qingli rushed out of the bathroom, hand raised, bouncing and jumping, still dripping water from her wrists.
Zhang Luan opened her mouth to say something, but Ye Qingli had already pushed her over to the old woman's side. "Just stay with Grandma and watch TV."
Zhang Luan raised a hand, but Ye Qingli was already shoving Xiao Yu toward the kitchen. Both were smiling, but the latter—the little shadow—was grinning so wide Zhang Luan could see her back molar.
She waved her hand near the old woman, who reached out with her wrinkled hand and pulled her down. "Just sit down. The kids are getting along well. If we hover nearby, we'll just make them uncomfortable."
"What makes you think your granddaughter is uncomfortable?"
Zhang Luan raised an eyebrow. She really thought her mother's eyesight was failing with age. If anyone was nervous and uncomfortable, it would be Xiao Yu on his first visit. But Ye Qingli's cheekbones hadn't flattened all day—whether people were around or not, she clung to Xiao Yu and smiled. How could she be uncomfortable? She was perfectly at ease.
"Oh, I just meant it in a general sense. Why are you so pedantic?" The old woman slapped her thigh. Watching the two kids chatting and laughing as they carried out the dishes, she grinned so wide that fresh crow's feet appeared at the corners of her eyes.
She nudged Zhang Luan with her elbow. "Look at Qingqing. So happy. She's really my granddaughter—her choice of boyfriend is indeed pleasing to the eye. Ah, I never imagined she'd start dating so soon. She used to be such a good girl."
The old woman's sentiment was understandable. The girl had rarely had contact with boys growing up, and now, just a freshman in college, she'd already brought a boyfriend home for New Year's. It did sound a bit outrageous.
Zhang Luan lowered her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. "She's grown up now. Has her own ideas. She started dating, and I, her mother, didn't even know."
"She's used to being a good girl. Probably afraid you'd scold her."
"I suspect her good girl act was all a pretense."