Hic~
Lin Mo let out a burp of relief, as though he’d just survived a grueling battle, and gently set down the pair of chopsticks in his hands, which suddenly felt as heavy as a thousand catties.
His lips, tormented by chili peppers, looked almost “tender and glistening”; tiny beads of sweat sparkled on the tip of his nose from the spiciness, and his eyes brimmed with exhaustion… Every part of him silently declared just how extraordinary tonight’s dinner had been.
Yet Chu You, with her remarkably thick skin—or perhaps a blissful misunderstanding of her own cooking skills—remained oblivious to Lin Mo’s misery.
Instead, right in front of him, she started eagerly poring over tomorrow’s lunch recipes on her phone.
“Saliva Chicken seems pretty simple. Just boil it, cut it up, and mix it with some sauce…”
Chu You muttered to herself as she typed notes into her phone’s memo, “And as for Xia Ji’s braised pork, it’s all about simmering it for a long time, right? Maybe I could try that too!”
The more Lin Mo listened, the more the bitter fire in his mouth—just barely subdued by icy water—threatened to return, and his heart felt all the more miserable.
His original plan had been for Chu You, who was clearly hopeless in the kitchen, to cook a meal, so he could have a reason to nitpick during the tasting, and then seize the opportunity to “criticize and educate” her properly.
But reality turned out completely different from what he expected…
Senior Sister’s culinary skills were indeed earth-shattering, but when he saw her eyes, reddened from the kitchen smoke yet brimming with anticipation, all those words of criticism were simply impossible to utter.
“Senior Sister!”
By the time Chu You reached the eighth dish—sweet and sour pork—Lin Mo finally couldn’t bear it anymore and interrupted her.
“As for cooking… I really think it’s better to let Xia Ji handle it.”
He tried one last time to struggle.
Hearing this, Chu You looked up at Lin Mo, her face full of innocent confusion, her tone puzzled, “Why should Xia Ji be the one to cook?”
Then she frowned, as if something had occurred to her, and a protective look flashed in her eyes, “You! Don’t think you can bully Xia Ji just because she’s gentle and obedient!”
“She cooks for me every day. Isn’t it right for me to return the favor now and then?”
(Return the favor? This is pure betrayal!) Lin Mo screamed inwardly.
“I can cook too,” Lin Mo sighed lightly, doing his best to look sincere and earnest.
“Senior Sister, what I mean is… your precious hands should be used for things that are… more meaningful, more worthwhile.”
He was trying, tactfully, to steer her away from the battlefield of the kitchen.
Chu You froze at his words, giving Lin Mo a searching look, her brows furrowing even tighter.
This guy… why does he sound so weird?
Is there some hidden meaning in what he’s saying?
As she unconsciously mulled over what exactly Lin Mo meant by “more meaningful things,” her gaze, almost involuntarily, slid down his body…
Past his long fingers, his lean waist, and finally—by some mischievous fate—settled on the spot where his neatly pressed trousers, closed by a zipper, bulged ever so slightly with a subtle arc.
Boom–!
In the next instant, a cold current—mixed with shock, shame, and sudden realization—swept through her entire body.
Chu You jolted like she’d been struck by lightning, sprang from her seat with a start, and took two hurried steps back.
Her eyes filled with wariness, she stared at Lin Mo as if he were some monstrous beast, cheeks blazing red, the tips of her ears flushed as well.
Her voice trembled with panic and a hint of outrage, “You—don’t even think about it! Even if it’s with your hands, it’s impossible! Pervert! Give up on that idea right now!!”
With that, Chu You crossed her arms protectively in front of herself, as if Lin Mo would pounce on her any second.
Lin Mo: “…?”
He stared blankly at the overreacting Chu You, then, following her mortified gaze, looked down at himself… After a brief moment of confusion, realization hit him like a sledgehammer.
The veins at his temple throbbed.
“Chu You!”
Lin Mo practically ground the words out through clenched teeth, his voice brimming with helplessness and righteous indignation, “What on earth is running through your head all day long?! How did you even make that connection?”
All he wanted was for her to give up on cooking—what did that have to do with that kind of thing?!
But Chu You just looked back with a “I’ve seen through your act” glare, hesitantly edging another half-step away, and declared firmly, “I know you’re up to no good!”
“You mangy dog, I’m telling you, whatever devious scheme you’re plotting in your head, it won’t work!”
Hearing that, Lin Mo drew a deep breath, his chest rising and falling violently, and then the corner of his mouth twisted up in a dangerous arc—he was so exasperated he could only laugh.
“Ah…”
Lin Mo rose to his feet, slowly, his deep eyes boring into Chu You with a tempest of anger and a dangerous glint that seemed to say, “If you’re going to accuse me, I might as well earn the blame.”
His voice was harsh as he echoed her words, “So, I’m up to no good, huh?”
He stepped closer.
He’d only been looking out for her, but she’d misunderstood so completely, and had the nerve to scold him?
“I’m a mangy dog, am I?”
Lin Mo took another step forward, recalling how he’d nearly risked his life just now—forced to swallow that hell-level spicy stir-fried pork with green peppers, using bread as a weapon—and his fury surged higher.
“I’m plotting something bad, is that it?”
He advanced, step by step, not quickly, but with an air of relentless pressure.
Watching Lin Mo’s increasingly dangerous expression and the shrinking distance between them, Chu You’s heart thudded in panic and she nervously retreated.
Soon, her back hit the cold wall; she could go no further.
“D-don’t come any closer… Lin Mo! I just made you dinner, and now that you’re full you’re biting the hand that feeds you?!”
“Oh? Betrayal, is it?”
Lin Mo paused, raising his eyebrows as if he’d just heard the world’s biggest joke, “Thank you so much, Senior Sister.”
Before his words had fully left his lips, his figure blurred—gone in an instant.
Chu You felt a sudden pressure at her waist, and before she knew it, Lin Mo—who’d been two or three steps away—was right there, pressed up so close there was barely a sliver of air between them.
Her pupils quivered violently, mouth slightly agape, her mind blank from the shock and the suddenly intimate distance.
She was utterly caught off guard.
One of Lin Mo’s arms wrapped firmly around Chu You’s slender waist.
He bent his knees, and with the other arm, effortlessly hooked behind her knees and, with a thrust of his waist, lifted her up in one smooth motion.
Then, with practiced ease, he flipped her over and slung her head-down over his shoulder.
The sudden inversion sent blood rushing to her head.
Chu You yelped, her world spinning upside down.
“Fine. Since I’m already convicted,” Lin Mo’s voice came from below, tinged with a reckless bravado and commanding force, “then I’ll show you what betrayal really looks like!”
With those words, he marched toward the bedroom, carrying Chu You over his shoulder with long, determined strides.
At last, Chu You snapped out of her shock and dizziness.
“Lin Mo! Put me down! You bastard! Mangy dog! Let go of me! Do you hear me? Let me down!!”
She began to struggle wildly, her legs kicking in the air, fists raining blows like hail on Lin Mo’s back with muffled thuds.
Shame, panic, and a touch of unknown fear sent her completely into a frenzy.
“Mangy dog! I knew you were up to no good!”
“You’re dead meat, Lin Mo! I’m warning you… put me down now and we can still talk!”
“Do you hear me?!”
“Lin Mo! Y-you—put me down—” Before she could finish.
With a heavy thud, Chu You felt the world spin again.
When she came to her senses, her back had sunk into the softness of the mattress.
She blinked in a daze, only now realizing that Lin Mo had just thrown her unceremoniously onto the bed.
“Lin Mo, you…”
“Shut up!”
Lin Mo leaned in, toes pressed to the edge of the bed, pinning Chu You’s flailing legs down with his own.
Then, he slowly bent over her, his shadow falling across her, voice low and oppressive, “Did you know you only need to stir-fry dried chili peppers for aroma, not slice them and fry them endlessly?”
“I…”
“Did you know that if you add soy sauce, you should use less salt?”
“I…”
At this point, Lin Mo suddenly gave a cold laugh and moved even closer, their noses almost touching.
“Fine, I’ll accept that you didn’t know any of that, but at the very least—”
His gaze locked onto her nervous eyes as he enunciated each word, “Senior Sister, did you not even know you should remove the seeds from green peppers before cooking them?!”
“I—you…” Chu You stammered under the barrage of precise questioning, then finally managed to retort, “You—so it’s my fault you can’t handle spicy food, not mine for not removing the seeds?”
As soon as she said this, she latched onto the chance to fight back, pushing at Lin Mo’s chest as he pressed closer, trying to shove him away.
“You finished all the food anyway. How do I know if it was really as bad as you say?”
“I see it now…”
“You’d already decided to criticize my cooking no matter what! Just because I didn’t reply to your messages while gaming? So petty, making a fuss over nothing…”
Lin Mo let out a low, ambiguous chuckle, his voice tinged with self-mockery and resignation, “Heh, I really shouldn’t have finished that dish.”
With those words, his gaze suddenly darkened, as if the final fuse had been lit.
“So, in the end, the petty, nitpicking guy finished every last bite, and now there’s no evidence left, huh?”
As he spoke, he pressed down further, finally breaking through the weak resistance of Chu You’s arms, closing the gap between them until there was nothing left.
“All right—”
His raspy voice carried the tone of someone burning his bridges, “Then you can taste it yourself!”
In the next moment, Chu You’s pupils constricted and trembled uncontrollably, her eyes full of shock and disbelief.
“Mm—!!!”
Warm lips, still tinged with the faintest spiciness, came down on hers with irresistible force.
In that instant, it was like thunder exploded in her mind.
All her thoughts, her arguments, her shame, were shattered by this sudden kiss—her mind wiped utterly blank.
Lin—Lin Mo, you bastard?!
So this is what he was plotting all along, hiding his schemes behind winding words?
Such… such a vicious plan!!!