Chapter 176
Chapter 176
Oil hissed in the pan.
The usually quiet villa had gained a touch of warm, ordinary life.
Yun Youyou sat beside the kitchen island and peered curiously into the kitchen.
As soon as they returned from the supermarket, Ji Lin carried the groceries inside and began preparing them.
Yun Youyou felt bad waiting around doing nothing, so she volunteered to help.
Ji Lin refused.
He took the vegetables back from her and said flatly, “I know the underworld is short on ghosts, but I’m not ready to die.”
Yun Youyou felt thoroughly rejected and muttered under her breath.
“My cooking isn’t that frightening. I can at least wash vegetables.”
Ji Lin glanced at her, then lowered his head and continued sorting the groceries.
“If you truly need something to do, go feed Towel.”
Towel was an adorable little golden retriever.
Ji Lin was not interested in fluffy creatures. Someone else had given Towel to him as a gift.
The puppy had arrived only a few days after birth.
He had been such a tiny ball curled up on a blanket that Ji Lin could not bring himself to throw him out. Passing him on to another home would mean moving him around again, and there was no telling if he would survive.
After some thought, Ji Lin kept him.
That left him with a small daily nuisance. He had to come home on time every day to give the puppy milk.
With Ji Lin’s permission, Yun Youyou grabbed a bag of treats and went to find Towel.
A golden retriever puppy a few months old was rolling across the lawn.
Green bits of grass clung to his pale golden fur.
“Towel!”
Yun Youyou called only once before Towel came scampering over.
He was not shy around strangers in the slightest. He behaved a little more calmly around Ji Lin, but in front of Yun Youyou, his head and tail never stopped moving.
Towel’s enthusiasm nearly knocked Yun Youyou over.
Panting, he kept springing up against her.
“All right, all right. Stop jumping. Are you hungry? I’ll take you to eat!”
Perhaps he understood the word “eat,” because Towel barked happily.
“Woof!”
Yun Youyou picked up a bag of dog biscuits.
Towel gazed at her expectantly with his round puppy eyes.
She crouched and gestured for him to sit.
“Shake.”
She extended a hand, and Towel obediently placed one little paw in it.
“Good boy!”
The cuteness nearly made Yun Youyou’s heart bleed. She could not resist stroking his little head.
“Woof!”
Towel burrowed into her arms, begging for affection, but his eyes never left the dog biscuit in her hand.
Yun Youyou rubbed his head and fed the little golden retriever the biscuit, followed by several pieces of freeze-dried food.
Towel ate several in a row, crunching noisily.
Yun Youyou propped her chin in one hand and watched him.
“Is it really that good?”
Towel naturally could not answer. He merely ate the freeze-dried food with an expression of pure bliss.
Watching him enjoy it so much made Yun Youyou feel a little hungry too.
She casually picked up one of the pieces and examined it.
Fresh deep-sea cod, flash-frozen and freeze-dried.
It smelled quite good.
Maybe she should try some?
By the time Yun Youyou returned to her senses, she was already eating Towel’s freeze-dried cod.
This stuff… did not seem to taste like anything.
Towel thought the piece in her hand had been prepared for him and bounded over, tail wagging.
To his shock, Yun Youyou stuffed it into her own mouth.
Towel: “?”
Yun Youyou took one bite and discovered it was not good at all. It had absolutely no flavor.
She could not understand why Towel liked it so much.
What was so delicious about this stuff?
Yun Youyou thought for a long time but could not figure it out.
She turned to tease Towel and noticed a dark shadow beside her.
When she looked up, she found Ji Lin standing there, staring at her with an indescribably complicated expression.
!!!
Yun Youyou hurriedly hid the freeze-dried cod behind her back and thrust out one melodramatic hand to stop him.
“Wait! Let me explain!”
Towel looked blankly from one person to the other, then scampered over to Ji Lin.
Ji Lin bent down and stroked his head consolingly.
When he straightened, his expression remained complicated. His words carried layers of meaning.
“You certainly know how to keep yourself fed wherever you go.”
No one could have predicted such perfect timing.
A few minutes earlier, Ji Lin had placed the finished dishes on the dining table and come to call Yun Youyou in for dinner.
He had assumed she was feeding Towel.
Instead, he found her crouched on the ground, eating ahead of the puppy.
Since meeting Yun Youyou, Ji Lin’s capacity for shock had improved considerably.
At the very least, he could now stand there calmly in a situation like this.
Yun Youyou had been caught with both witness and evidence present. No explanation could save her.
At this point, if she refused to feel awkward, the awkwardness would belong to someone else.
So Yun Youyou simply brought the freeze-dried cod out from behind her back.
One tooth mark remained on the pale piece.
She decided to strike first.
“This brand of freeze-dried food isn’t very good. I suggest buying a different brand next time.”
Ji Lin looked at her with a half smile that made her uncomfortable all over.
“All right. Next time, I’ll buy one you like.”
Yun Youyou: “…That won’t be necessary. Just pick one Towel likes.”
Ji Lin walked over and fed the half piece Yun Youyou had left to Towel.
Towel crunched it happily.
Ji Lin patted his head, then turned to Yun Youyou. “Come on. It’s our turn to eat.”
Yun Youyou obediently followed him.
The fragrant poached pork in chili oil immediately eased the embarrassment of being caught stealing dog food.
She placed a slice of pork in her mouth and secretly glanced at Ji Lin.
Who would have thought his cooking would be this delicious?
Even while eating, Ji Lin remained graceful, selecting food with leisurely composure.
The sight made Yun Youyou too self-conscious to wolf down her meal.
When she abruptly slowed and began picking up each slice of meat as though moving through slow motion, Ji Lin frowned slightly.
“You don’t like it?”
Yun Youyou immediately shook her head. “I love it!”
“Then eat more. If you want it again, come over anytime.”
Ji Lin’s tone was perfectly natural.
Yun Youyou decided that appearances really were deceiving. He looked cold, but he was warmhearted beneath the surface.
He was the classic icy exterior and fiery heart.
What a closet softie!
Bzzz… bzzz…
The phone on the table suddenly vibrated.
Yun Youyou stretched out an arm and picked it up.
The phone was new, and hardly anyone knew its number.
One glance at the lit screen confirmed that the caller was Wang Yuanyou.
“Hello?”
Wang Yuanyou seemed to be hiding in some corner. His voice was extremely low.
“Emergency! SOS!”
Yun Youyou asked, “Should I call the police for you?”
“What do I need police for? You’re the only one who can save me now!”
He had assumed his mother would leave him in peace for a while after he laid everything out.
Instead, half a day later, she had already arranged another blind date.