Chapter 97: Delicious
Gulp…
Wang Qiang stood frozen beside the dining table, his eyes glued to the spread before him. His Adam’s apple bobbed heavily as he swallowed hard. “Sister Wang, your cooking is out of this world! Just the aroma alone is enough to steal my soul away!”
A rare, relaxed smile spread across Su Mubai’s gentle face. “You’ve worked hard, Sister Wang,” he said with sincere warmth.
Li Yu was busy setting out the bowls and chopsticks, a bright grin on her lips. “Finally, everyone gets to have a proper feast! I just wonder when the Boss and Brother Chu will get back. A meal like this is always best served piping hot…”
Before the sentence could leave her mouth, the soft rustle of approaching footsteps echoed from the suite’s entryway.
Wang Qiang was the first to react. Stepping forward, he pulled the heavy door open with a swift whoosh—revealing Chu Yang, Jiang Jue, and Lin Xiao standing in the hallway.
They still carried the crisp chill of the night wind and the faint, coppery scent of fresh combat, but the sharp brightness in their eyes made it obvious they had returned with a bountiful harvest.
“Boss! Brother Chu! Brother Xiao! You’re finally back! Talk about perfect timing—the food just hit the table and it’s steaming hot!” Wang Qiang bellowed in delight.
The moment Chu Yang crossed the threshold, the rich, layered fragrance of caramelized meat, fresh seafood, and bold chili spices enveloped him like a comforting hug.
His eyes instantly locked onto the banquet crowding the table. His jaw dropped in disbelief, and an involuntary gasp slipped past his lips: “Sweet heavens! Sister Wang! Your cooking is incredible! This smells absolutely heavenly!”
Lin Xiao bounded over in a single stride, practically drooling as he stared down at the towering platter of fiery red shrimp. “Braised pork! Steamed hairy crabs! Spicy chili shrimp! Sister Wang, from this day forward, you’re my real blood sister! I’ll throw down with anyone who says otherwise!”
Wang Li’s face turned bright red under their theatrical compliments. She waved her hands frantically in flustered modesty: “Oh, please, it’s just ordinary home cooking! Brother Chu and the team provided all the luxury ingredients… You must be exhausted from the hunt, so please, hurry and sit down before it gets cold.”
Jiang Jue remained silent, yet as his dark eyes swept across the steaming, lavish spread, a distinct flicker of satisfaction touched his gaze.
Walking over to Chu Yang’s side, he naturally pulled out a chair for the youth.
Everyone quickly found a seat around the table.
True to form, Chu Yang and Lin Xiao—the squad’s two unapologetic foodies—couldn’t wait a second longer to pick up their chopsticks.
“Mmm—!”
Chu Yang popped a thick piece of glossy braised pork belly into his mouth. The meat was so hot he had to inhale sharply through his teeth, yet he adamantly refused to spit it out. Chewing with his eyes squeezed shut in pure ecstasy, he let out a muffled, heartfelt praise: “This is divine! The fat literally melts on your tongue, the lean meat is tender and juicy without being stringy, and the sauce is so rich… Sister Wang, with skills like this, you could easily run a five-star hotel!”
“And these shrimp! The seasoning is phenomenal! Spicy, savory, and incredibly fresh—the meat has the perfect snap to it!” Lin Xiao abandoned his utensils entirely, peeling a prawn with his bare fingers and shoving the plump meat whole into his mouth. He panted from the heat with an expression of pure, unadulterated bliss.
Jiang Jue didn’t rush to touch his own bowl.
Reaching out, he selected a large steamed crab, expertly cracking the shell open with practiced ease. Using the tips of his chopsticks, he carefully scooped out the rich, golden roe and the sweet, snowy crab meat, transferring the heaped mound directly onto the small dish in front of Chu Yang.
Next, he picked up a spicy chili shrimp, deftly stripping the shell in a few clean motions before placing the plump, intact prawn meat on Chu Yang’s plate as well.
“Brother Jiang, you’re the best!” Chu Yang mumbled around a mouthful of pork, his cheeks puffed out like a squirrel’s. Picking up a choice piece of marbled pork belly with his chopsticks, he dropped it into Jiang Jue’s bowl, his eyes sparkling with eager enthusiasm. “You’ve got to try this one! Sister Wang made it unbelievably tasty!”
Jiang Jue looked down at the glistening cube of braised pork resting atop his rice, then met Chu Yang’s bright, expectant gaze. Giving a subtle nod, he picked up the meat, tasted it thoughtfully, and offered a rare, concise verdict: “Mm. Very good.”
Thrilled by the approval, Chu Yang beamed from ear to ear and immediately dove back into the culinary battlefield.
Only then did Jiang Jue begin eating at an unhurried pace, though the bulk of his attention remained fixed on the youth beside him. Whenever the pile of crab meat and peeled shrimp on Chu Yang’s plate thinned out, Jiang Jue would smoothly replenish it, occasionally setting aside a tender piece of braised rib or ladling an extra spoonful of fluffy rice into his bowl.
Every gesture was seamless, practiced, and completely natural.
Watching this unfold across the table, the others had wildly contrasting reactions.
Jiang Lin’s fingers froze around her chopsticks, her eyes widening slightly in shock.
Even though Li Yu had warned her beforehand and she had prepared herself mentally, seeing Jiang Jue cater to Chu Yang with such meticulous, attentive care in person still left her stunned. Her lips twitched faintly before she hastily ducked her head, pretending to be deeply engrossed in her own bowl.
Across the table, Li Yu’s gaze inadvertently met Su Mubai’s. Both shared a quiet, knowing look that plainly said, See? I told you so, laced with a hint of helpless amusement.
Li Yu let out a silent sigh, glancing sideways at Wang Qiang—who was currently engaged in a messy, passionate duel with a shrimp. With grease smeared across his mouth and his cheeks bulging, he was entirely lost in his own culinary heaven, completely oblivious to the blindingly sweet interaction taking place right across from them.
Unable to watch him act like a barbarian any longer, Li Yu gave Wang Qiang a sharp nudge with her foot beneath the table.
Wang Qiang looked up blankly, chili oil clinging to the corner of his lip, and asked in a muffled voice: “Little Yu? Why’d you kick me? Come on, eat up! These prawns are unbelievable!”
Feeling “thoughtful,” he picked out the largest red shrimp from the platter and dropped it generously into Li Yu’s bowl. “Here, take this one—it’s the biggest of the batch, just for you!”
Li Yu: “…”
Staring down at the unpeeled shrimp in her bowl, then looking at Wang Qiang’s earnest, beaming face practically begging for praise, her exasperation dissolved into a mix of laughter and defeat.
Fine. A blockhead is a blockhead. Hoping for this dense piece of wood to develop romantic sensitivity was probably harder than waiting for a zombie to suddenly regain its humanity.
She was better off doing things herself.
Resigned to her fate, Li Yu picked up the prawn and began peeling the shell.
Even so, her eyes drifted uncontrollably back toward the opposite side of the table. Jiang Jue was currently ladling another generous portion of freshly flaked crab meat onto the mini-mountain already piled on Chu Yang’s plate, and Chu Yang looked up, flashing him a bright, radiant smile without a single shadow of hesitation.
Well, Li Yu mused as she peeled her shrimp, my boyfriend might be an unromantic, clueless boulder, but at least the Boss—that eternal glacier—has melted completely in front of Brother Chu. It’s almost… overwhelmingly sweet.
Watching them for another moment, setting aside the fact that they were two men, the scene was remarkably harmonious—even pleasing to the eye.
Startled by the sudden thought, Li Yu gave her head a quick shake, banishing the dangerous idea from her mind.
Don’t look, don’t look!
It’s much more practical to focus on the feast in front of me!
She took a massive bite of the fresh, succulent prawn meat—and truly, it was delicious!
