The Top Male Lead Who Does Not Like to Eat (24)

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With her extraordinarily fast learning ability and the help of a textbook, Si Jiu used the ingredients in the refrigerator to prepare the first “sumptuous” lunch of her life.

Tomatoes stir-fried with eggs.

Tomatoes tossed with sugar.

Tomato and egg soup.

Faced with Xie Yu’s baffling silence, Si Jiu said with perfect sincerity, “Sorry. I haven’t gone grocery shopping in several days. Apart from eggs, there were only a few tomatoes left in the refrigerator.”

She served two bowls of rice, setting one in front of each of them, then sat down. “Try it and see if it suits your taste.”

“I’m not very hungry…” But when he saw her fixed gaze, Xie Yu still picked up his chopsticks.

He was an extremely picky eater. Or perhaps he had a mild case of anorexia.

Yet when confronted with Si Jiu’s expectant eyes, even anorexia seemed destined to retreat. In any case, he simply could not withstand her.

Xie Yu picked up some egg and put it into his mouth.

“How is it?”

He chewed slowly a few times before swallowing. “It’s all right.”

His insincerity was obvious; at best, it was merely a courteous platitude.

Si Jiu tasted it herself. To be honest, it actually tasted quite good.

It was easy to imagine what an arduous challenge it would be to win Xie Yu over through his stomach.

Perhaps unwilling to make things too awkward for her, Xie Yu persisted in eating a little more.

“If you can’t eat it, then don’t force yourself.”

Xie Yu obediently set down his chopsticks.

Si Jiu: “…” How annoying. Couldn’t he at least pretend to refuse? I worked so hard on this.

She turned her frustration into an appetite and began eating voraciously.

Sitting opposite her, Xie Yu watched as she ate. She ate quickly, but made very little noise and did not appear at all ravenous. In fact, there was even something faintly elegant about her.

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Watching her felt somewhat different from listening to her eat during her livestreams.

The longer Xie Yu watched, the hungrier he began to feel.

Xie Yu: “…”

System: “Have you forgotten your special appetite-inducing skills? Look up and take a good look at your male lead. Give him an excuse to join you.”

Si Jiu suddenly raised her head, just in time to see Xie Yu’s Adam’s apple bob.

Si Jiu: “…”

So I’m his side dish.

Xie Yu: “…”

“This soup is actually really good. It isn’t too salty or too bland, and it has a slight sourness that’s very appetizing. There’s such a big bowl that I can’t finish it myself. Could you help me drink a bowl?”

And so Xie Yu drank a bowl of soup and ate half a bowl of rice with the tomato and egg stir-fry.

Even he had not expected it.

After the meal, Si Jiu rose to clear away the dishes, but Xie Yu called out to her.

“You cooked. I’ll wash the dishes.”

“All right. Fair and reasonable. I like it.”

Xie Yu raised an eyebrow, though a trace of amusement also entered his eyes. He carried the dishes into the kitchen, placed them in the sink, and began washing them.

“Hey, neighbor.”

With his hands covered in suds, Xie Yu tilted his head slightly and responded with a questioning hum. A fragrant scent swept toward him, and Si Jiu’s head emerged between his arms before she slipped entirely into his embrace.

Xie Yu’s breath caught, and he instinctively leaned backward.

“Don’t move. Bend down a little.” Rising onto her toes, Si Jiu lifted both hands and made as if to encircle his neck.

“Put on an apron, all right? Your clothes look very expensive. If I get them dirty, I can’t afford to compensate you.”

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They were far too close. Standing on tiptoe to put the apron on him and adjust the length of its straps, she ended up leaning completely against him.

Her face rested against his collarbone, and the warm breath carried by her words repeatedly brushed against his skin, leaving him itchy and restless.

Yet she seemed unaware of what she was doing, fumbling and dawdling as she struggled to fasten it properly.

Xie Yu’s breathing suddenly grew heavier. Then, without warning, he clasped one hand around her waist, pulled her around half a turn, and pressed her against the counter.

“Ah…” Si Jiu cried out in surprise, only to have him catch her chin with one hand.

Dark currents surged in his eyes. He looked at her for half a second, then lowered his head and kissed her.

It was a lemon-scented kiss.

The fragrance came from the dish soap on his hands.

But as his kiss deepened, Si Jiu had no attention left for dish soap—or anything else but him.

He lifted her effortlessly onto the counter. The hand clasped around her waist grew hotter, shifting from contact through her clothing to contact against her skin.

His breathing grew heavier, and his movements became increasingly possessive.

The hand that had held her chin brushed over her earlobe before gripping the back of her head and drawing her closer.

It was obvious that he had no intention of stopping anytime soon.

Si Jiu opened her eyes and saw a flash of golden light in his gaze.

For a fleeting instant, she thought she saw his eyes transform into double pupils.

“Mm… Xiu?”

The unfamiliar name slipped from between their passionately entwined lips.

Xie Yu suddenly went rigid.

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