Was it because he had been starving for too long?
This congee was rich, fragrant, and sweet — not a trace of the unpleasant flavors he usually hated. His empty stomach roared to life. For the first time in three months since the car accident, Shen Wang truly felt hunger.
He clearly liked it.
Gu Shengsheng felt smug, but she couldn’t keep up with his pace. This was her first time feeding someone; her movements were clumsy, and quite a bit of congee spilled onto his clothes. Luckily she had placed a towel underneath.
Gu Shengsheng had to say:
“Slow down — don’t choke.”
“Chatty,” Shen Wang muttered. His nose twitched toward the side dishes:
“What else is there?”
“Oh — milk-scrambled eggs and cold cucumber salad.” Gu Shengsheng listed them proudly:
“The non-stick pan in the kitchen is amazing. I didn’t use a drop of oil for the eggs — they came out so tender and smooth. The cucumber has my secret spicy oil and vinegar. Smell how fragrant?”
Shen Wang could smell it clearly. The cucumber was spicy, fresh, and crisp; the eggs carried rich milk and egg fragrance, teasing his senses. Suddenly the plain vegetable congee in his mouth felt a little bland.
When the next spoonful came, Shen Wang tilted his head:
“Side dish.”
Gu Shengsheng said seriously:
“You haven’t eaten in so long — your stomach can’t handle solids yet. First meal has to be congee.”
An obvious wave of displeasure rolled off Shen Wang. He pressed his lips together. His lips, moist from the congee, gradually regained color — a tempting red no painter could ever mix.
Gu Shengsheng immediately lost all principles. She picked up a piece of scrambled egg and stuffed it into his mouth:
“Here — just one bite.”
It melted on his tongue. The fresh, slightly salty egg blended with thick milk fragrance, lingering on his taste buds — not a hint of eggy or milky off-flavors.
Shen Wang finally started to believe this food really was made by her own hands — no chef in the villa had this level of skill.
A tiny piece of egg wasn’t nearly enough to satisfy him; it only made his hunger surge even more fiercely. The congee he had just thought heavenly was now suddenly looked down upon:
“Egg.”
Gu Shengsheng was surprised:
“We agreed — just one bite. Your stomach can’t handle more yet.”
When did I ever agree to that?
Shen Wang lifted his chin arrogantly and repeated:
“Egg.”
Gu Shengsheng quickly shoved another spoonful of congee into his mouth and coaxed:
“How about tomorrow? I’ll let you have some tomorrow night.”
“!”
Shen Wang choked. The tips of his ears flushed faintly red.
“Be careful~” Gu Shengsheng hurriedly patted his back. “Don’t get the blanket dirty.”
Shen Wang coughed a few times. Droplets of congee landed on his chin and collar. Gu Shengsheng pulled out a tissue and wiped him clean. His skin was pale like cold jade, but the stubble on his chin prickled her fingers.
Curious, Gu Shengsheng reached out and touched it — only to have her wrist caught instantly.
“What are you touching now?”
“I didn’t!” Gu Shengsheng protested.
Shen Wang let out a single cold syllable:
“Hm?”
Gu Shengsheng’s face turned red. Heaven above — lying would damage her cultivation. She lowered her head in defeat:
“Okay… I just touched it once.”
Her voice was soft and tender, as though she truly didn’t realize how easily her words could stir improper thoughts in a man.
A nameless fire ignited in Shen Wang’s chest, making his breathing uneven. Finally he released her:
“No memory at all. Next time you touch carelessly, I’ll break your hand.”
Gu Shengsheng yanked her hand back in fright. Her delicate skin now bore several red marks — though they didn’t hurt much.
She glared at Shen Wang and mouthed silently: Hateful.
The man, blindfolded, noticed nothing:
“Congee.”
Gu Shengsheng’s mood instantly balanced — she felt like she had won something. Happily, she picked up the bowl again and continued feeding him.
He finished two full bowls and still wasn’t satisfied.
“You’ve already had two bowls,” Gu Shengsheng said. “You’re only just starting to eat again. You can’t have too much.”
Shen Wang looked a little dissatisfied but didn’t ask for more.
Gu Shengsheng set the bowl aside and took out the medicine bottle. She carefully counted several pills into her palm and brought them to his lips:
“Time for fever medicine — and your calcium tablets.”
Shen Wang instinctively turned his head. His lips brushed across her palm. She giggled from the tickle. His expression immediately stiffened; he jerked away from her hand.
Gu Shengsheng coaxed:
“It’s not bitter. Just swallow them in one go. Open up~”
Shen Wang’s face remained blank, impossible to read. After a few seconds, he opened his mouth. Gu Shengsheng placed the pills on his tongue — and his lips brushed her fingers again.
Gu Shengsheng whined delicately:
“It’s so ticklish. Don’t play around.”
Shen Wang: “…”
She picked up the cup to help him drink water. This time Shen Wang kept his face cold and refused to open his lips.
So petty.
Gu Shengsheng lost interest in him. She scooped up the last bowl of congee, sat down, and started eating herself.
The clay pot kept things hot; the congee was still steaming. Gu Shengsheng was starving — she ate happily with the side dishes, crunching away with great enjoyment.
Shen Wang could only smell it. After only two bowls of plain congee, his stomach started roaring again. And right beside him, Gu Shengsheng was chewing like a little hamster — crunch, crunch, nonstop.
Shen Wang finally couldn’t stand it:
“You’re too noisy.”
Gu Shengsheng paused, swallowed what was in her mouth, then said:
“Me? I wasn’t even talking.”
Shen Wang’s temple vein throbbed. This woman — was she genuinely stupid or pretending? She completely missed the point:
“You’re too noisy. Don’t eat next to me.”
Gu Shengsheng suddenly remembered her previous life: a black spirit cat had wandered into the Gu family estate. Its fur shimmered like satin, and its temperament was proud and aloof. No matter how many delicious foods she offered, the cat would eat and then leave — never giving her a kind look, never letting her touch even a single hair.
Gu Shengsheng felt a pang of sadness.
She stood up and left without another word.
The door closed.
Shen Wang lay quietly. Without that constant chattering, the bedroom felt unusually empty and silent. He could hear the wind rustling the trees outside, and farther away, the sound of waves crashing against the shore.
The warm congee settled in his stomach, spreading comfort through his whole body, soothing every tense nerve and bringing on drowsiness.
Shen Wang reached to the bedside table, pulled out a tissue, and spat out the pill he had hidden under his tongue.
Just yesterday this woman had wanted him dead. Today she was suddenly caring for him in every possible way. He refused to believe anyone could change so completely overnight.
He didn’t trust anyone.
======
In the kitchen, rich meat fragrance filled the air.
One bowl of congee wasn’t enough to fill her up. Gu Shengsheng pan-fried herself a steak.
Top-grade Australian Wagyu snowflake beef — the surface sizzled golden with rendered fat. When she cut into it, tender juices and aroma burst out, awakening the most primal craving for meat.
Gu Shengsheng speared a piece and put it in her mouth, chewing slowly.
This beef was more tender and juicy than anything she had ever tasted!
Hmph — if Shen Wang wouldn’t let her eat congee in the bedroom, then she’d eat steak in the kitchen! Gu Shengsheng happily swung her legs while watching videos on her phone.
It was Sister Li’s phone. Gu Shengsheng didn’t know how to cook steak; neither did Sister Li. So Sister Li had searched for a steak tutorial video and handed her the phone.
Gu Shengsheng understood it at a glance — and quickly got addicted.
A simple middle-aged woman kneaded dough:
“For this noodle dish with sauce, the kneading technique is very important…”
A young man from the countryside squatted by the river grilling chicken wings:
“Brothers! If you’re hungry, smash that like button! Watch me swallow a whole wing in one bite!”
A heavily made-up girl in ancient costume held up an orchid finger:
“Today, Ruolan will teach everyone how to make a palace-style snack — tofu skin baozi.”
Gu Shengsheng laughed out loud:
“These people have no idea how to cook. They’re just messing around…”
Sister Li, cleaning nearby, smiled:
“That girl is super popular. One video gets hundreds of thousands of views.”
Gu Shengsheng nearly choked:
“How many?”
“Hundreds of thousands.” Sister Li said: “Swan Live is really hot right now. I heard some streamers earn tens of thousands a month… way better than a regular job…”
Chapter 7: I Want to Be a Food Vlogger (continued)
Sister Li’s next words completely faded from Gu Shengsheng’s ears. She stared at the number on the screen: 230,000+.
It felt as though a auspicious cloud was slowly drifting down from the heavens, and the Heavenly Dao was opening a door for her.
Heavenly Dao Grandpa! For a cultivation chef, cooking dishes to gain appreciation from others was the fastest way to improve cultivation. The more people praised her food, the quicker her cultivation advanced.
If every day she could have this many people watching her cook… Gu Shengsheng didn’t dare dream of ascending to immortality — at the very least, she could strengthen her weak spiritual root!
This body’s spiritual root was frail. When she had dual-cultivated with Shen Wang earlier, his massive spiritual energy — the kind others could only beg for — was too overwhelming. She could barely absorb any of it; only a tiny portion entered her during the cycle of spiritual flow.
If she could absorb even a little more spiritual energy, she was sure she could restore her original face!
Sister Li finished putting away the cleaning tools and asked:
“Madam, do you have any other instructions? If not, I’ll head home for the day.”
Gu Shengsheng snapped back to reality. The villa’s servants never stayed overnight. She actually didn’t want Sister Li to leave, but Sister Li was holding a bag of leftover ingredients, clearly excited to take them home for her children to taste.
Gu Shengsheng could only say:
“No, that’s all.”
She walked Sister Li to the main door. Her almond eyes shimmered with unshed tears, making Sister Li’s heart soften. After all, Gu Shengsheng wasn’t much older than her own daughter.
Sister Li couldn’t help giving a few extra reminders:
“Even though the villa has heating, the mountain nights are windy. Make sure to close the windows tightly when you sleep. If something sneaks in, it would be bad.”
Sister Li was talking about stray cats or weasels.
Gu Shengsheng, however, understood it completely differently.
Winter days were short; dusk fell early, and the sky turned a dim yellow — the exact hour when demons were most active. The villa sat halfway up the mountain. In the deepening twilight, tree shadows rustled in the garden, and the swimming pool water rippled as though countless ghosts were stirring.
Gu Shengsheng suddenly felt a chill crawl up her spine.
The door burst open with a bang.
Shen Wang instantly turned his head alertly:
“Who’s there?”
“It’s me…” A gust of wind rushed to the bedside. The sweet, soft voice was laced with unmistakable panic, breaths coming in short gasps.
Shen Wang leaned against the headboard and discreetly crumpled a piece of paper in his palm:
“Is a ghost chasing you?”
“AAAAHHH! Where?! Where’s the ghost?!”
Gu Shengsheng, who had just begun to calm down, exploded again. She yanked up the blanket and dove straight into his covers.
A warm, fragrant, soft bundle landed on him, rubbing against him without any sense of boundaries. Shen Wang’s face darkened:
“Get out.”
Gu Shengsheng shook her head frantically, burying her face tightly in his chest:
“No no no! There’s a ghost, there’s a ghost!”
Shen Wang’s clothes were already rumpled from her frantic movements. A nameless anger flared:
“Where is there a ghost?!”
Gu Shengsheng shouted even louder:
“You said it!”
“…”
Shen Wang pinched the back of her neck:
“There is no ghost. Come out.”
The scorching yang energy wrapped around her entire body. Gu Shengsheng pressed her forehead against his chest, voice trembling:
“Then… I want to sleep on the bed tonight. You’re not allowed to push me off again.”
She even dared to make demands.
Shen Wang was just about to shove her down when he suddenly changed his mind:
“You can sleep on the bed. But—”