“Mom! Aunt Ge! Old Kong! I’m back!!!”
Seeing that no one had come to pick her up, Kong Ning went straight upstairs and threw herself onto her large bed, enveloped in its familiar softness.
Long time no see, my little bed.
Right afterward, she realized she was starving!
She hadn’t returned together with Wei Mu this time. Lately, Kong Ning felt that Wei Mu had been acting very strange, and it was best to keep her distance. Otherwise, she might end up becoming strange too.
At this moment, Kong Ning’s brain couldn’t figure out why things were turning out like this, so she simply chose not to think about it. By avoiding Wei Mu, she cut off these troublesome thoughts right at the source.
She had booked the earliest flight back to Hangcheng precisely to evade Wei Mu. Naturally, she hadn’t eaten breakfast.
Kong Ning had practically snuck away like a thief. It couldn’t be helped; last night, Wei Mu had sent her a message asking what time she was leaving. The “blind” Kong Ning feigned ignorance and left the message unanswered.
Ugh, so annoying,
Kong Ning buried herself under her pillow.
“Mmph, ” She pushed down too hard and almost suffocated herself.
Even more annoying,
Kong Ning thrashed against the bed. Why on earth am I afraid of seeing Wei Mu?!
It wasn’t even spring, so where did this sudden burst of melancholy come from?
Ah, wait. Autumn had already begun, so it made sense to feel autumnal melancholy! Since she possessed such an artistic temperament, it was only natural for her to feel troubled. Here she had thought her hormones were playing tricks on her, but as it turned out, she was perfectly healthy. The only blame lay in her being far too artistic~
Muttering to herself, Kong Ning drifted off to sleep once more.
When she woke up several hours later, only one single thought occupied her mind:
“FOOD!!!”
Instantly bursting with vitality, Kong Ning pulled out her phone, intending to order takeout.
She assumed Aunt Ge had gone out to buy groceries or had taken the day off, as no one would take this long to return. As for her mother, Qi Zhirou, and her father, Kong Hetai, Kong Ning honestly had no idea where the two of them had wandered off to. Maybe on vacation, maybe at the company, maybe…
In any case, she would inevitably run into them in a few days at Wei Mu’s father’s wedding.
The Kong family didn’t keep many servants. Qi Zhirou disliked having too many people around the house, so over the years, Aunt Ge was the only live-in housekeeper. The family hired hourly workers on a regular schedule along with a few day-shift helpers. As for the security guards and drivers, none of them lived on the premises.
And so, as luck would have it, Kong Ning returned to an entirely empty house.
“Agh, my beloved junk food, I really didn’t want to resort to you, but there’s no one at home! Fine then, I’ll reluctantly order some salted egg yolk chicken wings. Oh, and a super spicy snail rice noodle soup, and then…”
“Gosh, my stomach is only so big, what am I supposed to do when I want to eat so many things!” Paralyzed by choice, Kong Ning agonized over her order until dusk drew near.
Grumble,
Her uncooperative stomach let out a loud protest.
So… annoying…!
Why hadn’t she finished ordering yet? Their villa complex was far from the city center, meaning even after she placed the order, she would have to wait a very long time.
Forget it, I’ll just starve to death.
Giving up on herself, Kong Ning tossed her phone aside carelessly, having no idea where it landed. She decided to go back to sleep instead, might as well sleep herself to death and feast in her dreams.
Calling Kong Ning the “Sleeping Queen” was by no means an exaggeration; she genuinely fell asleep, and in her dream, her wishes came true.
She caught a whiff of a mouthwatering aroma that made her drool. At the same time, she felt someone pinching her, sending an itchy sensation across her face.
Seriously, who is ruining my sleep?
Kong Ning slapped away the soft, delicate object that was leaving scattered touches on her face.
“Gourmand, time to wake up.” A helpless yet tender laugh sounded like a gentle spring breeze sweeping across a lake, rippling through her heart like a kitten scratching at her palm, tender yet timid.
It left her skin itching with restlessness, making it hard to breathe.
“Mmm… ungh…” As her nose was pinched shut, Kong Ning’s breathing grew labored, and she let out a muffled groan.
“Ugh… ah, ” Under the oppressive feeling of suffocation, she snapped her eyes open.
“Who? Who is trying to assassinate the Emperor?!”
The moment her eyes opened, she saw Wei Mu leaning over the edge of the bed, smiling at her at close range with an “ill-intentioned” grin.
“Wei Mu?! Are you a person or a ghost? What are you doing in my house!” Kong Ning immediately clutched her blanket and retreated backward.
“What do you think?” Taking advantage of the moment, Wei Mu gave Kong Ning’s hand a slight pinch. “Am I alive?” Her mischievous smile grew even brighter.
Gulp. Kong Ning swallowed hard before managing to compose herself, reassuring her inner thoughts:
Anyone would be terrified if they woke up to find their arch-nemesis hovering over them! Especially when Wei Mu looks like she wants to choke me to death!
It’s not embarrassing to be scared. You are still the brave Kong Ning.
“You… then why did you come into my room?” As she spoke, Kong Ning spotted a bowl of pork rib noodles sitting on her nightstand.
The chopped green onions were fresh and vivid green, and the glistening oil floated atop the soup in an enticing golden sheen, to say nothing of the rich, fragrant aroma wafting straight into her nostrils.
I want to eat it.
Sometimes, it didn’t take extravagant delicacies to stimulate a person’s appetite; a simple, heartfelt bowl of noodles was more than enough to awaken the greedy cravings within.
Let alone for Kong Ning, who was practically on the brink of starving to death.
“Also, that… what’s the deal with those noodles?” Kong Ning couldn’t control her eyes. She stared fixedly at the bowl, practically cross-eyed while addressing Wei Mu.
Noticing Kong Ning’s expression, Wei Mu spoke in an unhurried manner, “If you don’t want me in your room, then I’ll just carry the noodles back home.”
Saying that, she made a move toward the bowl.
“Don’t, don’t, don’t! You are most welcome in my room, please sit down.” Kong Ning leaped out of bed. Disregarding their complicated relationship and whatever weird feelings she had, she put on her slippers, grabbed the bowl, and sat directly across from Wei Mu at the small table in her room.
“Look at you, bringing gifts when visiting! Since no one else is home right now, it would be bad to waste food. I’ll reluctantly help you finish it off.” Slurp! A mouthful of noodles instantly disappeared into Kong Ning’s mouth.
“Hoo, hoo, so hot! Delicious!” Even as she complained about the heat, her hands kept moving her chopsticks without pause, as if she was terrified someone might suddenly pop up to snatch the food from her.
“Hey, your chef’s skills are pretty good! Remember to give them a raise,” Kong Ning managed to squeeze out between bites.
“Give me a raise? Are you paying my salary?”
Wei Mu’s face was full of anticipation, her lips curved in a smile and her brows slightly arched. Her entire demeanor exuded the sly charm of a little fox.
“Cough, cough, cough, You made this?!” Kong Ning almost choked to death on her noodles.
“I used your family’s pot and your family’s bowl. Couldn’t you tell?” Today, Wei Mu seemed to speak with a constant smile, her eyes curved into crescent moons. It appeared she was in an extraordinarily good mood.
Wasn’t she angry? Kong Ning hadn’t replied to her message all day, after all.
Upon hearing those words, Kong Ning carefully scrutinized the dish. Indeed, it was her home’s bowl and her home’s chopsticks.
“Why did you come over to my house to cook?”
“To see if a certain someone had died, considering she didn’t reply to my message all day. Besides, Aunt Qi asked me to drop by and check if you had eaten.”
“Looks like you’re alive and well, just desperately hungry,” Wei Mu said, taking Kong Ning by the chin and turning her head left and right to inspect her before delivering her final verdict.
No one knew a daughter better than her mother. With the housekeeper taking the day off, a person like Kong Ning was utterly incapable of cooking, and even if she managed to make something, it wouldn’t be edible. She was also far too lazy to drive out to forage for food herself.
Granted, with today’s advanced internet, she could order takeout, but her mother was still somewhat uneasy.
Case in point: if Wei Mu hadn’t arrived, Kong Ning truly would have passed out from hunger.
Hearing this, Kong Ning’s face turned visibly red.
Use your words, why get your hands involved?!
“Oh. Well, your cooking is decent enough. The noodles aren’t bad,” the culprit remarked casually, ultimately refraining from being totally stubborn and calling it awful.
Kong Ning sighed inwardly. In terms of culinary skills, she was afraid she would never surpass Wei Mu in this lifetime.
“Are you satisfied?”
“Hard to say.”
“Ah, what a pity. To think someone was mumbling about wanting to eat this even in her dreams,” Wei Mu said with a look of deep regret, successfully piquing Kong Ning’s curiosity.
“What are you talking about? Who said anything about wanting to eat in their sleep!”
“You did, little gourmand.”
“So, why didn’t you reply to my message, Kong Ning?” Wei Mu propped her face up with her hand, tilting her head as she looked at Kong Ning.
Kong Ning almost choked again.
This shift in topic was far too fast, taking her completely off guard.
“I didn’t! What did you send me? I probably just didn’t see it.”
“Oh, you didn’t see it? Here I thought you were intentionally avoiding me,” Wei Mu said with a half-smile.
Little coward.
Is it really that hard to admit that you care about me?
“Why would I avoid you? I’m not afraid of you,” Kong Ning grumbled under her breath.
She was merely suffering from autumnal melancholy; it had nothing to do with Wei Mu. How could she possibly feel sad, anxious, or deeply consumed all because of Wei Mu?
“In the future, remember to reply to my messages on time. I’m heading back now, wash the bowl yourself.” Wei Mu stood up and strolled out slowly, as if taking a leisure walk in her own home, completely unlike a guest.
“Bizarre,” Kong Ning muttered under her breath, watching Wei Mu’s retreating figure as she left.
“Gulp, ” Kong Ning slurped up another mouthful of noodles.
A few minutes later:
“Why were there so few noodles? It’s almost empty. That girl couldn’t even make a bigger portion,” Kong Ning lamented, rubbing her round, stuffed stomach.
She then let out a hiccup, she was undeniably stuffed full, even if a certain someone’s stubborn mouth remained unyielding.
Her eyes rolled around playfully.
Maybe I should have Wei Mu come over to be my personal chef.
“Forget it, I can’t afford her. Might as well give up.” Kong Ning leaned back and crossed her legs.
If Wei Mu were to work as a chef, her asking price would be astronomical.
Well… deep down, Kong Ning still kind of wanted it.