As Huo Chengye read out a string of dish names, Ji Xingjian squeezed a shallow crease between his eyebrows and muttered in a low voice, “Do you really think we can finish eating this much?”
The Alpha seemed to have heard his words, raising his head to glance at him. Ji Xingjian quietly averted his gaze to look out at the seaside, acting as if the person who had just spoken was not him.
Huo Chengye withdrew his gaze and continued looking at the menu. “Two portions of abalone soup, plus white wine and sparkling water.”
Seafood was the signature specialty of this restaurant. Not only were the ingredients fresh, but the presentation was also unique, and the dishes tasted exceptional. Although there were many people dining in the restaurant at the moment, the speed of serving was not slow.
“Your dishes are all served. Enjoy your meal, you two.”
After the waiter left, Xiao Ye, whose appetite had been hooked by the savory aroma, crawled out from under Huo Chengye’s chair, returned to Ji Xingjian’s side, and stared fixedly at the plate of boiled shrimp closest to it, practically drooling.
Ji Xingjian took a sip of sparkling water, his fingertips tapping unconsciously against the cup as he absentmindedly wondered how to bring up the explanation to the Alpha. Although it was just a matter of a single sentence, Ji Xingjian still needed to organize his words in his mind over and over again until he knew them by heart and was certain there would be no mistakes.
Huo Chengye had been starving to death and couldn’t be bothered to exchange polite pleasantries with Ji Xingjian. He scooped up a large spoonful of abalone soup and put it into his mouth. He ate quickly, but his table manners were not unsightly, nor did he make any inappropriate noises.
Xiao Ye was dying of temptation, anxiously scratching the ground with its front paws. Ji Xingjian was entirely absorbed in his thoughts and didn’t notice it at all. Seeing this, Xiao Ye bumped its head against his leg and began to whimper and act spoiled.
Ji Xingjian was forced to snap back to reality. He picked up two shrimp for it, then looked at Huo Chengye, hesitating over how to start, while inexplicably having his appetite stirred up.
The Alpha seemed to sense Ji Xingjian’s gaze. His voice lowered slightly, carrying a smile. “Why do you keep looking at me? Are the dishes not to your liking, or are you saying that compared to these, you’d rather eat me?”
If anyone else had said something like that, Ji Xingjian would have felt a sense of offense, along with the impression that this person was frivolous and greasy. But coming from Huo Chengye’s mouth, that feeling wasn’t very obvious. Perhaps it was because of his tone and gaze, or perhaps it was because of his face.
After finishing the abalone soup in front of him, Ji Xingjian took a deep breath, continually pumping himself up and preparing to take this opportunity to make things clear with Huo Chengye.
While peeling mantis shrimp, Huo Chengye glanced at him sideways. “You seem to have something to say.”
Ji Xingjian pressed his lips together. “Today at school, you seemed to misunderstand my meaning.”
“What did I misunderstand?” Huo Chengye asked knowingly.
“The money I gave you wasn’t to keep you as a kept man, but rather…”
Huo Chengye knew what he was about to say, so he deliberately handed a peeled mantis shrimp to his lips, cutting off what he was going to say next. “Want a bite?”
The spicy aroma drifted into his nasal cavity. Ji Xingjian froze for a moment, instinctively saying “Thank you” and biting down on it on a whim.
Huo Chengye had intended to place it in his bowl, so he was surprised to see that Ji Xingjian had actually caught it with his mouth.
Realizing what he had just done, Ji Xingjian was mortified, his face turning into a liver-like shade of red at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Help! Who could tell him what he should do in this kind of situation, and how to defuse the awkwardness?
“Don’t be so polite,” Huo Chengye said, acting as if he hadn’t taken it to heart. “How does it taste?”
Ji Xingjian stole a sideways glance at him, chewed haphazardly, swallowed, and tried his best to keep his voice steady. “Delicious.”
Not long after those words fell, Huo Chengye handed over another piece of shrimp meat, waving it back and forth in front of Ji Xingjian’s eyes like teasing a pet.
Ji Xingjian would definitely not make the same mistake twice. He gave a dry cough and pushed his plate forward a bit, the meaning self-evident.
Huo Chengye raised an eyebrow slightly and placed the shrimp onto the plate.
Ji Xingjian had a relatively strong ability to regulate his own emotions, quickly returning to normal. Just as he was about to continue what he hadn’t finished saying earlier, Huo Chengye handed him another shrimp.
Xiao Ye watched with eager eyes from the side, getting anxious enough to let out a couple of grunts to show that it wanted to eat too. Huo Chengye was about to feed it when Ji Xingjian stopped him in time. “It can’t eat spicy food.”
“Then it’s for you.”
Huo Chengye continued peeling mantis shrimp, taking time out to feed Xiao Ye a piece of cod. Whenever Ji Xingjian prepared to open his mouth to speak, an extra piece of shrimp meat would appear on his plate, as if deliberately meant to plug his mouth.
Back and forth like this, Ji Xingjian completely gave up. While internally berating himself for not even being able to sort this out, he turned his grief and anger into an appetite, eating one piece of shrimp after another as Huo Chengye handed them over, quickly stuffing his mouth full.
The mantis shrimp was cooked to flavorful perfection, both fragrant and spicy. Ji Xingjian’s lips had consequently become red and swollen, looking all the more plump and rosy under the lights.
“Professor Ji,” the Alpha suddenly spoke up.
A trace of bewilderment flashed through Ji Xingjian’s eyes. “Hmm?”
“Are you a hamster, stuffing so much into your mouth?”