Luo Jin thought Gu Tangzhou had finally shown some conscience and let her sleep peacefully, but not long after, she felt the bed beside her sink down again.
The man’s body was cool, and his hair carried a faint trace of moisture.
Had he taken a shower?
It looked like a cold shower, too.
Her lips unconsciously curved upward.
Was it because she was injured that he went to take a cold shower?
Pulling the blanket tighter, she opened her eyes and secretly looked at his handsome profile in the darkness. The long-suppressed affection in her heart seemed to find an outlet and surged out uncontrollably.
She couldn’t help but reach out to touch the shadow cast by him on the wall—every contour and angle had already been rehearsed in her heart thousands of times.
But memories of his “punishment” after returning to the country suddenly flashed through her mind, interrupting her sweet illusion.
She quickly shook her head, thinking she must have been bullied too much by Fifth Master Gu’s family to actually think he was a good person.
She didn’t know when she fell asleep. The only thing she remembered was that when the morning sunlight stung her eyes, she was still too sleepy to open them.
“Good morning.”
Hearing that familiar voice, she instinctively opened her eyes. Gu Tangzhou was already fully dressed, wearing an apron around his waist.
She couldn’t quite understand what he was doing.
“Are you doing some kind of role-play?”
Still half-asleep, she teased boldly. Gu Tangzhou’s gaze instantly turned cold, his voice freezing over.
“Breakfast is ready. Get up.”
Then he turned away sharply. Luo Jin couldn’t believe that the dignified head of the Gu family was actually cooking himself—
And for a woman like her, someone who could never be seen in the light.
She didn’t dare delay and quickly washed up. She tied her hair into a high ponytail and sat across from him at the dining table.
The table was filled with an abundance of dishes—Chinese options alone included porridge, fried dough sticks, and tofu pudding, not to mention Western-style dishes.
She looked at him suspiciously. She hadn’t known he could cook so well.
But then again, in the past five years, whenever she woke up, Gu Tangzhou—the workaholic—was never by her side.
Breakfast had always been made by Chef Li. Sometimes she would eat it, sometimes she would deliberately skip it as a small act of rebellion against him.
“You made all this?”
Before even picking up her chopsticks, she voiced her question.
“If not me, then who?”
He gave a cold snort, his hands folded together, not touching his chopsticks at all.
“Why aren’t you eating?” Luo Jin had already picked up her utensils but hesitated under his gaze and put them down again.
“Are you afraid I poisoned it?”
Seeing her reaction, Gu Tangzhou almost laughed in disbelief.
If this were five years ago, this meal alone would have moved her to tears.
And now she was actually suspecting it might be poisoned—truly outrageous.
“Of course not. It’s just such a delicious breakfast; we should enjoy it together.”
Luo Jin knew her lie had very little credibility.
Unexpectedly, Gu Tangzhou actually went along with her and picked up his chopsticks.
Feeling a bit guilty—and already hungry—she also began eating heartily.
After the meal, when Gu Tangzhou showed no sign of leaving, Luo Jin grew puzzled but didn’t dare ask directly. After circling the living room three times, he finally spoke.
“Chef Li took the day off today.”
No wonder—she had only seen the housekeeper busying herself all morning and hadn’t heard Chef Li’s usual energetic voice.
So that’s why he made breakfast himself.
Was he staying home today just in case she had nothing to eat?
“We can just order takeout,” she said.
The moment the words left her mouth, she regretted them.
She immediately received Gu Tangzhou’s “I could kill you” look.
“Why don’t I cook lunch instead?”
Every overseas student may not excel academically, but they almost always end up learning how to cook.
However, those five years had been so difficult for her that she rarely cooked. At best, she could manage a simple tomato and egg dish to satisfy her Chinese palate.
“What can you even cook?” he asked, as if he had seen through her.
Gu Tangzhou’s lips curled slightly, and for a moment Luo Jin was stunned.
“You’ve seen all kinds of delicacies. I’ll make you a proper tomato and egg dish.”
She said this while imitating him, tying an apron around her waist and preparing the kitchen.
Gu Tangzhou sat on the sofa, watching her busy figure, his dark eyes revealing no emotion.
“It’s done.”
After a small failure, she finally managed to present a decent-looking dish.
Seeing the golden eggs and bright red tomatoes, Gu Tangzhou’s expression shifted slightly.
He knew that even though Fifth Master Gu treated her poorly, he still wouldn’t let her do household chores because of the old master’s influence.
It seemed she had truly suffered a lot abroad these past years.
Seeing that he wasn’t moving, Luo Jin tasted a bite and then instinctively handed him the chopsticks.
“It’s pretty good.”
Gu Tangzhou took them, picked up a piece of egg, and ate it. His expression remained unreadable.
“Not bad.”
Hearing his approval, Luo Jin broke into a bright smile.
“So this is all we’re eating for lunch?” she asked, since she had only made one dish.
“Then we might as well order takeout.”
Gu Tangzhou said nothing more. He walked behind her, wrapped his arms around her slender waist, and she stiffened instantly.
But he only untied her apron and put it on himself.
“Go sit on the sofa.”
Luo Jin remembered how, five years ago, in their hidden days, he sometimes seemed like her gentle second brother when he was in a good mood.
He would pull her into his arms and explain complex professional concepts in simple terms she barely understood.
It wasn’t until she went abroad that she realized how much skill it took to simplify those difficult theories.
She sat at the bar, resting her chin in her hand as she watched him work, occasionally helping him.
When she stared a little too long at the freshly fried shrimp, he suddenly lifted her and placed her on the countertop.
Meeting his gaze made her heart race.
“It smells too good, I—”
Before she could finish, he blocked her words with a piece of freshly fried, golden crispy shrimp.
After one bite, the juice burst out—rich but not greasy, leaving a lingering fragrance between her lips.
She even continued savoring it after she stopped chewing.
“Is it good?”
A rare smile appeared in his eyes.
“Yes,” she replied.
Luo Jin felt as though they were a newlywed couple sharing sweet domestic happiness, and selfishly wished time could stop here.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder and inhaling his familiar scent.
In just a short time, the table was filled with beautifully prepared dishes.
As a girl, she had always known Gu Tangzhou was a once-in-a-generation genius—but she hadn’t realized how all-around capable he was until now.
For a moment, it felt like she had returned to the days when she admired him without restraint.
If she truly had the fortune to become his wife, perhaps this was what life would look like.
But Gu Tangzhou’s cold voice broke her illusion.
“Not so long ago, weren’t you the one calling me a beast?”