He searched carefully inside the cabinet and felt the texture of fabric at the very back. Pulling it out, he saw that it was indeed an apron.
Lu Jinglin took a step back, creating some distance between them. “Found it. It was right at the back of the cabinet.”
“No wonder.” Sensing the heat source behind him disappear, Xia Yuning’s tense back gradually relaxed. “This cabinet is too high, and the apron was all the way in the back. No wonder I did not find it just now.”
The height of this cabinet had originally been designed according to Lu Jinglin’s height, making it just right for him, but a bit of a stretch for Xia Yuning.
“Let me help you put it on.” Lu Jinglin shook the apron in his hand.
“Ah, there is no need to trouble yourself. I can do it myself.” Xia Yuning made a move to stop him.
“Do not move.” Lu Jinglin interrupted him, his voice low as he said, “Do not stop. Keep doing what you are doing, and I will help you put it on.”
With that, without leaving any room for refusal, he stood behind Xia Yuning, threading the apron from beneath his arms and slipping the top loop over Xia Yuning’s neck. Lu Jinglin’s gaze swept lightly upward and paused at a specific spot. His eyes landed just behind Xia Yuning’s ear, where a tiny, reddish brown mole was hidden. If they had not been standing so close, it would have been invisible.
Xia Yuning pressed his lips together and could not help asking, “Are we done?”
Lu Jinglin snapped back to reality, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Not yet.”
He pulled his gaze away from that spot and continued his movements.
His fingers moved downward to Xia Yuning’s waist, pulling the ties on both sides toward the center to outline the young man’s slender waist. Lu Jinglin thought that such a slim waist could easily be spanned with one hand. “Now it is done.”
“Okay, thank you, Mr. Lu.” Xia Yuning licked his slightly dry lips, offering a soft word of thanks while letting out a sigh of relief.
“Just a small favor.”
Lu Jinglin walked over to the sink to help Xia Yuning prepare the vegetables he would need later.
Although there had been a tiny interlude, dinner was successfully made in the end.
Beside the dining table, Butler Luo and several servants stood waiting.
Xia Yuning secretly glanced a few times at Lu Jinglin sitting opposite him, wanting to see his reaction upon tasting the food.
He thought he had hidden his gaze well, but little did he know that Lu Jinglin had already noticed his slightly burning and expectant look.
Lu Jinglin’s lips curved slightly as he looked at the dishes on the table. Just their appearance was enough to make one’s mouth water, not to mention the appetizing aromas already drifting from them.
He picked up his chopsticks, picked up a slice of lotus root, and took a bite.
Lu Jinglin raised an eyebrow, a look of pleasant surprise crossing his handsome features.
The lotus root slices were pristine white, crisp, and refreshing, with a balance of sweet and sour that was very appetizing.
The sweet and sour flavor instantly awakened Lu Jinglin’s taste buds. He then picked up a piece of crucian carp. The fish meat was tender, smooth, and delicious. He had no idea how Xia Yuning had cooked it, but even though it was simply stewed, it remained flavorful.
Thus, he tried every single dish on the table one after another. With each dish he tasted, his surprise deepened.
This culinary skill was far better than he had anticipated. For once, he offered a sincere compliment: “It is delicious. The taste of every dish is wonderful.”
If anyone knew that the usually aloof Lu Jinglin had actually praised someone else’s cooking, they would have been utterly shocked.
Hearing Lu Jinglin’s positive feedback, Xia Yuning was overjoyed. With curved eyes and a smiling expression, he said, “As long as you like it. These dishes are all good for nourishing the stomach, so eat more. Also, drink more of that pumpkin soup; it is very good for digestion.”
“Okay.” Lu Jinglin smiled, his voice low. “Thank you.”
Xia Yuning was stunned for a moment before his lips curved upward. “No need to thank me. Did I not say that I will cook for you whenever I have time to help take care of your stomach?”
Lu Jinglin gave a soft hum of agreement, scooped up a spoonful of pumpkin soup, and tasted it. The pumpkin soup was sweet and rich, leaving a lingering fragrance in his mouth after a single sip. “I did not expect you to be such a good cook.”
Xia Yuning made up a plausible reason, half true and half false. “No one ever cooked for me before, so I had to learn to do it myself. Naturally, I picked up a few culinary skills along the way.”
Is that so?
Lu Jinglin recalled the investigation report he had received earlier, which stated that Xia Yuning was a timid, cowardly person with few friends who never interacted with others, the only outsider he ever contacted being Gu Situ, the only son of the Gu family.
Based on their interactions today, the behavior Xia Yuning displayed was worlds apart from both the investigation report and the rumors.
Lu Jinglin’s sharp eyes narrowed slightly. Could his previous persona all have been an act, or was it something else?
He raised his gaze to look across the table. Xia Yuning’s amber pupils reflected the lights from the ceiling, with a gentle glimmer dancing within them, while his curved, thick eyelashes cast small shadows beneath his eyes.
He stared in a daze for a brief moment before pulling his gaze away and continuing his meal.
After dinner, Lu Jinglin sat in the study reading a book. He had not eaten this comfortably in a long time; in the past, he either skipped dinner or grabbed something casual. This time, after eating, his stomach did not feel uncomfortable at all.
He sat contentedly in the study and read for a while.
On the other side, Xia Yuning felt a bit too full and was taking a leisurely stroll around the villa’s garden to aid digestion. He never skimped on food; even when life became difficult later on, he never mistreated his appetite.
After wandering around the garden a bit longer and deciding his food had digested enough, Xia Yuning headed back inside.
He went upstairs and entered the bedroom, only to be struck once again by the vast swaths of red before his eyes.
Xia Yuning felt his face heating up again.
He gently patted his cheeks to bring his thoughts back on track, pulled a set of pajamas from the clothes he had brought, and headed into the bathroom.
When he finished washing up and came out, he found that Lu Jinglin was already back in the room.
Wiping his hair as he walked, Xia Yuning said, “Mr. Lu, I am done. You can go wash up now.”
“Okay.” Lu Jinglin walked over to the cabinet, took out his pajamas, and entered the bathroom.
The sound of trickling water echoed from the bathroom into Xia Yuning’s ears. He continued drying his hair and sat down on the edge of the bed.
The red bedsheets made his skin look even fairer. The slightly rough fabric of his pajamas rubbed gently against his delicate skin, leaving it faintly flushed and making him look exceptionally slender and frail, giving him an almost surreal appearance.