Lu Qi opened the refrigerator and found quite a few fresh ingredients inside. He turned to look at the person sitting on the living room sofa. “Do you want noodles?”
“I’m fine with anything.” Ji Qingyan leaned back on the sofa, working on his laptop without looking up.
After finishing an urgent document, Ji Qingyan closed his laptop and placed it on the coffee table. The sound of chopping came from the kitchen, so he got up and walked in.
Water was boiling in the pot, steam rising continuously. Lu Qi skillfully chopped tomatoes, while a plate of sliced ham sat nearby. The usually quiet kitchen now carried the warmth of everyday life.
Ji Qingyan walked up behind Lu Qi and leaned in to take a look, asking with some confusion, “Why are you chopping the tomatoes so finely?”
Lu Qi glanced up at him and explained, “Chopping them finely helps release more juice and makes the flavor richer.”
“Oh.”
Ji Qingyan hovered around him for a while, unsure what to do. Sensing his boredom, Lu Qi picked up a basket of vegetables and handed it to him. “Help me wash the lettuce.”
Taking the basket, Ji Qingyan placed it under the faucet and gently rinsed the leaves.
Suddenly remembering there was another person in the house, he said to Lu Qi, “By the way, make more noodles. Xiao Cha is here too, and he should be waking up soon.”
“Mm.”
Last night, Lu Qi had been sulking over Lu Xuecha, finding everything about him irritating. But now that Ji Qingyan was his, Lu Qi decided to be magnanimous and let it go for the time being.
Lu Qi finished chopping the vegetables and added the noodles to the pot. When he turned around, he found Ji Qingyan still washing the same few leaves. He walked over and took the basket from his hands, looking exasperated.
“You’re going to wash the lettuce into having sensitive skin at this rate.”
“It’s not that bad.”
“I didn’t expect you to know how to cook.”
Lu Qi leaned in and kissed him with a smile. “When I was little, my mom told me that if I didn’t learn how to cook, I’d never find a wife. So when I was ten, she made me learn from the housekeeper.”
“Back then, every day after school, I’d stand on a stool in front of the stove practicing how to fry eggs. I have to say, I really do have a talent for cooking—my dishes taste pretty good. All those fried eggs ended up in my mom’s stomach.”
Ji Qingyan hadn’t expected his cooking skills to be the result of childhood training. A thought suddenly occurred to him. “Could it be that your mom just wanted to eat your cooking, so she made you learn?”
Lu Qi looked at him in surprise. “How did you know?”
That was something Lu Qi only realized later. His mom would wake him up in the middle of the night, saying she was hungry, and ask him to make her a bowl of noodles—all under the guise of “training him for his future wife.”
But at least it finally came in handy.
“Good thing I learned, or we’d probably be ordering takeout right now.”
The tomato shrimp noodle soup was ready. Lu Qi ladled the noodles into bowls and placed them on the dining table.
Just then, the guest room door opened. Lu Xuecha walked out wearing oversized pajamas, rubbing his eyes. When he saw Ji Qingyan sitting at the table, he said, “Good morning, Qingyan-ge.”
“Good morning, Xiao Cha. I was just about to call you. Come over and have breakfast.” Ji Qingyan gave Lu Xuecha a gentle smile and waved him over.
Lu Xuecha walked behind Ji Qingyan, opened his arms to embrace his shoulders, and lazily whined, “I’m so sleepy.”
Ji Qingyan reached out to touch his head, “Couldn’t sleep last night?”
“No, I was watching dance analysis videos and forgot about the time.” Lu Xuecha shook his head.
Lu Qi came out from the kitchen and saw this scene, his face instantly darkened. This little green tea was taking advantage of his absence to flirt with his wife again.
He strode over quickly, silently pulled Lu Xuecha’s arms away from Ji Qingyan, and glared sharply at him, “Go eat your noodles. What’s with all this hugging?”
Lu Xuecha thought Lu Qi was utterly unreasonable, and his temper flared up instantly, “Why are you yelling? Who are you? Does hugging Qingyan bother you?”
“Yes, it bothers my eyes. I don’t like seeing it. What’s wrong, little green tea?”
Lu Qi crossed his arms and walked up to him, looking down at him fiercely. The other man was too tall, so Lu Xuecha had to look up at him, losing a lot of ground in terms of intimidation.
Inadvertently noticing the bulging veins on Lu Qi’s arms, Lu Xuecha realized this man wasn’t easy to provoke. He knew his own capabilities well enough.
Afraid that Lu Qi might hit him, Lu Xuecha cautiously retreated a step, losing his earlier arrogance, looking like a little quail.
His voice even trembled with fear, “I… I’m not a little green tea.”
Ji Qingyan glanced at Lu Qi, then looked at Lu Xuecha.
He stood up and embraced Lu Xuecha’s shoulders, gently comforting him, “Don’t be afraid, he didn’t mean it. I apologize for him.”
“It’s his fault, Qingyan, you don’t need to apologize for him.” Ji Qingyan being beside him gave Lu Xuecha a lot of courage, and he wasn’t afraid of Lu Qi anymore.
“Qingyan, look at him, he’s still glaring at me.” Lu Xuecha, emboldened, hid in his embrace and complained.
“Alright, don’t scare him.” Ji Qingyan looked at Lu Qi helplessly.
Lu Qi glared at Lu Xuecha, gritting his teeth and cursing silently, “Damn, it’s like green tea’s mom opening the door for green tea—green tea has come home.”
During dinner, Lu Qi sat beside Ji Qingyan. Lu Xuecha, sitting across from them, picked up his chopsticks and ate a few bites of noodles, praising, “Qingyan, the noodles you made are really delicious.”
“Thanks for the compliment, but I made them.” Lu Qi smiled slightly.
Hah, still wanting to eat noodles cooked by his wife? Dream on.
Upon hearing this, Lu Xuecha’s face stiffened. Looking down at the noodles in his bowl, he felt a choking sensation and whispered, “Suddenly, they don’t seem so delicious anymore.”
Seeing him embarrassed, Lu Qi couldn’t be happier.
Lu Xuecha didn’t want to eat noodles cooked by someone he disliked, but he was really hungry now. He would temporarily bow to food—it definitely wasn’t because they were tasty.
The phone on the table rang. After seeing who was calling, Lu Xuecha showed disgust in his eyes. Expressionless, he picked up the phone and walked toward the balcony.
Lu Qi looked up at him and suddenly noticed something odd.
He then turned to Ji Qingyan, who was eating noodles, and asked, “Is the pajamas he’s wearing yours?”
“Yes, last night he had no clothes, so I gave him a pajama. What’s wrong?”
“Have you worn that pajama before?”
It’s just a piece of pajamas, he didn’t know why Lu Qi had to ask so many questions.
“I haven’t worn it, I just washed it once in the washing machine.”
Pajamas are such intimate clothing—if he had worn them and then given them to Lu Xuecha to wear, Lu Qi didn’t dare imagine how furious he would be.
He cupped Ji Qingyan’s face with one hand, planting several forceful kisses on his lips, his tone domineering, “From now on, you’re not allowed to lend your clothes to anyone else.”
Then he added, “Except for me.”
Ji Qingyan poked his cheek with a finger, smiling as he asked, “Are you jealous?”
Lu Qi’s deep amber eyes gazed at him, “Isn’t it obvious?”
“You really are, getting jealous over everything.” Ji Qingyan was utterly helpless.