Chapter 192. In the Depths of the Clouds
Ju Zi glanced at Wang Dong beside Huo Yuhao and nodded. “As long as you’re alright. You should eat while the food’s hot, it’s not nice when it cools off. It’s getting late—I’ll visit again tomorrow. The higher ups in the military wanted to thank you personally, but I considered your identity and rejected them for you. It avoids unnecessary trouble this way.”
“Thank you,” Huo Yuhao replied sincerely, “We only fought to help you and Ke Ke, not for the Sun Moon Empire to quell this rebellion. It’s best that we don’t meet them.”
Ju Zi said, “Yes. Enjoy your meal, we’ll take our leave first.” She forced a smile at Huo Yuhao before she made for the exit with a heavy heart.
Ke Ke tugged at Ju Zi’s sleeves, but she just shot her a glare. Ke Ke was typically straightforward and casual, but she seemed a little meek as she stuck her tongue out and followed Ju Zi away.
Huo Yuhao watched their shadows disappear into the distance. He was a little confused as he muttered, “Why doesn’t it feel like we saved them, but like we offended them instead?”
Wang Dong smiled and said, “Can’t you tell? She really likes you, and feels very conflicted. However, she’s the prince’s consort, so you must be careful. Don’t drag me down with you if something happens.”
Huo Yuhao snapped, “Eat, eat. Stop spouting nonsense.” He felt a little down when he saw the expression on Ju Zi’s face, and he almost wanted to stop her to ask about it. However, he remembered that Ju Zi was the Crown Prince’s fiancee, and their paths ahead were destined to never intersect, so he had to swallow his emotions. It was better this way, so that he wouldn’t cause any trouble when he was supposed to let go and didn’t. This sentiment was similar to what Ju Zi had said when she sobbed beside his bed, “We should never meet again.” Both he and Ju Zi recognized the unsurmountable rift between them, and they understood it was best that they didn’t interact too much.
The food was delicious, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong were a little astounded. Four meats and four vegetables dishes, and they were all warm. It definitely wouldn’t have been easy for them to put together a meal as sumptuous as this within their military camp. The soup was thick and rich, and Huo Yuhao knew with his experience in cooking that this was a taste that could only be achieved after prepping the food for an entire day.
Wang Dong found the food delectable, but Huo Yuhao could taste more than that. Even though Ju Zi didn’t say anything to him, Huo Yuhao could taste many different things in this meal—out of the eight dishes, three were sour, and sour to varying degrees; two were sweet, and the rest were bitter, spicy, and salty.