Chapter 264 Cooking
Yun Shifei froze for a moment. Cheng Lie actually invited her to his house to cook?
"You’re saying you want me to go to your house and cook?" She seemed a bit caught off guard.
Cheng Lie responded with a quiet "Mm."
Alright then...
She hadn’t even thought about visiting Cheng Lie’s home, especially not at this time.
But since he had actively invited her, Yun Shifei wasn’t going to decline.
On Saturday morning, as soon as she stepped out of the school gate, Cheng Lie’s car was already waiting at the entrance.
Yun Shifei opened the car door and got in.
"Cheng Lie, good morning." She greeted him with a smile.
She seemed to be in a good mood today, wearing a pink sweatshirt with a big cartoon bear on it, paired with her usual black trousers.
She looked youthful and irresistibly cute.
Cheng Lie returned the greeting, "Good morning."
Yun Shifei then turned to Zhao Pan, "Good morning, Uncle Zhao."
Zhao Pan gripped the steering wheel tightly. After a while, he finally couldn’t hold back and turned around to look at Yun Shifei: "Miss Yun, do I really look that old?"
He was only in his twenties, how did he suddenly become "Uncle"? Zhao Pan was thoroughly distressed by the way Yun Shifei addressed him.
Yun Shifei looked momentarily confused, then hurriedly apologized, "I’m sorry, I... You look older than your actual age, and I assumed—my apologies, Brother Zhao."
That’s more like it! Zhao Pan sighed. Did he really look this old?
For some reason, this realization was even more disheartening than the possibility of Yun Shifei purposely calling him that.
It turned out she had called him "Uncle" because she genuinely thought he looked mature—it was truly depressing!
As he was lost in thought, he noticed Cheng Lie’s cold glare directed at him, as if warning him that he was talking too much.
Zhao Pan quickly straightened his posture and focused on driving attentively.
Cheng Lie didn’t like Yun Shifei calling Zhao Pan "Brother" at all; it felt like Zhao Pan was taking advantage of the situation.
His possessiveness was sometimes so intense it bordered on being abnormal.
Since they were going to Cheng Lie’s house to cook, Yun Shifei thought they should go to the market first to buy groceries.
Going early in the morning meant the freshest ingredients could be bought, which was why Yun Shifei had chosen to leave so early.
The bustling market was full of elderly men and women, and Yun Shifei worried that Cheng Lie might not adapt to such a crowded place, especially since he usually avoided crowded areas—let alone a busy market.
The meat vendors, vegetable sellers, and fruit stands were all crammed together, with crowds of shoppers filling the narrow aisles shoulder to shoulder.
So, just before getting out of the car, she asked him, "How about you wait in the car? I can go buy everything myself."
Cheng Lie shook his head, "Let’s go together."
Seeing his insistence, Yun Shifei had no choice but to let Cheng Lie follow her.
She picked up ingredients like fresh vegetables and fruits, some beef, and spare ribs for the dishes she planned to make.
She felt that visiting the market was quite enjoyable.
Holding a bell pepper in her hand, she thought for a moment. Cheng Lie didn’t seem to eat bell peppers, but she believed they were rich in nutrients.
Turning to Cheng Lie, she asked, "How about we make stir-fried beef with bell peppers today?"
She was deliberately teasing Cheng Lie, but to her surprise, he calmly replied, "Sure."
Looking at the young man in front of her, calmly accepting her choice, his clear eyes quietly watching her—it seemed whatever she wanted him to eat, he would accept it.
Yun Shifei suddenly didn’t know what to say.
She felt a little bad about teasing Cheng Lie, so she put the bell pepper down, "Just kidding, let’s keep looking for other tasty ingredients."
So she’s giving up that easily? Cheng Lie watched the girl, who seemed completely unwilling to make him uncomfortable. For some reason, a warm feeling surged in his heart like waves—was it because she liked him that she was so cautious?
This feeling of being cherished—it was so strange.
She bought more groceries one after another, and Cheng Lie trailed behind her carrying them.
The market was crowded, yet amidst the sea of people, he had eyes only for her.
He suddenly felt that right now, they resembled a married couple shopping for groceries—she chose the ingredients in front while he carried everything behind her.
However, in some areas the crowds were truly overwhelming, and Yun Shifei’s petite figure seemed to be swallowed up by the throng. This made Cheng Lie reach out to grab her arm.
Effortlessly, he grasped Yun Shifei’s arm.
Yun Shifei turned to him in surprise, and Cheng Lie explained, "I’m afraid I’ll get lost."
"Don’t worry, just hold onto me," Yun Shifei reassured, as she gripped Cheng Lie’s hand in return. At that moment, Cheng Lie reminded her of his South City days.
He seemed completely reliant on her.
But she knew that the Cheng Lie of today was much stronger—capable of helping and protecting her. In the future, he would surely grow even more remarkable.
Yun Shifei continued to buy various items, including frozen dumplings. This puzzled Cheng Lie: "I think we won’t be able to eat all this food."
"I know. But you probably don’t have much to eat at home, right? If there’s no time to cook, you can just prepare a few dumplings—it’s quick and nutritious."
The night before, she had asked him what food he had at home, and he told her he hadn’t been cooking.
Unexpectedly, she had already taken all that into consideration while shopping.
Cheng Lie’s dark eyes fixed on Yun Shifei for a long moment before he said, "Then how about you come over every week and cook for me?"
Yun Shifei paused in surprise.
Seeing her hesitate and not respond immediately, Cheng Lie thought she might refuse. His lips tightened and his expression darkened.
But to his surprise, Yun Shifei replied, "Sure, if I’m free on weekends. Honestly, I’m tired of cafeteria food. As long as you don’t mind my cooking skills."
She could only make some common dishes—the ones she herself liked to eat.
It seemed she would need to buy a cookbook to study how to make better food.
Hearing Yun Shifei agree, Cheng Lie couldn’t help but reach out and tousle her hair, "Shifei, you’re so good to me."
Yun Shifei froze, her heart racing as he ruffled her hair.
He had done this before, too.
Did he realize that this kind of action was absolutely heart-fluttering?
Finally, after a busy morning, Yun Shifei managed to finish cooking lunch.
Cheng Lie took care of serving the dishes and rice, and after eating, he even washed the dishes.
Their division of labor was clear-cut. While Yun Shifei sat in the living room watching TV, she couldn’t help but think—Cheng Lie was truly a promising individual.
Other men might assume household chores were exclusively for women.
But Cheng Lie didn’t need anyone to teach him; he naturally did the tasks himself.
Earlier, while she was cooking, he had watched her attentively, as if he were learning how to make the dishes.
She really liked this kind of eager-to-learn "kid."
After finishing the dishes, Cheng Lie walked out of the kitchen and spotted Yun Shifei sitting in the living room watching TV.
The noisy sound of the television, the two of them alone in the house—this kind of atmosphere felt so peculiar.
Back when he was at the Cheng Family’s house, even if he and Yun Shifei were in the same room, his mood was never as strange as it was now.
Probably because back then, even though they were in the same room, there were still other people in the house.
But now, this was his house, and it was just the two of them here.