Chapter 35. Bai Xiao: My wife ate the shrimp I made, hehe.

As soon as Song Huai entered the house, his nose keenly detected a fragrance.

He scanned the area and discovered the source of the fragrance.

On the dining table was a large basin, about the size of two of Song Huai's heads, filled with bright red crayfish.

Each crayfish is about the size of a palm, drizzled with chili oil, and garnished with a few sprigs of green cilantro, making them brightly colored and incredibly appetizing.

Bai Xiao spent the entire afternoon today doing nothing but figuring out how to pursue Song Huai.

After studying it for a long time, he came up with a plan—as the old saying goes, to win a man's heart, you must first win his stomach.

However, the food that had just been thrown away at noon was still etched in his mind. He had limited abilities, and cooking was not something he could learn overnight. Ordering food from outside would make him seem less sincere. So what should he do?

After much deliberation, Bai Xiao had no choice but to resort to his specialty—spicy crayfish.

Back when Bai Xiao was still with Song Boyu, Boyu wasn't interested in other delicacies, but she loved crayfish. To win her favor, Bai Xiao put in a lot of effort to learn how to cook crayfish. After countless practices, he could cook crayfish to a level comparable to that of a restaurant chef.

Even now, while Bai Xiao may not be able to cook other dishes properly, he can still make delicious crayfish.

Bai Xiao acted immediately. He drove to the city's largest seafood market and picked out the biggest and freshest crayfish one by one. He then bent over and scrubbed the crayfish for a long time in the sink until they were clean. When he stood up, he felt like his back was about to break in two. After that, he heated oil in a wok, put the crayfish in, prepared the sauce, and reduced the sauce over high heat. His movements were smooth and seamless, a stark contrast to the Bai Xiao who couldn't even fry a steak properly during the day.

After doing all this, Bai Xiao finally mustered up some courage and went out to find Song Huai.

Song Huai looked down at the crayfish, then looked up at Bai Xiao, his face full of disbelief. "This...you made this?"

Bai Xiao nodded casually, "Yes, the crayfish at the seafood market were quite large today, so I bought some."

Song Huai didn't have time to think about why Bai Xiao would go to the seafood market for no reason; he just stood there, his feelings a jumble.

Although Song Huai loves to eat crayfish—especially the spicy crayfish in front of him—he doesn't have the chance to enjoy it. He is allergic to all kinds of shrimp. Every time he eats shrimp, his neck turns red and swollen, and itches terribly. Although it's not serious, the itching that he can't stop no matter how much he scratches is enough to give Song Huai a hard time.

Crayfish is also Song Boyu's favorite food.

When Song Boyu was little, he always clamored for Song Huai to cook crayfish for him. Song Huai was just a kid at the time. Although he didn't understand why his younger brother didn't want to eat the crayfish cooked in restaurants, he was happy to spoil his brother. He would always satisfy his brother's request and cook the spicy crayfish step by step according to the recipe and serve it to his brother.

His crayfish dishes were far inferior to those in restaurants, both in appearance and taste, but Song Boyu always enjoyed them immensely.

What's infuriating is that when his younger brother eats shrimp, Song Huai, who is allergic to shrimp, can only watch from the side. Sometimes, he is so tempted by the aroma that he can't resist taking a shrimp to eat. At that moment, Song Boyu will slap Song Huai's hand away and protect the crayfish in his arms.

"Song Huai, you're allergic to shrimp! Be careful, or your neck will swell up like a big steamed bun again after you eat shrimp!"

Song Huai had no choice but to reluctantly withdraw his hand, "...you heartless brat."

Seeing Song Huai standing there dumbfounded, staring at the crayfish on the table without moving, Bai Xiao assumed that Song Huai was amazed by her cooking skills, and felt a surge of pride.

"Don't just stand there, eat it while it's hot, it won't taste good when it's cold."

Song Huai wanted to tell Bai Xiao that he was allergic to shrimp, but after seeing the expectation and excitement on Bai Xiao's face, he couldn't bring himself to say it.

The person who prepared the meal with great care would feel very bad if no one wanted to eat it.

Okay, I'll just eat a little bit, just a tiny bit. At worst, I'll put on some ointment later. It won't do anything serious.

Finally, Song Huai picked up a shrimp and slowly began to peel it.

Song Huai's shrimp-peeling speed was comparable to that of a snail. Bai Xiao watched with growing anxiety, assuming that Song Huai was so slow because he didn't know how to peel shrimp properly. So, he quickly peeled a whole bowl of shrimp and presented it to Song Huai. His fingers moved so skillfully that he effortlessly separated the shrimp bodies perfectly from their shells with a few casual movements—a skill he had honed by peeling shrimp for Song Boyu years ago.

Looking at the bowl full of shrimp that Bai Xiao handed over, Song Huai didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Now Song Huai was truly in a dilemma. After hesitating for a moment, he still ate all the shrimp in the bowl, one by one.

It has to be said that Bai Xiao's stir-fried crayfish was fresh, fragrant, and sweet. Song Huai ate them one after another, becoming more and more addicted.

Seeing Song Huai enjoying his meal, Bai Xiao was overjoyed. He forgot about eating shrimp himself and immediately wanted to peel another bowl for Song Huai.

Seeing this, Song Huai quickly stopped him, saying, "No...no need, I can eat by myself, you should eat too."

Bai Xiao had no choice but to stop, reminding himself not to be too enthusiastic, lest he scare Song Huai. What was that article from this afternoon about again?

Yes, he should learn to balance tension and relaxation. He shouldn't push Song Huai too hard all at once, otherwise it will only backfire.

While peeling the shrimp in his hand, Bai Xiao couldn't help but steal glances at Song Huai across from him. After a while, he finally couldn't help but ask, "Is it delicious?"

Song Huaizheng wanted to say it was delicious, but thinking of the relationship between the two of them, he reservedly said, "It's alright."

Bai Xiao was immediately disappointed, but he quickly figured out why. He hadn't cooked crayfish for many years, so he was probably out of practice and Song Huai didn't like it. He forced a smile at Song Huai and said, "It's okay, I'll try a different flavor next time."

In no time, the two of them finished off a large bowl of crayfish, leaving almost half the table piled high with crayfish shells.

After dinner, it was late at night, and Song Huai returned to his room.

After closing the door, he took a deep breath, opened the window, and a cold wind blew whistling towards his forehead.

His feverish mind gradually calmed down.

Everything happened so fast these past two days. Bai Xiao came to his concert, Bai Xiao confessed her love to him with fireworks and a drone, Bai Xiao slept with him, and Bai Xiao even cooked crayfish for him herself.

At this time last night, he and Bai Xiao were still inseparable on the sofa downstairs; today, he and Bai Xiao have become ordinary friends again.

Song Huai couldn't figure Bai Xiao out. He could roughly guess why Bai Xiao, who knew nothing about cooking, could cook such delicious crayfish. But what he couldn't guess was what Bai Xiao was thinking when he was cooking crayfish this afternoon. Was it his deceased lover who loved crayfish the most, or the person he was in a marriage of convenience who had just rejected his confession? Bai Xiao's behavior these past two days had been too abnormal. He couldn't figure out what Bai Xiao's feelings for him were.

Song Huai was equally confused about himself. He didn't understand why he rejected Bai Xiao's confession on one hand, yet couldn't resist Bai Xiao's approach on the other. Every move Bai Xiao made still stirred his heart. When Bai Xiao smiled at him, he could get excited for a long time. When Bai Xiao looked into his eyes, his heart would always pound.

He repeatedly told himself not to have any inappropriate fantasies about Bai Xiao, but he couldn't help it. Several times, he almost blurted out his feelings to Bai Xiao, but fortunately, he managed to hold back each time with amazing willpower.

During this time, Song Huai felt his willpower was getting weaker and weaker. He was really afraid that one day he would lose all his reason, be completely dominated by desire, and really reveal all his feelings to Bai Xiao.

Song Huai felt that his life was a drama, a series of impossible coincidences. He was trapped in this bizarre illusion, unable to escape.

The cold wind made Song Huai's hands, which were resting on the windowsill, tremble. At the same time, Song Huai's allergic reaction finally showed symptoms.

His neck began to feel hot, and even the constant blowing of the cold wind could not dissipate the heat. Then, his neck began to itch intensely.

His neck felt like it had been bitten by countless mosquitoes, so itchy that it was unbearable. Song Huai involuntarily reached out and scratched his neck hard.

After scratching for a long time, the itch on his neck not only did not lessen at all, but even intensified, and at this moment, Song Huai's neck had been scratched with countless frightening red marks by his fingernails.

Song Huai hadn't had an allergic reaction in a long time, and he had completely forgotten how unbearable it was to have one.

After scratching his neck for a while, Song Huai couldn't take it anymore. He vaguely remembered that there seemed to be an anti-allergy ointment in the medicine box in the living room downstairs. That ointment might make him feel less uncomfortable.

Song Huai tiptoed into the living room, which was pitch black; Bai Xiao had already gone back to her room.

Song Huai was relieved. Afraid of attracting Bai Xiao's attention, he didn't turn on the light and squatted down to find the medicine box in the dark.

Finally finding the medicine he was looking for, Song Huai grabbed it as if it were a lifeline. He couldn't wait to go back to his room and immediately tore open the ointment packaging.

Just then, with a "snap," the living room lights suddenly turned on.

Unaccustomed to the sudden brightness, Song Huai reflexively closed his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, Bai Xiao was standing beside him, looking down at him.

Bai Xiao was wrapped in a bathrobe, her hair was wet, and she was surrounded by cold air.

Before going to sleep tonight, Bai Xiao's mind was filled with the image of Song Huai panting beneath him last night. Unconsciously, his body was once again aroused, so he had to take a long cold shower. Fortunately, his physical condition was too strong, and he didn't get sick from taking a cold shower in this weather.

Just after taking a shower, Bai Xiao noticed Song Huai rushing downstairs outside the room. His footsteps were very hurried. Fearing that something might happen, he followed closely behind.