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After saying this, Wang Ao looked at Zhou Jingxing with a smile, as if waiting for his response. Zhou Jingxing seemed not to have taken his words to heart. He said "Oh" and looked at Chen Zhou expectantly, "Let's go."

Shen Zhou didn't leave immediately upon hearing this. He turned his face away with a complicated expression, "They're still waiting for your answer over there."

Which side? What's the answer?

Before Zhou Jingxing could figure it out, Wang Ao said again, "What? You're not my teacher, why don't you give it a try?"

Zhou Jingxing looked puzzled. "You kid, why do you like to act so mature for your age? Want to try and see how hard your teacher Sun's fist is? Have you done your homework? Have you done the practice questions? Have you memorized the vocabulary? You haven't done anything and you're still talking big to me. Get into university first before you start talking. I'm selective about who I befriend based on education level. There's a generation gap when communicating with people who have only a high school education or below."

Wang Ao laughed at what he said. "You're really funny. Okay, I'm going now. I hope to see you again next time." After saying that, he really left, turning back to wave to them frequently as he went.

Shen Zhou watched Wang Ao walk away before noticing Zhou Jingxing staring at him. "What's so interesting about a little kid like him?" Zhou Jingxing muttered under his breath. "I'm way better looking than him. If anyone's looking, it's..."

Chen Zhou interrupted him, "Let's go, I'll take you back."

Zhou Jingxing, as obedient as a dog, immediately stopped talking and followed behind him.

On the way back, Shen Zhou was clearly distracted. He would take a long time to answer Zhou Jingxing's questions. While Shen Zhou was focused on driving, Zhou Jingxing secretly observed Shen Zhou's face, but there seemed to be nothing unusual.

After parking the car, Shen Zhou looked at Zhou Jingxing in the passenger seat and said, "We've arrived."

Zhou Jingxing asked shyly, "Would you like to come up and sit for a while?" Shen Zhou quickly refused, "No, it's quite late, I don't want to bother you." Seeing the disappointment on Zhou Jingxing's face, he hesitated for a moment and said, "I'll visit you another time."

Zhou Jingxing looked straight at him. "Let's not do it next time, just this time, okay?" He awkwardly tried to entice Chen Zhou. "I told you last time about the bottle I found at a bargain price on the antique street. It's really beautiful. Do you want to go up and take a look?"

Looking into his eyes, Chen Zhou couldn't bring herself to refuse. "Then, shall I go up and take a look?"

Zhou Jingxing was so excited that he almost pressed the wrong floor in the elevator. After entering the house, he attentively found slippers for Shen Zhou, invited him to the sofa, and brought him hot water.

Zhou Jingxing sat beside Shen Zhou, looking at him with a face full of joy. His intense gaze made Shen Zhou's face flush, and he picked up his cup and took a sip as if to cover it up.

Chen Zhou put down his cup, cleared his throat, and asked, "Where's the bottle you mentioned?"

"Oh right! Wait for me, I'll go get it."

Zhou Jingxing got up and went to his study to bring out a bottle, which Chen Zhou took and examined carefully. It was a celadon-glazed begonia-shaped bottle, with a fresh glaze and a beautiful shape.

"Imitation of Ru ware?"

"Yes, the era should be from the Qianlong to the Jiaqing period."

Chen Zhou raised an eyebrow and asked him, "You said it was a bargain, how much did you get it for?"

Zhou Jingxing proudly held out one hand, "Five hundred."

"What!" Shen Zhou exclaimed, "Fifty hundred yuan got you half a house? What kind of luck is that!"

Zhou Jingxing couldn't help but argue, "It's not just about luck, it also requires my discerning eye. Besides, I won't make a purchase, so whether this bottle costs three million or thirty makes no difference to me."

"You have a great attitude, but your luck is truly enviable."

Zhou Jingxing smiled and said, "Then I'll take you with me next time I have a holiday. Maybe we can find some good stuff."

Shen Zhou carefully returned the bottle to Zhou Jingxing, saying, "Can you expect to get something for nothing every day? There's no such thing as a free lunch."

"You don't necessarily have to look for bargains. There are some interesting items in the antique street too. Wait for me, I'll show them to you."

Zhou Jingxing casually placed the bottle on the coffee table, then went into the study and brought out a plastic storage box.

The box contained quite a few novel and interesting little things, including strangely shaped porcelain, exquisitely carved antique bronze mirrors, and even a pair of five-poison silver hairpins.

He marveled at the shipwrecked vessel, playing with it with great delight.

"I'll give them all to you if you like them."

Shen Zhou paused, her hand holding the hairpin still. "How can I do that? I can't take what belongs to someone else." She put down the hairpin and closed the box. "I've seen it all; it's really interesting. So today I'll..."

Zhou Jingxing knew he was about to leave, so he asked first, "Have you eaten dinner? If not, I'll make you some noodles. No! I mean, how about I cook some noodles? Actually, I haven't eaten dinner either."

Chen Zhou found it amusing and didn't stand on ceremony with him, "Sure, but it's too much trouble for you."

Zhou Jingxing was overjoyed; this was the perfect opportunity to show off his boyfriend skills! He repeatedly said, "No trouble at all! You sit and play for a while, I'll go cook some noodles."

Once inside the kitchen, Zhou Jingxing began to worry; he had overdone it.

He can't cook at all!

But cooking noodles should be easy, right? Zhou Jingxing rummaged through his drawers and found a bag of noodles, two tomatoes, three eggs, and a box of beef slices. He carefully checked the packaging; thankfully, they weren't expired, and the tomatoes and eggs were still fairly fresh.

Anyway, it's always better to cook the noodles first. Thinking this, he took out a pot and poured the noodles into it, only to realize a problem.

Why is this pot so small?

The noodles were in the pot, only about 40% in. One end of the thin noodles was submerged in the water, while the other end curled up towards the ceiling.

...

Never mind, it will all go into the water once it's cooked until soft.

Zhou Jingxing lit the stove and then turned to wash the tomatoes, glancing at Chen Zhou as he did so. Chen Zhou was looking at the bottle again; his fingers were so long and white, like jade. If only he could…

"Jingxing? Do you need my help?" Shenzhou suddenly looked up and asked him.

"No need, no need, you can just sit and wait."

Shen Zhou, however, had a solemn expression. He stood up and strode over.

"What are you cooking? The pot's on fire!"

Zhou Jingxing first smelled a burnt smell. He quickly turned to look at the gas stove and saw that the noodle sticking out of the pot was burning.

My heart is pounding, love is like a raging fire.

You're calling me crazy.

Aa ...

Zhou Jingxing hurriedly turned off the gas stove and poured a cup of cold water on it.

The fire is out.

Chen Zhou couldn't help but chuckle at the mess on the stove and Zhou Jingxing's bewildered expression. He covered his lips with his fist to hide his laughter, "Looks like you don't usually cook at home." Before Zhou Jingxing could refuse, he started helping to clean up.

After tidying up the countertop, Zhou Jingxing took out a larger pot from the cabinet and said with a slightly flushed face, "You can go outside and wait. I won't mess this up again this time."

Chen Zhou naturally took the pot, then pushed Zhou Jingxing's shoulder and walked outside, saying, "Go wait outside and watch me show you my skills."

Zhou Jingxing sat on the sofa, still bewildered. He didn't understand how things had turned out this way. He was supposed to be the one showcasing his culinary skills to Chen Zhou and winning his heart! How did the situation completely reverse?

Watching Shen Zhou busily working in the kitchen, Zhou Jingxing's heart warmed. Shen Zhou's hands, usually nibbling on art pieces, were now gripping chopsticks and whisking eggs. The apron given to him by the supermarket didn't look ridiculous on him at all; instead, it added a touch of gentleness. The apron straps accentuated his slender waist, leading down to his rounded figure…

Zhou Jingxing blushed and turned his gaze away, not daring to disrespect the god in his heart.

Shen Zhou quickly brought out two bowls of tomato, egg, and beef noodles from the kitchen. Zhou Jingxing, like a puppy smelling meat, quickly sat down at the table and looked at the bowls of noodles expectantly.

The two sat facing each other. After Chen Zhou said, "Let's eat," Zhou Jingxing couldn't wait to pick up his chopsticks and start eating. The soup base was sweet and sour and rich, the eggs were tender and smooth, and the noodles were chewy and springy. Zhou Jingxing couldn't help but give a thumbs up as he ate, "Delicious!"

Chen Zhou smiled, revealing two small dimples. "You flatter me. It's just a simple cooking."

After finishing his meal, Zhou Jingxing took the bowl to wash it. When he came out of the kitchen, Chen Zhou was standing in front of the living room shelf, looking intently at a photograph on the shelf.

Zhou Jingxing walked over and asked him, "What are you looking at?"

"Oh, looking at a photo. Is this you and your father? You two look so alike."

Zhou Jingxing nodded, "Yes, it was taken with him before I went to university."

“Your dad looks kind of familiar; I feel like I’ve seen his face somewhere before.” After saying that, Chen Zhou suddenly remembered, “Ah! He’s Professor Zhou Yunhai, isn’t he? The new material he developed recently shocked the world.”

Zhou Jingxing seemed indifferent, "It's not that exaggerated. He's just an ordinary researcher. I've never seen him in the news."

"My God, aren't you being a little too modest! If the materials he developed hadn't been requisitioned by the government, do you know how much they could have sold for!"

Zhou Jingxing shrugged, seemingly unconcerned. "I don't know. We don't talk about work much. In fact, we only see each other a few times a year, and we don't really know anything about each other's lives."

Thinking about his own family situation, Shen Zhou asked him, "Did your father remarry and have another family?"

“Oh, no. But he’s a great scientist, how could he have time to take care of his children?” Zhou Jingxing smiled, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes; there was even a hint of sarcasm in his expression towards his accomplished father.

Unconsciously, Chen Zhou's expression changed. "And what about your mother?"

“I don’t remember her very well. She passed away when I was young. My dad was busy with work and was away from home all year round. I was raised by my grandma. She passed away when I was in high school. After that, I lived almost entirely on my own.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhou felt a surge of sympathy for Zhou Jingxing. He wanted to say something to comfort him, but the other looked at him, his scheming expression clearly written on his face, and asked, "Would you like me a little more because you pity me?"

...

Chen Zhou said with a straight face, "No. Forget about it."

Zhou Jingxing feigned a wronged expression, "Brother is so cold, like the sub-zero temperature in winter."

Shen Zhou couldn't help but laugh out loud, "What kind of nonsense is this?"

Zhou Jingxing laughed along with him, his gaze towards Chen Zhou tender yet passionate. "Just trying to make you happy."