Chapter 14 Eager to get married? I'll take responsibility. ...

The cicadas were chirping loudly in the summer, but they couldn't drown out this sudden confession.

Su Cheng's breath hitched, and she looked at Jiang Muzhou in disbelief.

Jiang Muzhou gently stirred the fish soup in the casserole with a long-handled spoon, then scooped up a spoonful and brought it to his lips to taste the saltiness.

He turned to look at Su Cheng standing to the side, but the smile he had expected did not appear on her face.

Didn't you hear me?

He turned off the buzzing range hood, took two steps forward, and repeated his prepared statement: "Strawberry and lychee, put together, it means 'Strawberry and lychee are not enough, but I can't do without you.'"

Su Cheng chuckled twice, "You'll lose money for puns."

Turns out, a top student's lame jokes are scarier than advanced math problems. Well said, don't say that again next time.

She turned away and went to the sink to rinse the fruit.

Staring at the strawberries and lychees swirling in the sink, she realized how dangerous her earlier thought had been.

She actually blushed and her heart raced because of a pun; heaven knows what she was expecting.

Jiang Muzhou was somewhat disappointed after his first defeat.

Is humor an innate quality?

Since he's not a naturally gifted player, he plans to spend time analyzing several popular internet memes, learning from them, and applying them in different contexts.

Su Cheng brought out a plate and arranged the strawberries around the edge of the plate, with a few peeled lychees piled in the middle.

Yuanbao stood on the island platform, tugging at the straps of Jiang Muzhou's apron with its paws. The straps swayed back and forth, making Yuanbao's cat eyes widen.

"Dad's cooking." Seeing this, Su Cheng grabbed Yuanbao by the back of the neck and lifted him up. "Sister will play with you."

Jiang Muzhou paused in his chopping of scallions.

Why did she demote herself?

Su Cheng slumped lazily in the sofa, idly waving a cat toy with her left hand while mechanically scrolling through short videos on her phone with her right.

"Crossing" was updated last night; it was the episode about the Longquan Sword that was previewed last time.

She clicked her tongue in annoyance, thinking, "Drinking really does lead to trouble."

Su Cheng stared at the blade being drawn on the screen, her fingers clattering on the keyboard: [The master said I lack iron in my five elements and a sword in my destiny, can you give me one? /.starry-eyed].

After she liked the post, she scrolled down and came across a funny video of a cat wearing a grass skirt and doing pole dancing.

It was Xu Zhisui who came to confront them.

When the call connected, the background noise on the other end was somewhat chaotic, mixed with conversations and the clinking of cups and saucers.

Xu Zhisui feigned anger: "Su Su, whose side are you on? You're keeping such a big thing from me for Shen Siqi!"

"Heaven and earth bear witness! Of course I stand firmly on your side!" Su Cheng seized the opportunity to express his loyalty, "In order not to ruin this cosmic romance, I have no choice but to be the sinner."

"I didn't expect this kid to move so quickly." Xu Zhisui snorted lightly. "Susu, what's going on over there? Is there renovation downstairs?"

Su Cheng moved the receiver away from her ear slightly and heard the rhythmic chopping sounds coming from the kitchen. She replied casually, "Cooking."

"The sun must have risen in the west! You're cooking to celebrate my marriage?" Xu Zhisui clicked her tongue twice.

“It wasn’t me, it was…” Su Cheng swallowed hard, stammering, “It was Jiang Muzhou.”

"What?!?!" Xu Zhisui exclaimed, "He's thinking about his white moonlight during the day, and then he cooks for you at night. What kind of plot is this? Is this some kind of stand-in literature?"

"Don't talk nonsense, we have a very innocent neighborly relationship." Su Cheng turned down the volume on her phone. "We're just sharing a room."

She said this to Xu Zhisui, but also to herself.

After a few seconds of silence, the sound of boiling soup came from the other end of the phone, along with a muffled voice saying, "Add some more tripe."

"All signs indicate that he's either pursuing you or trying to hook you up." Xu Zhisui lowered her voice, adopting a seasoned tone. "While it's natural for women to be unable to resist handsome men, don't fall for it too easily. You need to keep the initiative in your own hands!"

After hanging up the phone, Su Cheng rubbed her head and carefully analyzed the two possibilities Xu Zhisui had mentioned.

When it comes to pursuing someone, Jiang Muzhou is always the one being pursued.

Su Cheng was also one of his many suitors. Although her motives were impure and she didn't pursue him very seriously, she truly experienced the feeling of being anxious and flustered.

In contrast, Jiang Muzhou has always been calm and composed, seemingly never troubled by emotions. With his looks and qualities, he could easily have people willing to go through fire and water for him with just a snap of his fingers; there's really no need for him to suffer the hardship of pursuing someone.

"Dinner's ready."

A gentle voice sounded from behind. Su Cheng turned around and met a pair of eyes full of tenderness.

Jiang Muzhou leaned against the door frame, watching her with a smile.

"Okay." Su Cheng looked at him, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up.

The aroma of the food filled the air. Jiang Muzhou was a very good cook; the meal consisted of four dishes and a soup, a perfect balance of meat and vegetables, and was a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate.

Especially the steaming pot of silver carp head soup, the milky white broth was thick and just the right consistency, the fish head was faintly visible in the soup, and the aroma was fresh and fragrant.

Su Cheng scooped up a spoonful of fish soup, blew on it to cool it down, and put it in her mouth. The rich umami flavor exploded on her tongue, and the essence of the fish head was completely infused into the soup. She couldn't help but squint her eyes and let out a satisfied sigh.

Jiang Muzhou roughly understood Su Cheng's eating habits. She didn't mind having seasonings like scallions, ginger, and garlic in her dishes, but she would pick them out when eating. She liked the tomatoes in her tomato and egg stir-fry, but she would peel them.

Fortunately, they are not too difficult to raise.

Seeing that she only took a few bites of each dish, Jiang Muzhou asked, "Is it to your liking?"

Unlike her usual light and bright outfits, Su Cheng wore a beige off-the-shoulder dress today, the elegant color making her skin look exceptionally fair. The neckline rested on her slender arms, revealing delicate collarbones and thin, bony shoulders.

She is so thin.

Su Cheng chewed on the tender and juicy black pepper beef tenderloin, nodding emphatically in silent praise.

She took two more bites of the fragrant rice; its soft and sticky texture was indeed much better than the overly soft or undercooked rice delivered by takeout.

Noticing that Jiang Muzhou's gaze was still fixed on her, Su Cheng put down her chopsticks and wiped her lips with her finger. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

Her eyes narrowed slightly, and a sly smile curved her lips. "Do I look particularly good today?"

"Beautiful," he blurted out.

Last night, she looked up at him like this too, her bright eyes fixed on him, and then…

His Adam's apple bobbed uncontrollably, and his earlobes blushed slightly.

He looked away, his gaze falling on the delicate daisy earrings on her ears, the pale yellow daisies swaying gently on her earlobes.

“I meant the earrings,” he said softly, “they suit you very well.”

Su Cheng felt a tightness in her chest. She had intended to tease him, but unexpectedly, she lost her composure instead.

At this moment, she suddenly understood the fishing theory that Xu Zhisui had mentioned. Jiang Muzhou's pulling and releasing, his ability to control the situation so freely, was clearly "Jiang Taigong fishing," where those who were willing would take the bait.

The boundary between chasing and fishing has always been ambiguous.

The only difference is whether or not someone has given their heart.

But true sincerity is the hardest thing to see through in this world.

She can't even understand her own heart, let alone see through other people's hearts.

The phone vibrated twice, pulling Su Cheng back to reality from her chaotic thoughts.

"I've finished editing yesterday's photos, but I forgot to send them to you."

Su Cheng turned on her phone screen, and the sunset she had casually photographed was given a new lease on life by his skillful touch.

"Thank you, you're truly a professional." She gave him an approving look.

Jiang Muzhou looked up. "Between us, there's no need for thanks."

The word "we" popped out of his mouth once again.

Su Cheng knew she might be overinterpreting things, but those ambiguous probing attempts continued to tug at her heartstrings.

She looked directly at him, suddenly wanting him to spell it out: "What is our relationship?"

Jiang Muzhou leaned forward slightly, looking at her with a smile in his eyes, "I remember when you introduced me to Lin Yang, you said I was a client."

An old friend?

This answer was completely unexpected.

They could be considered old classmates, but they had only really gotten to know each other in the last ten days or so.

He defines this relationship as "old friends," which seems to be both an affirmation of the past and a denial of the future.

Su Cheng felt that she was probably influenced by Xu Zhisui's romantic proposal. When the happy newlyweds embraced and cried, the intense atmosphere of love could easily make onlookers have unrealistic fantasies.

His answer was like a wake-up call, freeing her from her tangled thoughts.

Su Cheng picked up a strawberry, took a small bite, and the sweet and sour juice spread between her lips and teeth.

"By the way, how much is the food? I'll transfer it to you." She waved her phone, the screen still lit up with the sunset photo he had fixed.

Jiang Muzhou glanced at the table and laughed, "You haven't eaten much. It feels like I'm taking advantage of you."

She swallowed the strawberry, afraid that Jiang Muzhou would misunderstand that she ate little because she disliked his cooking, so she quickly explained, "Your cooking is delicious. I'm just worried that if I eat too much, I'll get fat and won't be able to get married."

His pupils dilated slightly, somewhat surprised. "What, are you in a hurry to get married?"

"No, no, it's just a way of putting it." Su Cheng quickly waved her hand, feeling that he had missed the point, and was somewhat amused and exasperated. "Girls, you know, they all pay more attention to their figure."

The wrinkles between his brows eased slightly, and Jiang Muzhou looked at her earnestly, his tone gentle yet firm: "Whether it's for your health or to make your food expenses worthwhile, you should eat a little more."

"My college roommate's cousin suffered a perforated stomach and ended up in the hospital because she blindly followed the trend of intermittent fasting to lose weight."

Su Cheng gasped, rubbing her stomach involuntarily. "Is it that serious?"

Jiang Muzhou nodded, his tone firm: "That's why I have to keep a close eye on you. Eating more is to get more comprehensive nutrition and maintain healthy bodily functions."

"Don't worry, I studied nutrition, and a scientific diet won't make you fat easily." After a short pause, he added, "If you do gain weight, I'll take responsibility."

A note from the author:

Please, all you little angels passing by, add this to your favorites! [Upright-eared bunny head][Upright-eared bunny head]