Chapter 26
When Iris received the call, she was having a great time at the music festival.
Not wanting to do homework, not wanting to write articles, and not wanting to do puzzles, she went through the contacts she had just imported into her new phone and successfully found a group of friends she could have fun with. So she put on makeup, changed her clothes, and went out looking very elegant.
With her curly hair, red lips, and a cropped tank top, the moment Zhuang Zhuoyuan saw his girlfriend, he recalled their first encounter in Amsterdam. She was dressed similarly, and there was a similar fluster. But things were different now. He smiled and reached out his hand, quite naturally wanting to take her hand and hug her: "Don't worry, baby, the doctor said I'm fine."
"You sit down and wait here!" Iris slapped his arm away, completely oblivious to spoiling Zhuang Zhuoyuan's mood. She simply picked up the medicine bag next to her and looked for the diagnosis report. Only after carefully reading it from beginning to end did she suspiciously turn her gaze to her boyfriend: "Is it really just a tiny crack in the ankle bone?"
Zhuang Zhuoyuan, who had watched the whole thing with a smile, leaned back in his chair and spread his arms wide: "You can search it up if you don't believe me."
He laughed easily, and Iris finally felt relieved. Just as she was about to show some warmth, he turned around and poured water on her again: "So, compared to you, am I a fairly honest patient?"
Iris, hands on her hips and gritting her teeth, said with a mix of anger and threat, "Zhuang Zhuoyuan, don't you want to go home?"
Zhuang Zhuoyuan wisely raised his hands.
Back home, groceries were immediately delivered. Iris took the bags and packages, ignoring Zhuang Zhuoyuan, and headed to the kitchen with the phone in her hand. She had never cooked in their house before, and Zhuang Zhuoyuan assumed Iris was just tidying up. However, after she had been inside for a while, he heard the clattering of pots and pans coming from the kitchen.
"BB, what are you doing?" He hopped to the kitchen doorway on one foot and was surprised to find the stove already lit, and his girlfriend adding ingredients one by one into the soup pot. It turned out that the raw pork ribs and chicken that had just been delivered had already been prepared.
Iris stepped aside to make room for him, then looked annoyed that he was in her way: "Don't bother me, go back to the sofa and sit down, don't affect my performance. Pauline, let's continue, I've put everything away, what's the next step?"
Zhuang Zhuoyuan was eager to see his girlfriend's first experience in the kitchen, and he was also prepared to help at any time. So instead of returning to the living room, he brought over a new chair and took a DV camera to record the event.
"This is the first time my wife has cooked for me!" he said with a grin to the camera. Iris immediately turned around and made a face: "It's just soup, I'll have the hotel staff deliver the other dishes. I'll also hire a part-time housekeeper."
His wife is so cute. Zhuang Zhuoyuan really wanted to go up and hug her and kiss her, but due to her threat, he could only send a flying kiss and a wink from afar, and then echoed, "Yes, our baby's hands are for holding a pen, not for doing housework."
In less than three minutes of recording, Iris's "on-the-spot cooking" was basically complete. Zhuang Zhuoyuan watched as she rummaged through the pot, poured all the necessary ingredients in, and then zoomed in on the weighed seasonings in their resealable bags. He was convinced that his girlfriend's first attempt at cooking would be anything but bad. At that moment, Iris came over and requisitioned his camera.
She swept the kitchen counter with her DV camera, then stopped the lens on the pot, turned around and filmed Zhuang Zhuoyuan at the door for a few seconds, and then began to lay out and decorate the dark history she might have in the future: "This pot of soup of mine is definitely guided by a master chef, and the ingredients are the best. If the result is not good, it will definitely be because Zhuang Sheng kept disturbing me while I was making the soup."
Zhuang Zhuoyuan, standing behind, gaped and clutched his chest in surprise: "BB, I think I just heard someone asking Sister Pauline 'what is 'gentle fire'?"
Iris decided to let out a loud snort, since she was perfectly justified: "Isn't that because you spoiled her!"
Zhuang Sheng realized that he could never win a battle of wits against his girlfriend. For example, the puzzle box he'd intended to use to keep Iris occupied had now become a toy for his amusement. The young lady, who had only pieced together four edges before running off to play, was now incredibly smug. Besides showing off her "masterpiece," she also proactively told him "You're welcome," clearly intending to get her revenge for the humiliation she'd suffered at Zhuang Zhuoyuan's hands.
Zhuang Sheng had no choice but to change the subject: "BB, you look so beautiful today, where have you been? Ah! You know, when I saw you at the hospital, it reminded me of our meeting in Amsterdam. But you look so different now than you did back then, do you want to know why?"
“Your turn was really stiff.” Iris didn’t hesitate to expose him. Although she didn’t say it, Zhuang Zhuoyuan could see the “tsk tsk tsk” on her face just from her expression.
But praise her whether she hears it or not. Zhuang Zhuoyuan was a shrewd guy; he knew exactly how to make his girlfriend happier. He coughed twice, then pulled out a photo of Iris from back then from his phone and showed it to her for comparison: "Look, isn't she even sexier than before!"
Iris glanced at him.
Sir Zhuang then added, "It's not just about your figure, I'm also referring to your aura. You know, when we first met you were still a little girl, but now it's different. You have a more mature woman's charm. That feeling between youthful innocence and youthful allure is truly unparalleled."
After praising someone to this extent, it would be unreasonable not to give them a reward. Iris was generous, but after the kiss, she looked at her boyfriend with a smiling eye, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated, which was both intriguing and unsettling. Zhuang Zhuoyuan couldn't figure it out, so he asked directly again, "Baby, is there something you want to tell me?"
Iris nodded seriously, her eyes darting around before finally settling on him as if she had made up her mind: "B, I wanted to ask you, which restaurant's porridge do you want to eat tonight?"
It's best to avoid certain foods when you're injured, but with my wife's lovingly prepared soup, nothing else will taste bland. Iris had so much to say, so many more things she could tease Zhuang Zhuoyuan about, but he had already overwhelmed her. She really wondered if she was truly that sexy and charming today, enough to make him pursue her sweetness again and again.
As the two were passionately kissing on the sofa, Zhuang Zhuohua, who had left work early, pushed open the door. She was used to this kind of scene, and naturally, the two involved were much calmer than before: "Sister, you're off work so early today."
"Hmm," Zhuang Zhuohua closed the door and changed her shoes, the worry on her face no longer as before, "I heard that Ayuan was injured, so I came back early, but it seems that he is not seriously injured, right? I don't think I have bothered you too much, have I? I can go in and cook!"
“No need for you to trouble yourself, sister.” Iris got up and pushed Zhuang Zhuohua to sit down on the sofa. “I’ve already asked the hotel to make preparations. I’ll send you the menu in a bit, and we can just order. As for Ayuan, he fell from the tree while saving Yu Xueli, which resulted in a fractured ankle. He just needs to rest and recover.”
Zhuang Zhuohua is now used to Iris clinging to her like a koala. She smiled slightly, patted her sister-in-law's hand, and said, "Didn't you say last week that you wanted to try my cooking again?"
It was rare for her to get off work early today, and Iris would be happy if Zhuang Zhuohua were willing to cook. However, Madam Zhuang had been quite busy these days, and Iris, being sensible, didn't want her to overwork herself, so she took the opportunity to massage her shoulders: "Why am I being so considerate! Sister, you spent the whole night on the beach feeding mosquitoes, you should relax and rest today, we can talk about other things later!"
Two women are a drama in themselves, and Zhuang Zhuoyuan is both an audience member and a participant. The three of them together always have plenty to talk about, and with Zhuang Zhuohua in a good mood, their interactions increase even more. Judging from the description, the trip to the beach was probably for an ambush. Zhuang Zhuoyuan stroked his chin: "Sister, are you going to catch illegal immigrants again?"
Chong Cheuk-wah nodded and told the two of them about the information she had received, which now seemed unreliable: "I heard from an informant that someone from above was going to come down to do a big deal. They even got the time and place, but they haven't seen a single person since. Now even that informant has disappeared. Ben and the others are searching for him."
"What if we can't find him?" Iris's intuition wasn't right. According to Zhuang Zhuohua, if that person had run away after giving false information, Ben's abilities wouldn't have prevented them from finding him by now. And if the information he gave was indeed false, Zhuang Zhuohua should have noticed by now; she wouldn't be foolishly leading a team to wait in vain late at night. Therefore, at least some of what this person said must be true, and whether he hid or disappeared because of this truth, she suspected the outcome wouldn't be good: "Sister, I hope I'm overthinking it, but my premonition is indeed not good. Actually, when you were on the mission that day, did you notice anything unusual?"
"Something's wrong?" Iris's intuition was usually quite accurate, and Zhuang Zhuohua's own considerations coincided with hers. Therefore, Iris's words made Zhuang Zhuohua even more alert. She tried hard to recall that night; her sight and hearing were normal, and what she heard... wait! "I remember now, I think I heard the sound of an engine, the boat's engine! But Ah May and the others said they didn't hear anything, so I didn't pay attention. Could it be..."
Iris had already run into the room to get the map. Thanks to Dr. Pun's courses and Chong Cheuk-yuen's great help, this outsider had several maps of Hong Kong that were more detailed than those of the locals. Turning to the page Chong Cheuk-yuen needed, and then searching and pondering the surrounding area, Iris almost imagined herself as a criminal who had almost been discovered. Measuring distances, calculating the possibility of turning around and staying temporarily, her finger circled several unnamed islets outside the beach.
Zhuang Zhuoyuan usually enjoyed listening to Iris's mutterings while playing deduction games, but this time he wasn't fully focused. His attention had already shifted when he glanced at the areas Iris's fingertip traced. As his girlfriend jogged back to her room to get her notebook, Zhuang Sir moved aside, pointed to a small island she had just pointed to, and whispered to his sister, "Our training location this time is right here."
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