"Wa... Wait a minute."
Hearing this, Ning Xi turned her head to look at Ye Fan, puzzled. "What's wrong?"
Ye Fan involuntarily swallowed his saliva, his eyes filled with some uncertainty. "Xiao Xi, are you sure this is braised pork and not scrambled eggs with tomatoes?"
"Scrambled eggs with tomatoes?"
Ning Xi became even more confused, looking at the dish on the plate with a bewildered expression but affirming confidently, "This is braised pork. I didn't make scrambled eggs with tomatoes."
"…"
Ye Fan steadied himself, forcing a smile. "I was just asking casually. What about this dish, then?"
He pointed at the dish that very much resembled stir-fried pork with green peppers, making one last effort.
"Shrimp stir-fried with Chinese chives."
"…"
Ye Fan's expression froze, and he forced himself to stay calm.
These dishes… are just great!
Ning Xi's clear eyes sparkled, as if she sensed Ye Fan's strangeness. She weakly said, "This is my first time cooking. It's already not easy to get this far. Don't dislike it, okay?"
"What are you saying?"
Ye Fan put on a serious face and said, "Xiao Xi, don't worry. I'll definitely finish all these dishes later."
Ning Xi covered her mouth and let out a laugh. "Oh, by the way, there's also steamed hairy crabs. Wait a bit; we'll eat soon."
After saying this, she got up and ran to the kitchen.
Ye Fan's face was filled with a wry smile.
This mouth of his… Why couldn't he keep it shut?
After eating…
He hoped he could survive unscathed!!!
When Ye Fan saw the steamed hairy crabs, his forehead was full of question marks.
The color of the dish silently conveyed both good and bad news to him.
Good news: This dish wasn't black.
Bad news: This dish was… green.
Under normal circumstances, shouldn't steamed hairy crabs be red?
This…
"Huh?"
Ning Xi noticed Ye Fan staring intently at the crabs and suddenly realized the issue. She murmured softly, "It should be fine. I steamed them for half an hour, so they must be cooked."
Her voice was so quiet that Ye Fan didn't catch it. Just as he was about to ask, Ning Xi directly announced it was time to eat.
Alright.
Ye Fan obediently suppressed his doubts, wearing a look of grim determination, silently comforting himself.
Besides, he had already made his statement. No matter what these dishes tasted like, he had to finish them.
This was Ning Xi's effort. Even if his taste buds suffered, it made his heart happy!
With that in mind, Ye Fan picked up his chopsticks. After much hesitation, he decided to start with the most decent-looking dish, the steamed hairy crabs.
But just as he was about to grab the crab, one of its claws clamped onto his chopsticks. At the same time, the other claw waved threateningly, as if saying: "Cooked? What are you doing touching me?!"
This situation left Ye Fan completely dumbfounded.
Oh my—
Ning Xi's cheeks turned bright red in an instant. "I… this… I clearly put it in the steamer. What's going on…"
Ye Fan silently put down his chopsticks. Although his heart was already a stormy sea, he still tried to maintain a calm expression. "Xiao Xi, did you press the switch?"
"Switch?"
Ning Xi's face was full of innocence as she asked, "Isn't it enough to just put it in the steamer? Do I have to press a switch too?"
"…"
Defeated!
This time, Ye Fan was utterly defeated!
He surrendered completely!
He should've never let Ning Xi cook. Girls are meant to look pretty, aren't they? Why bother with things like cooking…
How to fix this?
Who knows?!
Seeing Ye Fan with his mouth open but not saying a word, Ning Xi bit her lip and said softly, "Um… I think it can still be saved. Can you teach me how to use the steamer? I… forgot to ask earlier."
"It's fine, it's fine. I'll handle it, I'll handle it."
After witnessing Ning Xi's culinary skills, Ye Fan completely gave up on letting Ning Xi cook. From now on… no, for the rest of this life, even the next life, he wouldn't let this girl step into the kitchen.
Without giving Ning Xi a chance to reply, he quickly picked up the hairy crabs and rushed to the kitchen.
When he returned to the living room, he saw Ning Xi putting food into his bowl. His mood instantly turned sour, but he still had to force a smile.
"Xiao Xi, I can serve myself."
"It's fine. This meal is to reward you. You, the hero, must eat more."
"Actually, I… I'm not very hungry."
Ye Fan looked at the food in his bowl, hesitated for a moment, and cautiously said.
Immediately, Ning Xi's face filled with displeasure. She said softly, "Just now, you said you'd finish all the dishes. Now you say you're not hungry. Are you disliking my cooking?"
"No, no!"
Ye Fan quickly shook his head, laughing awkwardly. "I was just joking with you. I've been starving for a while now."
As he spoke, he grabbed his bowl and quickly stuffed a mouthful of food into his mouth. His expression changed for a moment before returning to normal.
"Delicious, delicious."
"Really?"
"Of course!"
"Then eat more."
"…Alright."
Fearing he might expose himself, Ye Fan forced himself to suppress the nausea and quickly finished all four dishes.
The speed at which he ate left Ning Xi dumbfounded. Her eyes curved into crescents, her delicate face brimming with happiness. "At least leave me a bite. I haven't even tasted them yet."
Hearing this, Ye Fan's entire body stiffened. At this moment, he couldn't speak because the moment he opened his mouth, he felt like he'd throw up. He quickly scraped the tiny leftovers from all four dishes into a single bowl, leaving nothing behind.
She mustn't eat this!
If she did, it would definitely cause trouble!
"You…"
Ning Xi pouted, looking aggrieved. "Big brother, I haven't even eaten yet. Couldn't you leave me a little?"
Ye Fan didn't say anything. After clearing the food from his bowl, he leaned back on the sofa, feeling drained. He stared at the ceiling, his mind drifting into the void.
"Hmph!"
Ning Xi shot him a glare, looking adorable and pouty.
Unfortunately, Ye Fan didn't have the heart to admire her right now. He was busy fighting a fierce battle with his stomach. Honestly, he never imagined food could be this lethal.
At this moment, only one thought remained in his mind:
Don't vomit, don't vomit…
"Thankfully, there are still the hairy crabs."
Ning Xi mumbled to herself. Just as she reached the kitchen door, a voice came from behind her.
"Remember to wear gloves. Be careful… not to burn yourself."
Ye Fan's voice was very strange, hoarse with a scratchy undertone, almost grating to the ears.
"Ye Fan, what's wrong with your voice?"
"Nothing… I'm just thirsty. Can you go downstairs and buy me… a bottle of yogurt?"
"Okay, I'll go right now."
Ning Xi didn't think too much about it and went downstairs.
Once he could no longer hear her footsteps, Ye Fan rushed into the bathroom, and then came the unmistakable sound of—
When Ning Xi returned with the yogurt and stepped inside, she immediately heard the sound of running water from the bathroom. She knocked on the door. "Ye Fan, are you in there? I got the yogurt."
Creak—
Ye Fan opened the door, walking out with a pale face. Looking at the lively girl in front of him, his heart filled with endless emotions.
Today was truly… a surprise…