Chapter 133: Extra Story Four
To Wen Xingchen’s surprise, after the chaos of the first day settled, Lu Jingning exhibited an unexpected enthusiasm for raising cats.
Not only did he extensively browse through cat care guides online, but he also diligently started experimenting with making cat food in the kitchen.
Observing someone bustling around in the kitchen, Wen Xingchen leaned against the doorway in silence for a moment. Suddenly, he walked up and pulled the person into his arms from behind.
Lu Jingning could feel tiny strands of hair lightly brushing against his neck. Feeling a slight itch, he couldn’t help but nudge him gently with his elbow, “I’m cooking, don’t tease.”
A cryptic tone emerged from behind Wen Xingchen, “You’ve never cooked for me.”
Lu Jingning’s busy movements paused momentarily, seemingly realizing something. He glanced back at the other with a mix of amusement and exasperation, “Wen-ge, are you feeling jealous?”
Unexpectedly, under this banter, Wen Xingchen responded unusually calmly, “Yeah, the vinegar jar has turned into a huge vat. What do you think I should do?”
Lu Jingning: “…”
Wen Xingchen: “So, when are you planning to cook for me next?”
Lu Jingning scooped up a spoonful of a dark substance with a ladle and waved it in front of him, asking, “Are you sure about this? This is the extent of my culinary skills. Are you sure you want to eat it?”
A hint of resigned determination laced Wen Xingchen’s tone, “Even if it’s poisoned.”
Lu Jingning choked for a moment, then couldn’t help but burst into laughter, pushing him lightly, “Okay then, you just wait for me to poison my husband.”
As the two were jesting, a dark shadow whizzed past them, finally landing on the nearby table.
Charcoal stared with curious round eyes at the entwined pair, seemingly puzzled about their actions. It let out a meow in a childish voice.
Lu Jingning wriggled out of Wen Xingchen’s embrace and promptly served the sticky mass from the pot into a cute pet bowl, invitingly saying, “Little Charcoal, come here. See what delicious treat I’ve made for you.”
Charcoal’s gaze shifted from the blurry and peculiar food in the bowl. It bared its teeth at him and swiftly turned away, dashing off without a backward glance.
Lu Jingning: “Damn it! You stinky cat, stop right there!”
Wen Xingchen leaned against the cabinet, watching the antics of the two figures—one large, one small—as they resumed their daily chase, unable to suppress his laughter.
Ever since this little black creature came to their home, such scenes seemed to unfold daily. Strangely enough, no matter how many times he witnessed it, he found it endlessly entertaining.
In the end, Charcoal fell short in terms of stamina, exhaustedly grabbed by Lu Jingning by the neck and brought back, then casually placed in front of the plate of dark cuisine.
With a coaxing tone, Lu Jingning said, “Be good, Charcoal. Try your PAPA’s masterpiece, hmm?”
Charcoal looked at him with a sense of despair, lowered its head, and stared at the seemingly inedible thing in front of it, as if contemplating its tiny existence.
Finally, under Lu Jingning’s increasingly stern gaze, succumbing to the other’s coercion, it tentatively stuck out its pink little tongue and symbolically licked it.
Lu Jingning eagerly awaited its reaction. Yet, the moment the tongue touched the food, the small black mass seemed to be jolted as if electrified, abruptly convulsing and then stiffening completely, collapsing motionless onto the floor.
Lu Jingning’s heart skipped a beat, panicking as he stood up, “Wen-ge! Something’s wrong! What’s happening, Wen-ge!”
Wen Xingchen, witnessing the scene from a distance, raised an eyebrow without a hint of alarm.
Lu Jingning suddenly realized something. When he turned around, the little thing that had just been half-dead and stiff on the ground leaped up the moment he shifted his gaze, swiftly disappearing out of sight.
Lu Jingning: “…”
Damn, it even learned to play dead!
Noticing Wen Xingchen’s faintly curved lips, he cleared his throat and put on a proud tone, “Truly worthy of being raised by General Lu Jingning—the tactical application of feigning death is exemplary!”
Wen Xingchen couldn’t hold back his laughter anymore, “Indeed, it is.”
Lu Jingning, maintaining his expression, shifted his gaze to the window, pretending not to catch the undertone in those words.
After a while, he turned back, looking at Wen Xingchen, “So, are you still sure you want to eat it?”
Without hesitation, Wen Xingchen replied, “Of course.”
…
In the end, Lu Jingning fulfilled his top’s request, shifting his focus from cat food to egg fried rice.
In theory, this should have been a very simple dish. At least, based on the steps described, it seemed so. However, while Lu Jingning understood every word and sentence in the instructions, when it came to practical application, it seemed quite different.
The thought of Wen Xingchen eating this meal made his hand holding the spatula tremble slightly. Fortunately, the final presentation looked somewhat decent. At least, compared to the dark cat food served to Charcoal, this bowl of egg fried rice didn’t appear as terrifying.
When Wen Xingchen picked up his chopsticks, Lu Jingning could sense an extremely nervous gaze fixed on himself. His lips couldn’t help but curl up slightly, and he calmly took a bite.
Lu Jingning remained attentive to the taster’s reaction. However, from Wen Xingchen’s poker face, he couldn’t discern anything. Unable to resist, he asked, “Is it delicious?”
Chewing slowly, Wen Xingchen responded, “Mm, exceptionally talented.”
Receiving affirmation, Lu Jingning’s previously anxious heart finally eased. Watching Wen Xingchen eat with such relish, he happily served himself a bowl.
As he sat down at the table, he noticed Charcoal looking at him from a distance. Smiling, Lu Jingning invited, “Little Charcoal, delicious food here. Do you want a taste?”
Although Charcoal appeared vigilant, seeing Wen Xingchen enjoying the food, it cautiously took hesitant steps toward them.
Seeing it approach, Lu Jingning’s mood brightened. He picked up a spoon and offered it to Charcoal. Sniffing the food, Charcoal confirmed that it smelled much better than the previous “poison” and cautiously took a small bite.
Lu Jingning beamed, “How is it? Delicious, right—Damn it! Why are you running away?!”
Seeing Charcoal eat a mouthful and then resume escape mode, his expression froze completely. With a furrowed brow and full of doubt, he reluctantly put a spoonful of the food into his own mouth.
As the strange taste flooded his mouth, he immediately spat it out, almost bursting into tears from the saltiness.
Lu Jingning never expected his debut to result in this. Staring at Wen Xingchen in disbelief, he noticed that Wen Xingchen’s bowl was empty without him realizing it. He also saw the almost empty jug of water beside him, his expression turning complicated.
After a brief silence, he reached out to take Wen Xingchen’s bowl, but Wen Xingchen evaded it.
With tightly pursed lips, Lu Jingning said, “It’s so bad, don’t eat it.”
Wen Xingchen took the last few bites, saying, “As long as it’s made by you, it’s delicious.”
If not for the hurried drinking, his indifferent expression might have indeed conveyed such a sentiment.
Lu Jingning felt warmth rush to his ears, unusually disheartened, “It seems like I’m really not cut out for cooking.”
Wen Xingchen chuckled, ruffling his hair, “I like it.”
Lu Jingning looked at him, wanting to say something but ultimately staying silent.
…
That night, the living room lights remained on throughout.
Lu Jingning, worried, peeked into the bathroom from outside the door countless times, suggesting, “Should we go to the hospital?”
Wen Xingchen, just finished vomiting, weakly waved his hand, “No need, I’ll be fine soon.”
The war god who always stood firm on the battlefield seemed somewhat shaky at this moment.
Lu Jingning handed him another cup of hot water, watching the somewhat pale complexion, feeling both distressed and self-blaming. In his heart, he silently made a resolution—absolutely cannot let Wen-ge suffer another setback! If there’s a next time, he must taste the “poison” himself first!
In a corner not far away, Charcoal’s round eyes watched the two people who were still fussing in the middle of the night, softly meowing to itself. Meow meow meow, luckily, this cat runs fast!
T/N: Hey there! There is plenty more where that came from, so stay tuned! And stay healthy! Straighten your posture, so some stretches and drink some water before continuing hehe~
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Also, check out the other series we have on HoH!
If you like cats, check out Revenge of the Garfield
If you like dragons, check out I’m Pregnant with the Hope of the Entire Planet and The Dragon and the ‘Princess’
How about some mystery or showbiz? Check out Morbid Addiction & Perfection
What about the perfect, most non-toxic male lead ever? Laws of Love
How about MC nursing ML back to health? Forced into the Deep
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