Chapter 7 Meals Are Not To Be Taken Lightly_1

She hung up the phone and returned to the house, letting out a sigh.

Why was Tan Jincheng's temper so irritable?

She began to doubt whether marrying him was the right choice. After all, all she wanted was a marriage certificate— a shield.

Just having changed into casual home clothes and washed her face, the doorbell rang.

Gu Yi'an opened the door and was immediately stunned.

"Tan Jincheng? How... how do you know where I live?"

Tan Jincheng, standing at the door, was dressed the same as when they last met, except his hair was slightly disheveled.

His eyes, bright as stars, were staring at her unblinkingly.

"Aren't you going to invite me in?" His voice was still annoyingly pleasant.

Gu Yi'an pressed her lips together. "I don't have slippers for you."

It wasn't an excuse. She indeed didn't have slippers for men, and her mild cleanliness obsession also made her dislike anyone wearing shoes into her room.

She thought Tan Jincheng might get angry, but he just took off his shoes and walked in wearing only his socks.

"You haven't told me how you knew where I lived," Gu Yi'an asked.

"Thirsty. Was tangled up with a traffic cop and that man for half a day, now I'm parched." Tan Jincheng sat on the sofa casually, crossing his legs with an imposing presence.

Gu Yi'an twitched the corners of her mouth, silently mocking in her heart: This isn't your home, what do you mean by making yourself so comfortable?

"I only have plain water and fruit. No drinks or beer," Gu Yi'an said.

"Just plain water then. I don't like drinks or beer either," Tan Jincheng said with a slight smile.

Especially when Gu Yi'an handed him the cup of water, Tan Jincheng's smile became even more pronounced.

Gu Yi'an felt annoyed. What are you smiling about? I know you're good-looking; do you need to keep smiling like that? Smiling so charmingly, are you selling your looks?

"I don't like sweets; slightly sweet is acceptable, slightly spicy is also acceptable. I don't eat vegetables with strange odors like celery or cilantro; as for meat, I don't eat dog meat, rabbit meat, or snake meat; for fruit, I don't eat anything sour, any sour at all."

Tan Jincheng's voice was calm and very pleasant.

But the things he said...

"And you?" Tan Jincheng asked, drinking water and glancing at Gu Yi'an.

"Huh?"

"I just told you my food preferences, what about you?" Tan Jincheng glanced at her.

"I'm fine with anything, I'm not picky," Gu Yi'an said.

"So easy to take care of?" Tan Jincheng raised an eyebrow.

Gu Yi'an's mouth twitched slightly. Isn't it normal to not be picky about food? Besides, she didn't have the luxury to be picky.

"I'm hungry," Tan Jincheng said directly.

"Outsi..."

"What do you have here? Just make something simple," Tan Jincheng interrupted, speaking as if he didn't consider himself an outsider at all.

Gu Yi'an felt helpless. "I usually eat at the hospital cafeteria, so there might not be much food here. Let me check."

Only a few tomatoes, eggs, a bunch of yellowing scallions, and a big pack of instant noodles.

"How about noodles?" Gu Yi'an pulled out the instant noodles for Tan Jincheng to see.

Tan Jincheng smiled gently. "Sure, I'm not picky either."

"..." Gu Yi'an's face flushed slightly. "Is it okay not to use the seasoning packets from the noodles?"

"Okay, your call."

Such an approachable Tan Jincheng left Gu Yi'an speechless.

After coming to this city, she had heard of Young Master Tan, the CEO of the Jinsheng Consortium, and his strong ties in both legal and illegal spheres, enough to claim he wielded immense power. Some even gave him the title of Young Emperor, showing how prestigious he was.

So Gu Yi'an was actually quite surprised.

With Tan Jincheng's status, there was no need for him to marry the Gu Family, and even less need to choose her, a young lady with no status in the Gu Family.

Sighing, Gu Yi'an thought for a long time, unable to understand why Tan Jincheng wanted to marry her.

But as Tan Jincheng said, her marriage was destined to be a political union. Compared to marrying someone like Shen Lingtian or Tong Yichen, it was better to marry someone with good living habits like Tan Jincheng.

At least for now, she didn't dislike Tan Jincheng.

Scallion oil noodles glimmered, and in another pot, she stir-fried tomato and egg. After the noodles were cooked, she poured the mixture over them, and the tomato egg noodles were ready.

Afraid it wouldn't be enough, Gu Yi'an cooked four packets of instant noodles, serving herself a small bowl and giving Tan Jincheng a larger one.

"Smells good and looks great," Tan Jincheng appeared at the kitchen door without her noticing.

Gu Yi'an was startled. "You walk so quietly," she said, reaching for the bowls.

Tan Jincheng smiled, got ahead of her, and picked up both bowls. "You grab the chopsticks."

Gu Yi'an grudgingly got the chopsticks.

Sitting across from each other, they ate. Tan Jincheng ate gracefully. Even a bowl of instant noodles could be eaten like a gourmet meal.

"Tastes good." Finishing the entire bowl, Tan Jincheng smiled at Gu Yi'an. "Better than I expected."

Gu Yi'an pursed her lips, remained silent, and stood to clear the dishes.

But unexpectedly, Tan Jincheng stood up first and took their bowls away.

In Gu Yi'an's stunned gaze, Tan Jincheng smiled. "At home, it was always my mother cooking and my father washing the dishes."

"Don't you hire servants?" Gu Yi'an asked, surprised.

Tan Jincheng gave a light smile. "Servants only help when my mother is too busy, like with cleaning. But my father's daily care has always been handled personally by my mother."

Hearing this, Gu Yi'an fell silent.

After a moment, she finally lifted her head. "Tan Jincheng, why did you choose me?"

Tan Jincheng raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Why ask this suddenly?"

"You said it's a political marriage. I don't know much about the Tan family affairs, but I'm not foolish. You, Tan Jincheng, don't need a political marriage. Even if you did, it wouldn't be with... someone like me with no status in the Gu Family. You have better choices. So, why me?"

Gu Yi'an looked him in the eyes seriously.

Tan Jincheng placed the washed dishes neatly, then turned around, wiping his hands and smiling lightly at Gu Yi'an. "I thought you would take much longer to figure this out."

Gu Yi'an's frown deepened. "What do you mean?"

Tan Jincheng's thin lips curved into an extremely handsome smile.

He walked up to Gu Yi'an, gently lifted a strand of her hair from her forehead, and said in a mesmerizing voice, "Gu Yi'an, from the beginning, you were the one I wanted."

Gu Yi'an was stunned. After a long pause, she finally asked in disbelief, "So, the Gu Family was rushing me to meet you because you demanded it?"

"Yes."

Tan Jincheng answered without hesitation.

In that instant, Gu Yi'an's eyes reddened.

Anger, grievance, pain— all these emotions swirled in her eyes.

"Smack!"

A solid slap landed on Tan Jincheng's extraordinarily handsome face.

The sound was exceptionally loud!