COOKING FOR OUR LUNCH!

"Cooking for our lunch," I said. 

"Lunch?" Meng Bao checked his watch. "Jie, this is already four in the evening. I don't think it's lunch anymore…"

"That's because you have been unconscious for almost two hours!" I rolled my eyes. "Fine, I haven't eaten anything since morning. Let me cook some big feast for us. Count that as lunch + dinner." I checked the grocery that I already stored inside my fridge and then asked Meng Bao, "Do you have anything you want? I can cook Chinese food quite well, but I'm not really good with western food."

Meng Bao blinked few times, then asked as he was uncertain, "You will… cook for me?"

"Uh-huh, treat that as my apology for hitting you," I said. I bent my back and stretched my neck to have a better look inside the stacked fridge. I turned my head at Meng Bao, who hadn't answered my question, but what I saw was Meng Bao, who was stunned silly. "Oi! Meng Bao! Why are you dazed ah!?"

Meng Bao snapped out of his daze and shook his head. There was a tinge of red on his cheek, "I… I will eat anything that you cook for me, Ying Jie…" 

"Eehh… even if I give you a burnt potato, will you still eat it?" I chuckled as I joked. I expected Meng Bao to say something funny for a response. But what he said made the lighthearted atmosphere disappeared.

"Yes, I will eat you—I—I mean, I will eat anything that you cook, Jie!" Meng Bao zipped his mouth after that, looking at me nervously. 

"Wha—What did you say?" 

"Nothing!" 

I should be angry at Meng Bao for saying something so promiscuous, whether intentional or just a slip, but it proved that he was thinking about some lewd stuff!

'Ah, what is wrong with me anyway? I act like a teenage girl! I am a twenty-seven years old woman. Of course, I know that Meng Bao might have some lewd thought!'

  'It's just… why doesn't he realise that lewd thought in real life? Ehehe…' my mind began travelling far, far away into the lewdland. 'Hm… should we do it on the couch? I wonder… ehehe…'

'What? You think your Jie cannot have lewd thoughts? Don't you see that R-18 tag? Blame that spicy chicken author, not me!'

I cleared my throat and checked the ingredients inside the fridge again, "I will just cook some Chinese foods and make pudding for dessert. Is that alright?"

"Y—Yes…" Meng Bao answered. 

I nodded and picked all the ingredients needed. Today was a cold day, so I think it would be good to serve some hotpot and some stir-fried foods. I prepared the knife and the chopping board. I started cutting few ingredients for the hotpot, including the chicken, enoki mushroom, and beef. 

Meng Bao approached me and stood in silence behind me. He stared at everything that I chopped and followed me whenever I washed the ingredients. He kept on staring until it annoyed me. 

"Why do you keep staring at me? Seriously, if you don't want to help, just sit on the couch!"

"I'm just curious. It's so fascinating," Meng Bao said. "I've never seen someone cooking right in front of my eyes… everything is always ready whenever I want to."

"Huh? Did you eat so many takeaways? Aiya, Meng Bao, that's bad for your health and expensive ah! Don't eat too many takeaways!"

Meng Bao scratched his head, there seemed to be something that he wanted to say, but he decided to keep his silence. 

I sighed with this man. How could he survive without a basic skill of cooking? Did he really eat takeaway every day? No wonder he became so broke. Takeaways are expensive!

"Aish, here, let me teach you some small things first, like chopping vegetables," I washed my hand and gave Meng Bao a knife. Meng Bao held it awkwardly. He looked nervous. 

'I can't believe someone at his age never even touched a cooking utensil! His mom must have spoiled him rotten when he was a kid!'

"Okay, let's start with a carrot—" I put a carrot on the chopping board, "—You can cut it now."

Meng Bao stared at the carrot for a while, "I—I just need to cut it, right?"

"Yes, just cut into thin slices—"

CHOP! 

My jaw dropped when I saw Meng Bao raised the knife high and then chopped the poor carrot in half. He used so much strength that he also chopped the wooden chopping board in half!

Meng Bao looked at his undoing, "Did I do a good job, Jie?"

"You idiot! How much strength do you use to chop that carrot! I want you to slice it, not giving it a death sentence!" 

"I don't think I used a lot of strength…" Meng Bao felt guilty, especially when he saw the halved chopping board. "I'm sorry, I will replace it later."

"Sigh, alright, I will guide you," I took a spare chopping board and another carrot. I wanted to guide him on how to slice a carrot nicely. So I ducked and slipped between Meng Bao's arms. I nestled on his chest for a more comfortable… teaching process.

"W—What are you doing—"

"Let me help you," I said. I stacked my hands on top of Meng Bao's hands. And then guided him. "Hold the carrot and chop the head first—"

Meng Bao's hands were really stiff, but he followed my instruction obediently. 

Meng Bao was a head taller than me, so I could feel his breath tickling my nape. Though, I'm not sure where he was staring at. Because I sensed that he was staring down at me, not at the chopping board.

'And it feels warm… his chest is so warm… does he exercise a lot? I can feel his muscle hidden underneath his shirt. Damn it, his girlfriend is one lucky bitch!' I said in my heart. Somehow, thinking about Meng Bao and another girl irritated me so much.

I was dazed for a moment and--

"Ouch!"