Chapter 303: Wei Zilin Grabbed Her Wrists and Pulled Her Back
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

As soon as Xu Moyan said “sure”, Aunty Ge reached her floor and got out of the elevator.

Xu Moyan and Wei Zilin returned to her house. There was a heater inside, so they could feel the warmth enveloping them as soon as they walked in.

Xu Moyan took her scarf off and hung it on the hangar next to the door. After that, she took two pairs of slippers from the shoe cabinet.

One was a pair of men’s shows and not the disposable slippers from last time. She bent down, placing them in front of Wei Zilin.

Xu Moyan had tied her hair into a bun today, and since she had taken off her scarf, Wei Zilin could see her fair nape as soon as he looked down slightly. A few stray strands of hair wandered onto her neck, leaving hints of chestnut against the white of her neck.

They were mild and faint, like a few gentle strokes of a brown brush against a pure white canvas.

Wei Zilin was almost hypnotized by the sight, and a certain part of his body was beginning to react. That slender fair neck looked so soft and perfectly curved that his fibers itched to brush them gently.

The house was not big, but it was very warm. Wherever she went, the place seemed to emanate a faint and warm fragrance.

Xu Moyan lifted her head and met Wei Zilin’s gaze on her head-on. Wei Zilin looked completely unperturbed and continued to look at Xu Moyan without averting his gaze.

On the other hand, Xu Moyan turned red somewhat guiltily. “I just bought these. They’re new, and no one has worn them before.”

After Wei Zilin and Shen Zongyi came to the house for dinner that day, Xu Moyan went to the supermarket once and just happened to see men’s slippers for sale. Somehow or another, she just randomly put them into her shopping cart.

She just never thought that they… would actually come in handy someday.

Wei Zilin smiled faintly. For some reason, Xu Moyan sensed some sort of understanding in his gaze, and she felt even guiltier than ever.

Wei Zilin took off his shoes and put on the slippers. They were the perfect size, unlike the disposable slippers from before, and that somehow gave off a feeling of warmth.

Xu Moyan’s heart began to run wild, and she hurriedly averted her gaze. Rather hastily taking the bag she had left on the chair earlier, she said, “I’ll go clean up a bit, and I’ll come back out to cook in a jiffy.”

“There’s no rush,” Wei Zilin said with a smile. In the quiet room, his hot-spring-like voice was especially seductive and melodious. “I’ve been here before, so I can take care of myself. There’s no need for you to worry.”

With that, he walked to the living room casually and turned on the TV, picking up the remote and surfing through the channels as he sat on the couch. He really did act especially easygoing, as though this really was his own house.

It felt good to see him sitting in the living room as though he stayed here.

Xu Moyan gave the heartwarming scene another longing glance before she turned around and returned to her room.

She was wearing a white wool coat now, and that was not very conducive for cooking. The oil, smoke, and condiments would easily spill onto her clothes.

She pulled out some of her usual house clothes and put them on before she quickly did up her hair again. Only then did she go to the kitchen and put on her apron. She had already washed the rice grains that morning. After all, it was usually her and Zheng Yuntong eating, so she was used to preparing enough for two.

Now that she was eating with Wei Zilin instead, she just added a bit more rice than usual before putting it into the rice cooker to steam.

After that, she pulled some ingredients out of the fridge. The vegetables she cooked at home were very simple. Firstly, she threw together a dish of sesame oil romaine lettuce, and then she cleaned up some choy sum, blanching them and adding some oyster sauce to enhance the flavor. The cooking process was very simple, and she completed it within a few minutes, but it should still taste mild and appetizing.

After she completed these two vegetable dishes, the kitchen door was suddenly pushed open, and Wei Zilin walked in.

As he gracefully rolled up his sleeves, he said, “I came to help. If there’s anything I can do, just tell me.”

Xu Moyan was just taking the minced meat and ribs out of the freezer, and she froze for a moment nervously before she could say, “There’s nothing. I’ve more or less prepared everything by now, and the vegetables are done. The remaining meat dishes won’t take too much work, I can just mix together the condiments and start cooking.”

She smiled and added, “Go ahead and watch the TV.”

“There isn’t nothing good to watch right now,” Wei Zilin explained. “I’m not doing anything out there alone, and you seem so busy here, so I feel bad.”

“It’s fine, this is all really simple,” Xu Moyan said. The kitchen was not very large, and with Wei Zilin standing here, there was not much space left for her to maneuver in. She would touch him whenever she moved, and it made her feel very awkward.

Wei Zilin gave her a glance and then picked up the dishes of cooked vegetables. “Alright, but you gotta tell me if there’s anything you need. Don’t be shy.”

Xu Moyan nodded hurriedly. All she wanted was to get Wei Zilin out of here.

As long as he stood there, she could not focus on her cooking.

After he finally left, Xu Moyan put the minced meat and ribs into the microwave for defrosting. Then, she fried six palm-sized omelets.

Just then, Wei Zilin somehow appeared unannounced at the door again, saying, “Let’s leave the kitchen door open. You’re all alone inside, and it makes me feel awkward.”

Xu Moyan opened her mouth and gaped for a bit before she said weakly, “The sound of cooking and the ventilation fan are really loud. It’ll get noisy.”

“That’s fine. It’s better to have some noise around the house,” Wei Zilin said, as he simply leaned against the door frame. “I just stole a stalk of romaine lettuce and choy sum, by the way.”

Xu Moyan could not resist a laugh. “Are you hungry already? I’m almost done.”

“I’m not too hungry, it just smells too good. Besides, I can’t wait to taste your cooking. It’s really unlike what I usually eat, it’s just that much better.”

Xu Moyan was embarrassed. “You make me sound like some fancy chef.”

As she mixed the defrosted minced meat with mushrooms and corn pieces, she tried to chase Wei Zilin away again. “There’s a lot of grease and oil here. You should go out.”

“I’m bored out there alone, and since you won’t let me help, I’ll just chat with you from over here. Don’t try to reject me mow,” Wei Zilin said, his voice sounding ever so pitiful.

Xu Moyan could not resist that at all, and she lost immediately.

Having won one round, Wei Zilin leaned against the door frame, satisfied. All he could see was Xu Moyan busying herself about. It really felt like they were a married couple now, and he had the urge to bring Xu Moyan home. He wanted to see her working in his kitchen at home, and he wanted to go home with her every day after work.

As she prepared dinner in the kitchen, he would stand by and watch, chatting with her occasionally. That would feel wonderful.

Xu Moyan had never forgotten Wei Zilin’s gaze on her, and all she could do was hunker down and try to ignore the way he was staring at her. Even so, her movements slowed down significantly, and she was not cooking as smoothly as she had before.

She folded the stuffing into the omelets, making six egg dumplings. After that, she placed the dumplings into the pan and steamed them so the stuffing would be cooked.

Wei Zilin spoke to her now and then, but at some point, he had fallen silent and began watching her movements carefully.

She moved with an air of familiarity, not too fast or too slow. Everything she did was perfectly organized and easy on the eyes. The way she lowered her head and worked in the kitchen never looked unwieldy. She cleared as she cooked, and her kitchen counter was always perfectly clean and neat.

With her in this tiny space, he could even forget the whir of the exhaust. Everything was just warm and wonderful.

Xu Moyan slowly brought her attention back to her cooking. She was worried that Wei Zilin would get hungry if he wanted for too long, so she did not have the time to be distracted now.

She had no choice but to speed up her movements. While the stock was heating up, she took out the defrosted ribs and poked the meat a few times with a fork. Once the marinade seeped into the meat, she fried them on a flat pan over a low fire. She fried them until they were golden, with the edges slightly burned and tinged with a faint golden-brown sheen of caramel. After that, she added some blended garlic, ginger, and onion, frying them with oil. She then added water and some hand-ground black pepper, ketchup, oyster sauce, sugar, and salt to make a thick sauce, which she poured over the ribs.

By then, the egg dumplings and bone soup were done. She put the egg dumplings into the soup and added some scallions on top. She remembered that Wei Zilin was not particularly fond of coriander, so she left them off.

She filled two bowls with rice and had just turned around when she nearly bumped into Wei Zilin.

She did not know when he had walked in. He had not made any sound at all, and she was taken completely off guard.

Xu Moyan was shocked, and now she was suddenly so close to him. If it were not for the fact that she was holding two bowls of rice in front of her, she would have fallen right into his embrace.

Instinctively, she took a step back, but in her haste, she lost her balance and began to fall backward instead.

Actually, she had the kitchen cabinet, microwave, and oven behind her.

Even if she did fall backward, she would only stumble half a step back. With those things in the way, she would not be injured. At the very most, she would sustain a light knock, and it would not be a very serious bruise either.

Even so, Wei Zilin reached out quickly and grabbed her wrists, pulling her back. Her wrists were very clean, and she did not wear any accessories. His palm was still holding her wrist and it stayed there, the scorching heat plastered against her wrist as though it would reach right into her bones.

Wei Zilin could not hold back completely, and he added a little force, squeezing her lightly before he immediately let go.

He moved so quickly that Xu Moyan could not even be sure if she had imagined that.

Wei Zilin did not give her the time to think, either. He took the two bowls of rice from her and glanced at the dishes on the table, saying, “Leave the soup for now, I’ll come carry it later.”