Chapter 822: Tormenting You Single Dogs to Death

"Oh, okay..."

Cai Xiaotang answered subconsciously and turned to walk toward the bathroom.

Yet, deep down, she suddenly felt a subtle sense of discomfort.

Why did it feel... as if she were a guest visiting here?

And Luo Wanwan, on the other hand, seemed...

Cai Xiaotang paused, frowned slightly, and felt inexplicably annoyed.

But she wasn't angry at Luo Wanwan; she was angry at herself.

Was she overthinking things?

She was always too concerned about the past between Li Xiao and Luo Wanwan, as well as the other woman's status as an ex-girlfriend.

Was that why she was unconsciously treating her as a hypothetical enemy?

This was not good...

Clearly, Luo Wanwan hadn't even done anything...

Cai Xiaotang closed her eyes, forcibly trying to drive the thoughts from her mind.

Just then—the space in front of her suddenly darkened.

"Li Xiao!"

Without even looking, she smelled the familiar scent on him. Cai Xiaotang turned around, bumped right into Li Xiao's smiling eyes, and suddenly felt a bit more at ease.

Li Xiao took her hand naturally and pulled her along as he continued walking forward.

He asked, "Why are you standing here like a fool? Aren't you hungry?"

"Hungry..."

Cai Xiaotang answered offhandedly; her stomach had long since been rumbling with hunger.

Immediately after, she couldn't help but cast a resentful glance at Li Xiao.

They had some last-minute work at noon and had been busy until the afternoon, leaving no time for lunch.

If it weren't for a certain someone being too "beastly" this morning, she would have at least managed to eat something and wouldn't be starving until now!

Cai Xiaotang grumbled inwardly, but she didn't say a word out loud. She obediently washed her hands and went to the dining table with Li Xiao.

She saw that the dining table, which usually had at least half the space empty, was now completely filled!

Every dish on the table was a feast for the eyes and nose, and in the center sat a fish fried into a decorative shape, drizzled with bright, fresh sauce; one look told her the cook was highly skilled.

Cai Xiaotang only glanced at it before she couldn't help but click her tongue in secret.

This... the cooking skills were just too good, right?

At this level, she would even believe it if someone said it was packed from a hotel!

With her own level of only being able to cook home-style meals, where did she get the courage to stew soup for Luo Wanwan?

Inexplicably, she couldn't help but compare herself to Luo Wanwan in her heart, and that familiar feeling of discomfort rose up in Cai Xiaotang again.

Then, she immediately heard—"Asura, Wanwan made quite a few dishes you like today! There's..."

Lao Si was saying this while preparing to list the dishes.

Before he could finish, he was nudged none too gently by Laoqi, whose eyes darted toward Cai Xiaotang for a fleeting second.

Lao Si was stunned for two seconds before he suddenly realized something, his expression turning subtle.

Fortunately, Lao Wu spoke up in time to pick up the conversation: "It's been so long since we've had Wanwan's cooking; we're in for a treat today! It's so thoughtful of Wanwan to still remember what so many of us like to eat..."

His words finally smoothed over Lao Si's slip of the tongue.

Everyone immediately began to bustle about, trying to cover for the awkward moment.

"Xiao Tang, sit."

Li Xiao gently squeezed Cai Xiaotang's palm.

Cai Xiaotang suddenly snapped back to reality, hurriedly sat down, and praised, "Wanwan, you're too amazing, to be able to make such a big table of food..."

She had originally just meant it as a polite remark, but unexpectedly, as soon as she finished speaking, Luo Wanwan suddenly showed an apologetic expression.

"Sorry, Xiao Tang, I should have told you first about using the kitchen, but you went out to work and weren't coming back until evening. I thought if I made it early, we could eat as soon as you got back, and I also haven't gathered with everyone in a long time..."

As Luo Wanwan spoke, the gazes of the several people nearby all immediately turned toward Cai Xiaotang!

Cai Xiaotang hurriedly waved her hands and said, "What's there to apologize for? It's just a kitchen, everyone uses it freely anyway. Besides, coming back to so much good food, I should be the one thanking you."

"If you don't mind, then I'm relieved..."

Luo Wanwan smiled gently and then hurriedly introduced, "I didn't know what you liked to eat, but I thought girls usually like sweets, so I specifically made two sweet and sour dishes. You must give me your opinion after you taste them later..."

"Okay, I love desserts the most!"

Cai Xiaotang answered with a smile.

Yet only she knew how much forced effort was in that smile.

Soon—the table of people began to eat in a lively manner.

There weren't many rules at Li Xiao's place; except when there were missions, everyone got along quite casually, so the atmosphere was very harmonious.

Cai Xiaotang, however, changed from her usual talkative self, only listening silently to their chatter while eating small bites of the food Li Xiao placed in her bowl, her mood complicated to the extreme.

Those topics... she couldn't join in at all.

That was a part of Li Xiao's past that had absolutely no intersection with her.

And in that past, there was Luo Wanwan.

How did they get together?

And how did Luo Wanwan know about Li Xiao's identity?

Did Li Xiao tell her himself?

Cai Xiaotang's head was a mess, and her thoughts gradually drifted away.

Across the dining table, Luo Wanwan's gaze swept over Cai Xiaotang without a trace, a dark glint flashing through her eyes.

Heh...

Have you finally realized it?

She and Li Xiao, along with the people around them, are simply from two different worlds.

She cannot participate in even a fraction of the topics they chat about.

And she knows absolutely nothing about Li Xiao's past!

The taste of being isolated... it doesn't feel good, does it?

Luo Wanwan curled her lips silently and continued to guide everyone to chat about things from the past.

Listening to them, Cai Xiaotang's eating slowed down, and she became dazed, somewhat lost in thought.

Until a slightly cool sensation suddenly touched her lips.

"Hmm?"

Cai Xiaotang snapped back to reality, only to discover that Li Xiao had brought a small spoonful of blueberry yam directly to her mouth.

"Oh~~~"

"Xiuluo, can you not provoke us single people!"

"I truly never dreamed that I would live to see a scene like this..."

The few people to the side instantly began to jeer.

They rarely had such opportunities, and since they were finally relaxing today, they became bold.

Cai Xiaotang was also stunned, and just as she was hesitating whether to eat it or not, she saw Li Xiao raise an eyebrow at her, looking exactly like he did when he was provoking her, as if asking: What? You don't dare to eat it?

Cai Xiaotang pursed her lips, then simply opened her mouth and swallowed it in one bite.

The yam puree was sweet and sour.

Just like her mood at this moment.

Seeing her eat it, the jeering from the few people nearby grew even louder.

Li Xiao didn't care, just smiling lazily, his mood seeming quite good.

His hand, hidden under the dining table, quietly took hold of Cai Xiaotang's, gently rubbing the back of her hand as if to comfort her.

Cai Xiaotang was startled, and then she couldn't help but feel a warmth in her heart.