Chapter 117: Lu Chen Holding Her Finger

The moment Lu Chen held her finger in his mouth, Xie Wantang froze, her back straightening.

Her toes curled uncontrollably against the sole of her shoe.

Her brain short-circuited, her mind went blank, all her senses—sight, hearing, smell—focused on her finger, while other sensations vanished instantly.

A gentle, soft touch.

Before long, Xie Wantang's heart began to pound uncontrollably.

Lu Chen sucked attentively, taking a big mouthful of blood, then pulling away, spitting it out, moving back, sucking again; after several repetitions, Xie Wantang's finger truly stopped bleeding.

Xie Wantang's mind was so blank she no longer understood how this worked.

In short, as long as the bleeding stopped, it was fine.

Lu Chen finally released her finger from his mouth, then fetched a medical kit and bandaged her, his movements practiced, as if he often dealt with such sudden minor accidents.

In the end, Xie Wantang essentially had a Band-Aid wrapped around the wound.

After it was taken care of, Xie Wantang still wanted to go to the kitchen, but Lu Chen scolded her: "Patients go to the living room; your wound can't touch water. Be good, go watch TV and eat snacks in the living room; in half an hour we'll eat."

"... You cook?" Xie Wantang's face showed shock.

"Otherwise? Want to call for a home‑visit chef?" Lu Chen teased, joking, "I'll sit in the living room keeping you company while we watch TV and chat?"

"..."

Xie Wantang shook her head.

There's no need for that; it's not some elaborate dish, just simple home cooking that can be thrown in a pan and stir‑fried.

She bought tomatoes, intending to make the simplest tomato egg soup.

Mainly, after class she went to the supermarket and saw that she was running out of time.

Naturally, the simpler the method, the better.

"Then just sit down; there are drinks in the fridge—go get one."

"Yeah, thanks for the trouble."

Xie Wantang didn't argue with him anymore.

"No trouble; I'm happy to serve you."

Lu Chen's eyes were bright and clear, their depths full of sincerity.

It seemed what he said came from the heart, not mere politeness.

Xie Wantang went to the living room; she didn't take a drink but poured herself a cup of warm water.

She ate the snacks Lu Chen had bought especially for her.

She wasn't sure if it was coincidence or what, but these snacks were relatively healthy, with little additive, neither sweet nor salty.

Coincidentally, they were all foods Xie Wantang liked.

Thinking she would eat soon, Xie Wantang didn't eat much—she peeled two pistachios, a few pecans, ate a few honey‑walnut kernels, then stopped.

Lu Chen's kitchen is open‑plan, and the range hood is silent.

The only sounds in the room were Lu Chen's focused cooking and the clatter of the spatula.

After three years with Lu Yanshen, Xie Wantang had never experienced the warmth of everyday life, and she truly hadn't expected Lu Chen to let her feel it so deeply.

Some say people are all the same.

For Xie Wantang, people are not the same; even those who share the same face and surname differ.

Things she had never felt with Lu Yanshen she now felt completely with Lu Chen.

An uncontrollable warmth spread through her heart, even hinting at sweetness.

The only thing she regretted was that those three years before had been wasted—she had truly squandered too much time.

She was clearly someone who never wasted time or life.

She had plans for her future and pursued her dreams, whether in career or in relationships.

Initially, because she liked the hero who saved her, she strove desperately to become excellent in order to be the kind of person he would like.

Who would have thought that, after she became excellent, she discovered that the hero himself had fallen into decadence.

Who would have thought she had mistaken the hero.

Now, seeing Lu Chen like this, although she had wasted three years of youth, when she realized the hero truly was a hero, she still felt her love was worthwhile.

Lu Chen deserved her devoted love and effort.

It's just that Lu Yanshen took advantage of her.

Saying there's no regret—there still is a bit.

Xie Wantang's thoughts returned when Lu Chen called out, "Dinner's ready."

"Oh." Xie Wantang rose; Lu Chen handed her a no‑rinse disinfectant, saying, "Spray this, don't touch water, and avoid spraying the wound."

"Okay."

Xie Wantang was never oblivious; as Lu Chen carried dishes and soup, she fetched chopsticks and served rice.

Working together, they soon sat down to eat.

On the table, Lu Chen prepared four dishes and a soup according to the vegetables Xie Wantang had bought.

The two of them eating these four dishes and soup was actually a bit much, but Lu Chen had a big appetite, so it wasn't a problem.

However, the stir‑fried pork with green peppers Xie Wantang had prepared ended up as green‑pepper pork shreds under Lu Chen's hand, the tenderloin she had meant for Beijing‑style pork shreds mixing with the peppers.

The pork belly that should have become twice‑cooked pork was indeed cooked through by Lu Chen, then sliced thin, arranged on a plate, with a Lu Chen brand secret dipping dish placed in the middle.

It turned into garlic‑pudding sliced pork.

Moreover, that dipping sauce was excellent—sour‑sweet with a hint of heat, the flavors of garlic paste, ginger juice, and various seasonings distinct.

The texture was top‑notch.

Today's supermarket prawns were fresh; Xie Wantang bought two catties, Lu Chen steamed them, serving a plate of plain‑boiled prawns, and finally that one cabbage, Lu Chen put a little heart into it, making a hand‑torn dry‑pot cabbage.

The utensils holding this cabbage are much like the restaurant's, and underneath there are alcohol candles to keep it warm.

Finally came the tomato egg soup; seeing the red tomatoes, Xie Wantang thought of the tomato slices that still contained her blood.

She originally wanted to ask Lu Chen whether those tomato slices stained with her blood had been thrown away.

But seeing Lu Chen eating his meal and drinking soup with serious focus, she felt it inappropriate to ask again.

Before the meal, Lu Chen drank a bowl of soup straight away.

"Try it, how does my cooking taste?" Lu Chen wasn't just looking out for himself; he first served Xie Wantang a bowl of soup so she could drink too.

Xie Wantang scooped a spoonful with her spoon, not as bold as Lu Chen, who drank straight from the bowl.

"Delicious." Xie Wantang said.

"If it's good, then eat; there's not much, let's both put in a little effort and finish it all."

「」

Xie Wantang was shocked; she wasn't a big eater.

However, the white meat paired with the secret dipping sauce was quite good with rice, and there was also the green pepper shredded meat.

The meat strips were smooth and tender; Xie Wantang couldn't help eating one after another.

Finally, she wanted to peel a few shrimp, and then today's meal would be considered finished.

However, before her chopsticks could reach the shrimp, Lu Chen moved swiftly, taking away the whole plate of shrimp; after swallowing the food in his mouth, he said, "Give me a few minutes, I'll peel the shrimp right away."

「」

Xie Wantang wanted to say it wasn't necessary, but thinking of the wound on her finger, she knew that if she were polite with Lu Chen, he would say she was injured.

So Xie Wantang wasn't polite.

"Thank you."

"No need; when your wound heals, we'll find another time, and wait for you to cook me a feast."

"...... Hmm."

Seeing her so obedient, the corners of Lu Chen's mouth rose greatly.