Chapter 63: Like a Married Couple
"Chengcheng, have you had lunch yet?"
"Not yet. Auntie is cooking for me at home."
Chen Cheng sat in front of her computer, phone in hand, lying effortlessly.
"She came over to cook for you? What about An Yuan?"
"How would I know? Maybe he went out somewhere."
Earlier, under her mother’s pressure, Chen Cheng had reluctantly admitted to having some feelings for An Yuan. But that was just an excuse to explain why they went to school together. Her mother didn’t seem to care much, as long as it didn’t interfere with her studies.
But if she found out that An Yuan was actually at home with her right now, that he had stayed over last night, and that he had just been rubbing her stomach to help with cramps…
Chen Cheng quickly changed the subject. "How’s Grandpa doing?"
"He’s stable. The surgery is scheduled for tonight. If everything goes well, he should be able to come home in a couple of days."
"Oh~"
Chen Cheng let out a small sigh. So soon?
"You don’t want me to come back, huh?"
"Of course not~ I’m doing homework. Gotta go!"
She hung up and picked up her pen again, but instead of focusing on her work, she rested her chin in her hand, lost in thought.
An Yuan’s hands… they were big, warm, and surprisingly good at easing her cramps. The dull pain had quickly faded under his gentle touch, and now, she kind of missed that feeling.
But… wasn’t that a little too much like something a couple would do?
Maybe An Yuan hadn’t thought much of it, and she was just overanalyzing things.
After all, he always said he saw her as just another guy.
Spinning her pen between her fingers, Chen Cheng debated whether she should test him somehow.
But no! Bad idea!
If An Yuan did start seeing her as a girl and developed feelings for her, then they’d have to start worrying about boundaries, and their friendship would definitely become awkward.
Things were great the way they were! At least on the surface, they were still "brothers."
As long as she didn’t bring it up, everything would stay the same.
After finishing her math homework, Chen Cheng stretched and sniffed the air. A delicious aroma was wafting in from the kitchen.
Following the scent, she peeked her head inside. "Need any help?"
Wearing an apron, An Yuan skillfully flipped the ribs in the pan, making sure they were evenly coated in the sweet and sour sauce. His focus was unwavering as he replied without even looking up, "Don’t get in my way."
"Geez~"
Even though he was making three dishes and a soup, the kitchen was spotless. He wiped the counter as he worked, and all the ingredients were neatly prepped in small bowls.
This was the first time Chen Cheng had ever seen An Yuan cook a full meal.
The sunlight streaming through the window highlighted his face and hair with a warm glow. A man who takes cooking seriously is kinda attractive…
"Does your stomach still hurt?" he asked.
"It’s much better now."
The morning chill had faded, replaced by warm sunlight. Chen Cheng had changed into loose shorts, and while her stomach still felt a little off, she was mostly fine.
Suddenly, she said, "Maybe I should learn how to cook too."
"You? Cooking?"
"Well, I feel kinda useless just standing around watching you work."
An Yuan thought for a moment, then pointed at the sink. "Fine. Wash the dishes. That counts as helping."
"On it!"
Chen Cheng had always been interested in cooking and had watched tons of cooking videos, but she never had the motivation to actually try it herself.
It just seemed like too much work, chopping, prepping, washing, seasoning, marinating… Stir-frying was probably the only step she was okay with.
"Use warm water," An Yuan reminded her.
"Why?"
"Because you’re on your period."
An Yuan always noticed these little details. Meanwhile, Chen Cheng barely gave it a second thought.
One was cooking, the other was helping. Even though it was their first time working together in the kitchen, they moved smoothly, as if their years of gaming together had trained them for this. They were quick and efficient, barely making any mistakes despite the small space.
"Pea shoots."
"Here."
As the pea shoots hit the hot oil, the remaining water caused the oil to pop and splatter, and Chen Cheng frantically used the pot lid as a shield, hiding behind An Yuan.
"Damn! It got on my hand!"
"Step back. Give me the lid!"
With one hand, An Yuan shielded the girl behind him while swiftly covering the pan. Then, he urgently turned around and grabbed Chen Cheng’s hand. "Where did it burn you? Is it bad?"
Caught off guard by his sudden reaction, Chen Cheng froze for a second. His worried tone made her nervous. "The back of my hand… but it doesn’t hurt anymore."
"Rinse it with water."
Without waiting for her response, An Yuan pulled her hand under the sink and ran cool water over it.
"It’s nothing serious. Just startled me."
"Then why’d you yell so loud?" An Yuan inspected her soft hand carefully but didn’t see any burns. "You made me panic for nothing."
Chen Cheng looked down at An Yuan, who was still holding her hand. It gave her a strange feeling, almost like watching a married couple cooking together. The atmosphere in the kitchen even felt… warm and cozy.
Without thinking, she blurted out, "Doesn’t this kinda feel like we’re a married couple?"
An Yuan suddenly snapped back to reality and let go of her hand like it was on fire. He turned back to the stove and casually lifted the lid, acting as if nothing had happened.
"......"
The warmth from earlier instantly turned into awkwardness, spreading through the kitchen like a wave.
To be honest, Chen Cheng really liked the cozy, homey feeling of married life. In her past life, she had been single for so long that even though she always said she didn’t want to get married, she still found herself drawn to the romantic moments in TV shows, anime, and couples showing off their love.
But then, when she looked at her own parents' relationship and all the real-life "failed marriage," she felt lucky to still be single...
"Lunch is ready."
"Oh… okay."
Chen Cheng took the initiative to scoop the rice, grab the chopsticks, and set the table.
A moment later, An Yuan brought over the final dish, the stir-fried pea shoots, and sat down beside her.
The awkwardness still lingered, so Chen Cheng felt like she should say something. She took a bite of the sweet and sour ribs and praised, "This is delicious! Way better than I expected!"
In reality, it was just regular home cooking, nothing extraordinary. Her mom’s cooking was even slightly better. But everything on the table was food she liked.
"Of course! I spent years learning how to cook properly."
Hearing the words "it’s delicious," An Yuan finally relaxed. As the chef of the meal, that was all he needed to feel satisfied. Watching Chen Cheng eat happily, he even felt a small sense of accomplishment.
"I’ll cook for you again tonight! Let me think… What do you like?" He seemed excited, already planning the next meal. "How about grilled meat? I have an electric grill at home."
"Grilled meat? Yes, yes, yes! Let’s have some drinks too! It’s been ages since I had a drink!"
Before she could get carried away, An Yuan placed his palm on top of her head and pushed it back down. "No, you're not allowed."
"Fine, fine. But don’t pat my head!"
Annoyed, Chen Cheng swatted his hand away and, out of habit, lifted her left leg, about to rest it on the chair.
But then, she glanced at An Yuan beside her. Instead of the chair, she propped her calf up on his thigh, even wiggling her foot smugly.
"Why are you putting your leg on me?"
"Nowhere else to put it."
Even though Chen Cheng was just messing around the way she always did with friends. Her small, soft foot, like a delicate scoop of ice cream, felt oddly intimate. Especially since it was resting right on top of his lap…
Chen Cheng hadn’t realized it yet, but from head to toe, from her hair to her fingertips, she carried an effortless charm that was impossible for any man to ignore.
"Your phone is pressing against my foot. Move it."
She nudged the phone aside with her heel, then glanced at the screen in his hand and suddenly asked, "Wait… are you into feet?"
"Men are into everything. Now move your foot."
"Fair enough."
They both acted like nothing happened and quickly changed the topic to a new game release.
They were both adults. No need to make a big deal out of it.
Back in the day, she was even older than An Yuan!
Chen Cheng conveniently twisted her past memories of being a man…