The words Jing Qian uttered caused both Lu Wang Chen and Ji Heng Yu, who heard him, to be utterly shocked inwardly. They immediately exterminated those secret rivalries between the two that they had previously.
The air around them instantly felt like it was going to freeze.
Xiang Yi Mo laughed awkwardly and hastily changed the topic, “Ha, uh… Oh, right. Didn’t you tell me that you wouldn’t be back until after 7 pm?”
Jing Qian averted his gaze and looked at Xiang Yi Mo. His expression unconsciously became gentle, and his voice also contained a trace of warmth.
“The surgeries all went well, so it was earlier than expected.”
As he said that, his large hand, which was like a work of art, covered her hair and rubbed it. There was obvious indulgence in his eyes.
It was just that…
As he looked down, it suddenly froze.
The large hand that caressed her trailed down her silky hair, little by little, across her face.
The slightly cool fingers touched the hickey on her neck and rubbed it twice. It was like an electric current passing over it.
Xiang Yi Mo felt ticklish on her neck and subconsciously backed away.
The hand just froze in mid-air for a few seconds. Then, it fell along with the temperature around him. Cold eyes darted toward the two uninvited guests.
Who could have done it?
The vague sense of growing tension made alarm bells ring in Xiang Yi Mo’s heart. She looked at Jing Qian and then at the two people Jing Qian was looking at.
She feared they would be unhappy and her Love Value would drop.
Very quickly, she said, using a sweet and soft voice to match the opening and closing of that mouth with a hint of coquettishness, “Jing Qian, I’m hungry.”
Jing Qian paused and looked back at the little girl. A faint smile appeared on his face. “Ok, little gluttonous cat, I will do it now.”
He walked towards the kitchen. His gaze took another cold glance past his two friends. It contained a very different temperature from the one he had when facing Xiang Yi Mo. “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll cook dinner first.”
Lu Wang Chen was silent for a couple of seconds and clicked his tongue. “Cooking dinner? I’ll help you. One more person can make it quicker.”
Ji Heng Yu also followed suit. “I can do it too. Let’s do it together.”
Jing Qian looked at the two who were half a step behind him and said, “No, you are guests. There is no reason to ask guests to help.” The words sounded gentle, but in fact, it was a needle concealed in cotton wool. <sup>[1]</sup>
Ji Heng Yu was calm and collected and wore a smile. “It’s not certain… if we are guests.”
Lu Wang Chen also shared the same sentiments.
Although at first, both of them were taken aback by the fact that Jing Qian and Xiang Yi Mo were living together.
But they each quickly realised Mo Mo always had feelings for Qin Chu. And if Jing Qian was staying at Mo Mo’s place, he might have used some excuse.
Jing Qian’s eyes darkened.
He pursed his lips and didn’t say anything more.
Although the atmosphere was not very cordial in the kitchen, they were, after all, best friends who had known each other for years.
The three of them worked cooperatively to make dinner together. They didn’t continue to fight because of all the unpleasantness at the door when they entered the villa.
The reason was simple: Mo Mo said she was hungry.
“Who made the love bites on Mo Mo’s neck?” Jing Qian flipped and stir-fried the vegetables and spoke coldly.
Ji Heng Yu handed the washed vegetables to Lu Wang Chen. His eyebrows twitched slightly as he casually admitted, “I did it. But it’s thanks to that girl, Lu Man Man, for doing it.”
“My younger sister?” Lu Wang Chen’s hands that were chopping the vegetables stopped moving for a moment.
“She was going to give chocolates drugged with an aphrodisiac to that boy from the Gu family. She ended up mixing up with the gift she gave me, and Mo Mo ate it by mistake during tea time….”
Ji Heng Yu didn’t begrudge the truth. After all, even if he didn’t tell them himself, they would know when they asked Mo Mo.
“You have recovered from your gynophobia?” Jing Qian asked casually.
Even though he already had a guess in his mind.
“No, only Mo Mo is the exception.” Ji Heng Yu briefly spoke about those events that happened at Shangcheng this morning.
Upon hearing that, Jing Qian tightened his eyebrows, and the sound of Lu Wang Chen chopping vegetables suddenly became louder.
“Did Qin Chu’s eyes go bad, or did his brain fall off? What kind of Five-Flavoured Tea of Forgetfulness <sup>[2]</sup> did Qi Yan drug him with?!”
“Who knows?” Ji Heng Yu smiled. The corners of his mouth tinged with derision. “Isn’t it better if he’s bewitched?”
The room fell silent for a moment.
The silence was just their tacit approval to the words.
..[1] 绵里藏针(miánlǐcángzhēn)-A needle concealed in cotton wool. It means a ruthless character behind a gentle appearance./A wolf in sheep’s clothing/an iron fist in a velvet glove.
[2] 迷魂汤(míhúntāng)- Five-Flavoured Tea of Forgetfulness refers to a potion that makes the soul forget its previous life. It means words or actions intended to attract somebody’s interest/words or behaviours that bewitch someone/something intended to turn someone’s head.