Zu An was frightened by just how angry she was. After all, Chu Chuyan was normally so calm and cool. She rarely ever showed any emotions at all.

Other than the time Qiu Honglei had paid them a visit, this was the first time she had given him so many Rage points.

Zu An was confused. “It’s not like you were the one made these dishes. Why are you getting so angry?”

“Of course I…” Chu Chuyan instinctively began to reply, but she quickly changed what she was about to say. “Of course, I know that Huanzhao went through so much effort to prepare this for you, so you should be grateful even if it doesn’t taste good. You can’t say such mean things to shame… shame her.”

“How am I shaming her? I was just telling the truth! This shit is nasty!” Zu An felt rather wronged as well. “Besides, Huanzhao and I are close. She wouldn’t care that much even if I said it to her face.”

“You can’t say such things no matter how close you are to someone! If someone cooks for you out of such good intentions, yet hears you give such an evaluation, how do you think they would feel?” Chu Chuyan said angrily.

You have successfully trolled Chu Chuyan for 33… 33… 33…

Realization struck Zu An when he saw how angry she was. “You’re absolutely right. Since someone worked so hard to prepare this food, I should eat it gratefully.”

He began to shove the food into his mouth like a glutton.

When she saw how much he was enjoying himself, Chu Chuyan grew confused. 

Do I really have a talent for cooking?

Why did he say all those things before, then?

Confused, she picked up a pair of chopsticks and had a taste.

Her face twitched as soon as she took a bite. A hint of redness colored her fair cheeks. “It is indeed somewhat unpalatable. Please don’t eat any more. I’ll have the kitchen prepare some more food for you.”

Zu An laughed. “The food itself doesn’t taste that great, but with my wife’s love, it becomes an absolutely gourmet meal!”

“What do you mean love…” Chu Chuyan was annoyed, but she quickly realized what he was saying. “You knew… that it was me who…”

Zu An pulled her into his embrace. “I’m not that stupid. There’s no way I wouldn’t have noticed it by now.”

Chu Chuyan was frightened when she was suddenly pulled in. Because of her nature, she wasn’t used to such an intimate gesture.

However, this fellow’s strength seemed to have grown suddenly. She struggled several times to break free, yet she couldn’t. Worried that she could injure him if she used any more strength, she gave up and let him hold her.

It’s not like anyone else is watching anyway..

Right at that moment, Cheng Shouping shouted from outside, “Young master, young master!”

Chu Chuyan jumped like a startled rabbit. She leapt out of embrace and awkwardly sorted out her hair. “Enjoy your meal. I’m heading back first.”

With that, she ran away.

“Huh? First miss…” Cheng Shouping, standing by the entryway, just happened to see her. He was about to pay his respects to her, but she ran away without even turning around.

Chen Shouping scratched his head and looked at Zu An in confusion. “Young master, what happened to the first miss? Did you do something to upset her?” 

Zu An ground his teeth, staring at the young rascal in irritation. “I finally know why you were sent to the kitchens to work…”

Cheng Shouping felt a chill run down his spine. This really wasn’t the right time to be troubling the young master. “I’m going to look for someone to repair the door!”

With that, he scampered off as well.

Zu An was completely speechless. Just how had this kid managed to survive for so long?

After finishing his meal, Zu An headed over to Chu Chuyan’s Unvoiced Residence.

The Chu clan no longer put up the extra layers of security around her residence, since Chu Chuyan’s condition had already improved considerably. It was much easier for him to find his way there.

“Who's there?”

The slight sounds of his movement didn’t escape Chu Chuyan’s detection. A chilly breeze blew past him, and she appeared in front of him, sword in hand.

When she saw that it was Zu An, the frosty expression immediately disappeared from her face, and she flushed red. “What are you doing here?”

Zu An jumped in through the window. “I didn’t even get to finish what I wanted to say just now.” 

Chu Chuyan put away her sword. “You sounded like you were done.” 

“I’ll never run out of things to talk about with you,” said Zu An with a smile.

Chu Chuyan pursed her lips. “Let’s talk tomorrow. It’s already dark today.”

“Oh, then let’s talk about more important matters. I came to detoxify the remaining cold in your body,” said Zu An, his expression deadly earnest.

Chu Chuyan’s cheeks burned red. “I’m already fine. I don’t need any more of this cold detoxification.”

Zu An shook his head. “It only seems fine on the surface! There is still some frost poison left in your body. If something unexpected were to happen, it could spell another round of trouble for you. You don’t want to experience such suffering again, do you?”

Chu Chuyan grew unsettled by these words. After all, she had felt perfectly fine before this illness had arisen abruptly, striking her down without giving her any time to prepare herself.

Sensing her slight fear, Zu An smiled and swept her off her feet and into his arms, carrying her straight towards the inner chambers.

Chu Chuyan’s entire body went stiff. Her heart began to pound. She felt like she should be rejecting him, yet she couldn’t seem to muster even the slightest bit of strength from her body.

While her mind was all over the place, her body suddenly trembled. It was a while before her beautiful lips finally opened again, allowing her to catch her breath.

Chu Chuyan gave him a hateful look. 

This guy is getting more and more out of hand…

Zu An kissed her earlobe and said with a half-smile, “See, your body is already completely ready.”

Her ears were a very sensitive part of her body. She felt his warm breath caress her ear gently, and her entire body went limp. She subconsciously embraced the man lying atop her. “You really are a rascal…”

Zu An loved seeing the face of this frozen beauty grow red from his teasing, and he adored her bashful appearance the most. The feeling of accomplishment that washed over him was simply incomparable.

…

After a while, Chu Chuyan said weakly, “Why do I feel like you’ve tricked me?”

Zu An chuckled. “Didn’t you enjoy it?”

Chu Chuyan buried her face in his chest, too embarrassed to reply.

…

Zu An looked outside. The sky had already grown dark. “It’s already late. I should head back first.” 

Just as he was about to get up, a pair of soft arms pulled him back.

Faced with Zu An’s somewhat confused gaze, Chu Chuyan stammered, “Actually… actually, there’s no need for you to go back to your place.”

“Huh?” Zu An was both surprised and overjoyed.

Chu Chuyan immediately became embarrassed. She quickly pulled the covers over her head and said in a low, muffled voice, “Don’t think too much into this. Your doors and windows were broken… You can go back there to sleep once everything is fixed.”

Zu An laughed out loud, and then he jumped right back into the blankets to embrace that beautifully soft yet supple body. “My own wife is still the one who loves me the most!”

Chu Chuyan’s voice jumped up an octave. “Is there something going on between you and someone else’s wife?”

“No way, no way!” Zu An hastily explained. “It’s just a slip of the tongue.”

It’s said that you can’t trust a man’s words, but you can’t trust a woman’s words either!

Chu Chuyan had clearly agreed that she didn’t mind him looking for other women. Why did she suddenly seem full of jealousy?

“Really?” Chu Chuyan wasn’t fully convinced.

Zu An was worried that he might only make things worse the more he spoke. He didn’t say anything, but flipped himself over and pressed himself down on her.

“Again?” Chu Chuyan’s face paled. Her voice carried traces of shock and fear, but also a dash of excitement.

…

The next morning, there came a loud knocking on the door of the residence. “Chuyan, open the door. Mother has something to tell you.”