“Cough... An Ran, Jiao Jiao, maybe....”
Before Luo Chuan could finish, both girls turned to look at him. Zhu Wei Jiao warned him not to meddle, while Li An Ran gave Luo Chuan a reassuring look, signaling that she would handle it.
How could he be reassured? He was afraid that Jiao Jiao would lose her temper and directly take action. Don't doubt it, Jiao Jiao had the guts and ability to do so.
Back in the kitchen, Luo Chuan pricked up his ears, but he couldn't hear any other sounds. His heart relaxed a little. As long as they weren't fighting, everything could be talked about.
Silence filled the living room. Li An Ran looked around before speaking,
“Zhu Wei Jiao, right? We met at the square last time. Do you remember me?”
“Humph, of course I remember. You’re Li An Ran, how could I forget.”
Li An Ran chuckled awkwardly and said,
“It’s not appropriate for us to just stand here. Let’s go to the living room, I’ll pour you some water.”
As she spoke, Li An Ran was about to walk towards the kettle, but Zhu Wei Jiao refused, taking out tea leaves and hot water from the cabinet to brew herself a cup.
Her movements were so practiced, she was practically at home.
Li An Ran took a deep look at Zhu Wei Jiao, then sat on the sofa,
“Jiao Jiao, can I call you that?”
Seeing Zhu Wei Jiao not responding, Li An Ran continued,
“You... like Luo Chuan?”
“Of course,” Zhu Wei Jiao didn’t hide her feelings.
Hearing the clear answer, Li An Ran’s fist clenched. In her mental notebook, she secretly made a small note about Luo Chuan.
“Do you know what Luo Chuan and I are...?”
“I know,” Zhu Wei Jiao interrupted Li An Ran.
“You two are dating, right? He told me the day you started dating.”
“But that doesn’t matter. You’re just dating, not married. You’ll break up sooner or later.”
Li An Ran couldn’t help but be annoyed. She felt like her blood pressure was about to spike.
They had only been dating for a few days, and someone was already thinking about their breakup. How could this be?
“We won’t break up,” Li An Ran declared with certainty.
Zhu Wei Jiao snorted, looking Li An Ran up and down,
“Your clothes are expensive, aren’t they? Obviously you’re a rich girl. Xiao Chuan and I are just ordinary people. Do you dare say your family would accept someone like us?”
“What ‘someone like this’ or ‘someone like that’, I don’t understand. But I think there’s no difference between us.”
“Humph, easier said than done,” Zhu Wei Jiao snorted, but her eyes softened a little. At least it could be seen that she was serious about Xiao Chuan.
“This kind of thing is shown too much on TV. You’re just playing with Xiao Chuan.”
Li An Ran was a little embarrassed,
“What are you talking about? Who’s playing with him? The fact is that I’m Luo Chuan’s girlfriend. You don’t have a chance.”
Zhu Wei Jiao retorted directly,
“Xiao Chuan and I grew up together. I don’t believe your relationship is deeper than ours.”
Li An Ran’s eyes flickered. This was something she couldn’t refute. Childhood sweethearts usually have deep feelings for each other.
Unbeknownst to her, Zhu Wei Jiao was also feeling guilty after saying that. They did grow up together, but that was all.
Before this year, she had no deep feelings for Luo Chuan, and she was lucky to not bully him.
“If you’re so confident, why did he make me his girlfriend?”
KO! A killer blow!
No matter how many flowers Zhu Wei Jiao put on her words, it couldn’t change the fact that Li An Ran was the real deal.
Zhu Wei Jiao was speechless. She directly stood up and said,
“So what? He likes you, that’s his business. I like him, that’s my business. What right do you have to interfere?”
“Today, even if Xiao Chuan belongs to you, we’ll see how things turn out in the future.”
Seeing Zhu Wei Jiao leave in defeat, a faint smile appeared on Li An Ran’s face, but it quickly darkened. She stormed into the kitchen.
Seeing Luo Chuan’s busy back, Li An Ran instinctively grabbed the soft flesh on his waist and said sourly,
“You’re quite popular, Luo Chuan. You even have a childhood sweetheart.”
Luo Chuan immediately grimaced, hurriedly shouting, “Go easy, go easy.”
Li An Ran snorted, letting go. She didn’t care if Luo Chuan’s expression was real or not. At least she could vent her anger.
“An Ran, I... ”
Before Luo Chuan could finish, Li An Ran suddenly said,
“I don’t care who your childhood sweetheart is. But I’m your girlfriend.”
Looking at Li An Ran’s fiery gaze, Luo Chuan couldn’t help but nod,
“Yes, you’re my girlfriend.”
Suddenly, Li An Ran changed her tone and said to Luo Chuan,
“Okay, hurry up and cook. I’m getting hungry.”
Luo Chuan, who had come back to his senses, also hurriedly nodded and said,
“You wait a bit. The food will be ready soon. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied.”
“Then I’ll wait.”
With that, Li An Ran went out as if nothing had happened.
In fact, Li An Ran knew very well that there was definitely a connection between Luo Chuan and Zhu Wei Jiao, whether it was friendship or love.
If they really wanted to get to the bottom of it, their less than a week-long relationship would probably have problems. This was definitely something she didn’t want to see.
The short length of their relationship didn’t matter. As she had said, she, Li An Ran, was Luo Chuan’s acknowledged girlfriend. As long as they didn’t break up, even if there were other mistresses or sidekicks, they could only watch quietly and forever be under her control.
This alone shows the difference between Li An Ran and Zhu Wei Jiao. Zhu Wei Jiao tends to act first and then think, while Li An Ran knows her strengths and weaknesses and doesn’t act rashly. Instead, she waits patiently for time, a feeling of subtle yet pervasive influence.
Half an hour later, dish after dish of delicious and enticing delicacies were brought to the table by Luo Chuan.
“Sweet and Sour Pork, Braised Vegetables, Three Delights, Spicy Stir-fried Pork, and finally, a mushroom soup.”
Sitting at the dining table, Li An Ran’s nose was filled with the aroma of various foods, and her saliva involuntarily flowed,
“This... did you make all this?”
Li An Ran couldn’t help but be surprised. Just the color and aroma of these dishes were not something a chef without decades of experience could make, let alone a seventeen-year-old high school student.
Luo Chuan rolled his eyes and said,
“No, I didn’t make it. I created it out of thin air.”
“Nonsense,” Li An Ran glared at him.
Luo Chuan chuckled and handed Li An Ran the chopsticks, “Try the taste.”
Li An Ran didn’t stand on ceremony. She picked up a piece of Sweet and Sour Pork and put it in her mouth. The sweet and sour juice exploded in her mouth. Beneath the sweet and sour surface, there was a unique meaty flavor. The two flavors combined, perfectly neutralizing the greasiness of the pork.
“Delicious,” Li An Ran’s eyes lit up.
Li An Ran wasn’t a professional food critic, but she could feel that Luo Chuan’s Sweet and Sour Pork was much better than the Sweet and Sour Pork they had at the private restaurant they went to before.
From a foodie’s perspective, the two were simply incomparable.
After tasting the Sweet and Sour Pork, without Luo Chuan saying anything, Li An Ran subconsciously picked up other dishes and found that every dish was mouth-watering and left a lingering aftertaste. In the end, all she could say was “delicious.”
Seeing Li An Ran eating somewhat voraciously, Luo Chuan was also extremely satisfied this time. In order to achieve the desired effect, he used the God’s Tongue when cooking. Aside from some minor flaws in the ingredients themselves, everything else was impeccable.
Plus, all the dishes he made had a Delicious +6 bonus, leading to this sumptuous and delicious lunch.
“Luo Chuan, with your skills, if you open a restaurant, you’ll definitely become the hottest restaurant in the country,” Li An Ran said as she blew on the hot potatoes.
“Forget it. My cooking isn’t for just anyone to eat. Besides, opening a restaurant is so tiring. I don’t want to do it.”
Li An Ran chuckled, “You’re getting fat, yet you’re still complaining.”
Seeing Luo Chuan not move his chopsticks for a long time, she said,
“You eat too. It won’t taste good if it gets cold.”
With that, she picked up a piece of Spicy Stir-fried Pork and put it in Luo Chuan’s bowl. Luo Chuan nodded, and the two finished the delicious meal in the quiet afternoon.
Chapter Note: Thanks to all the readers for your monthly ticket support. Thanks to all the readers for your flowers and comments. Thank you for your support!