Chapter 31: You Feed Me
Wang Shu was shocked by Shao Ye‘s reply speed this time.
He quickly typed the word “Okay.”
He turned to Zhang Sao and said, “Get an apron for Xiao Qin Xiansheng.”
Zhang Sao pulled an apron from the cabinet, along with a pair of white heat-resistant gloves, and handed them to Qin Wan.
“Thank you, Zhang Sao. Thank you, Wang Shu,” Qin Wan thanked them, his eyes curving into lovely crescents.
Zhang Sao said, “Xiao Qin Xiansheng, the kitchen really isn’t a place you should be staying in. How about this: you just cook one dish, and then you go out, alright?”
Qin Wan nodded. “Mn, okay.”
His gaze swept over the plates of washed and chopped semi-finished ingredients.
What should he make?
The Gu family’s kitchen was stocked with nothing but top-tier ingredients.
Back when he was in the Sheng family, they only let him wash and chop vegetables or cook meals for the servants. When he worked as a kitchen hand at the food stall, he had only made common dishes like egg fried rice or shredded pork chow mein.
He had never touched any of these expensive ingredients before.
He noticed a small soup tureen containing fish maw, shark fin, and sea cucumber. It reminded him of a soup he had eaten at the mountain villa a few days ago.
“Zhang Sao, I want to try making this.”
Zhang Sao hesitated for a moment. “Xiao Qin Xiansheng, this Fish Maw and Shark Fin Soup isn’t very easy to make! The seasoning is quite complicated. You have to prepare the golden broth first, then simmer it over a low heat, and it requires a lot of different seasonings…”
Qin Wan’s beautiful fox eyes curved into a smile. “I had it once and really liked the complex flavor. Your cooking is amazing. I want to try it too.”
Seeing his determination, Zhang Sao nodded. “Alright then.”
She was just about to tell him what ingredients were needed when she saw that Qin Wan had already taken some rehydrated shredded scallops and Jinhua ham from a side plate and placed them into a clay pot on the stove.
“Mn, salt, white pepper, white wine, and… the taste of saffron…”
He muttered softly to himself, adding the seasonings into the clay pot one by one.
Zhang Sao was somewhat surprised. “Xiao Qin Xiansheng, you really only ate it once?”
Qin Wan nodded. “Mn.”
To be able to distinguish so many different seasonings after just one taste made Zhang Sao look at him with newfound respect.
She glanced at Wang Shu standing nearby, and the two of them nodded slightly in silent agreement.
Qin Wan looked like a true professional while cooking. They had never seen a boy his age so proficient in culinary skills and so passionate about being in the kitchen.
Wang Shu secretly took a photo from the side and sent it to Gu Xinglan.
On the other end of the signal.
Gu Xinglan stared at the photo on his phone, his deep, dark phoenix eyes narrowing slightly.
Qin Wan was wearing beige loungewear with a dark blue apron layered over it, and white gloves on his hands. The apron’s tied belt perfectly outlined his lean, soft, and distinct waistline.
He was holding a small soup spoon, tasting the broth on the tip of the spoon.
His expression was earnest and focused. A subtle, comfortable smile graced his small face.
Gu Xinglan stared at the image, slightly entranced.
Looking like this, Qin Wan was inexplicably sexy and alluring.
Gu Xinglan’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
He put his phone away.
At six-thirty, dinner was ready.
Through sheer persistence, Qin Wan had managed to make three dishes: Fish Maw and Shark Fin Soup, Stir-fried Snowflake Beef with Termite Mushrooms, and Steamed Leopard Coral Grouper.
He grabbed Wang Shu with one hand and Zhang Sao with the other, laughing cheerfully. “Let’s all eat together! Come taste my cooking!”
“That won’t do, it’s against the rules…” Wang Shu and Zhang Sao were in the middle of declining.
Just then, accompanied by the sound of footsteps, Gu Xinglan walked into the dining room.
The smile on Qin Wan’s small face stiffened.
“Gege…”
“You cooked?” A smile bloomed on Gu Xinglan’s peerlessly handsome face. “Tell me, which of these dishes did you make?”
As he took off his suit jacket, Gu Xinglan stared at Qin Wan, looking him up and down.
Wang Shu took the jacket and gave Zhang Sao a pointed look. The two of them tactfully and quietly slipped out of the dining room.
Qin Wan snapped back to reality. “Oh, this one, and these two, I made them.”
He smiled again. “Gege, I made them specifically for you so you could taste my cooking.”
Hearing this, a faint, almost imperceptible smile curled the corners of Gu Xinglan’s lips.
“Qin Wan, come here,” Gu Xinglan said, sitting down on a dining chair.
Qin Wan hadn’t even had time to take off his apron. He walked over to him sluggishly.
Gu Xinglan reached out a large hand, pulled the boy into his arms, and settled him onto his own lap.
He tilted his chin toward the dining table. “Didn’t you know I had a social engagement tonight and wouldn’t be coming back? Why did you say you made it specifically for me?”
Qin Wan froze.
He had been so focused on flattering him that he completely forgot about that detail.
He bit his lip.
“Uh, what I meant was, I wanted to wait until your engagement was over and you came back, then heat it up for you… so you could have a taste…”
He offered a somewhat forced, but self-proclaimed reasonable explanation.
Gu Xinglan let out a scoffing laugh. “Make me eat reheated leftovers? Qin Wan, you really are something.”
He knew perfectly well that the little liar was lying again, but he wasn’t angry.
The fact that Qin Wan was willing to deliberately pretend to be good and please him now was not a bad thing.
Qin Wan picked up a small spoon from the table.
“Gege, do you want to taste it?”
Gu Xinglan licked the corner of his lips. “You feed me.”
Qin Wan’s face flushed red.
How could he be so shameless? Saying something like that without even blushing?
“…Okay,” he nodded.
He scooped up a small spoonful of the Fish Maw and Shark Fin Soup and brought the spoon up to Gu Xinglan’s eyes.
Gu Xinglan didn’t eat it. Instead, he asked faintly, “Is it hot?”
Qin Wan seemed to understand his intention. “Then… should I blow on it for you?”
The corner of Gu Xinglan’s brow twitched minutely, and he let out a muffled hum of agreement.
Qin Wan blew gently on the tip of the spoon.
He brought it to his lips again. “It’s not hot anymore this time, Gege.”
Only then did Gu Xinglan open his mouth.
Tasting the flavor of the soup, his eyes narrowed slightly.
The taste was exceptional, not much worse than Zhang Sao‘s cooking.
He hadn’t expected that aside from being good at lying and throwing punches, this little liar’s culinary skills were actually this good.
He looked at Qin Wan and noticed the boy was staring back at him, seemingly waiting for his evaluation.
“Mn, it’s pretty good,” Gu Xinglan said.
Qin Wan smiled. “That’s good.”
Gu Xinglan looked at his flushed, pretty little face, and then at the apron he was wearing.
An uncontrollable surge of restlessness welled up in his chest.
“That one, let me try it.” He motioned with his chin toward the steamed fish on the side.
Qin Wan used chopsticks to pick up a piece of fish meat and brought it to his lips.
The taste was also top-tier, perhaps even slightly better than Zhang Sao‘s version.
“Not bad,” he said genuinely.
The smile on Qin Wan’s small face was radiant. “As long as you like it.”
Gu Xinglan’s arm around his waist tightened slightly.
“Qin Wan, why are you so obedient today?” he asked in a low voice, leaning in a bit closer.
“I…” The sudden proximity flustered Qin Wan’s heart.
He hadn’t figured out how to answer this question either.
Gu Xinglan reached out a finger, the pad of it gently rubbing against his lips, and then gave him a very light kiss.
“Is it to thank me for not being heavy-handed with your punishment last night and letting you off easily?”
Qin Wan lowered his eyes.
Indeed, he was grateful for Gu Xinglan’s mercy.
He also realized that if he acted a bit more obediently and coaxed him into a good mood, his days would be much more peaceful.
“Mn, I am very grateful to Gege. Also, I said I would coax you and make you happy, and you told me to show some sincerity…”
The light in Gu Xinglan’s eyes shifted slightly. He gently pinched the boy’s jaw, forcing him to meet his gaze directly.
He stared at him, observing him closely for a moment.
“Qin Wan, I’ll allow you to go out tomorrow,” he said, pressing his lips together. “But you must be home before six in the evening.”
Hearing this, a look of joy washed over Qin Wan’s face.
“Really? Thank you, Gege!”
As he spoke, he wrapped his arms around Gu Xinglan’s neck.
He leaned in and placed a light kiss on his cheek.
His beautiful fox eyes curved into two gorgeous crescent moons.
Gu Xinglan wrapped his arms around Qin Wan, his hand gently stroking his back.
Qin Wan suddenly felt that the look in Gu Xinglan’s eyes at this moment held an unprecedented tenderness.
And within that tenderness, there seemed to be some other, complex emotion mixed in. He couldn’t quite read it for the moment.
But regardless, as long as he agreed to let him out, that was what mattered.
It was a hundred times better than being locked up in the villa like a literal canary.
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