Song Yi’s mind was in a daze as he felt the soft, moist tongue against his fingers. His heartbeat slowed, and he forgot to pull his hand back. He asked in confusion, “What are you doing?”

“Helping you stop the bleeding,” Gu Xingchuan replied, letting go of his hand and calmly turning back to the dishes on the stove. He picked up the salt bottle and asked nonchalantly, “Do you eat your food salty?”

Song Yi regained her composure and rushed to the faucet, glancing through the sliding door at the living room. Shen Li and Zhao Hongyan were chatting happily, and no one had noticed the small incident in the kitchen.

“Put in how much you want, I don’t mind,” Song Yi said as he picked the kitchen knife and slicing a piece of lettuce, feeling uncomfortable. He added, “Don’t do that again in the future.”

Gu Xingchuan glanced at him with a lingering taste of sweetness and blood in his mouth. His tongue rolled around as he savored it, still unsatisfied.

The two of them worked quickly in the kitchen, and soon a table full of dishes was ready. When all the food was placed on the table, Song Yi realized the food was too vegetarian, resembling a meal for someone fasting in a temple.

On one side were stir-fried shrimp, green vegetables, and tofu; on the other, radish ribs, zucchini, and scrambled eggs. The table was full of green, oil-covered dishes, with not even a chili pepper in sight.

Zhao Hongyan gave Gu Xingchuan a strange glance, but Gu Xingchuan sat down at the dining table without hesitation. “It’s hot, have some light food,” he said.

Although Song Yi felt sorry for Shen Li, he was quite pleased. At least he didn’t have to suffer. Otherwise, Zhao Hongyan would have stir-fried a table full of chili peppers, which he couldn’t handle.

Shen Li looked thoughtfully at Gu Xingchuan, biting a chopstick with bulging cheeks. “Thank you for cooking for me today,” he said.

Gu Xingchuan gave him a cold glance and smirked. “No need to thank me. Your best thanks is eating more.”

Shen Li furrowed his brows slightly, picked up his chopsticks, and ate in silence, looking sullen and pitiful.

Zhao Hongyan smacked her lips and praised while eating, “Xiao Gu’s cooking skills are really good. It’s rare for young people to know how to cook.”

“Auntie, you’re too kind. I only know how to make a few dishes,” Gu Xingchuan replied, taking a sip of water and eating slowly. “I learned them specifically for variety shows before, but they can’t compare to your cooking.”

Song Yi’s chopsticks hesitated he glanced at the unhappy Shen Li, feeling a bit uneasy himself.

Shen Li remained calm under Song Yi’s gaze, but struggled to eat the light food on the table. He reluctantly put down his chopsticks and whispered, “Song Yi, I’m full.”

“When you’re full, go for a walk,” Gu Xingchuan said, not looking up, his tone caring. “The cake has a lot of calories. You ate twice as many carbs today, so run for two hours and then come back.”

Shen Li’s pitiful, shrunken expression nearly made Song Yi wanted to burst into laughter. Asking a delicate omega to run for two hours was such a typical straight man’s idea.

“Don’t listen to him,” Song Yi said gently, patting Shen Li’s back to soothe him. “Take a rest for a while, and I’ll take you home tonight.”

Shen Li nodded obediently, glanced at the green vegetables on the table, and curled his lips…

—