Married, but Still Strangers - Chapter 5

“I’ll stir-fry some cucumber with shrimp.”

Zhuang Yan went to get the cucumbers and large shrimp again. He wanted to see if there were any pre-peeled shrimp, but after searching around, he couldn’t find any.

“Do we need to buy some snacks and drinks?” At some point, it had become Yue Lu who was pushing the shopping cart.

“Sigh, I’m already an adult; I passed the age of eating snacks long ago.” Zhuang Yan shook his head and waved his hands, feigning maturity.

“Who says adults can’t eat snacks?” Yue Lu placed two bags of potato chips and two boxes of Oreos into the shopping cart.

“You have a point. Then I want to eat jelly.” Zhuang Yan put two large Xi Zhi Lang jellies into the cart. “I used to love eating these when I was a kid, especially the little red cherries inside.”

“Then when we go back, let me taste how they are too.” Yue Lu took two more.

“Hey! I already took yours just now,” Zhuang Yan reminded him.

“Eat a few more; let me have a few more tastes too.” Yue Lu bypassed Zhuang Yan’s hand and placed the jelly into the shopping cart.

“Alright, I’ll grant you permission to have a few more bites.” With his head held high and hands behind his back, Zhuang Yan very boldly commanded the “Big Boss” to push the cart for him.

“I want to eat that!” Zhuang Yan pointed at the large snack gift pack on the top shelf.

Actually, he could have reached it by standing on his tiptoes, but if he did that, how could he demonstrate the value of Yue Lu as an Alpha?

Yue Lu raised his hand and took the gift pack down: “If you want to eat it, buy it.”

“Then will you buy it for me?” Zhuang Yan blinked his eyes, looking at Yue Lu.

Yue Lu put the large snack gift pack into the small cart: “I’ll buy it for you.”

That’s great, saved another sum of snack money.

“Is there anything else you want to eat?” Yue Lu asked.

“Hmm…” Zhuang Yan pondered, his eyes scanning the surrounding shelves. “I want to eat this, Snickers. ‘Hunger-crushing, be yourself!'”

Zhuang Yan jogged over to the chocolate row, but when he returned holding the Snickers, his foot slipped, and he fell headfirst into Yue Lu’s embrace.

One could only say the head-feel was good, and the hand-feel was also good; it would be even better if he could take off the clothes and let him have a feel.

“Be a bit careful. It’s not a limited-time flash sale; no one is fighting you for it.” Yue Lu held Zhuang Yan steadily in his arms.

But Yue Lu soon realized that the posture of the two of them was too intimate and quickly let go of Zhuang Yan in his arms.

“I’m sorry, it’s probably because the quality of my shoes is too poor and they aren’t slip-resistant, plus the supermarket floor is made of tiles,” Zhuang Yan tried to explain.

This time he really didn’t do it on purpose; it was just a lucky mistake that allowed Yue Lu to catch him steadily.

It is said that physical contact is a good way to increase affection; looking at Yue Lu’s performance, the experts were indeed telling the truth.

If Yue Lu hadn’t let go of him so quickly just now, it would have been even more perfect.

“Then when shall we go together to buy a pair of new shoes?” Yue Lu suggested. It would be best to buy a couple’s matching pair.

If they couldn’t find any, they could go get custom-made ones, and hide them in the insoles to pretend it was fate.

“Wait until there’s time.” This pair of shoes he was wearing was still fine; they just weren’t slip-resistant, that’s all. There was no need to replace them, right?

Poor shoes.

“You two, excuse me for a moment!” Just as they were planning to go to the checkout, the two of them were stopped by a sales clerk.

Since you know it’s an interruption, then don’t call out to us. What’s the point of knowingly committing the offense?

“Is there something the matter?” You’d better really have something that can interest me, otherwise, I’ll just have to cowardly throw a small tantrum in private.

“It’s like this: our store has an event where a couple’s kiss gets a free cup of milk tea. I wonder if you two want to participate?”

Zhuang Yan looked at Yue Lu expectantly. Only a fool wouldn’t take advantage of a bargain; that’s a whole cup of milk tea!

Besides, they were going to kiss sooner or later; what was the difference between kissing early or late?

As the Omega, Zhuang Yan hadn’t even become shy yet, but Yue Lu was the one who got embarrassed first.

“Forget it, how about we just leave? I’ll buy one for you next time.” With so many people watching, how could they just kiss whenever they were told to? Yue Lu found it hard to accept.

He felt that this kind of thing should be relatively private; it should be in a very safe place, in a place where there were only the two of them.

For example, in their own little home.

However, Zhuang Yan didn’t care about any of that; he wouldn’t allow his milk tea to just run away like that.

Previously, Wang Mengmeng had suggested that Zhuang Yan take the civil service exam, but with someone like him who would even greedily take a small advantage involving a single needle or thread from the masses he definitely wouldn’t be able to serve the people in the future.

Of course, that’s a story for later.

Zhuang Yan hadn’t become an official, after all; right now, the most crucial thing was his milk tea.

Thus, Zhuang Yan proactively grabbed Yue Lu’s collar, forcing him to lower his head, then hooked his arms around Yue Lu’s neck, standing on tiptoes to bite down on Yue Lu’s lips.

Yue Lu’s entire body stiffened, like a life-sized Ball-Jointed Doll (BJD), allowing Zhuang Yan to manipulate him.

Zhuang Yan hadn’t kissed anyone else either, and Yue Lu was like a dead person with absolutely no reaction, so he could only bite around blindly according to his own thoughts.

“Is this okay now?” Due to the friction just now, Zhuang Yan’s lips looked as if he had applied lipstick, and Yue Lu had also been bitten by Zhuang Yan until he bled.

“It’s okay.” The sales clerk took out a cup of milk tea and handed Zhuang Yan a “Y”-shaped straw. “I wish you two’s relationship gets better and better, and that you grow old together.”

“Thank you.” After Zhuang Yan expressed his thanks, he took the milk tea with a large “Gift” sticker on it and went to the checkout with Yue Lu.

Zhuang Yan felt that this “Y”-shaped milk tea design was fantastic; later he could buy another cup of milk tea, so they could drink two cups at the same time.

“Young Master Yue pays for today’s consumption.”

Yue Lu cooperated: “Mm, I’ll pay.”

Watching Yue Lu take out the QR code and finish the payment, Zhuang Yan’s mood was unprecedentedly pleasant.

How could there be such a wonderful thing in this world?

After returning home, Zhuang Yan strongly requested Yue Lu to sit on the sofa and binge-watch a drama, while he himself ran to the kitchen to get busy.

“Do you really not need my help?” Yue Lu peeked toward the kitchen.

“I really don’t.” Zhuang Yan pressed the restless Yue Lu back onto the sofa again and very thoughtfully found the episode of “Empresses in the Palace” featuring the “Blood Test for Paternity.”

So what if he’s a CEO? Could he still resist the temptation of an episode of the Blood Test?

It’s just that after Zhuang Yan entered the kitchen, Yue Lu’s attention was never concentrated on the television.

His breathing slowed, and his hand lightly rested on the spot Zhuang Yan had touched just now; in this way, they should be considered to have held hands, right?

At the thought of this, the corners of Yue Lu’s mouth curled up unconsciously.

It wasn’t that the CEO could resist the temptation, but rather that another temptation was still right in front of the CEO, and the CEO had no time to attend to other temptations.

In the kitchen, Zhuang Yan didn’t know what Yue Lu was like outside. He had turned the TV volume up very high, and since he hadn’t closed the door, he could hear it perfectly clearly in the kitchen.

He didn’t know when it started, but Zhuang Yan had developed the habit of watching TV while cooking and eating, and listening to music while drawing.

If he only did one thing, he actually found it a bit difficult to adapt.

He heard that this was a manifestation of a lack of concentration, but so what? What did he need such high-intensity concentration for?

After the eggs and ham sausages were fried, they were served out, and then he used the same pot to stir-fry some tomatoes. Zhuang Yan was used to adding an extra spoonful of tomato paste.

After stir-frying it into a paste-like state, he added fresh water, then squeezed in the shrimp paste balls. After boiling for a few minutes, he put the noodle block in to simmer for three minutes, topped it with the eggs and ham sausages fried earlier, and the last and most important step was to add Zhuang Yan’s secret sauce.

Finally, he stirred it all up and served it out to be eaten.

“Give it a taste.”

When Zhuang Yan came out carrying the noodles, Yue Lu quickly walked over and took the bowl from Zhuang Yan’s hand: “I’ll carry it, be careful not to get burned.”

“Thank you.” Zhuang Yan went to the kitchen to bring two pairs of chopsticks. “Quickly taste if it’s delicious or not.”

Yue Lu took a bite and immediately praised: “I’ve never eaten noodles more delicious than these.”

“Really?” Zhuang Yan expressed doubt regarding this.

“Of course it’s true.” Yue Lu savored it. “It has a very ‘homey’ taste.”

It seems that these days, whether it’s a “Young Miss” or a “Young Master,” they are all very easy to coax.

Wait, it’s still the “Young Miss” who is easier to coax.

A Young Miss can be made to go dig wild vegetables just for a bowl of plain white porridge, while a Young Master was given a bowl of noodles packed with ingredients and only gave a sentence of praise in return.

Can’t you at least have some action? Are you just lowering your head to eat noodles?

Forget it, forget it. Seeing as he looks like he hasn’t eaten for three days, I’ll reluctantly forgive him this once.

“There’s more in the pot; do you need me to serve another bowl?”

Saying Yue Lu was hungry for three days was not an exaggeration at all. Looking at Yue Lu’s posture, if it weren’t for the fact that the bowl was ceramic and he couldn’t bite it, that bowl would have been eaten too.

Has the internal relationship of wealthy families nowadays already become complicated to this extent? A dignified young master of a wealthy family has been reduced to the point where he can’t even get food to eat.

“No need to trouble you, I can go myself.” Yue Lu carried the bowl into the kitchen and served himself another bowl of noodles.

Because Zhuang Yan always overestimated his own appetite, every time he cooked, there would be quite a lot left over.

The leftovers would either be thrown away or kept for the next meal; anyway, he would never force himself to stuff things into his stomach, nor would he be like Yue Lu, who clearly was full but still went to serve another bowl.

Having eaten three bowls in a row, Yue Lu finally stopped. However, it wasn’t because he had eaten enough, but because the pot was empty.

Lunch was made by Zhuang Yan and Yue Lu together. Zhuang Yan made stir-fried cucumbers with shrimp. This dish was something Zhuang Yan had eaten back at a wedding banquet for some distant relative; after tasting it once, he thought it was amazing and couldn’t forget it for a long time thereafter.

What Yue Lu made was Scallion Oil Chicken. Because Zhuang Yan didn’t like eating scallions, there wasn’t a single scallion in the house, so Yue Lu had specifically run downstairs to buy some.

“Do you have an apron in here?” Yue Lu thought of this question before cooking.

Zhuang Yan shook his head: “I don’t. Before, it was just me cooking by myself, and I wasn’t particular about these things. If the clothes got dirty, I’d just go change into another set.”

But did Yue Lu have a change of clothes?

It’s fine. A Young Master has a Young Master’s own survival rules; perhaps someone will have them delivered tomorrow.

Soon, Zhuang Yan knew that Yue Lu wasn’t being overly fastidious, but truly needed an apron.

The Scallion Oil Chicken that Yue Lu wanted to make required fresh scallions to be fried in oil.

Fresh scallions have a high water content, and when put into the oil pot, the oil splatters everywhere. Yue Lu’s piece of clothing, which was worth an unknown number of digits, was ruined just like that by oil spots.

Actually, the reason Zhuang Yan didn’t like eating scallions was just that he didn’t like the taste of scallions after they were cooked. He could accept tofu with scallions, green onions with dipping sauce, and the shredded scallions rolled inside roast duck.

If they were fried scallions… it wasn’t impossible to try.

One must constantly try things to be able to taste all kinds of delicacies.

If it weren’t for people who bravely tried things, who would know that durian is so delicious? Who would know that beans can turn into tofu, and that grain can turn into wine or vinegar?

Speaking of which, the first person to drink alcohol really had a lot of courage. Something that had been left for so long and looked like it had spoiled, yet they still dared to put it in their mouth.

Moreover, whether this stuff tastes good or not.

“Taste it.” Yue Lu specifically placed that plate of Scallion Oil Chicken in front of Zhuang Yan, then pulled up a chair for himself and sat down next to Zhuang Yan.

Yue Lu was still wearing that same tracksuit; he only had time to put his racket in the car.

He still needed to get a few sets of clothes over quickly. If he only wore this one, it would smell sooner or later.

What if it smells and he gets disliked?

If he didn’t bring clothes, would he be able to wear Zhuang Yan’s clothes?

But Zhuang Yan is an Omega; neither the physique nor the height of the two of them met the conditions to be able to wear each other’s clothes.

Although Yue Lu couldn’t fit into Zhuang Yan’s clothes, it didn’t mean Zhuang Yan couldn’t wear Yue Lu’s clothes.

Having his own Omega wearing his clothes outside what a happy thing that would be.

Zhuang Yan wasn’t aware of the little schemes in Yue Lu’s heart. After taking a bite of the Scallion Oil Chicken, his eyes lit up: “The taste is quite good.”

It didn’t have a single bit of the taste he hated.

“I’m glad you like it.” Yue Lu secretly breathed a sigh of relief; he was really afraid Zhuang Yan wouldn’t like it.

“Then tomorrow you teach me how to make it.” Zhuang Yan hooked Yue Lu’s finger with his pinky. Yue Lu instinctively pulled his hand back, clenching his fist nervously.

It seems Young Master Yue still hates physical contact; that makes things a bit difficult.

But if it were “unintentional” physical contact, perhaps Yue Lu wouldn’t be able to react in time? Just like that time in the supermarket today.

“These are the last two steamed buns; do you want to eat them?” Zhuang Yan took out the freshly heated buns from the microwave. Compared to rice, he preferred eating steamed buns. “I’ll steam another pot this afternoon.”

“Do you usually steam the buns yourself?” Just now, Yue Lu almost forgot how to breathe. It was only when Zhuang Yan brought the buns in front of him that he regained his senses.

If it weren’t for that, perhaps Yue Lu would have suffocated himself.

He had always been a coward.

“Yes, freshly steamed buns are the most fragrant. Do you want to try one?” Zhuang Yan looked at Yue Lu expectantly, waiting for Yue Lu’s response.

“Sure.”

The dough had been prepared the previous day; it had been proofing for too long and had grown to an unknown number of times its original size.

“I’ll teach you to steam buns, and you teach me to make Scallion Oil Chicken, okay?” Zhuang Yan still hadn’t given up.

Isn’t it said that Alphas are creatures that think with their lower bodies? He didn’t believe there was truly an exception.

Zhuang Yan first directed Yue Lu to knead the dough in the basin into a ball, while he himself brought a bowl of flour to the side; when the dough stuck to the hands, he would add flour.

It’s just that during one of the times he added flour, Yue Lu wanted to see what was in the holes of the dough, and Zhuang Yan didn’t have time to pull back his hand, so the flour was all scattered onto Yue Lu’s head.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t do it on purpose.” This time the apology from Zhuang Yan was sincere; he also hadn’t expected Yue Lu to suddenly lean over the basin.

“It’s fine.” Yue Lu, whose head had turned white in an instant, stood up. “I’ll just wash it off later. Don’t they say using flour to wash hair can also remove oil?”

“Let me help you wash it.” After the buns were put into the pot, Zhuang Yan moved a chair to the bathroom. “Sit on it.”

While Yue Lu was still hesitating, Zhuang Yan pressed Yue Lu down onto the chair to sit properly.

“Tony Zhuang is at your service.” Having adjusted the water temperature, Zhuang Yan bowed in a mock-serious manner.

Yue Lu curled his lips: “If Master Zhuang’s craftsmanship is good, I’ll visit frequently in the future.”

“Satisfaction guaranteed.”

The ideal was very full, but the reality was very skeletal.

Zhuang Yan felt that he wasn’t washing hair, but washing wheat gluten.

If this gluten weren’t stuck to Yue Lu’s hair, he would really want to add some soy sauce and vinegar, mix it up, and eat it.

Having washed for ten minutes and still not getting it off, Zhuang Yan began to feel anxious, but being anxious was of no use. Anxiousness cannot be used as a cleaning agent, nor can it solve the problem.

Fortunately, Yue Lu didn’t say anything, otherwise, he really wouldn’t know what to do.

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