Seeing Mu Xingfeng coming over, An Ran still covered her mouth, her large, watery eyes filled with tears: "Don’t worry, I’ll be fine in a moment. Cough, cough... You go sit in the living room. Cough... It’s a bit pungent here."
So this girl was stir-frying chili peppers. He never knew that cooking chili could be so painful. Seeing the teardrops at the corners of her eyes, Mu Xingfeng walked over, raised his hand to wipe them away, and said with some distress, "If it’s too pungent, don’t add chili peppers." Although he loved spicy food, he couldn’t bear to see her suffer.
An Ran nonchalantly replied, "It’s fine, it’ll be ready soon. Hurry, go, go. If you’re here, I’ll get flustered."
The feeling of those slightly calloused fingertips brushing against the corners of her eyes was still so real, causing An Ran’s heart to skip a couple of beats.
Mu Xingfeng watched as An Ran deftly served the chicken pieces onto a plate and then casually handed the plate to him. This small gesture felt so warm and heartwarming.
He raised his hand and gently rubbed An Ran’s fluffy little head, the corners of his lips lifting, and carried the plate to the dining table outside.
In no time, all the dishes were served on the table, a standard four dishes and a soup. An Ran finally came out with the bowls and chopsticks, inviting Mu Xingfeng to come and eat.
Mu Xingfeng looked at the colorful red and green dishes on the table, all spicy dishes, and was surprised that the girl’s taste was so similar to his own.
He took out the red wine he had bought earlier. Upon seeing it, An Ran instinctively asked, "You’re not going back tonight?"
After asking, she wished she could slap herself. Her mouth was quicker than her brain; it was a stubborn problem, yet she usually didn’t have it.
Mu Xingfeng laughed at her expression, his hearty laughter filling the entire room. It was the first time An Ran had seen him laugh so freely, and she was mesmerized by the sound, momentarily forgetting her previous embarrassment.
After laughing, Mu Xingfeng said, "Aren’t you thanking me? Wine shows sincerity. Don’t worry, I’ll go back later. There are no traffic cops on the road."
An Ran was still immersed in his laughter and instinctively nodded, taking the wine Mu Xingfeng handed her.
Originally, the wine was taken out to match the atmosphere, but when they started eating, Mu Xingfeng found that the girl took a sip of wine with every bite of food. At this rate, she’d be drunk before finishing the meal.
"An Ran, that’s not how you drink wine. Drink slower," Mu Xingfeng reminded her in a deep voice.
An Ran had just taken a bite of stir-fried beef with green chili and was about to drink when she heard Mu Xingfeng’s words. She put down the glass but found the dish too spicy. Without the wine, she could only chew while fanning herself with her hand, finally sticking out her cute little tongue and turning to pour herself a glass of water.
What was there that Mu Xingfeng didn’t understand at this moment?
"An Ran, are you afraid of spicy food?"
An Ran was indeed overwhelmed by the spiciness. She could handle some spice, but only mildly. She had never eaten such spicy food before. Today, to cater to Mu Xingfeng’s tastes, she added a lot of chili peppers to every dish.
But hearing Mu Xingfeng’s question, she still shook her head: "No, no, I’m just a little thirsty. Instructor Mu, are the dishes I made not to your liking?"
Seeing that Mu Xingfeng had put down his chopsticks, An Ran anxiously asked.
"No, the dishes you made are very delicious," they were indeed very tasty, even better than the chef’s in the Guard Team, and spicy enough; he liked them a lot. But seeing the girl’s swollen lips, Mu Xingfeng added, "Just use less chili next