Chapter 56

Chapter 56 (New) I Heard Your Engagement Ceremony Was Canceled? By the time he snapped back to reality, the small tray table was already full. Baby bok choy, beef, fragrant white rice, and a bowl of soup. "You made so much." Jiang Shixu smiled gently. "What kind of soup is this?" "Chinese yam and old hen soup." Chu Tang picked up the soup, scooped up a spoonful, blew on it gently, and brought it to Jiang Shixu's lips. "Try it." Jiang Shixu smiled and lowered his gaze, but his smile suddenly froze. "What happened to your hand?" There was a blister on the index finger of Chu Tang's right hand. Chu Tang tried to hide it but it was too late. She had no choice but to confess honestly. "It's... I accidentally burned myself in the kitchen just now. It's nothing, just a blister." Jiang Shixu's eyes reddened at the edges. "Does it hurt?" Chu Tang shook her head. "It doesn't hurt." Jiang Shixu drank the soup, then gently took Chu Tang's wrist in his hand, lowered his head, and softly blew on her injured spot. After blowing a few times, Jiang Shixu looked up at Chu Tang, his long eyes filled with concern. "You're lying. Burns always hurt." Chu Tang's eyes reddened at the corners. "It really doesn't hurt. Compared to the injuries you've suffered, this is nothing." Jiang Shixu reached out and gently pinched her cheek. "When Tangtang gets hurt, I feel heartache. Not even a small injury is allowed." Chu Tang lightly bit her lower lip, her eyelashes fluttering as she unconsciously acted spoiled with him. "Shixu-gege..." Soft and sweet, how could Jiang Shixu resist that? He pulled her over and kissed her smooth forehead, her flushed cheeks, and her soft lips. Chu Tang's ears burned hot, and her heart felt as sweet as if it had been soaked in honey. A moment later, she braced her hands against Jiang Shixu's chest and pulled back. "Shixu-gege, let's eat first. It'll get cold soon." Jiang Shixu dragged out his words, the corners of his eyes lifting playfully. "Alright, and then we'll kiss again after?" Chu Tang let out a soft hum and lowered her eyes without saying anything, ignoring his teasing. Jiang Shixu took a bite of the stir-fried baby bok choy. Chu Tang watched him nervously. "How is it? Does it taste alright?" Jiang Shixu's eyes were brimming with laughter, and he was in a good enough mood to tease her. "Delicious. They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Is Tangtang trying to start by capturing my stomach?" Chu Tang puffed out her cheeks and pretended to glare at him. "So if I can't capture your stomach, I can't capture your heart?" Jiang Shixu laughed and pinched her cheek again. "How could that be? All you have to do is stand there and you've already won without doing anything." Chu Tang let out a "hmph," but joy and delight suddenly surfaced in her eyes. Jiang Shixu ate every last bite of the food Chu Tang had made, even drinking the soup down to the last drop. After the meal, he leaned back against the headboard to rest. Chu Tang carefully packed up the utensils, preparing to take them out to wash. Jiang Shixu said, "You can just leave that for the nurse or the housekeeper." Chu Tang shook her head. "It's fine, no trouble." Jiang Shixu's voice was very low, carrying a hint of barely perceptible tenderness. "When did you learn to cook?" His Tangtang was a pampered young lady of a wealthy family who had never so much as touched a drop of water for chores. How could cooking and washing dishes ever fall to her? Chu Tang answered, "Just these past couple of days." Jiang Shixu was about to ask more when the hospital room door suddenly swung open, and a whole crowd of people filed in. Lin Yueying walked in at the front, carrying a food container. "Son, Mom brought you food." Behind her followed Qin Yan, Chen Yuanyuan, and a nurse. Her gaze swept over Chu Tang, and Lin Yueying smiled. "Tangtang is here too. Have you eaten yet? Want to join us? I brought a lot of food today—the housekeeper at home just made it fresh." Chu Tang smiled and declined. "No thank you, Auntie. I just ate." Jiang Shixu's voice followed immediately. "I just ate too." Lin Yueying was taken aback, then noticed the insulated food container in Chu Tang's hands. "Tangtang, you brought food for Shixu?" "Mm." Lin Yueying looked at Jiang Shixu. "Are you full? Want to eat a bit more? I brought all your favorites." Jiang Shixu said, "No need. The food Tangtang made with her own hands suits my taste perfectly. I finished all of it." Hearing this, Lin Yueying broke into a knowing, auntie-style smile. "Alright, since you've already eaten, then no need to eat more." Qin Yan wore a sly, mischievous expression. "Oh? Food made by Tangtang's own hands?" He set down the fruit basket and supplements he was carrying, then looked at Jiang Shixu with a teasing grin. "You lucky bastard, you really are blessed in the food department." Jiang Shixu shot back, "Yeah, it's a joy a single dog like you could never understand." Qin Yan's smile froze on his lips. "Fine, just you wait. I'll find myself a girlfriend too, and I'll flaunt our love right in your face every single day until you're sick of it." Chen Yuanyuan's eyes widened in shock. "Tangtang, you can cook too?" Chu Tang gave a faint smile. "I just learned." "Tsk tsk tsk, love really is magical." Chen Yuanyuan circled around Chu Tang in disbelief. "I still remember back in college when I went to your apartment to hang out once. You fried me an egg, and when I bit into it, it was all crunchy. You said eggshells are good for calcium. I never thought you'd actually learn to cook now." Chu Tang awkwardly rubbed her nose. "Eggshells really are good for calcium." Chen Yuanyuan laughed in exasperation. "Fine, fine, fine. So you give your best friend an egg with the shell still on, but you cook a full feast for your fiancé, huh?" Chu Tang's eyes curved into crescents. "I'll make you a feast next time too." Chen Yuanyuan grinned widely. "Then I'll take you up on that." Qin Yan shot her a glance. "Tangtang cooking is their little couple's romantic moment. Why are you butting in?" Chen Yuanyuan lifted her chin with a hint of pride. "Mind your own business." The group exchanged a few more playful remarks, and the atmosphere grew lively. Lin Yueying laughed along for a while, then her gaze swept to the insulated lunchbox in Chu Tang's hand. "Tangtang, are you taking that to be washed?" "Mm-hmm," Chu Tang replied. "Give it to the caregiver." With that, Lin Yueying signaled to the caregiver beside her. The caregiver quickly stepped over to take the lunchbox. "Miss Ruan, I'll handle it." Chu Tang handed the lunchbox to the caregiver. Lin Yueying didn't stay much longer—she received a phone call and left in a hurry. Chu Tang still had some work to deal with in the afternoon, so after keeping Jiang Shixu company for a while, she also left. She had just walked out of the hospital when she ran into someone she didn't want to see. Gu Zechuan walked over. "Tangtang, finally I get to see you. Why haven't you come home these past few days?" The "home" he referred to was that apartment in Mingjiayuan. That was the only address Gu Zechuan knew of. Chu Tang looked at him warily. "What are you here for?" Gu Zechuan's eyes gleamed with excitement as he stared at Ruan Chutang. "I heard your engagement ceremony was called off?" Chu Tang said irritably, "What does that have to do with you? Move aside!" Gu Zechuan blocked her path. "Chu Tang, do you believe in fate? Your engagement ceremony was disrupted—it means heaven doesn't approve of this match." "Ha." Chu Tang's face turned cold. "It's the twenty-first century. How is it that your superstitious, backward thinking still hasn't been washed away?" Gu Zechuan wasn't bothered. The cancellation of the engagement ceremony made him happier than anyone. Not to mention that Jiang Shixu had also been stabbed and nearly died. Even heaven was on his side! A smile surfaced in his eyes. "Chu Tang, you know who the attacker is, right? She was Jiang Shixu's obsessive admirer—she'd pursued him for ten years. A lot of people at the engagement banquet saw her that day, and word has spread all over Jiangcheng by now." "Tell me—when a woman pursues Jiang Shixu so fervently for ten years, how could he possibly remain unmoved?"