Chapter 191 - Mu Han Cooks

Chu Qianqian, who was on Mu Han’s mind, had no idea about the little schemes running through his head. After a few sharp turns of the car, the inertia had pressed her back against the seat. Any resolve she had left crumbled under the pressure. Sinking into the sofa, she buried her face like an ostrich, trying desperately not to think about what had just happened.

However, humans and animals are quite different. An ostrich lowers its head to sense nearby movements or relax its long neck muscles. Humans, on the other hand, bury their heads to avoid confronting unpleasant truths.

“This type of avoidance is more about self-comfort-a way for people to temporarily calm their minds through self-hypnosis.” This phrase, which she couldn’t recall where she had read it, suddenly flashed across Chu Qianqian’s mind. To her despair, she found it painfully accurate.

The events of just moments ago replayed in her head like an old, malfunctioning projector. Without the chaos of rushing thoughts, she could now clearly analyze the situation from the perspective of an onlooker.

The man’s expectant gaze, the upward curve of his lips, the wide-eyed astonishment on Qingyi’s face as he glanced over… even the passersby who walked by not far from the trio-all of these details that her eyes had merely skimmed past at the time now replayed in her mind like a silent film. The more she thought about it, the more her face flushed crimson, so much so that she felt the heat radiating from her cheeks could probably cook an egg.

It wasn’t until the car stopped in front of Qingyi’s villa that Chu Qianqian began to snap out of the whirlwind of inexplicable emotions.

Thankfully, the chilly wind in City B was mercilessly refreshing, especially at night. It had an unparalleled ability to clear the mind. The moment she opened the car door, the biting cold wind greeted her head-on, bringing her overheated cheeks back to their usual coolness in an instant. Standing there now, her face appeared calm and composed, with no visible signs of her earlier turmoil.

When they parted ways earlier, Chu Ziyu had mentioned he wasn’t feeling well, and it was evident now that he hadn’t been exaggerating. After stepping into the villa, the group noticed that the lights in the first-floor living room were on, but there was no one to be seen. Even with all the commotion they made entering the house, no one came down the stairs to greet them.

Setting the gift bag aside, Qingyi glanced toward the eerily quiet second floor. His brows furrowed slightly as he said, “It really seems like Ziyu isn’t feeling well. Should I go upstairs and look for some medicine for him?”

Seeing that Chu Qianqian was about to start looking for medicine after listening to Qingyi’s suggestion, Mu Han’s eyes narrowed slightly before he composed himself and said matter-of-factly, “I don’t think that’s a good idea. With all the noise we made after coming in, he still hasn’t come downstairs. He’s probably fast asleep. Good sleep is crucial for recovery when you’re unwell. It’d be better not to disturb him.”

Chu Qianqian, who had just found the medicine but hadn’t yet turned to leave, paused when she heard Mu Han’s words. After hesitating for a moment, she realized he had a point. She lowered her head and inspected the medicine bottle for a few seconds to ensure the pills inside hadn’t expired, then placed the bottle on the coffee table. Instead of going upstairs to check on Chu Ziyu, she decided to leave him be.

None of them had a proper dinner that evening. Chu Qianqian and Qingyi managed to grab some fast food-fries and soda, stuff like that-but Mu Han hadn’t eaten since lunchtime and was completely famished by this point.

Adhering to his personal philosophy that one should never neglect their stomach, Mu Han, much to Chu Qianqian’s astonishment, took off his suit jacket, rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt, and confidently walked toward the kitchen.

Chu Qianqian was so shocked that her voice cracked slightly as she exclaimed, “Wait, Mu Han’s actually cooking himself?!”

Qingyi, confused by her reaction, shot back, “What’s there to be surprised about? Didn’t he teach you how to make steamed buns back when we were filming?”

“Well, he did teach me, but…” Chu Qianqian thought back to the custom-made suit Mu Han had just been wearing and decided to be honest. “I just can’t picture Mu Han… you know, fitting into a kitchen setting.”

“Hee hee, then you don’t know this about him. His cooking skills? He honed them in the military!”

“What?!” Chu Qianqian’s eyes went wide with surprise, completely stunned by this unexpected revelation. After a long pause, she ventured hesitantly, “In the… military cooking team?”

“Yep.” Qingyi nodded and glanced toward the kitchen to check on Mu Han, who was busy inside. He then shuffled closer to Chu Qianqian, leaning in like someone about to relay highly classified information. In a hushed tone, he said, “This is one of his little secrets. I’m telling you in confidence-you can’t let him know I told you. If he finds out, he’s definitely going to be furious!”

Curiosity about Mu Han’s secret far outweighed any fear of facing his anger. Chu Qianqian nodded eagerly, lowering her voice to match Qingyi’s whisper. “Got it, I won’t say a word!”

“When he first joined the military, he wasn’t very old-barely just an adult. He secretly applied for enlistment right after the college entrance exams, without telling his family.” As Qingyi spoke, he glanced nervously at the kitchen again. Only after catching a blurry glimpse of Mu Han’s busy figure did he continue. “Yu-Ge was the one who told me about this. When Mu Han first joined the military, he was a real troublemaker.”

“Yu-Ge?”

“Wei Chiyu,” Qingyi clarified. “He’s one of my brother’s teammates-you’ve met him. He joined the military at the same time as my brother. They were in the same batch of recruits and were assigned to the same team right from the start. Honestly, only Wei Chiyu knows all the embarrassing stuff my brother did back then.”

When it came to gossip, sharing it was always the best part. Initially, Qingyi spoke with a few pauses here and there, but as he continued, the words began to flow more easily, and his excitement grew. “My brother’s physical fitness was great-whether it was hand-to-hand combat or firearms, he’d already practiced a lot at home. In the beginning, he made a great impression on their captain.”

At this point, Qingyi’s tone became a little vague, and his expression turned evasive. “But, well… my brother, according to my grandpa, was ‘born with a rebellious streak.’ It didn’t take long before he earned a reputation for being a troublemaker in their team. After he beat their captain in a hand-to-hand combat training session, he even stopped listening to the captain altogether.”

Qingyi’s naturally expressive face made him especially captivating when telling stories or sharing gossip. As he spoke, Chu Qianqian found herself completely absorbed, her emotions rising and falling with his tone.

Before today, Chu Qianqian had never imagined that Mu Han could have such a bold and defiant side. In her mind, Mu Han had always been the picture of calm composure, his emotions rarely showing on his face.

Sure, he could smile when he was happy or frown when he was angry, but even those were fleeting and restrained, as if he was naturally stingy with expressions. Every time, he showed just a hint of emotion before quickly reining it back in, leaving people unsatisfied, like catching a glimpse of something precious only for it to vanish immediately.

Feeling her heartbeat quicken, Chu Qianqian cast a glance toward the kitchen, imitating Qingyi. Suppressing the note of excitement creeping into her voice, she asked, “And then? What happened next?”