Chapter 83: Brushing Teeth After Dinner

Meng Xingzhe picked up the card thrown onto him, feeling a mix of surprise and delight. Not only did he refuse to open the car door, but he also planned to push his luck and attempt a second forceful kiss.

He suddenly pressed Yao Jia against the back seat, leaning in to capture her soft lips.

Just then, the car was suddenly illuminated.

A vehicle was approaching from behind, its headlights bright as searchlights piercing through the dim path, casting beams directly into Meng Xingzhe’s car.

Meng Xingzhe squinted against the glare, raising a hand to shield his eyes, and had to abandon the immediate pursuit of the soft, fragrant lips. He turned to look through the rear windshield.

What he saw made him start slightly.

“It looks like your dad’s car,” he recognized the approaching vehicle as Yao Bingkun’s.

Yao Jia was startled, immediately shrinking into her seat, tilting her body, and resting her head against the armrest below the car window, half-lying askew in her seat.

Meng Xingzhe turned to look at her, about to ask why she was acting like a thief. Before he could speak, his tie was suddenly yanked.

Yao Jia grabbed Meng Xingzhe’s tie and pulled hard, trying to drag him down below the window.

In the rush, she misjudged the force, pulling him not only below the window but directly onto her.

Their eyes met suddenly, breaths mingling.

Meng Xingzhe paused for just a second before lowering his head further, capturing her lips in a kiss.

Yao Jia’s eyes widened. Outside, her father was passing by, while inside, she was kissing someone. She felt both nervous and thrilled, her scalp tingling.

The light outside grew brighter as the car approached.

Once the beams reached their brightest, they finally passed through Meng Xingzhe’s car and moved forward.

Inside the car, darkness returned, bringing a sense of security.

In the darkness, Meng Xingzhe kissed Yao Jia deeply, savoring every moment.

It wasn’t until the car ahead stopped, and someone got out, closing the door with a thud.

Yao Bingkun had exited the car and entered the house.

Yao Jia pushed Meng Xingzhe away forcefully, her voice slightly hoarse as she shouted, “Are you done yet?”

Her voice was both charming and coquettish, making Meng Xingzhe inexplicably happy.

He unlocked the car, seizing the moment before she escaped to ask, “Why are you hiding from your dad?”

Yao Jia replied irritably, “If I don’t hide, do you want my dad to see me this late with someone improper in his car?”

With that, she opened the door and ran towards her house.

Meng Xingzhe watched her retreating figure, both flustered and adorable, unable to suppress a smile.

But while waiting for the driver, he suddenly realized—what did she mean by being with someone improper in the car?

How was he improper?

As soon as Meng Xingzhe got home, he couldn’t resist video calling Bei Luonan to brag about getting another heart card.

“Look, Yao Xiaojia gave me another card! I must be a man she can’t help but fall for every time she sees me!”

Bei Luonan pretended to gag, having just finished dinner with a supplier friend and was now in a cab heading home.

Ignoring the driver in front, Bei Luonan held up his phone and scolded Meng Xingzhe, “Meng Xingxing, do you have any conscience? You big brute, I kindly helped you meet Yao Xiaojia with my Little Xinxin, and you just left, taking the car and leaving me and my assistant stranded!”

Meng Xingzhe, immersed in his joy and sense of achievement, ignored him and continued boasting, “‘Press’ is practically tailor-made for a charming man like me. I used the ‘press’ technique twice today, it was wonderful!”

His face was full of satisfaction, which only fueled Bei Luonan’s anger further, “You bastard, I didn’t even get to see Little Xinxin because of you, and you have the nerve to brag about using the ‘press’ technique twice?! Meng Xingxing, I’m officially telling you now, from now on, you’re on your own with dating. I won’t share any more tips or tricks with you!”

After this outburst, Bei Luonan hung up the video call.

Meng Xingzhe held his second heart card, momentarily at a loss. He was about to ask how to quickly get a third heart card.

But his door to advice was firmly shut and welded by Bei Luonan.

However, he quickly regained his excitement. If Bei Luonan wouldn’t teach him in a video call, maybe he would in WeChat.

He messaged Bei Luonan: [Besides the press technique, what else can a man do to make a woman fall for him?]

Bei Luonan didn’t reply.

So he spammed the message.

After about thirty messages, Bei Luonan finally responded: [Do you want me to block you?!]

Meng Xingzhe thought smugly, spamming really works. Bei Luonan’s messages might be late, but they never fail to arrive.

Then he saw Bei Luonan send a few more words: [Cook for her at home this weekend!]

Meng Xingzhe immediately ordered a cookbook with delight.

On Friday night, Yao Jia received a call from Meng Xingzhe.

He spoke with utmost seriousness, “Tomorrow, you must give me a whole day. I have something important to discuss with you.”

If he hadn’t emphasized “important,” Yao Jia’s thoughts wouldn’t have wandered. But he did, and she immediately recalled how he had kissed her so unceremoniously before.

Her face flushed instantly. Luckily, it was a voice call, so he couldn’t see her embarrassed state.

She replied gruffly, “Fine.”

Meng Xingzhe then solemnly told her not to eat lunch, as he was going to take her to a meal that would elevate her life’s meaning.

Yao Jia couldn’t imagine what kind of meal could elevate life’s meaning. Was it blessed by a monk or something?

The next day, around noon, Meng Xingzhe came to pick up Yao Jia.

He was dressed casually, with a shirt and a light jacket over it. But it was clear that this “casual” look was meticulously planned.

Yao Jia, like him, appeared casually dressed at first glance, with a long coat open over a fitted dress.

But she knew that this “casual” look was the result of nearly an hour of trying outfits in front of the mirror.

As soon as Meng Xingzhe saw Yao Jia, he was struck by her appearance. The dress under her open coat accentuated her slim waist, her legs were slender and straight, and in high heels, they formed stunning lines.

Yao Jia wouldn’t let Meng Xingzhe approach her house because, “We’re not even close to being a couple yet. I can’t let my parents see you now!”

Meng Xingzhe didn’t argue, generously using numerical logic to reason with her, “If ten cards equal a complete relationship, then when you give me the fifth card, that’s when we start to become a couple. Fine, when I get the fifth card, I’ll visit your parents.”

Yao Jia: “…”

She thought that in this world, when it came to making decisions on his own, she admired no one more than Meng Xingzhe. He had unilaterally decided things, and it even seemed logical and scientific!

She asked irritably, “Where are we going for lunch?”

Meng Xingzhe told her, “It’s close, we can walk there.”

Yao Jia followed him through the path behind her house, deeper into the villa community.

This villa community was divided into east and west sections, with the east being standalone villas and the west being flat villas. The distance between them wasn’t far, just a short walk.

Meng Xingzhe led Yao Jia to the flat villas in the west section and took her upstairs.

In the elevator, Yao Jia was puzzled, “Is there a private restaurant here? How come I didn’t know?”

It wasn’t until they exited the elevator and Meng Xingzhe led her into a luxurious apartment that she realized it was Meng Xingzhe’s home!

She had been tricked into his house just like that!!

And his house was so close to hers!!!

No wonder that day when Meng Xingzhe drove her home, after hearing her address, he had raised an eyebrow and said, “Hmm?”

He must have realized just how close they lived to each other, both residing in the same neighborhood, albeit in the east and west sections.

Yao Jia couldn’t help but think, “Huh?” How could there be so many peculiar coincidences between her and Meng Xingzhe?

Even more astonishing was when she suspected she might be seeing things. Meng Xingzhe led her directly to the kitchen, and she watched as he took off his jacket, unbuttoned his shirt sleeves, and rolled them up, revealing a firm and smooth section of his arm. As she looked at his handsome hands, the exposed part of his body seemed both restrained and alluring.

She watched in disbelief as he tied an apron around himself, looking as if he was about to personally cook a meal for her.

So, this was what he meant by a meal that would elevate her sense of life’s meaning?

For a moment, she didn’t know whether to feel flattered or to call an ambulance.

Her complex emotions clearly affected the man enthusiastically preparing to chop vegetables at the kitchen island.

“What’s wrong, Yao Xiaojia? Don’t trust me?” Meng Xingzhe picked up a new kitchen knife, weighed it in his hand, and said to Yao Jia, who stood outside the island, “This is my first time cooking. How many people get to eat a meal made by someone as exceptional as me, especially my first meal? How can you not be satisfied?”

Yao Jia laughed. Indeed, this proud Mr. Meng, who wouldn’t even pick up a fallen oil bottle, was now about to cook for her himself.

However, Mr. Meng spent nearly an hour and didn’t manage to cook a single dish.

He almost cut his hand while slicing tomatoes, accidentally adding some meat to the vegetarian dish.

When he cracked eggs, he managed to get eggshells into the bowl, and it took him half an hour to pick them out.

The scene of him chopping scallions was quite picturesque. Bathed in the midday sunlight streaming through the window, he looked tall and handsome, as if surrounded by a soft glow, like a male lead from a comic. Unfortunately, the scallions he chopped ruined the aesthetic; they weren’t scallions but scallion segments.

Finally, he got the dish into the pan, and after much sizzling and smoking, it seemed cooked.

But Meng Xingzhe stood troubled in front of the stove, holding the recipe, repeatedly checking to see if the dish he had made was indeed scrambled eggs with tomatoes, as depicted in the colorful images in the book.

He called Yao Jia over to confirm: “Come here, Yao Xiaojia. Look at this recipe. Let me go over the steps I just followed. Do you see any problems?”

Yao Jia actually went over to help him review.

She carefully looked at the recipe while listening to Meng Xingzhe: “First, I added oil, fried the eggs, took them out, then fried the scallions, and then the tomatoes…”

After reviewing, Yao Jia closed the recipe book and confidently told him, “No problem, all the steps are correct. It should be scrambled eggs with tomatoes!”

Meng Xingzhe pointed at the gray, mushy mess in the pan and said, “Then why doesn’t it look like the picture?”

Yao Jia looked disdainfully at the contents of the pan, equally puzzled.

Having never cooked before, she couldn’t fathom what went wrong with this debut dish.

Her stomach suddenly growled.

Hearing her hunger, Meng Xingzhe couldn’t bear it and had to abandon his grand plan of cooking himself.

A bit dejected, he said to Yao Jia, “I wanted you to experience the joy and satisfaction of a meal I made myself, but unfortunately, these tomatoes and eggs just didn’t cooperate.”

Yao Jia wanted to laugh and tease him. The poor tomatoes and eggs not only ended up looking bad but also had to take the blame for him.

Meng Xingzhe removed his apron and called a housekeeper to come and cook lunch.

The housekeeper arrived quickly and efficiently prepared four dishes.

As they set the table, the housekeeper was about to throw away the plate of “scrambled eggs with tomatoes” that Meng Xingzhe had made. Yao Jia stopped her.

She put the “dish” on the table as well.

She told Meng Xingzhe, “I want to use it to embarrass you!”

Meng Xingzhe’s face fell.

But as they started eating, he noticed that Yao Jia actually picked up some of the “scrambled eggs with tomatoes” he made and ate it, even though she closed her eyes and paused for a couple of seconds afterward.

He couldn’t bear it and asked, “Is it really that good?”

Yao Jia opened her eyes and glared at him, “It’s absolutely delicious, a taste to die for!”

Meng Xingzhe tried a bite himself. He nearly choked on the overly salty dish he had made.

“Why are you eating it if it’s so bad? Are you crazy?” he shouted at Yao Jia, enduring the burning sensation on his taste buds from the salt.

“Do you think I want to eat it?” Yao Jia shouted back, “But isn’t this your ‘first’ meal, filled with your intention?”

Meng Xingzhe’s heart tightened.

Even though he had turned a dish into something like mud, she was willing to eat it, filled with his “first” intentions.

At that moment, he felt she was the best girl in the world, the most deserving of love.

After finishing the meal, Meng Xingzhe found a new toothbrush, handed it to Yao Jia, and led her to the bathroom to brush their teeth.

“After eating my dish, you need to brush your teeth well, so you don’t leave any residue that could affect your dental health,” he said with such propriety, like a health expert.

Yao Jia thought he made sense, so she stood next to him at the sink, brushing her teeth together.

After brushing, they returned to the living room, sat on the sofa, and Yao Jia asked, “Didn’t you say you had something serious to tell me? What is it?”

Meng Xingzhe leaned closer, his arm resting on the back of the sofa behind her, as if holding her.

He said, “I’ve been reviewing some matters related to your Kunyu Electric. There are some details I need to confirm with you. Let me ask you first, who told you I was the owner of Xingbei Technology?”

Yao Jia turned her head to look at him and said, “It was Deputy General Manager Qiu.”

Meng Xingzhe looked at her, finding her innocent and adorable.

“What did he say to you?” He glanced at her dress, the silky fabric clinging to her body, outlining her curves. His mind wandered even as he asked the question.

“He first let me listen to a voice recording of you working in customer service at Kunyu. Someone commented on the voice, saying you were the owner of Xingbei Technology. I didn’t believe it, so he showed me photos and videos of you attending the Industry Summit,” Yao Jia licked her lips and asked Meng Xingzhe, “Is there a problem with that?”

Meng Xingzhe squinted at her lips.

“Yes, there’s a big problem. Have you ever thought about how he noticed me and when he started paying attention?”

Yao Jia was startled. Her wide eyes were filled with confusion and a hint of feminine allure.

Meng Xingzhe looked at her. She was like a ripe peach, still with a touch of youthful greenness but mostly full of juicy sweetness and tempting fragrance.

He couldn’t hold back any longer. Suddenly, he turned and pressed her onto the sofa, leaning over to silence her questions with a kiss.

It was only then that Yao Jia realized that all the talk about not leaving residue between her teeth and maintaining dental health was nonsense!

He tricked her into brushing her teeth just so he could kiss her now! And he had acted so gentlemanly while she brushed.

But a trick is a trick. Who could deny that the taste of this… was quite nice? Ling Xiaoxin was right; this kind of thing… really leaves one wanting more.

Yao Jia closed her eyes, surrendering to Meng Xingzhe, letting him kiss her thoroughly, leaving her dizzy and breathless.

His hand gradually moved to her waist. Their breathing became increasingly rapid and heavy.

Something seemed about to happen, as if nothing could stop it.

Suddenly, there was a sound from the entrance connected to the living room.

Yao Jia was startled and pushed Meng Xingzhe away.

“What was that?” she asked, half-reclining on the sofa in shock.

Meng Xingzhe looked just as startled.

He straightened up, raising his chin to look over the back of the sofa toward the door.

Yao Jia heard him call out, “Dad?!”

“…” Yao Jia’s eyes widened, feeling like she was about to burst apart.