Even though Qiao Yiyi had been trained in the notoriously strict S.M. Entertainment in South Korea before her debut, where artists were expected to maintain flawless beauty at all times, she couldn’t help but be tempted now.
The aroma of the food was simply irresistible!
Most people wouldn’t be able to resist such a tantalizing smell. Qiao Yiyi, sniffing the rich fragrance, couldn’t help but wonder if Jiang Fei had added some special ingredient to the dishes or if he hadn’t actually cooked them himself.
“Alright, it’s time to eat,” Jiang Fei said with a smile as he finished reheating the last dish, a bowl of spicy boiled meat slices, and noticed Qiao Yiyi’s stunned expression.
Seeing the usually composed and elegant rising star so surprised gave Jiang Fei a sense of accomplishment.
Jiang Fei was increasingly convinced of the saying, “To win a woman’s heart, you must first win her stomach.” With his master-level culinary skills, winning over a beautiful woman had become much easier.
Even a superstar like Qiao Yiyi, with millions of fans, was completely captivated by his cooking. How could ordinary people resist?
Qiao Yiyi, who had secretly doubted Jiang Fei’s cooking skills earlier, glanced at him sheepishly before picking up her chopsticks to taste the food.
“Wait a minute,” Jiang Fei said, moving two dishes away from Qiao Yiyi. “Your vocal cords are damaged, so you shouldn’t eat anything too spicy or stimulating. These spicy boiled meat slices and dry-fried mandarin fish are off-limits for now. They won’t help your recovery.”
“Oh,” Qiao Yiyi replied, feeling a bit embarrassed. She had been about to reach for the spicy boiled meat slices.
She knew she shouldn’t eat spicy food with her vocal cords in this condition, but the delicious aroma had made her forget all about it.
However, Jiang Fei hadn’t just prepared spicy Sichuan dishes for lunch. There were also several milder options, like sweet and sour pork ribs, corn and pork rib soup, and a few light vegetable dishes.
These were equally delicious and appetizing.
After a brief moment of awkwardness, Qiao Yiyi quickly became engrossed in the milder dishes. Normally a slow and deliberate eater, she now found herself eating with uncharacteristic haste.
By the time she was about 70% full, she had polished off a significant portion of the milder dishes. Feeling a bit self-conscious, she decided to slow down.
But when she looked up and saw Jiang Fei busy eating a salted duck egg in a peculiar way—tapping a hole at the top and scooping out the contents with chopsticks—she couldn’t help but comment, “Huh, your way of eating salted duck eggs is so unique. Why not just peel the shell?”
Jiang Fei chuckled but didn’t explain. Instead, with a mischievous glint in his eye, he said, “Well, I prefer eating it this way. But if you don’t like it, you can peel the shell.”
Unaware of what was inside the egg, Qiao Yiyi nodded and began peeling the shell.
At first, the thin layer of egg white was easy to handle, and she didn’t reach the yolk yet. As she peeled, a special aroma wafted out, surprising her. “This salted duck egg smells amazing! Just like the dishes you cooked. I’ve never smelled anything like it…”
She wrinkled her delicate nose, almost greedily inhaling the fragrance.
Soon, Qiao Yiyi had peeled off most of the shell, revealing the yolk with only a thin layer of egg white clinging to it.
With a soft crack, a small piece of shell came off, taking a bit of the egg white with it. Instantly, a golden stream of oil began to flow down Qiao Yiyi’s fingers.
The golden oil didn’t look greasy at all; instead, it exuded a tempting, fragrant aroma. Even Qiao Yiyi, who usually avoided oily foods, couldn’t resist the urge to taste it.
“Oh no!” Qiao Yiyi exclaimed, her usually hoarse voice rising in pitch as she watched the golden oil drip down her fingers. In a panic, she instinctively did the most natural thing…
She quickly leveled the egg to stop the oil from flowing further, then brought her oil-smeared fingers to her lips, sucking them clean.
“It’s so delicious!” Qiao Yiyi said, completely enchanted by the flavor. She was relieved she hadn’t let the precious oil go to waste.
Then, as if forgetting Jiang Fei was sitting right beside her, she extended her pink tongue to lick the remaining oil off the eggshell…
Jiang Fei, who had been watching this unfold with a mischievous grin, was now completely stunned.
The sight of Qiao Yiyi sucking her fingers and then licking the eggshell, her delicate face filled with bliss, was… incredibly suggestive!
The image was too impactful!
To make matters worse, Jiang Fei’s mind automatically conjured up images of Qiao Yiyi on stage, surrounded by screaming fans, creating a stark contrast to the scene before him.
“…” Jiang Fei forgot to continue eating his salted duck egg. His eyelids twitched, his heart raced, and his blood began to boil.
It was a natural reaction for any man.
When Qiao Yiyi snapped out of her reverie and noticed Jiang Fei’s stunned expression, her face turned bright red.
She realized her unladylike behavior had been fully witnessed by Jiang Fei. She also remembered that it was Jiang Fei who had suggested she peel the egg, likely anticipating this exact scenario to embarrass her!
Now, even the polite Qiao Yiyi couldn’t stay composed. She glared at Jiang Fei and said with a mix of annoyance and embarrassment, “You’re such a jerk!”
“How am I a jerk?” Jiang Fei asked, feigning innocence.
“You deliberately made me peel the egg!” Qiao Yiyi accused, her face still flushed.
“Peeling an egg is perfectly normal. What’s wrong with that?” Jiang Fei asked, pretending nothing had happened and that he hadn’t seen anything unusual.
“…”
Seeing Jiang Fei’s innocent expression, Qiao Yiyi began to feel a sense of unease.
She suddenly realized that Aunt Mei’s concerns might not be entirely unfounded. This mysterious young doctor might not be as virtuous as she had imagined. His “hermit-like” demeanor might not be as noble as she thought…
This man might be just as dangerous as any other.
Qiao Yiyi could only roll her eyes at Jiang Fei and lower her head, using her chopsticks to pick at the salted duck egg in her bowl.
Regardless of Jiang Fei’s character, his cooking skills were undeniably impressive. Even Qiao Yiyi, who usually practiced strict portion control, was tempted to throw caution to the wind and indulge.
However, her self-discipline as an artist prevailed, and after finishing the salted duck egg, she put down her chopsticks.
“You’re done eating?” Jiang Fei asked, surprised.
Qiao Yiyi had only eaten about half of the milder dishes, and she hadn’t touched any rice. Her portion was quite small compared to what Jiang Fei was used to seeing. Whether it was Lin Moli, Ye Yuanyuan, or any of the three Xia sisters, they would have devoured every last bite and still wanted more!
But Qiao Yiyi had stopped after only half. Her appetite was unusually small.
“Yes,” Qiao Yiyi replied, dabbing her lips with a napkin.
Jiang Fei wondered if the reheated dishes weren’t as good as freshly cooked ones. But after tasting them, he found they were still delicious—just as good as when they were first made.
“Are you full?” Jiang Fei asked.
Was she too embarrassed to keep eating after what had just happened?
“Almost. This is actually more than I usually eat in one sitting,” Qiao Yiyi said.
“This is more?” Jiang Fei couldn’t believe someone could eat so little, especially when faced with such delicious food. It made him question whether his cooking was truly that good.
After a moment of thought, Jiang Fei asked, “Are you on a diet?”
He had read online that many female celebrities practiced strict portion control or followed vegetarian diets to maintain their figures. Despite their glamorous lives and substantial incomes, they often denied themselves the pleasure of indulgent meals.
“It’s not exactly a diet, but I do regulate my daily food intake. For example, I usually avoid fried foods like sweet and sour pork ribs,” Qiao Yiyi explained with a smile, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
What might seem like a hardship to others became routine after a while, and no longer felt like a sacrifice.
Jiang Fei sighed, feeling a pang of sympathy for these so-called stars. “You guys really go all out…”
After lunch, since Aunt Mei hadn’t returned yet and Jiang Fei couldn’t start Qiao Yiyi’s acupuncture treatment immediately, he began preparing for the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival.
He hung up mugwort leaves, prepared ingredients for making zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), and planned to take his Tibetan mastiff, Xinba, up the mountain to forage for wild vegetables and mushrooms. If they were lucky, they might even catch some game…