Chen Shuo nervously looked at Su Xiyan: "You... what are you doing?"
"The first day I met you, I already said that I sell my skills, not my body."
"This is my principle. I won't go against my principles just because you look decent enough, unless..."
Before she could finish speaking, Su Xiyan fiercely pinched Chen Shuo:
"What are you thinking about? Give me the apron."
Chen Shuo: "Oh... so you wanted the apron? Why didn't you say so earlier!"
"Ah, no, don't you already have an apron on?"
Chen Shuo looked at the apron Su Xiyan was wearing. He didn't understand why Su Xiyan wanted his apron when she already had one on.
Su Xiyan pulled at Chen Shuo's apron: "Yours looks better."
This woman is acting strange today!
Chen Shuo looked at Su Xiyan. The faint smile on her face looked a bit creepy.
Chen Shuo hurriedly prepared to take off his apron and give it to Su Xiyan, so that she would stop pestering him.
The more flustered one is, the easier it is to make mistakes.
In his haste, Chen Shuo accidentally tied the back straps of the apron into a tight knot.
At this moment, Chen Shuo really wanted to chop off his hands. They always betray him at critical moments!
Seeing the anxious Chen Shuo with sweat beading on his forehead, Su Xiyan thought he looked extremely adorable.
"Can't untie it?" Su Xiyan stepped forward: "Let me help you."
Chen Shuo wanted to back away but realized he had nowhere left to retreat.
"No... don't trouble yourself, I can do it myself."
Su Xiyan tugged at Chen Shuo's clothes and commanded in an authoritative tone: "Turn around!"
Chen Shuo obediently turned with his back facing the wall.
At this moment, he felt like he was the petty crook who had made a mistake, with the female cop with long legs standing before him.
The next second, Chen Shuo was already imagining an exciting scene with a beautiful leggy policewoman in uniform.
Su Xiyan was helping Chen Shuo untie the tight knot at the back of the apron. Perhaps Chen Shuo had pulled it too tight. After struggling with it for a while, she still couldn't get it undone.
Chen Shuo turned his head and asked: "How's it going? Can you get it untied?"
Su Xiyan's gaze swept across the kitchen wall. Her eyes lit up as she picked up the kitchen scissors hanging on the wall. She made a couple of motions with it in her hand.
The well-sharpened scissors gleamed coldly.
With Su Xiyan's motions, the blades of the scissors made crisp snipping sounds in the air.
Instantly, Chen Shuo felt a chill around his crotch. He instinctively squeezed his legs together and looked at Su Xiyan nervously.
Su Xiyan looked at the shining scissors, seemingly very satisfied. "This should do it."
Chen Shuo didn't dare move. "You, be careful with that. My future happiness depends on you."
"Go easy on me!"
Su Xiyan moved close to Chen Shuo's waist. With a snip of her hand, the apron straps fell to the ground.
Chen Shuo's suspended heart finally settled down.
Phew~!
Chen Shuo took a few deep breaths of the cold air. Only then did he react - huh? The direction was completely wrong. Why did he get so worked up over nothing?
After taking off the apron, Chen Shuo felt as if he had just escaped death.
Originally Su Xiyan wanted Chen Shuo's apron, but after all that, the straps were cut and it was ruined.
Putting down the scissors, Su Xiyan started to prepare the celery.
Celery should be sliced diagonally to cut through the fibers, so it won't feel fibrous when eating.
Just as Chen Shuo was about to remind Su Xiyan, he realized she was not only slicing the vegetables correctly, but her movements were also very skilled.
Instantly, Chen Shuo felt he had been tricked.
She obviously knows how to cook!
Such familiar movements can't be faked.
But why does she still pretend to be completely helpless in the kitchen?
Chen Shuo questioned: "So you actually know how to cook? Then why do you always make me do all the cooking and preparing meals by myself?"
Su Xiyan calmly replied: "I just don't know how to cook, I'm not incapable of learning. I've been watching you cook all this time, after observing a couple times I picked it up. Don't assume everyone is as silly as you."
Chen Shuo: "You're the silly one!"
After slicing the celery, Su Xiyan moved on to cutting the beef.
Beef fibers are coarser, so it should be cut horizontally to sever the fibers inside the meat.
But Su Xiyan placed the washed beef on the chopping board, preparing to cut it vertically.
Beef cut vertically would end up very chewy and coarse, even getting stuck in the teeth when eating.
Chen Shuo couldn't stand watching the fresh ingredients being ruined by Su Xiyan's hands. He immediately stopped her: "Don't cut it like that, beef isn't sliced that way."
Su Xiyan didn't argue. She stopped her motions and looked at Chen Shuo with wide eyes, asking: "Then how should I cut it?"
Chen Shuo gestured with his hand: "Horizontally, to cut through the meat fibers."
Su Xiyan's round eyes were full of questions: "Horizontally? Cut through? Explain it more clearly."
Chen Shuo explained it to her for a good while, but Su Xiyan still didn't understand.
"Looks like I overestimated you. You really are a cooking novice!" Chen Shuo was speechless. He had no choice but to step forward and show Su Xiyan hands-on how to slice the beef.
At an angle Chen Shuo couldn't see, the corners of Su Xiyan's mouth tugged into an attractive smile.
Chen Shuo held out his hand. "Give me the knife, I'll show you."
Su Xiyan shook her head. "If I give you the knife, I can only watch you demonstrate again."
"The teachers always say in class that we need hands-on practice to understand where the issues are."
Chen Shuo had to admit Su Xiyan had a point.
So he stood next to Su Xiyan, gripping the back of the knife and showing her how to slice the beef.
At this moment, the distance between Su Xiyan and Chen Shuo was extremely close. Su Xiyan intentionally or unintentionally leaned into Chen Shuo's body, almost pressing against him.
Chen Shuo tried his best to maintain a safe distance between them. He demonstrated again how to properly slice the beef.
"Got it?" Chen Shuo asked. "You're usually so smart. Beef should be easy to pick up after one lesson."
"You said you learned to cook from secretly watching me. Now I'm teaching you directly, so you must have learned it already, right?"
"Otherwise, can I take it to mean you already knew how to cook before this?"
Su Xiyan: "......"
She didn't expect her own words to be used against her like this by Chen Shuo.
It backfired!
Chen Shuo, this guy's brain is pretty smart huh?
Fortunately he's not stupid. I, Su Xiyan, would never be interested in a dull man.
The plan to get close to Chen Shuo through cooking has fallen through again.
Left with no choice, Su Xiyan had to admit she understood it now.
Seeing the usually aloof Su Xiyan actually trying to learn cooking, Chen Shuo realized even an ice queen has moments of coming down to earth.
Wearing an apron, she had a touch more of mortal air about her, and didn't seem as intimidating as before.