Hey, first of all, thanks for reading my lousy Machine Translation. To be honest, I’d really like it if you guys corrected the mistakes I made. But please speak nicely and politely. My heart is not strong enough to read your too-harsh comments. Have a nice day. 🙂
Chapter 32. (2/2)
On the way back, Gu Fan drove while Lu Ya watched videos in the back seat.
By the time they returned to the villa, it was already eleven o’clock.
Lu Ya told Gu Fan to do whatever she wanted while he carefully closed the door and took two bags of groceries to the kitchen.
“How long will it take?”
“An hour.”
An hour was enough time for Gu Fan to refine a batch of pills.
Gu Fan went to the underground pill refining room. To prevent Lu Ya from peeking, she refined hair growth pills this time.
When fully focused on refining pills, time flew by. Once the pills were done, Gu Fan quietly went upstairs. Before reaching the living room, she could smell the familiar aroma of stir-fried dishes. She took a deep breath, and her stomach growled with hunger.
Two dishes were already on the coffee table, each covered with a lid. Gu Fan lifted the lids to check: one was Dongpo Pork and the other was chopped pepper fish head, both of her favorites.
The kitchen noises subsided, and soon Lu Ya emerged with the final dish, fish-flavored eggplant.
His black military uniform was still pristine and imposing. Meanwhile, after an hour of cooking, his fair face had a faint flush and a light sheen of sweat on his forehead. This gave him a touch of humanity, making him seem less aloof.
Gu Fan remembered that the first time she saw Lu Ya, she felt only awe and didn’t dare to look him in the eye.
“You should get a dining table set,” Lu Ya said as he bent down to place the dish, looking at Gu Fan.
Gu Fan awkwardly explained, “When Xinghe and the others were here, I always ate with them.”
Lu Ya: “We need to play our roles thoroughly. I might often come to stay for a while.”
Gu Fan: …
Lu Ya went back to the kitchen to get rice and chopsticks.
Gu Fan looked around her empty living room and upstairs, thinking she needed to prepare a guest room for Lu Ya.
She sat on the sofa, and Lu Ya took a small stool from his space and sat across from her.
Not standing at the ceremony, Gu Fan tasted all three dishes. Although they weren’t as good as Fenghuo’s cooking, they were still decent.
“The Dongpo Pork could be softer.”
“The fish head isn’t very flavorful.”
“The eggplant is a bit salty.”
After trying each dish, Gu Fan offered her critiques.
Lu Ya nodded. Seeing her enjoy the food without forcing it down, he began eating.
“Who did the cooking when you lived with your grandfather?” Lu Ya suddenly became curious about her past life.
Gu Fan bit her chopsticks and smiled, “We ate wild stuff every day. Grandpa was good at roasting monster meat. We’d continue eating it until it was finished. I didn’t know the base had such delicious food.”
Lu Ya: “You never met any other residents?”
Gu Fan continued her story, “I did. Some ability users tried to take advantage of me, but Grandpa burned them to ashes. Some female ability users wanted to rely on us, but Grandpa didn’t like that, so he refused.”
The image of her reclusive, solitary grandfather in Lu Ya’s mind grew more vivid.
“By the way, how old are you?” Judging by her face, she seemed about the same age as Qing Teng, but her figure was more mature.
Gu Fan smiled, “Guess.”
This was the first time she had shown such a playful and intriguing smile in front of Lu Ya. He was momentarily stunned and then guessed, “Twenty?”
Gu Fan shook her head, reminding him, “Don’t forget, ability users look younger than ordinary people of the same age.”
Lu Ya guessed again, “Twenty-five?”
Gu Fan shook her head again.
Lu Ya: “Twenty-six?”
He couldn’t believe Gu Fan was older than him, so he didn’t guess past twenty-seven.
Gu Fan’s smile grew brighter, “I’m not telling you. Just know I’m older, much older.”
Compared to Lu Ya, she was older than his grandfather, practically his grandaunt.
Unfortunately, despite telling the truth, Lu Ya didn’t believe her. The exact age didn’t matter. Lu Ya just needed to confirm one thing, “Over eighteen?”
Gu Fan nodded.
Lu Ya didn’t ask further.
Mentioning eighteen, Gu Fan inquired, “I heard Sheng Xi is engaged to one of your sisters? Eighteen is considered adulthood. Why is your sister thinking about marriage so early?”
Lu Ya: “Since the base was established, daughters of the five major families have been in high demand. Lu Yao is my father’s only unmarried daughter with dual A-level abilities. Delaying her marriage until seventeen is already late.”
Gu Fan looked at him, “I embarrassed Sheng Xi, yet you still want me to pretend to be your girlfriend. Aren’t you afraid your sister will be angry?”
Lu Ya met her gaze, “Her feelings are irrelevant to me. Besides, I spend more time with you than with her.”
Gu Fan understood his attitude towards Lu Yao and felt more at ease, “So, when you said someone reported our relationship to the old man, it was her?”
Lu Ya: “Yes, but she was just testing. I didn’t want her and Sheng Xi to keep bothering you, so I came to discuss a mutually beneficial arrangement with you.”
Gu Fan: “You bought a house here to deepen their misunderstanding?”
Lu Ya lowered his eyes, confirming.
Gu Fan felt relieved. She had initially thought Lu Ya was planning to monitor her closely.
Even though they were now even closer, at least she understood Lu Ya’s intentions.
“There are two vacant rooms on the second floor. Pick one to stay in. Prepare whatever you need yourself; your space has everything.”
After lunch, Gu Fan left these trivial matters to Lu Ya.
As she was about to walk away, she heard Lu Ya instruct Xiao Chen, “Prepare a set of bedroom furniture like in my villa and deliver it to Miss Gu’s place on Phoenix Mountain.”
Gu Fan: …
She wished she had a “Xiao Chen” too.