“What’s worth it?” Jiang Ting asked as he spooned up his soup.
“Being criticized and suspended for a month,” Ye Fan waved his finger in the air before pointing at the sea bowl on the table, "All of this is in my noodles."
Jiang Ting smiled. He gave him a piece of braised beef. “Do you regret it?”
Jiang Ting’s deep-set eyes, long lashes, straight nose, and thin lips made him seem somewhat unapproachable to many people. Most saw him as a rational, professional detective who was cold and distant. But when he sat by the stove in his pajamas after washing his hair, bathed in the steam of food, the contrast created an indescribable charm.
Ye Fan fixed his gaze on Jiang Ting without blinking. Suddenly, instead of answering, he asked, “Have you ever gotten any benefit from your looks?”
“Never! What are you thinking about?”
Ye Fan laughed as he ate that piece of beef. "But now you have."
After working and living alone for years, Ye Fan was still alive because his iron stomach and the hard work of a home cook and cleaner contributed greatly.
According to Jiang Ting’s opinion, after having just a casual meal at home with him, they didn’t need to trouble the cleaner anymore, and the dirty bowls left in the sink overnight would only make a nuisance. So, Deputy Inspector Jiang took the greasy dishes into the kitchen to wash them personally. Ye Fan neatly grabbed a towel and stood beside him, washing one after another, drying each and putting them away in order.
It was already dark outside by this time, and the kitchen lights were on. The two of them stood side by side, while in the living room, a TV show played noisily, probably some celebrity program. The only sound heard was the dripping water.
“How come your cooking tastes so good?” Ye Fan whispered into Jiang Ting’s ear. "Have you ever had formal training? Are you planning to cook for someone? Hmm?"
Jiang Ting stepped aside: “I live alone; if I don’t learn how to cook, I’ll just order takeout all the time.”
"Anyone else?"
“Just you,” Ye Fan said suspiciously.
“You’re lying.” @Infinite Good Texts, Only on Jiajia Literature City
"You lie and get angry when I tell the truth. You suspect me when I tell the truth..." Jiang Ting dried a large porcelain bowl with four figures drawn on it before reluctantly handing it to Ye Fan.
Ye Fan seized his hand, “Don’t move, water splashed onto your sleeves. Let me dry them.”
“Not moving; let go or you’ll break the bowl…”
"Let me wipe it for you."
Water was still running in the sink with half-dried chopsticks scattered about. Jiang Ting tried to pull away, but Ye Fan wouldn’t release him, pulling and tugging until Jiang Ting’s right sleeve slipped down halfway. In the corner of his eye, Ye Fan suddenly noticed a faint scar on Jiang Ting's inner wrist.
If it were from cutting wrists, the cuts would be parallel or crisscrossed. The clear marks from bites should not have been left behind.
Ye Fan’s brow twitched violently but his face remained expressionless.
Jiang Ting didn’t notice and pulled away, taking that large porcelain bowl with him into the sterilization cabinet. His cheeks slightly reddened, he said coldly, “You almost broke the bowl!”
With his back to the sink, Jiang Ting did not see Ye Fan’s deep and unstable expression before suddenly feeling a tight grip on his waist. Next second, nine-tenths of Jiang Ting’s towering height pressed onto him as they stuck against the glass door of the sterilization cabinet.
“You...”
"Shh, shh," Ye Fan whispered into Jiang Ting's ear, “Let me lean against you for a moment.”
Jiang Ting struggled but was pinned down. The tall sterilization cabinet made creaking sounds, clearly audible over the TV in the living room. Jiang Ting’s ears went red from his pulled earlobes and he couldn’t speak as he tried to turn around only to be grabbed by one hand and twisted behind him.
"Y- Ye Fan!"
Jiang Ting’s voice that was always calm suddenly changed at the end, but tightened even more when Ye Fan held onto his wrists tighter. Struggling, the bowls in the cabinet clattered noisily as they slid down. The clear sound echoed loudly in the narrow space, and Jiang Ting turned around under the dim light, turning red and angry. "Ye Fan!"
"Kiss me, kiss me..."
Before Jiang Ting could turn fully, Ye Fan suddenly broke free, walked to the sink, and burst into laughter, grabbing a pair of chopsticks to wash them.
"...” Jiang Ting realized it and couldn’t help laughing or crying. He pointed at Ye Fan twice with his hand.
"Relax; I already told my parents that you’re a friend from police school just transferred here. Your dorm isn’t ready yet so you're staying for a few days. They have a lot of work, they'll only come for lunch and leave," Ye Fan teased as he raised his eyebrows, looking Jiang Ting up and down. "So anxious? So eager to meet your in-laws?"
Jiang Ting grunted, “I’m expecting my father-in-law and mother-in-law.” He grabbed the towel and threw it at Ye Fan before going back into the bedroom.
Ye Fan watched as he disappeared behind the guest room door, his smile fading. The dark clouds of anger started to settle in his eyes.
After a while, he turned off the water, stood straight, deep in thought, and his brows furrowed tightly.