[BBGCD] Chapter 10

 After finishing the bowl balls, Su Jiao still licked the chili oil from his lips and looked at the other food in the box.

The sight of his pink, tender tongue brushing across his delicate lips was far too tempting.

Gu Lingye didn't come back to his senses until Su Jiao began rummaging through the food in the box. He swallowed and quickly finished the bowl balls in his hand in two or three bites, trying to cover up his reaction.

The stewed ribs in the pot were bubbling. Su Jiao stopped rummaging through the box and went over to check on them.

The moment he lifted the lid, the aroma burst out. The thick broth looked perfect for pouring over rice.

He added the previously stir-fried bean sprouts and potatoes to the pot and mixed everything together. After tasting a little with his chopsticks, he found that it was slightly under-seasoned, so he added a spoonful of salt and stirred everything evenly.

Once the vegetables were ready, Su Jiao spread out the flower rolls beside the pot, covered them, and continued steaming them.

Su Jiao tore open a packet of cookies, put one in his mouth, and turned to look at Gu Lingye.

Gu Lingye was browsing various updates online when a cookie suddenly appeared in front of him.

Following the white, delicate fingertips, he saw Su Jiao's smiling face. His golden hair glowed in the firelight.

"Brother Gu, try one. These cookies are delicious."

As he spoke, Su Jiao brought the cookie between his fingers to Gu Lingye's mouth.

Gu Lingye was momentarily captivated by those eyes. He opened his mouth absentmindedly and bit down on the cookie. His lips brushed against a soft, warm touch, and his teeth gently caught the fingertips holding it.

The moment Su Jiao pulled his fingers away brought Gu Lingye back to his senses. He looked at the blond young man in a panic, but seeing no unusual expression on his face, he felt relieved—and a little disappointed.

His face was so hot it felt as though he could boil an egg on it. Gu Lingye looked away and stared at the cooking pot. With the flames nearby, the heat seemed to spread from his cheeks all the way to the back of his neck.

He didn't dare look at Su Jiao, so naturally, he failed to notice the young man's lowered eyes and quiet smirk.

It was getting dark. The residents who had gone out to look for their relatives were returning to the residential complex.

The coming and going of so many people created quite a commotion. Su Jiao checked the time and stood up.

"Brother Gu, would you like to go upstairs and check the situation?"

Gu Lingye was also curious about what was happening outside. When Su Jiao invited him, he stood up and followed the young man to the second floor.

Looking out through the second-floor window, they could see people bundled up tightly as they returned to the residential complex. Their eyesight was unexpectedly good, allowing them to see that the expressions on those people's faces were far from pleasant.

Just as they were wondering whether the people had encountered difficulties in the cold or something else, the residents' group chat suddenly became lively.

Three videos were posted one after another.

Both men were local residents, so they immediately recognized the location in the videos: H City No. 2 Senior High School.

Most of the students at No. 2 Middle School were boarders. The school alone had three six-story dormitory buildings.

Su Jiao glanced at the people outside who were still returning home despite the extreme cold, then muted the video. The footage showed a chaotic scene. Parents, all bundled up tightly, were pushing and crowding around, each wanting to take their children home.

Armed police officers were stationed at the school gate, while numerous personnel patrolled the campus.

Gu Lingye frowned. "I'm afraid the students aren't doing very well."

If the students were safe, the school wouldn't have needed to be so strict about refusing to let parents take their children home.

Su Jiao didn't know much about the situation outside in his previous life. After so many years, he could only recall a few scattered details. He thought for a moment before saying, "It might also be to prevent people from being abducted."

If he remembered correctly, after the initial chaos, the first major incident to break out had involved human trafficking.

"At a time like this?!" Gu Lingye turned to look at him.

It had been less than five hours since the temperature dropped. No matter how rampant human traffickers were, surely they wouldn't be out committing crimes in the middle of a natural disaster that threatened everyone's lives?!

Su Jiao shrugged and led Gu Lingye downstairs.

"Good people have all sorts of reasons to look after only themselves, while bad people always find opportunities to commit crimes."

That was true.

Gu Lingye glanced at the people walking toward the buildings outside. However, most of his attention was on the hand Su Jiao was holding.

He was far less concerned about the possibility of human trafficking than about the little prince he had fallen in love with at first sight.

He always felt that the little prince was seducing him, but whenever he looked over, those soft black eyes were filled with innocence.

Was he simply overthinking things?

Still, being led downstairs like this was rather intimate. Their palms were even touching directly!

Gu Lingye's mind was full of thoughts, but he didn't dare ask Su Jiao something as direct as, "Do you like me?" He held his breath until Su Jiao finally released his hand. Only then did his tense muscles relax.

Su Jiao curled his lips and walked toward the fire pit.

"Brother Gu, go to the kitchen and bring out the food. It's almost time to eat."

Hearing this, Gu Lingye suppressed the restlessness in his heart and headed for the kitchen.

He spent a little while looking for rice bowls and chopsticks. By the time he came out, Su Jiao was already holding a plump, beautifully shaped flower roll and eating it.

The flower roll was covered in thick broth, and half of it was soaked in the sauce. The little prince took a bite, and some of the broth slid from his lips, only to be caught by a tissue in his other hand.

Tissue?

Gu Lingye's eyebrows twitched. Why didn't he remember seeing any tissues in the living room?

Su Jiao stopped when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around and waved at Gu Lingye.

"Brother Gu, come quickly! This flower roll is delicious. Would you like to try some?"

As he spoke, he stood up and walked toward Gu Lingye. He took a small bite of the flower roll in his hand and offered it to him, looking at him with bright eyes.

Gu Lingye looked down at the small, particularly beautiful bite mark on the flower roll. Whatever reservations he might have had about sharing food disappeared completely under the temptation of that little tooth mark.

He bit into the exact spot Su Jiao had bitten, swallowing the little prince's bite mark along with it.

"It's really delicious."

The man's eyes were fixed on the little prince in front of him. There was an unmistakable intensity in his gaze, enough to make anyone want to retreat.

His behavior left Su Jiao confused. Gu Lingye's face showed no particular expression, so Su Jiao's gaze shifted to his ears.

They were as red as blood.

It seemed he was getting impatient. Su Jiao smiled to himself, but his expression remained innocent. He didn't seem to attach any particular meaning to Gu Lingye's words.

"Really? I think I could eat ten of these in one go!"

Seeing that the little prince showed no signs of shyness or retreat, and that he smoothly took back the flower roll and continued eating, Gu Lingye began to feel that his earlier guess had been nothing more than wishful thinking.

Su Jiao carried the rice cooker, along with the dishes and chopsticks placed on top of it, and happily walked ahead.

Gu Lingye placed the rice cooker between them and carried the box of snacks to the table behind them.

The white rice looked enticing as it was served into the bowls. Paired with the soft, tender potatoes, it was deeply satisfying. The soft bean sprouts were fresh and sweet, while the boneless ribs were rich and full of flavor.

Su Jiao didn't bother maintaining his image while eating. He finished a bowl of rice and only slowed down once he finally felt that his stomach had something in it.

As both of them were undergoing the physical changes brought about by their newly awakened abilities, the rice in the cooker, along with the dishes and flower rolls, was quickly devoured.

Gu Lingye took responsibility for washing the pots and dishes Su Jiao had used.

Most of the fire in the fire pit had died down. Su Jiao moved the firewood aside, went into the storage room, and took out a large shovel from his space. He also took out several tools and put them inside.

Carrying a box of anthracite back to the living room, Su Jiao placed it between the two sofas and stools. He removed the table covering and opened the lid of the brazier underneath.

Using the iron shovel, he transferred the remaining embers from the fire pit into the brazier and added two more pieces of charcoal.

He stopped drawing the thick smoke into his space and opened a small gap in the kitchen window and the glass door of the living room to allow ventilation.

He went out into the courtyard and looked around, making sure that no smoke was escaping before returning to the living room.

Gu Lingye had already put away the washed pots and pans. When he saw Su Jiao coming in from outside, he asked, "What were you doing?"

Su Jiao casually turned on the living room light.

"Checking whether any smoke was escaping. I didn't want anyone to mistake it for a fire."

Gu Lingye followed his words and looked at the hand the little prince had just withdrawn from the light switch. He looked puzzled.

"There's a light. Why didn't you turn it on earlier...?"

It wouldn't turn on.

Su Jiao naturally didn't tell Gu Lingye that he had deliberately kept the lights off for the atmosphere. Instead, he smiled and said, "With the lights on, it feels even colder. The fire is warmer."

Human beings were strange creatures. Even warmth perceived through sight could make people feel warmer.

Su Jiao's explanation was nonsense, but it wasn't entirely unreasonable. Gu Lingye scratched his head and decided not to dwell on it.

Su Jiao moved two thick blankets onto the wooden sofa.

The pile on the blankets was extremely deep. When the little prince reached out to touch one, his fair, delicate fingertips disappeared into the soft fur, creating an inexplicably alluring sight.

Gu Lingye forcibly tore his gaze away from Su Jiao's hand and followed him to sit on the sofa. Then he showed Su Jiao the QR code that had been displayed on his phone for quite some time.

"Well, how about we exchange contact information?"

After all these years, Su Jiao had almost forgotten the habit of exchanging contact information when meeting someone new. He slowly took his phone out of his pocket and scanned Gu Lingye's QR code.

Successfully adding Su Jiao on WeChat, Gu Lingye felt that he had taken another step toward bringing his wife home. He couldn't help smiling slightly.

Su Jiao keenly noticed the man's expression. His thoughts shifted, and he quickly figured out what Gu Lingye was thinking.

He curled his lips but didn't expose the man's intentions.

To win a man's heart, it was best to give him a little sweetness before following it with a stick.

Most people didn't cherish what came too easily. Su Jiao didn't want to gamble on Gu Lingye's character.

For now, he would give the man a little sweetness. Later, he could mix in a little sand.