119 Fish Soup
Qiao Jing glanced at his assistant and said, “No.”
As he spoke, Qiao Jing carefully helped Qiao Yue. His movements were so stiff that he accidentally aggravated Qiao Yue’s injury. Seeing her brother try his best, Qiao Yue endured the pain and allowed him to help her up.
A layer of sweat had formed over Qiao Jing’s forehead. It was not because she was very heavy, but rather he was afraid of hurting Qiao Yue that he moved so mechanically.
Qiao Jing’s assistant watched the interaction between the two with bated breath. He had considered giving his boss some advice to reduce his jostling, but he refrained upon seeing his smiling face. It was a side to his boss that he rarely saw, and it was quite a treat.
Qiao Jing had opened a foldable table on the side. While his boss helped Qiao Yue, he set the table. Soon, several dishes were laid out before Qiao Yue. “Although Master Jing did not prepare the food, he watched the chef like a hawk, instructing him on your preferences and avoiding certain types of food.”
Qiao Yue quirked a brow as she eyed Qiao Jing. She did not know Qiao Jing cared so much about her.
“No, I just wanted to learn how to cook,” Qiao Jing denied. He shot his assistant a warning look.
Qiao Jing’s assistant wisely shut his mouth. The Qiao family’s chef had suffered under Qiao Jing’s scrutiny. Apart from Qiao Xin, no one in the Qiao family was particularly picky about their food. Hence, the family’s chef merely focused on taste rather than appearance. It took a lot of work for him to prepare something that would taste and look good with the number of ingredients Qiao Jing demanded that he add to the food. Things were made more difficult with Qiao Jing actively breathing down his neck.
Qiao Yue’s eyes shone, and a smile brightened the room like Christmas had come early. “Thank you, brother.”
A faint dusting of pink coloured Qiao Jing’s cheeks, and he turned away. “Try it. I ensured the chef didn’t add too many spices, so I don’t know how it’ll taste.”
Qiao Yue nodded. The food smelled delicious. She had not eaten since the night before and could eat a horse now.
After a mouthful of ginseng, Chinese yam, and double-boiled bass soup, the savoury taste inundated her mouth. It was so delicious Qiao Yuue wanted to swallow her tongue.
“The doctor said you should drink fish soup since it promotes the healing of one’s bones, so I asked the chef to prepare this for you.”
Qiao Yue’s satisfaction was evident in her dreamy look, and a faint smile tugged at Qiao Jing’s lips.
“Brother, it’s delicious! Try it.”
Qiao Yue did not know what the chef had thrown into the soup, but the fish was tender and smooth, and the nice, milky sheen was enticing. She savoured each sip, allowing the mellow fragrance to tingle her tastebuds.
Qiao Yue scooped a spoonful of fish and soup and brought it to Qiao Jing’s lips. Qiao Jing was stunned by the gesture, his eyes flitting between Qiao Yue and the spoon, but he did not immediately accept it.
At first, Qiao Yue could not understand why Qiao Jing was so reserved, but the answer eventually came to her as she noticed his fixation on the spoon.
In an instant, Qiao Yue’s face flushed red. How could she expect Qiao Jing to use a spoon she had used before?
She tried to retract her arm, but Qiao Jing stopped her.
Qiao Jing looked up at Qiao Yue, took the spoon into his mouth, and swallowed the spoon’s contents whole. He even licked the edge of the spoon, cleaning it off.
“It doesn’t taste bad,” Qiao Jing said as he wiped his mouth with a paper napkin.
Qiao Yue had watched everything from start to end and gulped. Why did she feel something off with Qiao Jing’s actions? Why did she feel like there were romantic overtones in what he had just done? The thought made her face and ears burn.
Who said Qiao Jing did not have a romantic bone in him? He was a wolf in disguise!
Qiao Yue inhaled deeply, looking away. “If you think it’s delicious, you should eat more. Here’s a spoon,” she stammered.
Qiao Yue shoved the spoon into Qiao Jing’s hands and asked if she could get another from his assistant.
It dawned on her, then, that someone had watched the whole exchange, and Qiao Yue’s face turned several shades darker. She looked around. Where had Qiao Jing’s assistant gone?
“What are you looking at?”
A cold voice sounded from the man opposite her, drawing her attention back to him.
“Nothing. I was wondering where your assistant went.”
“He still has things to do,” Qiao Jing said, fishing out an extra bowl from the lunch box.
