Ti Shen

He raised his head and looked around the room, fixing his eyes on the door to the left. He looked through the door’s glass pane and determined that it led to the kitchen.

After forcefully rubbing his wet hair a few more times, Ran Feng Ge stood up and entered the kitchen.

He’d had enough of takeout food while he was at the hospital. Since he had some freedom right now, he should do what he wanted. In any case, his freedom would be gone again in a few days. How could he not use this opportunity to treat himself a bit? He might have been the golden body double, but that didn’t mean he would force himself if he didn’t need to.

Opening the refrigerator, Ran Feng Ge was greeted by something unexpected. He had originally thought the fridge would be completely empty. Before, he’d had the sudden impulse to cook himself something to eat. But when he stepped into the kitchen, he realized something. For someone as icy and self-restrained as Su Yi Mo, how was it possible that he would cook his own food? Ran Feng Ge laughed at his own stupidity as he pulled the doors of the fridge open. So when he saw that the insides were packed to the brim and filled with brightly colored vegetables, he couldn’t help but stare in shock.

That guy, he can cook?

In disbelief, Ran Feng Ge carelessly swung the towel he had used to rub his hair across his shoulders. He then washed his hands, took out some vegetables, washed them, chopped them, and cooked them…

Half an hour later.

Ran Feng Ge had already cooked three dishes. Although he had only used the most common ingredients to make the dishes, they still smelled, looked, and tasted great. He reached out and picked up a piece of red-braised pork and popped it into his mouth. He chewed for a bit, and then closed his eyes with an expression of satisfaction.

Hmm… I haven’t cooked in a long time, but it seems like my cooking skills are still as good as ever.

As he lifted the lid of the rice cooker beside him, a wave of the rice’s sweet smell hit his nose. Using a white plastic spoon, Ran Feng Ge scooped out two bowls of rice and placed them on the dining table. He then turned around and made to leave the kitchen, wanting to call Su Yi Mo down to eat.

Just when Ran Feng Ge stepped out of the kitchen, he saw a head poking out around a corner on the second floor. Su Yi Mo stuck out his nose and took a deep breath, as if he doubted what he smelled. His expression at that moment was really funny, yet also very…adorable.

“Your sense of smell is quite good.” Ran Feng Ge crossed his arms and lazily leaned against the kitchen door frame, a teasing expression on his face as he looked at the other. “I just finished cooking, why don’t we eat together?”

Su Yi Mo stared blankly at the man on the first floor, his gaze shifting slightly down to the open collar of the other’s bathrobe. For no reason at all, his heart started beating faster. But he quickly stifled the feeling, expression quickly returning to normal. With steady steps, Su Yi Mo walked down the stairs. “How meticulous of you. Qiu Han’s good at cooking too,”

“But if you are dressed this scantily because you want to entice me, then I’m sorry, your attempt is in vain. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch. Besides Qiu Han, I won’t fall in love with anyone else.

“Not even you, who’s standing in for him.

“Don’t think just because you have excellent skills, that you can resort to petty tricks in front of me. Don’t think that just because you’re doing what you please, you can replace Qiu Han!”

It turned out Su Yi Mo had forgotten that he was the one who had said “at home, you can be freer.” For someone like Ran Feng Ge, he could only feel at home if he was free to do what he wished. Would anyone cover themselves from head to toe after taking a shower at home? He was used to going with his impulses, so he didn’t think much about it. After his shower, he felt hungry, so he cooked some food to eat. Ran Feng Ge didn’t think the way he dressed would become something like “a deliberate plan to entice him” in Su Yi Mo’s eyes.

That one sentence of Su Yi Mo’s made Ran Feng Ge’s smile freeze on his face.

The other meaning of that one sentence was— “How meticulous of you, you even learned how to cook. You probably put in a lot of effort to make it smell and look this great. You’re becoming more and more like Jing Qiu Han.”

Ran Feng Ge quickly wiped the frozen smile off his face and adjusted his mood to a better one. He refused to look at Su Yi Mo and simply murmured a, “thanks for the compliments” before turning around and walking towards the dining table. He picked up his chopsticks and began eating.

Su Yi Mo glanced at the other, who was eating with large mouthfuls, and reproachfully said, “Qiu Han is very elegant when he eats. You should pay attention to your manners a bit more, so that other people won’t see through your act.”

A mouthful of rice suddenly lodged inside Ran Feng Ge’s throat; he grabbed the cup of water sitting at the side and started gulping it down. However, the water was too hot and he immediately spit it all back out. In that moment, a piece of the rice that was lodged inside his throat became stuck in his nasal cavity. Ran Feng Ge couldn’t help start coughing, and even sneezed afterwards…

Watching the other man’s series of actions, Su Yi Mo’s brow became increasingly creased with more and more displeasure. He slowly put down his chopsticks; he hadn’t even taken a mouthful of the food.

“Looks like you still haven’t got into character.”

“Sorry, I’ve been negligent. You said I could be freer at home, so I really did relax a bit. That was my bad; I shouldn’t have forgotten my role. I’m sorry that I’ve caused trouble for you. I’ll quickly get into character. You don’t have to worry; something like this won’t ever happen again.” Because Ran Feng Ge had been choking and coughing, the rims of his eyes were red. However, there wasn’t any trembling to be heard in his voice.

“It’s good that you understand. I’ll go order takeout. What would you like?” Su Yi Mo’s standing posture was tall and distant. His voice had its usual iciness.

Ran Feng Ge took a deep breath, and then revealed a warm smile. “It’s fine; I’m good,”

The other man didn’t saying anything back and merely walked towards the coffee table. Su Yi Mo picked up one of the takeout menus and pulled out his cell phone. While he was ordering food, he walked to the stairs. By the time he made it to the second floor, the conversation had already ended.

He ordered pizza.

Ran Feng Ge helplessly sighed. Looking at the somewhat messy dining table, he resignedly picked up his chopsticks and started eating alone.

It was his own spit. Why would he mind it?

While he was eating, he carried a somewhat self-deprecating smile on his face. Ran Feng Ge, what’s wrong with you today? Why did you want to enter into your employer’s life? Why does it matter to you if he eats or not?

You…are only a body double. Don’t overstep your boundaries.

Just obediently do your work and get the commission fee at the end.

There’s a saying that “if you take too much on your plate, you’ll end up suffering.” You have been living skillfully in this industry for this long already, so why did you lose your cool this time around? Why did you take interest in your employer this time…you even thought yourself clever and wanted to dig around for his secret…

After the misunderstanding, Ran Feng Ge’s mood couldn’t help but plummet. If he was depressed while he was eating, he would suffer from indigestion. Ran Feng Ge was already learning to eat in the elegant “Jing Qiu Han style,” but his appetite was disappearing.

Damn it! Why in the world did I cook when I didn’t even need to! Ran Feng Ge slammed his chopsticks down on the table. He then picked up the plates of food and dumped them all into the trash. At this, he finally exhaled lightly.

Alright, it’s my fault for caring too much. Serves me right!

Ran Feng Ge took the lesson to heart this time. While he was acting as Jing Qiu Han’s body double, he swore he would never cook again.