Douluo: Martial Soul White Tiger, I am the White Emperor of Heaven

Chapter 573 I am your teacher, not your cook! (2)

Dai Chengfeng was very close, his warm breath brushing against Liu Erlong's cheek, his languid, magnetic voice, as if he had just woken up, entering her ears.

Liu Erlong was taken aback by his sudden approach and the dredging up of "old grievances," and the floodgates of her memory were opened.

She vaguely remembered that it seemed to have happened once...

She was heartbroken because of Yu Xiaogang's matter, and got drunk. When she woke up, she had a splitting headache. Dai Chengfeng was by her side and brought her a hangover soup at the perfect temperature and a bowl of simple but comforting noodles.

She was feeling conflicted at the time and didn't say much, but that warmth did briefly dispel the chill in her heart.

When Dai Chengfeng brought up the old story again, accompanied by an expression that seemed to say, "I've done so much for you, but you won't reciprocate," Liu Erlong was speechless, and her momentum involuntarily weakened.

She is not an unreasonable person at heart, but she has a fiery temper and is easily swayed by gentle persuasion but not by force.

Dai Chengfeng's strategic retreat struck a nerve with her, hitting the soft spot in her personality.

"You...that was so long ago..."

Liu Erlong looked away, her voice lowered, muttering somewhat awkwardly, "I...I'm not a good cook..."

Sensing the softening in her tone, a triumphant smile flashed in Dai Chengfeng's eyes, but his face remained sincere.
"It's okay, I'm not picky. As long as it's made by the teacher, it's fine."

As he spoke, he straightened up and extended his hand to Liu Erlong in an inviting gesture.

"Come on, teacher, consider this... a way to thank your disciple for taking care of you before?"

Liu Erlong looked at the large, slender, and powerful hand with distinct knuckles extended in front of her, then looked up at Dai Chengfeng's handsome face, which was full of "expectation," and struggled internally for a moment.

Ultimately, the emptiness in her stomach, a slight sense of guilt, and an impulse—something she herself didn't want to delve into—to break the awkward atmosphere.

As if possessed, she slowly reached out from under the covers and gently placed her hand in Dai Chengfeng's palm.

Her fingertips were slightly cool, and when they touched Dai Chengfeng's warm palm, they both seemed to pause for a moment.

Dai Chengfeng immediately closed his hand, held her slightly cool hand in his palm, and with a little force, pulled the still somewhat limp Liu Erlong off the bed.

"Go wash up quickly, I'll go check what ingredients are in the kitchen."

Dai Chengfeng released her hand naturally, as if the hand-holding was just an ordinary auxiliary action, and turned to walk out of the room, leaving Liu Erlong with space to process the current situation.

Liu Erlong watched his figure disappear through the door before slowly letting out a breath, feeling her face still burning.

She raised her hand to touch her lips, then quickly lowered it, inwardly cursing herself for being so spineless.

She shook her head vigorously, trying to shake off those chaotic thoughts, then threw off the covers and got out of bed, her steps unsteady as she walked toward the bathroom.

After splashing cold water on his cheeks for a while, Liu Erlong felt much more awake, and his hangover headache lessened a bit.

Looking at the woman in the mirror, whose face was beautiful but showed obvious signs of fatigue and a hint of panic, she took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

It's just a meal; let him leave after he finishes eating!
She said to herself.

When she straightened her slightly wrinkled dress and walked to the door of the small kitchen, she saw that Dai Chengfeng had already rolled up his sleeves and was looking through the stock in the cupboard.

The afternoon sun shone brightly in the kitchen, and his tall figure bustling about inside created a strangely cozy, homey atmosphere.
Liu Erlong was startled by his own thought and quickly coughed to remind the other party of his presence.

Dai Chengfeng turned around at the sound and saw Liu Erlong standing at the door, her hair slightly combed but still exuding a lazy air. He smiled.

"Teacher, the things here are really simple."

There was some rice, a little dried meat, and some vegetables; it seemed like they could only make something simple. Liu Erlong walked over, looked at the ingredients, and indeed, there wasn't much to offer.

She rarely cooks herself; these were probably prepared a long time ago.

"Then let's cook some porridge and cut up some dried meat to make do."

As she spoke, she reached for the rice bag.

However, Dai Chengfeng picked up the rice bag first: "I'll wash the rice and cook the porridge. Teacher, you can prepare the dried meat and vegetables, just shred them."

His movements were natural, as if the division of labor was a matter of course.

Liu Erlong glanced at him, said nothing, and silently picked up the dried meat and the slightly wilted greens next to her.

The kitchen space is not large to begin with, and when two people stand inside, they will inevitably have slight physical contact when they turn around.

The first time was when Liu Erlong bent down to get the basin under the cutting board. When she stood up, she didn't notice that the back of her head lightly brushed against Dai Chengfeng's chin, who was standing behind her checking the amount of rice.

"Feel sorry."

Dai Chengfeng spoke in a low voice, his voice close to her ear.

Liu Erlong stiffened, without turning his head, and mumbled a reply:
"fine."

The second time was when Dai Chengfeng was carrying the pot of rinsed rice to the stove, and as he turned around, his arm inadvertently brushed against Liu Erlong's back.

The sensation through the thin fabric sent a shiver down Liu Erlong's spine, causing him to pause in his chopping motion.

Dai Chengfeng seemed oblivious and went straight to the stove to start a fire.

Liu Erlong secretly glanced at him and saw that he looked normal, focused on the stove fire, as if the touch just now was really just an accident.

Her initial unease subsided slightly, but a subtle, deliberately created sense of "normality" began to erode her defenses without her realizing it.

She discovered that she didn't seem to be as averse to these occasional, seemingly unintentional contacts as she had imagined.

The porridge was bubbling away in the pot, and the aroma of rice gradually filled the small kitchen.

Liu Erlong placed the sliced ​​dried meat and shredded vegetables on a plate for later use. The atmosphere became quiet for a moment, with only the crackling of the firewood and the bubbling of the porridge.

“Teacher,” Dai Chengfeng suddenly spoke, breaking the silence, “you’re no longer the dean, what are your plans for the future?”

Liu Erlong was pouring shredded vegetables into the porridge when he heard this. He paused, his eyes dimmed for a moment, but then he resumed his nonchalant demeanor, stirring the porridge with a spoon and saying calmly:

"What plans could I possibly have? The world is so vast, surely there's somewhere I, Liu Erlong, can find a place to stay? If I get tired of Wuhun City, I'll just go wander around somewhere else."

"Isn't it better to stay in Spirit City?"

Dai Chengfeng walked to her side and naturally took the spoon from her hand, saying, "I'll stir it for a while, teacher, you take a rest."

The spoon was taken away, and Liu Erlong's hands were empty.

She watched Dai Chengfeng skillfully stirring the porridge pot from the side and remained silent for a moment.

Stay in Spirit City? It does offer a good training environment. While Bibi Dong's intentions are unpredictable, she treats the strong with respect, and besides…

She glanced subconsciously at the young man beside her, a ripple of emotion stirring within her.

(End of this chapter)