Xingtie: My silly online friend is actually a raccoon!

This scent... could never be a man's natural body odor.

It's so delicate and gentle, it's more like the scent of another person that you unconsciously pick up after a long period of intimate contact.

Many thoughts flashed through An Linyue's mind in an instant.

She tried to keep her tone calm, casually picking up a bamboo skewer to help thread the skewers while speaking in a seemingly nonchalant manner.

"Lu Ze, you smell so good."

Lu Ze paused while skewering the food, looked up, and his eyes were somewhat blank.

"Huh? Really?"

"Yes," An Linyue said with a smile, but her eyes held a subtle scrutiny.

"It smells like peach blossoms, it's quite nice. Did some girl give you this perfume?" she asked casually.

Lu Ze was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening, and his expression became somewhat subtle.

She looked down and smelled her collar, and indeed she could smell a very faint lingering fragrance, which was left from her tender moment with Fu Xuan last night.

Of course, Lu Ze wouldn't say that.

"Oh, you mean this?" He lowered his head and continued skewering the meat, trying to keep his tone relaxed.

"It must be the smell of laundry detergent."

"Laundry detergent?" An Linyue repeated, her tone slightly raised, clearly showing disbelief.

"What brand of laundry detergent smells so good? I want to buy a bottle too."

Faced with An Linyue's persistent questioning, Lu Ze inwardly groaned, but outwardly remained calm.

"I just grabbed it from the supermarket; I didn't pay attention to the brand. If you want to know, I'll tell you when I get home."

As he spoke, his hands moved without stopping, skewering another string of pork belly with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, and placing it steadily on the clean tray beside him.

An Linyue stared at his profile for a few seconds.

Lu Ze's expression was calm, and his eyes did not flinch at all, so he certainly did not seem to be lying.

She picked up a bamboo skewer and began skewering the meat, but she was clearly distracted.

"Okay... then tell me next time." She finally smiled, thus letting the matter drop.

Although my doubts were not completely dispelled, it would seem too deliberate to press for more information.

She then changed the subject.

"By the way, do you prefer spicy or non-spicy? I made two kinds of dipping sauce."

Seeing that she finally stopped dwelling on the previous topic, Lu Ze secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"I like it a bit more intense."

Although he is from the South, he prefers spicy food. While he doesn't hate spicy food, he always adds a few small red chilies to his stir-fries to enhance the flavor.

During his two years on the Immortal Ship, in order to cater to Fu Xuan's light taste, he almost never added chili peppers to his cooking.

An Linyue smiled and glanced at him, her hands still busy stringing the skewers.

"I'll make you a special spicy dipping sauce for tonight's barbecue; I guarantee you'll love it."

"That's settled then." Lu Ze smiled as well.

The two spent the rest of the afternoon chatting and skewering food on the terrace.

They talked about barbecue, then travel, then movies, and then about funny things from their childhood.

The sunlight slowly moved from overhead to behind the pine forest, and the shadow of the parasol shifted almost halfway around the terrace.

An Linyue would occasionally throw out seemingly unintentional questions to probe Lu Ze's lifestyle and interpersonal relationships.

Lu Ze answered cautiously, neither appearing wary nor revealing any information he shouldn't have.

Before we knew it, the skewered meat had piled up into a small mountain on the tray.

As the sun began to set, the lake's surface transformed from a blinding white light to a gentle orange-red.

Time slipped away quietly amidst such busyness and conversation.