Five years without pregnancy means you're too weak; I remarried a powerful man and had triplets

"Feeling better now?"

Looking at Shen Zhiyi's uninhibited and carefree demeanor, Lu Zichuan unconsciously revealed a hint of doting affection in his eyes that he himself was unaware of, and asked in a low voice.

Shen Zhiyi's eyes sparkled, as if filled with scattered stars, and she nodded emphatically: "Yes, it's been a long time since I've had a drink."

Lu Zichuan thought to himself, "Didn't you just drink it when you moved last time?"

But looking into her eyes, which were glistening with moisture from being slightly tipsy, he swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

Just then, the proprietress came over with the dishes they had just ordered. A metal plate was covered with absorbent paper and piled high with meat skewers, the oil still sizzling. She smiled at them and said, "Here you go, your meat is here."

The portions at this restaurant are very generous. Each skewer is skewered with large chunks of fresh meat, sprinkled with chili powder, cumin, and sesame seeds. The meat is grilled over charcoal until it's crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, glistening with oil. The aroma of the meat mixed with the flavors of chili powder and cumin made Shen Zhiyi's eyes light up as soon as it was served, and she unconsciously brought her nose closer to it.

Looking at the bright red chili powder on the meat skewers, Lu Zichuan couldn't help but remark, "It looks very spicy..."

Shen Zhiyi didn't even listen, picked up a skewer and took a big bite. Oil smeared the corners of her lips, her cheeks puffed out like a squirrel stealing food, but her eyes lit up: "Delicious!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the spiciness hit her, and she gasped for breath, her tongue tingling. She quickly grabbed an ice-cold beer and gulped down two mouthfuls, her Adam's apple bobbing rapidly.

He then slammed the bottle down with a "bang," gave a thumbs-up, and his eyes were slightly red from the spiciness: "Awesome!"

Lu Zichuan glanced at the oil stains and chili flakes on her lips, but couldn't help thinking that this was the first time he had seen her so vividly alive since he had been secretly watching her for so long.

She's not the imposter who smiles politely at parties, nor is she the Shen Zhiyi who grits her teeth and puts on a brave face in front of Xu Zhesheng. Instead, she's a vibrant girl who can be so spicy she sticks out her tongue and laugh so hard she's doubled over.

"Eat up, have a taste." Shen Zhiyi picked up a lamb skewer and handed it to him. "Haven't you ever eaten at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant like this before?"

Lu Zichuan's diet has been taken care of by a special person since he was a child. His daily nutrition is specially matched with a specific ratio. The ingredients must be clean and fresh, and the cooking methods should be light and healthy. After he went to university, his family interfered less. But even so, the habits he had developed over the years made him rarely eat street food.

The kind of home-style restaurants near the university gates were the limit of what he could tolerate. He had never eaten at a barbecue stall of this caliber, with its smoky atmosphere and greasy tables and chairs.

But seeing Shen Zhiyi's face turn as red as a tomato from the spiciness, with fine beads of sweat on her nose, yet she still ate heart-pounding, he felt a gentle jolt in his heart. He cast aside his distracting thoughts, took the lamb skewer from her hand, and carefully took a bite.

The meat juices burst in your mouth, incredibly tender, and it tastes like freshly slaughtered lamb. The seasoning is just right, with the burning sensation of chili peppers mixed with the aroma of cumin exploding on your tongue. It's a bit spicy, but not heart-burning. The cumin adds a unique flavor to the meat, making it neither too salty nor too bland. In addition, the charred aroma from the charcoal grilling quickly won over Lu Zichuan's taste buds.

He imitated Shen Zhiyi's actions, taking a big bite of meat, the oil sliding down his chin, and then taking a sip of ice-cold beer. The carbonated bubbles popped and exploded in his mouth, diluting the spiciness and leaving only a pleasant aftertaste.

"Is it good?" Shen Zhiyi asked with a smile as she leaned closer to Lu Zichuan, her warm breath brushing against his earlobe.

Lu Zichuan's ears burned slightly, and he nodded: "Mmm, delicious."

"Would you like some more?"

Lu Zichuan wasn't picky about food; as long as the ingredients were clean and hygienic, he would just have a taste. But at this moment, amidst the smoky atmosphere of the roadside stall, he felt a hunger he had never experienced before.

But inexplicably, under Shen Zhiyi's expectant gaze, he nodded.

I also asked the proprietress for ten skewers of lamb, five skewers of chicken skin, and five skewers of beef...

The surrounding environment was terrible. The air was filled with the smell of cooking oil and sweat. Bare-chested men were drinking beer while shouting and playing drinking games. The rough shouts and clinking of glasses rose and fell, so loud that they could drown out their own voices.

Shen Zhiyi shifted her small stool, the folding legs making a slight creak on the greasy floor, and moved closer to him until their knees were almost touching. She turned her head slightly, leaned close to his ear, and whispered something. Her warm breath brushed against his earlobe, making it feel more intimate than the polite greetings exchanged across a long table in those high-end, luxurious hotels.

Leaving behind the usual lavish banquets and arriving at this smoky roadside stall, the noise and smell of charcoal acted as an invisible barrier, silently bringing the two closer together.

Lu Zichuan looked at Shen Zhiyi's lips, which were bright red from the spiciness and glistened with oil. A smile, which he himself did not notice, flashed in his eyes. It seemed that he quite liked this kind of place.

After a few skewers of grilled meat, Shen Zhiyi had already gulped down a whole bottle of ice-cold beer, her cheeks flushed like peach blossoms, and she slapped the greasy table, shouting for another bottle.

Lu Zichuan knew that she had never been a good drinker, so he reached out and pressed down on the bottle of wine that had just been delivered: "Drink less, you're not a very good drinker to begin with."

After saying that, he looked up at the proprietress and said, "Just a bottle of coconut milk will do."

Shen Zhiyi slapped his hand away, pouted, and said in a drunken and dissatisfied voice, "No, I just want to drink."

"But you're already a little drunk." Lu Zichuan looked at her misty, somewhat dazed eyes and whispered in her ear, his warm breath brushing against her earlobe.

"I'm not drunk." Shen Zhiyi blinked and leaned close to him, her nose almost touching his. "Look, I can still count your eyelashes."

"One, two, three..."

She was so close that Lu Zichuan only needed to lower his head slightly to kiss the lips he had longed for day and night.

His Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily, and his hands, hanging at his sides, clenched quietly.

The proprietress was a worldly woman who had seen many young couples, but she had never seen one so good-looking. She was grinning from ear to ear, forgetting to put down the rag she was using to wipe the table: "Okay, I'll get you two more bottles of wine, and consider the coconut milk a gift from me."

Just as Lu Zichuan was about to say no, the proprietress had already scurried off to the kitchen.

He moved his head slightly, and Shen Zhiyi's already disgruntled lips pouted even more. She reached out and turned his head towards her, the force not strong but carrying an unyielding arrogance: "Don't move, if you move I won't know where I am in my count!"

Her voice carried a hint of coquetry, soft and gentle like a cat's paw scratching at the heart.

Lu Zichuan found her dazed, drunken appearance utterly adorable, melting his heart. He sat obediently, letting her cup his face. Two minutes later, Shen Zhiyi held up her fingers, a smug look on her face: "Finished counting! One hundred and eighty-five in total!"

Lu Zichuan smiled, a gentle smile playing in his eyes. "Great, one hundred and eighty-five! Our Zhizhi is amazing!"