[COD] Newbie's Rise to Power

It wasn't until you left the supermarket and got into your car that you finally managed to say what you'd been holding back all the way.

"Keegan, why did you suddenly buy that kind of thing without even discussing it with me!"

ch.91: Let's make dumplings together.

Keegan calmly explained, "I didn't expect him to be paying right after us. I bought a condom just in case he was deliberately observing us to dispel his suspicions."

You certainly understand his intention; after all, proving the authenticity of a couple's relationship is the most direct way to do so.

But it was so sudden that you were caught off guard. Fortunately, you didn't overreact, and you were thankful for that.

Keegan seemed to sense your thoughts, and as he drove, he gently reassured you:

"Kid, don't be nervous. Everything I've done is for the mission. You don't need to worry about me doing anything out of line to you."

You let out a soft breath, then responded to him:

"I'm sorry, I wasn't professional enough. I'll pay attention to that next time."

Keegan showed no blame or impatience; instead, he encouraged you.

"You're still young, so it's understandable that you're inexperienced in many areas. Learn from your experiences, and you'll do better and better in the future."

"Maybe after you stop being a soldier, you can become an actor."

He finished speaking and let out a soft chuckle.

Encouraged, you stop dwelling on your immature behavior and secretly vow to do better next time.

Back in his room, Keegan put his things on the table and then went to the window.

Swish—swish—

Keegan reached out and opened both curtains completely!

Outside the transparent floor-to-ceiling windows, opposite are the windows of Aimen. The two windows are no more than 10 meters apart, and you can clearly see the furnishings in the other room.

This means that if Aimen were standing by the window right now, he could clearly see your every move.

"Keigo, should we keep the curtains open?"

This means you have to act right under the target's nose at all times.

Keegan raised his hand: "We should present a silent film called 'The Couple, Kid' to our only audience."

His voice had lost some of its deep, muffled quality and gained a clearer tone.

Just as you were wondering about the change in his voice, Keegan turned around, and the mask on his face had been removed.

Beneath his slender yet thick eyebrows were grey-blue eyes; his nose was high and straight with narrow nostrils; his lips were thin but had a handsome, slightly M-shaped shape; his chiseled facial features and slightly wide jawline gave him a mature and sophisticated air.

This sudden revelation was a huge shock to you, and you quickly turned your body away.

Your actions, however, aroused Keegan's suspicion:

"Kid, what's wrong? Do I look that bad?"

You shook your head frantically behind his back: "No, no, no! The impact is too great, I'm afraid I won't be able to control my expression."

Even though the curtains on the other side are drawn, who knows if there's a pair of eyes peeking through the gaps and watching you from behind?

So, to avoid your shocked expression being seen and revealing your lack of familiarity, you have to turn your back.

After all, a wife in a "couple" relationship wouldn't show a shocked expression upon seeing her husband's appearance.

"Impact?"

Keegan's voice continued, accompanied by the sound of his footsteps, gradually approaching you.

You nodded and explained, "Yes, because... you are really handsome, and I'm not used to seeing you without a mask."

To prevent Keegan from misunderstanding that you turned away because you thought he was ugly, you complimented his appearance and explained your behavior.

"is it?"

Keegan walked to your side, and then to your front.

Bend over, place your hands on your knees, tilt your head slightly to meet your eyes.

Then came his usual calm and gentle voice.

"I'm afraid you'll have to get used to it as soon as possible."

You pursed your lips, your emotions churning and struggling for a few seconds before you nodded.

"I will."

You understand, normal people don't wear masks all the time when they go home, and even disfigured people will let their guard down around loved ones.

In this mission, in this room, under the target's watchful eye, Keegan is forced to expose himself in exchange for trust.

Having received the answer, Keegan immediately stood up straight.

"Very good, now it's time to prepare dinner."

After saying that, he walked past you to the dining table and took the items out of the bag one by one.

After taking a deep breath and forcing a smile, you walked over to Keegan's side.

"The process of making dumpling wrappers is a bit complicated. Let me look up the recipe first."

You then open your phone, search for recipes for dumpling wrappers, and follow the steps one by one.

Mix all-purpose flour, water, salt, and egg white in the correct proportions. Knead the flour into a dough and let it rest for ten minutes. Then, seal the dough in a container and let it rest.

While waiting, you and Keegan divide the work of preparing the filling.

After preparing the filling, take out the dough, sprinkle it with flour, then cut the dough, roll the cut dough into long strips, and then cut them into small pieces of similar size.

Your loose hair fell down to your cheeks as you bent over kneading the dough.

You raise your hand and use the back of your hand to brush your fallen hair behind your ear, leaving a white mark on your face from your flour-covered hand.

But the back of the hand is not as flexible as the fingers, and after a while, the strand of hair fell down again.

Just as you reach out to tuck your hair behind your ear again, a pair of large hands gather your hair together from behind and hold it in their grasp.

You paused, then called out to him, "Keigo?"

"Kid, raise your hand so I can take the hair tie."

Upon hearing this, you obediently raised your hand, revealing the black hair tie with a blue decorative ball on your wrist.

Keegan reached behind you, reached for your raised arm, and hooked the hair tie off your wrist with his thumb.

Then, you feel your hair being gently tugged a few times, followed by Keegan's voice:

"All right."

Keegan released his hands, and a low ponytail appeared behind your head.

You followed the video tutorial on your phone and slowly made dumpling wrappers, although the wrappers weren't perfectly round...

Under Keegan's gaze, you defend yourself:

"It's okay, they'll all look the same once the filling is wrapped up."

Then you and Keegan sat facing each other, each holding a dumpling wrapper. You put the filling into the wrapper, then pinched the wrapper closed...

you:"......"

Keegan: "..."

You looked at the ugly dumplings in front of you and the greasy mess on your hands, and fell silent.

You quickly tried to make amends... no, to comfort Keegan.

"It's okay, it must be because there was too much filling. We can just put in less."

Then, you picked up another dumpling wrapper and started wrapping it.

This time, my hands weren't covered in oil, and I successfully wrapped the dumplings, but...

Looking at the dumplings with skins bigger than fillings, you still feel somewhat frustrated.

You smile and pick up another dumpling wrapper.

"It's okay, we'll try slowly, and we'll definitely be able to make perfect dumplings!"

Keegan nodded, then picked up another dumpling wrapper.

As you make more dumplings, your skills gradually improve, and each dumpling you make is better than the last.

Half an hour later, you finally finished wrapping all the dumpling wrappers, a total of 67!

You distinguished between two methods for these dumplings: the better-wrapped dumplings from the back were used for boiling, while the average-wrapped ones, and even some that weren't wrapped tightly, were used for steaming.

This way, you won't have to worry about the dumplings breaking apart while cooking.

ch.92: His perverse sense of humor

Turn on the heat, and once the water boils, put the dumplings into the water. Then place a steamer rack on top, and put the remaining dumplings in one by one, arranging them neatly.

Just steam them together, it's so convenient!

A dozen minutes later, while you were still playing on your phone, Keegan turned off the stove and served the dumplings.

Wow, thank you for your hard work.

You express your gratitude for Keegan's actions, then quickly put down your phone and set the table.

For the seasonings, I simply made one non-spicy one with only vinegar and another spicy one. This not only caters to different tastes but also helps to cut through the greasiness.

Keegan was born in a southwestern state in the United States. Influenced by his region, he not only speaks some Spanish, but also has a high tolerance for spicy food.

You pick up your chopsticks, take a steaming hot dumpling, blow on it several times, dip it in the sauce, and take a bite.

"Ouch...hot! It's burning hot..."

You quickly fanned the dumplings with your hand, but to your surprise, they were still scalding hot inside.

Keegan quickly picked up the bowl in front of you and held it under your chin.

"Spit it out."