You Must Marry Me! - Chapter 48
Chapter 48
Yan Yiyun’s mind went completely blank. She stared wide-eyed at Qi Zhen, unable to speak for a long moment.
What—what—what was she saying?! What did she mean by “just wanted to feed her”?!!
With a horrified expression, Yan Yiyun gawked at her, which only made Qi Zhen want to laugh more. She hadn’t even said anything outrageous—why was Yan Yiyun reacting like this?
Sitting up straight, Qi Zhen cleared her throat and put on a serious face. “I meant feed you so you can taste it.”
Qi Zhen had no doubt—if she teased Yan Yiyun any further, the girl would be scared half to death.
Despite her boldness at times—like yelling “Didn’t you say you’d marry me?!”—Yan Yiyun was actually very innocent.
Qi Zhen had already figured her out: all bark on the outside, a pure-hearted sweetheart on the inside.
Even cuter.
When Yan Yiyun heard that Qi Zhen only meant for her to taste the food, her face turned bright red.
Qi Zhen had just casually fed her, but she’d completely overthought it!
Yan Yiyun silently scolded herself, thinking she was being way too delusional. She’d clearly fallen into one of the three classic delusions of having a crush.
The biggest delusion when you’re crushing on someone: They like me back.
Qi Zhen had said it so casually—there was no way she meant to flirt with her by feeding her.
Blushing hard, Yan Yiyun nodded quietly and said, “Mm.”
Qi Zhen smiled slightly. If she knew what Yan Yiyun was thinking, she might’ve teased her even more—but seeing her like this, Qi Zhen decided to tone it down. No need to scare her off.
Qi Zhen picked up a plate and cooked some meat in the hot pot.
This particular cut was from the brisket—rich in fat, yet once cooked, it wasn’t greasy at all. It had a crisp, springy texture with a slight chewiness, combining the savory taste of meat with the richness of fat. After being dipped in sauce, the chili’s gentle spice seeped into the meat, and the mix of chopped scallions and garlic added a burst of fragrance. Just looking at it made your mouth water.
Qi Zhen scooped the meat into Yan Yiyun’s dish with the strainer spoon and smiled. “Try this one. It’s really good.”
Seeing how properly Qi Zhen was sitting now, Yan Yiyun felt a little disappointed.
She picked up a piece of meat and tasted it. As Qi Zhen had promised, it was absolutely delicious.
Exactly her kind of flavor—springy like lean meat, with a hint of beef tendon’s texture. Though it was fatty, it wasn’t greasy. Qi Zhen’s dipping sauce perfectly matched her taste. The spicy kick from the chili mingled with the meat, making her eyes squint in delight. She even tilted her head slightly and exclaimed, “So good!”
“Right?” Qi Zhen looked pleased. “Told you I wasn’t lying.”
Yan Yiyun nodded eagerly. “Mm! It’s really good.”
She looked at Qi Zhen’s grin—that sly, slightly smug smile. Yan Yiyun could tell this was the real Qi Zhen: vibrant and dazzling, shedding her usual soft and polite exterior to reveal her true self.
Her heart skipped a beat. Every time she saw Qi Zhen like this, she felt butterflies.
It’s not that she didn’t love Qi Zhen’s gentleness—she did, deeply. But this version of Qi Zhen made her heart race uncontrollably.
Though she’d never been in love, a phrase suddenly popped into her mind: this is what falling in love feels like.
She ate while glancing up at Qi Zhen, who had resumed eating like a well-behaved student, as if she’d suddenly realized something. There was none of that earlier playful confidence.
Yan Yiyun felt a bit down. At the same time, she scolded herself—she came here to eat, not daydream!
Qi Zhen, almost done with her cooked meat, noticed Yan Yiyun staring at her and interpreted it as her waiting to be fed again. She pushed the hot pot cart a little closer and asked, “Want anything?”
“Hmm…” Yan Yiyun glanced casually at the ingredients. Before they were cooked, she really couldn’t tell them apart. “Anything’s fine—you decide.”
Qi Zhen dropped in some beef balls, then added mushrooms and daikon, which took longer to cook. She also swished some marbled beef in the pot and placed it in Yan Yiyun’s plate.
Yan Yiyun had now become very obedient, none of the earlier spiky energy. Whatever Qi Zhen gave her, she ate. When something tasted good, she didn’t say anything, but her eyes curved like crescent moons and a smile lit up her whole face—more real than a thousand compliments.
Once the beef balls were finally ready, Qi Zhen scooped one into Yan Yiyun’s bowl and warned, “Careful, it’s hot.”
She was sure this would be Yan Yiyun’s favorite—there’s no way she could stay quiet now.
Yan Yiyun took a cautious bite and instantly widened her eyes.
The beef ball was springy and dense, releasing a rich, savory burst of juice as soon as she bit into it. The flavor filled her entire mouth—it was as if this beef ball had been made just for her.
She cried out, “It’s delicious!”
Unable to contain herself, she even slapped the table—a dramatic move, but so genuine that Qi Zhen found it utterly adorable.
Watching her smile made Qi Zhen want to smile too. She hadn’t even eaten her beef ball yet but already felt satisfied.
“Good, right?” Qi Zhen asked, her tone slightly smug.
She felt proud of herself for figuring out Yan Yiyun’s tastes.
Realizing that, Qi Zhen quickly toned down her smugness and added, “It’s my favorite too.”
That was a lie. Her favorite was still the brisket. She was eating this beef ball for the first time today.
But she didn’t want Yan Yiyun to know she was being so deliberate—carefully learning her preferences, catering to her taste. After all, Yan Yiyun had just been scared off by her teasing.
She should give Yan Yiyun more time.
Strangely, just seeing Yan Yiyun happy made Qi Zhen happy too. But the thought of her being unhappy filled her with panic.
Qi Zhen was sure of it now—this was definitely love.
She smiled warmly, watching Yan Yiyun eat. “Eat slowly—it’s hot.”
With her mouth full of beef ball, Yan Yiyun glanced up at Qi Zhen. Without thinking, she blurted out, “You’re looking at me like my mom.”
Qi Zhen: “?”
What kind of comment was that?!
Sure, she was a little overly considerate, but she didn’t think she’d reached full-on maternal levels.
Yan Yiyun noticed Qi Zhen’s expression shift and realized her words were… kind of off.
Never mind the fact she liked Qi Zhen—comparing her to her mom made her sound like she had an unresolved Oedipus complex. And telling a young woman she looked like someone’s mother? That was unforgivable.
She put down her chopsticks and glanced nervously at Qi Zhen. “I didn’t mean you look old…”
“Pfft.” Qi Zhen couldn’t help but laugh. “And I didn’t mean you were childish.”
But her tone clearly said: You’re totally a kid.
Yan Yiyun gave her an indignant glare. But because she’d just said something dumb, she swallowed her comeback and angrily bit into another beef ball instead.
Qi Zhen chuckled at her reaction and reminded her again, “Eat slower.”
Yan Yiyun couldn’t take it anymore. She slammed down her chopsticks and asked, “Are you a kindergarten teacher or something?!”
Qi Zhen didn’t mind at all. Right now, Yan Yiyun was like a little kid in her eyes.
With a smile, she said, “Yup. Little one, if you eat too fast, you’ll get indigestion.”
Yan Yiyun: “!!!”
Why did she feel like she’d walked right into her own trap?!
“I’m not a little kid!” she protested angrily.
Qi Zhen looked at her patiently. “Then maybe a kindergartener in the senior class?”
Yan Yiyun fell silent. When she first met Qi Zhen, hadn’t she been exactly that—a big kid saving her, the littler one?
Qi Zhen saw her silence and raised her chin proudly. “Can’t argue with that, can you? It’s the truth.”
Yan Yiyun gave a small huff and plopped a beef ball into Qi Zhen’s bowl. “Eat your food.”
Qi Zhen accepted it graciously, eating slowly while saying, “Thank you, little one. Sharing is what good kids do.”
Yan Yiyun: “!!!”
She was addicted to this “little kid” game or what?!
Qi Zhen clearly didn’t mind—but she did!
Back in kindergarten, Qi Zhen was that big kid in the senior class. That fact was undeniable!
Yan Yiyun slowly reached over and took a piece of meat from Qi Zhen’s plate. “I don’t like sharing.”
In her heart, she added: Especially not sharing you.
She was the kind of person who even got jealous over Qi Zhen giving yogurt to Yu Xiaotao.
Qi Zhen didn’t get upset that she took her food. She just smiled lightly and said, “Then no red stars for you.”
Yan Yiyun declared, “I don’t want red stars!”
She never cared about those dumb stars!
With a proud lift of her head, she sounded totally confident.
Qi Zhen just smiled and said nothing. She’d actually planned to give Yan Yiyun a flower after dinner—but now Yan Yiyun was being so blunt, flat-out refusing the “award.”
Well, let’s see if she still says no when the flower is right in front of her.
After the hot pot meal, Qi Zhen told Yan Yiyun to call Uncle Li while she went to pay the bill—and at the front desk, she casually bought one of the decorative flowers from a vase.
The staff looked at her curiously. “What do you need that for?”
No one ever bought flowers from a restaurant front desk.
Qi Zhen smiled. “A reward for a little kid.”
The staff nodded, understanding. When dealing with kids, sometimes you just have to win them over first.
Yan Yiyun had just finished her call with Uncle Li when she saw Qi Zhen walking out of the restaurant.
She waved. “Over here!”
Qi Zhen walked over, stood beside her, then—like a magician—pulled a rose out from behind her back and smiled sweetly.
“Little one, still don’t want your red star?”
Yan Yiyun’s face flushed bright red.
She regretted it! She totally regretted it!
She didn’t care about red stars—but she definitely cared about this rose from Qi Zhen!
“Hmm?”
Qi Zhen swayed the flower in front of her, teasing again:
“Really don’t want it?”