MMLDU Chapter 39

The next day, Aunt Lin brought food again.

Lu Lu, still craving yesterday’s delicious dishes, eagerly waited for Pei Lang to finish his work so they could enjoy lunch together. However, when they opened the lunchboxes, they were dumbfounded by the sight of the food—pitch-black, sticky, and unrecognizable.

The two exchanged a bewildered glance, leaned closer, and sniffed. The smell was… peculiar.

Unwilling to give up, they each picked up a tiny piece with their chopsticks and tentatively tasted it. Their expressions changed instantly. They hurriedly grabbed napkins to spit it out, rinsing their mouths with bottled water.

It was absolutely awful.

Compared to yesterday’s meal, it was worlds apart.

The disparity was so vast that Pei Lang was certain this couldn’t have been made by Aunt Lin. “Are you sure this was sent by the same aunt as yesterday?”

“Positive,” Lu Lu said, still unwilling to give up. He tried another dish, only to discover that it wasn’t just bad—it was worse. Starving, he scrunched his face in dismay. “Brother Lang, this… I’ve been holding onto it the whole time; no one could’ve swapped it. But how could the taste be this bad? This is blatantly poisoning someone—only a fool would eat it!”

“Could it be a different chef?” Pei Lang mumbled to himself, casting a glance at the bizarre food on the table. Unable to resist, he called Aunt Lin.

“Xiao Lang, how’s the food? Does it suit your taste?” Aunt Lin asked cheerfully.

“Aunt Lin, you didn’t make today’s food, did you?”

“Too delicious, isn’t it?” Aunt Lin sounded pleased, assuming the exceptional taste had given her away.

Pei Lang’s mouth twitched involuntarily as he forced a reply. “It’s… okay.”

“Mr. Yan made it himself early this morning! I offered to help, but he refused, saying he wanted to personally cook a meal for you. Mr. Yan is smart and always serious about his work. I’ve never seen him cook before, but I figured it must be amazing. Xiao Lang, if you like it, eat more. Not everyone has the privilege of eating a meal personally prepared by Mr. Yan!” Aunt Lin chuckled, her tone carrying a strange hint that Pei Lang missed entirely.

Instead, he was shocked by the fact that Yan Han had cooked the meal himself.

A cold, composed big boss personally cooking—just to poison a lowly, unknown actor?

But, big boss, if you’re going to cook, at least consult a recipe or something! What even is this unrecognizable mess? And didn’t you taste it yourself first? How could you send it out without even confirming it’s edible?

Pei Lang’s taste buds had just been harshly shocked. Even thinking about it now sent a shiver down his spine. He took a deep breath and replied, “Mr. Yan is truly thoughtful. I’ll take care of it and make sure I finish every bite. Aunt Lin, I’ll eat now. Bye.”

As Aunt Lin was on her way back, she had just hung up the phone with Pei Lang when Yan Han coincidentally called. His first question was about whether the food had been delivered.

“It’s here. Xiao Lang’s already eating. He even praised your cooking, saying he’ll finish every bite.” Aunt Lin relayed the information to Yan Han. In the office, Yan Han’s lips curled into a grin, stretching from ear to ear.

“He knows it’s from me?” He felt a sweet pleasure in his heart, but still feigned indifference and asked.

“It wasn’t me, Xiao Lang figured it out on his own.” Aunt Lin quickly explained.

“Mm, good.”

Yan Han hung up the phone without another word, then grabbed his own phone to open WeChat, looking at the chat with Pei Lang, waiting for a message.

However, he waited and waited, but there was no reply from Pei Lang. Eventually, Yan Han could only reassure himself that the food must have been too good, and Pei Lang, that little greedy fox, was too busy enjoying his meal to remember him.

Yes, that must be it.

Unable to wait for the message, Yan Han picked up the book again.

The book made a lot of sense. To capture a person’s heart, you must first capture their stomach. It seemed the little surprise he had prepared today was really effective.

Thinking about it, with his status, cooking personally for the little fox and making the meal this delicious—wasn’t Pei Lang supposed to be so touched that he’d cry? Then his favorability would shoot up and winning the beauty’s heart would be just around the corner.

Yan Han couldn’t help but wonder what kind of expression Pei Lang was wearing right now and how his gaze toward him would change when they next met. He was actually a little eager to find out.

What Yan Han didn’t know was that when Pei Lang said he would “finish every bite”, he meant that he had asked Lu Lu to feed the food to the stray cats and dogs wandering around the film set. As for himself, Pei Lang leisurely opened a food delivery app and ordered something else.

About ten minutes later, Lu Lu came back, looking miserable and hungry. “Brother Lang, this food isn’t even fit for dogs, let alone cats. The strays were too wary. I barely coaxed two of them over to eat, but when they sniffed it, they thought I was poisoning them. They bared their sharp white teeth at me and started barking. The worst part was a little short-legged one chased me halfway down the street. Luckily, my legs are long, so I outran it. But… some of the nearby artists and assistants saw it. I’m probably going to be the laughingstock now. They all know I’m your assistant. Brother Lang, I’ve embarrassed you.”

Pei Lang had never really seen Lu Lu this upset. After hearing his pitiful complaint, he couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “Pfft, hahahaha~~~”

“Brother Lang, you’re laughing at me?”

“Alright, alright, I ordered takeout. It’ll be here soon.” After laughing, Pei Lang comforted him and told him to sit down.

Lu Lu knew his boundaries. He never pried into Pei Lang’s personal matters and only kept track of work. He had heard Pei Lang’s phone conversation earlier but didn’t fully understand it. It didn’t seem like a big issue, so he figured it would pass without much thought.

When the takeout arrived, Lu Lu didn’t try to control Pei Lang’s diet like usual. Though he often pretended to be concerned about it, he knew Pei Lang could eat what he wanted. After what had just happened, this takeout tasted way better than usual.

After finishing the meal, Pei Lang sent a message to Yan Han. Though he didn’t fully understand why the man had poisoned his food, he thought it might have been to prove to his father that they were truly in love, which was why he did it.

【Lang: Mr. Yan, your cooking is great, but please don’t cook again. You’re busy with work, so make sure to rest.】

【. : Not tired.】

【Lang: And don’t make Aunt Lin run around. When I crave something, I’ll just go home to eat. Sometimes, when I’m busy, I don’t even know when I’ll get to eat. If you send it too early, the food spoils quickly in this weather.】

Yan Han didn’t pay much attention to the rest of the message. What mattered to him was the key point: when Pei Lang craved something, he would return home, meaning they would meet more often.

【. : Alright, I won’t send it for now.】

Getting the response he wanted, Pei Lang let out a sigh of relief. After chatting a little more, his break time was up, so he put down his phone and got back into character for the filming.

He had no idea about Zhong Yixiao’s manager situation. He only noticed that Zhong Yixiao’s gaze toward him seemed a bit complicated. Pei Lang didn’t understand, so he ignored it and focused on his work, making sure to do his best in the scene, aiming to get it right in one take and not cause any trouble for the crew.

After finishing the final shot of the day, it was still only afternoon. He was supposed to attend Yan Xiuyuan’s engagement banquet tomorrow, so he needed to head back to the villa tonight. He gave Director Jin a heads-up and told Lu Lu to take the evening off while waiting for Su Jia to come pick him up.

When Su Jia arrived, Lu Lu had already been urged to leave by Pei Lang.

“Long time no see.”

“Dad Lang, you’re starting to look more like a big celebrity!” Su Jia greeted with a playful, exaggerated tone, his eyes sparkling.

“Where is Mr. Yan?” Pei Lang got in the car and noticed there was no one else in the backseat.

Su Jia started the car and drove off, unaware that a camera in the distance was snapping photos.

“The boss is still at the office. He’ll be home later. By the way, what exactly is your relationship with the boss?” Su Jia really couldn’t figure it out. Was it some kind of ‘sugar daddy’ relationship? That didn’t seem right. The boss had been abstinent for over thirty years. Why would he suddenly be interested in someone else, especially a man?

The cold-hearted ice king wasn’t someone who’d easily change.

But their relationship, from any angle, seemed very strange.

Pei Lang smiled faintly and didn’t answer, turning his head to look out the window, admiring the passing scenery.

“Is it because of Young Master Yan that you two are living together?” Su Jia seemed to have figured something out. The only connection between Pei Lang and Yan Han was Yan Xiuyuan.

Pei Lang had always believed that Su Jia and Yan Han were mutually harboring secret affection for each other, so in case Su Jia misunderstood, he softly explained, “Don’t worry, Mr. Yan and I only have a professional relationship. Once our contract ends, we’ll have no further connection.”

“Is that so? But I can’t help feeling that the boss treats you a bit differently. Sigh~ The boss’s thoughts are always so hard to guess,” Su Jia sighed, the music playing in the car. “You haven’t updated any songs on the platform for a while. Are you streaming tonight? I’ll go support you.”

“It has been a while since I sang, but I’ll stream for a bit tonight.”

“Great, I’ll bring the other guys along. Don’t worry, I’ll keep it a secret. Don’t forget, I’m your number one fan.”

Upon arriving home, Pei Lang, who had come directly from the filming set without returning to the hotel, quickly washed up and changed into clean clothes. Aunt Lin was cooking and Yan Han hadn’t come back yet. So, Pei Lang opened the website.

He had received many private messages, filled with warm words.

After selecting a few to reply to, he posted a live-stream announcement and then logged off. He went to the kitchen to help. Before long, Yan Han returned. He glanced at Pei Lang in the kitchen before heading upstairs.

It had been a while since Pei Lang had seen the little chibi on Yan Han’s shoulder. He wiped the water off his hands and followed him upstairs. Yan Han wasn’t in the bedroom but in the study. Pei Lang knocked and went in.

Yan Han was sitting in front of the computer, his eyelids lifting for a moment before lowering again as if he were reading something. The book was obscured by the computer screen, but the little chibi on his shoulder was casually holding the book, reading it seriously.

Pei Lang’s eyes brightened when he saw the title on the book cover: How to Tame Your Little Wife. The little chibi was holding it awkwardly and comically.

Pei Lang: Mr. Yan is finally going to make a move on Su Jia. New material! It looks like I’ll have to come back often to get my fill of this. I wonder what happened during the time I was away that made Mr. Yan start reading books like this. Although it’s ridiculous, his serious look is kind of cute.

“Mr. Yan, are you reading a book?” Pei Lang smiled as he walked over, hoping to peek at the content. However, before he could, Yan Han quickly snapped the book shut and looked up, staring at Pei Lang.

“You haven’t lost weight. You look great.” He had been worried that Pei Lang might not adjust well to the environment, but instead, he looked more refreshed.

“Mr. Yan, you still look the same as when I left.”

“Mm.”

A brief exchange fell into awkward silence. This kind of moment often occurred during their phone calls. Pei Lang had gotten used to it, so it didn’t bother him. However, Yan Han’s gaze was just… strange.

It was direct, somewhat fierce, and his eyes would twitch occasionally.

Could it be that something’s wrong with Mr. Yan’s eyes?

Pei Lang didn’t rush to ask, instead, he just smiled and faced him.

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