The Fried Rice Defense

Lin Yu was taken aback by Su Yuyao's soft words.

He hadn't tried to guess what she might say.

But he certainly didn't expect that after hesitating for so long, the request she finally made would be so...

...simple.

So simple that it was almost humble.

Fighting back the sudden sourness in his nose,

Lin Yu raised his hand and gently pinched Su Yuyao's cheek.

Only when he actually touched her skin did he realize.

She was even thinner than she looked. Beneath her smooth skin, there was barely any soft flesh to pinch.

Lin Yu hadn't used much force to begin with, and now he relaxed his grip even more, merely resting his fingers lightly against her cheek as he said tenderly,

"Of course."

"We'll always be together from now on."

Su Yuyao's gaze remained fixed on his face.

Hearing this, her eyes became even more focused.

A faint, bright light gathered on the surface of her eyes, hiding a gentle radiance born of happiness.

Su Yuyao nodded slightly, then reached out her small hand and grabbed a corner of Lin Yu's shirt.

Just like that.

Lin Yu gained a little tail that needed special care and attention.

With her around, he even had to slow his pace when walking, afraid of knocking her over as she tugged at his clothes.

Having this extra little tail

made Lin Yu's movements much more inconvenient.

But it was quite interesting, too.

When Lin Yu was chopping sausages or scrambling eggs,

he would feed her little bits of cooked egg and sliced sausage, like feeding a pet.

And Su Yuyao refused nothing.

She would open her light, thin pink lips slightly and obediently eat whatever Lin Yu offered her.

If Lin Yu didn't ask her anything, she wouldn't speak.

If he did ask, she would nod and reply softly,

"It's delicious."

A fragrant pot of egg fried rice was soon finished.

Lin Yu scooped it out into a large bowl.

At the same time, he opened the grocery bag delivered earlier and took out two cheap but incredibly tasty packets of pickled vegetables to cut the grease.

He tore open the packaging and poured them into a small dish.

Once everything was ready,

Lin Yu carried the large bowl of fried rice in one hand, the dish of pickles and chopsticks in the other, with his little tail following right behind him.

In just one trip, he brought all three to the dining table.

Placing the food on the table, he had Su Yuyao sit down and solemnly handed her the chopsticks, like a nervous chef presenting utensils to a renowned food critic.

Su Yuyao looked at Lin Yu's feigned seriousness.

She wanted to laugh but held it back.

However, she couldn't completely hide her amusement.

The corners of her mouth lifted slightly, and her eyes curved.

A joyful smile danced in the subtle details of her expression.

Taking the chopsticks, she played along with him, taking a bite of the fried rice and tasting it earnestly.

After chewing for a while,

she nodded firmly and gave her verdict.

"Delicious!"

Hearing this, Lin Yu immediately put on a smug, award-winning expression.

With one hand behind his back and the other across his stomach, he bowed to the empty surroundings as if acknowledging an audience.

Su Yuyao watched him while eating, her eyes crinkling in amusement.

After their little moment of playfulness, Lin Yu returned to his normal demeanor

and sat down at the table.

Su Yuyao ate with great appetite, shoveling bite after bite of fried rice into her mouth.

Her cheeks puffed out as she chewed.

Sitting sideways, Lin Yu watched her stuffed cheeks and felt momentarily confused.

Qing Mo obviously wouldn't mistreat her.

The three meals a day she arranged might not be mythical delicacies, but they were certainly top-tier feasts, perfect in color, aroma, and taste.

So why was Su Yuyao still so skinny?

Seeing how heartily she was eating, she didn't seem like a picky eater either.

"Is the usual food not to your liking?"

Lin Yu asked in confusion.

At his question, Su Yuyao paused for a second.

She knew what he was really asking.

She shook her head, swallowed the rice in her mouth, and said softly,

"I just have no appetite."

"And I feel like throwing up after eating."

"It's better to eat less, otherwise it feels terrible when I throw up."

When she first found out there was another life growing inside her, Su Yuyao had been terrified.

She didn't dare let her family, friends, or classmates know, afraid of being scolded, mocked, and discriminated against.

So her subconscious reaction was to hide it.

She started a weight-loss plan and began buying oversized clothes.

Later, with Qing Mo's help,

she took a leave of absence from school and found a suitable excuse to fool her family so she wouldn't have to go home. She stayed here long-term to prevent them from noticing anything.

Now she finally didn't have to hide it anymore.

But severe morning sickness followed right after.

She threw up almost everything she ate.

Su Yuyao had tried taking medicine, but nothing worked very well.

Although it wasn't as bad as the beginning where she couldn't keep anything down,

the nausea was still a constant, and it was miserable every time.

Su Yuyao remembered the few times Sister Qing Mo took her to the hospital; the doctors seemed helpless regarding her condition.

They said something about...

...

Psychological issues?

She didn't think there was anything wrong with her psychologically...

...

Or maybe there was a little...

She knew that sometimes she would feel an overwhelming sense of anxiety and lose control of her emotions.

But what did psychological issues have to do with morning sickness?

She didn't believe that explanation.

At this point, Lin Yu finally realized what was going on.

His eyes widened, and he spoke with a mix of shock and self-blame:

"Ah?"

"Then shouldn't you avoid eating greasy food like this?"

"I... I'll make you something else."

He was so nervous he was almost incoherent, instinctively reaching out to take the large bowl away from her.

"No!"

Su Yuyao bent over the table, wrapping her arms around the bowl of fried rice as if protecting a precious treasure.

She firmly refused to let anyone take it away.

This was the first meal Lin Yu had ever cooked for her.

She was going to finish it no matter what!

In fact, as soon as she saw the oil Lin Yu poured in before scrambling the eggs, she had mentally prepared herself to suffer and throw up after eating.

But even so.

She insisted on finishing it.

Seeing her so adamant, Lin Yu had no choice but to drop it.

Su Yuyao won the battle to defend her fried rice and continued to eat happily.

But as she ate, she felt a bit puzzled.

In the past, let alone eating such greasy food, just looking at it or smelling the oil would have made her feel nauseous.

So why was it that now, after eating so much, she had no reaction at all?

It was a little strange...