Mutual Feeding

Ji Qingyi's stunningly beautiful face turned away, whether out of fluster or embarrassment—she could keenly feel the proximity between them, along with the weight and warmth resting on her thigh.

Yet she still found it utterly unexpected!

She never imagined Su Cheng would dare to go this far, boldly sitting on her lap and even having the audacity to ask why he was there, as if feigning ignorance.

"If you can't give me a proper reason, I won’t forgive you so easily."

Ji Qingyi regained her composure, her expression smoothing into its usual calm. Her tone shifted to one of stern authority, like an elder reprimanding a junior: "Your current behavior has crossed my bottom line."

Hearing this, Su Cheng froze momentarily before his expression darkened. Without a word, he rose from her lap and settled on the edge of the sofa.

"President, did you figure it out already?"

Su Cheng’s voice was subdued, his eyes downcast and dim.

Ji Qingyi glanced at him. "What do you think?"

"When?"

Su Cheng lifted his gaze, his eyes hollow.

"From the very beginning."

"I see."

Su Cheng lowered his lashes, visibly disheartened.

"Was teasing me that amusing?"

Ji Qingyi's icy questioning carried unmistakable anger.

Su Cheng shook his head. "No..."

"It seems you’ve overestimated how much leniency I have for you."

As soon as the words left her lips, Ji Qingyi made a move to stand and leave.

"Wait, President!"

Seeing her rise, Su Cheng abruptly stood as well, urgently calling out, "This wasn’t teasing or a prank!"

Ji Qingyi paused mid-step, her demeanor still aloof. "Then explain. What was this?"

"Admittedly, it might resemble a prank."

Su Cheng took a deep breath before speaking slowly yet resolutely: "But I just wanted to understand you better—to uncover your truest thoughts. That’s why I acted so recklessly."

Here, he paused, fixing Ji Qingyi with an intense, bright-eyed stare. "And this opportunity... I knew it was rare. Maybe even once-in-a-lifetime. So I took the risk. I wanted to see if you’d react like any ordinary girl, showing a softer side when faced with something cute."

Ji Qingyi seemed momentarily stunned by his words. Her brows furrowed as if weighing his explanation.

After a pause, her stance softened slightly, her tone gentler. "So, that’s your reason?"

"Yes!"

Su Cheng nodded firmly.

"You understand me, but I’ve never truly grasped you. Your personality—it’s always been a mystery to me."

His voice was earnest, as if undeterred by her shifting mood. "If I did nothing, our relationship would stay stagnant. We’d never truly bridge the gap between us. That’s why I took this bold step."

"It’s not that I disrespect you."

Su Cheng’s gaze burned with sincerity. "On the contrary, being your close friend is an honor I’d never take for granted. But today, I acted out of line because I couldn’t stand the distance between us—the hesitation. I wanted this moment to change that, to learn everything about you."

"That’s your reason?"

"That’s my reason!"

Silence stretched between them.

Half a minute? A decade? It was impossible to tell.

Finally, Ji Qingyi broke the stalemate.

She offered no verbal reply, her expression still unreadable. Only the slight press of her red lips betrayed anything as she elegantly resumed her seat, crossing her sheer-clad legs with regal poise, her aura growing even more captivating.

Su Cheng, taking the cue, sat back down and stared intently at her. "Please forgive my rudeness today."

Ji Qingyi didn’t respond.

Su Cheng shifted topics, gesturing to a box by the table. "President, is this stuff for feeding me?"

Ji Qingyi glanced sideways. "Mhm."

With a thud,

Su Cheng transformed into an orange cat, leaping onto the tabletop. From the feline’s mouth came his human voice: "Even as a cat, eating raw food feels... biologically wrong."

Ji Qingyi arched a brow, surprised by the mismatch of Su Cheng’s voice from the cat. "Oh? Wrong, you say?"

Her drawn-out tone carried a hint of something unspoken, making Su Cheng shiver before he cautiously peeked at her face.

Ji Qingyi remained impassive.

Su Cheng swallowed hard. "Y-yes. Can’t eat it."

"Do you just want me to hold you?"

Ji Qingyi’s question came out of nowhere.

Su Cheng blinked, stunned—but then, like a kitten pecking at rice, he nodded eagerly. "Yes."

Ji Qingyi scooped him up, settling him in her arms. "You enjoy being held?"

The cat bobbed its head. "Mhm! Isn’t it normal for a cat to want affection from someone they care about?"

Dizzy from her scent and the warmth of her embrace, Su Cheng fought to stay coherent.

Ji Qingyi rested the cat on her lap, idly stroking its fluffy head, her voice lazily soft: "You could’ve just asked. I’d have agreed. No need for theatrics or wasted effort."

Her voice was mesmerizing, especially with that languid, almost teasing lilt.

Su Cheng’s ears twitched before he stammered, "W-well, I’d be embarrassed to ask outright."

Ji Qingyi continued petting the orange furball, her tone flat. "Regardless, your method was inappropriate."

"Then, President, how can I make it up to you?"

Su Cheng lifted his cat face, watery, sparkling eyes—like a living anime character—gazing up at her, lethal levels of adorable.

Ji Qingyi averted her eyes, her composure unshaken. "I’ll think about it later."

"Okay~"

Su Cheng chirped obediently, snuggling into her lap with a contented sigh. "You could’ve just said if you wanted to feed me, you know."

Hearing him mimic her tone, Ji Qingyi’s hand stilled briefly before resuming its strokes. "You said you couldn’t eat raw food."

"But... there’s a kitchen here. We could cook it."

Su Cheng lifted his head, blinking hesitantly. "Plus, there are dumplings on the table..."

Ji Qingyi’s eyes flicked toward the box—left earlier by an elderly neighbor.

When she didn’t respond, Su Cheng hopped onto the table, sniffing the container.

"Leek filling. Smells good."

He glanced up at Ji Qingyi expectantly, as if to say, You could feed me these.

Ji Qingyi lowered her gaze, staring at the takeout box for a long while before suddenly raising her head and shaking it. "The food in this box has gone cold."

"We can cook it again or just heat it up in the microwave," Su Cheng blinked his cat eyes.

Ji Qingyi bowed her head in silence for a moment before finally nodding. "Fine."

Seeing her agreement, Su Cheng excitedly leaped onto her lap. Ji Qingyi extended one hand to set him aside while picking up the box with the other and heading toward the microwave.

Su Cheng followed closely behind, occasionally licking his paws as if eagerly awaiting the upcoming meal.

"Hey, wait a second—"

Su Cheng suddenly noticed Ji Qingyi was about to place the plastic container directly into the microwave and hurriedly stopped her. "You can't put this kind of thing in the microwave."

"Understood."

Ji Qingyi’s back was turned, making her expression unreadable, but her tone remained calm.

She opened the plastic container of dumplings, grabbed a bowl from the side, and transferred the contents into it before casually tossing the box into the trash. Turning around, she looked at Su Cheng. "Is this acceptable now?"

Su Cheng nodded his cat head. "Yes, yes…"

Ji Qingyi placed the bowl inside the microwave, closed the door, and stared at the control panel as if deep in thought. After a pause, she suddenly asked, "How do I use this?"

Su Cheng froze. "Didn’t you take home economics?"

Ji Qingyi’s tone was indifferent but carried a hint of pride. "I had no reason to waste effort on such a course. It held no value for me."

"Uh…"

Hearing her words, Su Cheng was momentarily speechless. After all, she wasn’t wrong.

"Then I’ll teach you."

At this, Ji Qingyi bent down, effortlessly scooped him up, and cradled him against her abdomen, signaling for him to explain how to operate the microwave.

The orange cat extended a paw and pointed at the rotary knob. "Turn it once for one minute—three times in total. Then press the start button in the bottom right corner, and it’ll begin working."

Ji Qingyi followed Su Cheng’s instructions, and soon the microwave hummed to life, its interior lighting up with a bright glow.

Then, the woman and the cat stood side by side in front of the microwave, watching the dumplings spin in circles inside.

"Put me down."

Su Cheng spoke up, and without protest, Ji Qingyi bent over and released him onto the floor.

She continued staring at the microwave, clearly fascinated by her first experience using one, even counting the number of dumplings rotating inside with interest.

Suddenly—ding!

A crisp chime sounded from the microwave.

Ji Qingyi snapped out of her trance and looked inside to see it had stopped.

She studied it for a moment, about to ask Su Cheng if it was safe to open, but before she could speak, she turned to see the orange cat trotting over with a pair of oven mitts in his mouth.

"Am I supposed to wear these to take it out?" Ji Qingyi asked without hesitation.

Su Cheng nodded.

She bent down to pick up the mitts and put them on.

Meanwhile, Su Cheng stayed put, not daring to approach further—Ji Qingyi was wearing a skirt, and getting too close might reveal something he shouldn’t see. He knew his boundaries.

Ji Qingyi opened the microwave door and carefully pulled out a steaming plate of dumplings, setting it on the dining table.

Su Cheng followed at a safe distance of about a meter, sitting nearby with his cat eyes fixed on Ji Qingyi as she prepared the tableware. Though she wasn’t wearing an apron, she still had the air of a little chef!

Once everything was ready, she walked back over, picked him up, and placed him at the edge of the table before sitting down herself, preparing to feed him.

"Vinegar."

Su Cheng let out an impatient meow—what was the point of eating dumplings without vinegar?

How could she not know this?!

Not dipping dumplings in vinegar was practically a crime!

Ji Qingyi stiffened for a few seconds before standing up and heading to the kitchen. She returned shortly with a small dish of vinegar.

Resuming her seat, she picked up a dumpling again—this time dipping it in the vinegar before holding it out to Su Cheng’s mouth.

"Open."

Su Cheng obediently opened his mouth, and Ji Qingyi placed the dumpling inside. But less than half a second later, the orange cat let out a pained mrowl!—yet refused to spit it out. Instead, he tilted his head back, rolling the scalding dumpling around in his mouth.

"If it’s too hot, spit it out."

Ji Qingyi watched his ridiculous display, her eyebrow twitching slightly. Glancing at the still-steaming dumplings, she added, "There’s no need to force yourself."

"It’s fine…"

"You don’t have to act tough."

Ji Qingyi shook her head faintly.

"Got it."

Su Cheng murmured the response but still didn’t spit out the dumpling, instead starting to chew as if savoring a delicacy.

Seeing his silly persistence, Ji Qingyi could only pick up another dumpling, dip it in vinegar, and hold it out again. "Blow on it first."

Su Cheng nodded, gave it a few careful puffs, then tentatively touched the dumpling wrapper. Once satisfied with the temperature, he happily narrowed his eyes and took it into his mouth, devouring it with relish.

"President, you should eat too."

Just as Ji Qingyi was about to feed him again, Su Cheng shook his head, signaling that she should also dig in.

In response, Ji Qingyi declined. "I’m not hungry."

"Then I’ll take the liberty of feeding you instead."

Suddenly, Su Cheng shifted back into human form, taking the chopsticks from her hand and picking up a dumpling to hold near Ji Qingyi’s lips.

Ji Qingyi froze, her breathtakingly beautiful face flickering with unreadable emotions before she ultimately shook her head again.

Su Cheng’s expression dimmed, though he wasn’t surprised. He wouldn’t force her, so he started to withdraw the chopsticks—but then, unexpectedly, Ji Qingyi spoke up.

"You didn’t dip it in vinegar."

Delighted, Su Cheng quickly grabbed another dumpling, swirled it in the vinegar, and brought it to her lips. "Here."

Only then did Ji Qingyi slowly part her cherry-like lips, taking the vinegar-coated dumpling into her mouth. She elegantly covered her eating motion with one hand, chewing carefully before swallowing.

But before Su Cheng could say anything, Ji Qingyi pulled out a tissue, dabbed her lips, and stood up, her beautiful eyes lowering to meet his.

"Thank you for the meal. I should be going now."

With that, she turned to leave.

"Huh?"

"No need to see me out."

Su Cheng was so stunned by her sudden departure that he momentarily forgot to react. He had no idea what he’d done to upset her again and could only watch helplessly as she walked further away, the sound of the door closing leaving the living room in silence.

A few minutes later—

Ding-dong!

The doorbell rang again.

Su Cheng rushed to open it.

"Why do you look so dejected?"

Liu Qingyue wheeled her suitcase inside, raising an eyebrow at Su Cheng’s dispirited state. "Did you somehow anger my lady again?"

Su Cheng sighed helplessly.

"Oh?" Upon hearing this, Liu Qingyue didn’t stop walking. As she entered the living room, a strong odor immediately hit her. She wrinkled her delicate nose, her gaze settling on the plate left on the table, her expression turning peculiar.

"So, you two were just eating dumplings? And with leek filling?!"

"Yeah, what’s wrong?"

"She really…"

Liu Qingyue wore a speechless expression as she approached the dining table, pointing at the dumplings with visible disdain and saying to Su Cheng, "Do you not realize how pungent these are?"

At those words, Su Cheng stiffened, instantly understanding the implication, his face flushing with embarrassment and regret.

"She definitely ate some, didn’t she?"

"Yeah…" Su Cheng nodded glumly.

"That’s not just affection—it’s downright spoiling her."

Liu Qingyue fell silent for a moment before stepping closer. She raised a finger and poked his forehead admonishingly. "Don’t make such a foolish mistake again."