He clenched his fist, almost as if he were releasing all his strength.
Lu Chen was delighted; cooking this meal was more effective than practicing his family's internal energy cultivation techniques three or four times.
"It smells so good!" a soft voice suddenly rang out. "Chen, you're such a good cook! But, with so much, can the two of us finish it all?"
Lu Chen turned his head and his eyes lit up. He thought Qingqing was really beautiful. Although a hint of melancholy lingered on her face, she was dressed so beautifully and sexily, deeply captivating Lu Chen's heart.
The delicious dishes were served one after another; it seemed like quite a lot.
Jade shrimp rings, sweet and sour carp, pumpkin stewed with beef, potato and egg pancakes, minced meat and eggplant, and a shrimp and winter melon soup—five dishes and a soup in total. These were all considered nourishing dishes, suitable for Dong Qingqing, and also her favorites.
However, it was indeed difficult for two people to finish it all!
As dusk settled, the two sat down to eat. Although Dong Qingqing worried they wouldn't be able to finish, she ate with great relish. She seemed to harbor resentment, as if she wanted to express it, and ate in silence.
Seeing her preoccupied expression, Lu Chen could only sigh silently. He knew Dong Qingqing's feelings; it was a marriage filled with resentment from the start, and now, with separation and Li Yuzhu even attempting to force himself on her, almost succeeding, it was no wonder Dong Qingqing was unhappy.
She must have been thinking a lot, including about the child's future.
However, Lu Chen wasn't good at comforting people, so he could only silently eat with Dong Qingqing.
After half an hour, working together, they had actually eaten two-thirds of the meal!
Dong Qingqing put down her chopsticks, sighing, "I can't believe I ate so much. Ugh, I'm going to gain weight again..." She patted her stomach, "Really, it's bulging, I'm definitely going to puff out again."
Lu Chen remembered Dong Qingqing lamenting the same thing yesterday. He blinked, and just like before, deliberately said, "Really? Come on, lift up your clothes so I can see if you're really puffing out."
"How can I lift it up to show you while I'm wearing a skirt?"
Dong Qingqing rolled her eyes at him, suddenly remembering the scene in the bedroom where he had unintentionally seen everything, and her heart pounded. Was he thinking about that scene now too? Thinking about it, her face flushed.
This was so embarrassing!
Lu Chen grinned, put down his chopsticks, and reached out towards Dong Qingqing's stomach, "Then let me feel if you're really puffing out!" His palm was already very close to her belly.
Actually, Lu Chen hadn't intended to touch Dong Qingqing's stomach. He was just joking, trying to ease her gloomy expression. Sure enough, Dong Qingqing immediately grabbed her chopsticks, about to sweep them towards Lu Chen's hand.
Suddenly, she froze, as if possessed.
She even slightly protruded her lower abdomen: "Then feel it, is it really showing?"
Lu Chen was stunned, completely unprepared for this. He looked at Dong Qingqing in surprise; her head was slightly lowered, a few long strands of hair gently swaying across her flushed face. Although he couldn't see her features, her allure was utterly captivating.
He hesitated for a second or two, then placed his hand on Dong Qingqing's stomach.
Through the thin fabric of her clothes, he could fully feel its softness and elasticity, accompanied by a warm sensation. Lu Chen chuckled, giving her a gentle squeeze. "It seems... you really do have quite a bit of chubby flesh!"
"Do you believe me now?" Dong Qingqing said, her voice slightly hoarse, sounding a little strange.
Lu Chen didn't speak. After feeling that Dong Qingqing did indeed have some chubby flesh, his hand lingered there, gently kneading it. He softly uttered, "Sister Qingqing."
"Mmm..." Dong Qingqing responded weakly.
The two were already in a delicate state. Dong Qingqing felt as if Lu Chen's hand carried a flame, instantly melting her, leaving her parched. Lu Chen, on the other hand, felt as if Dong Qingqing's soft, hot body was a spark, igniting the most restless element within him, making him want to erupt wildly!
"Sister Qingqing..." Lu Chen called again. This time, Dong Qingqing didn't respond. She leaned back in her chair, slightly straightening her posture. Her hands hung naturally at her sides.
The sight of it made Lu Chen somewhat shocked; it was practically an invitation for him to touch!
Lu Chen thought for a moment, deciding whether to touch upwards or downwards. He quickly decided that touching upwards would be too sensitive, while touching downwards would be even more sensitive, but at least there would be areas that were easier to cushion.
So, his hand gradually moved downwards, and when his fingers brushed against Dong Qingqing's hip bone, her body trembled slightly. Then, Lu Chen's hand pressed against Dong Qingqing's left thigh, which was taut and appeared even more elastic.
Lu Chen couldn't help but mutter, "Sister Qingqing, you have quite a bit of flesh here too!"
Dong Qingqing couldn't help but chuckle, "Nonsense."
Lu Chen's hand began to stroke her thigh back and forth, from the root of her leg to near her knee, gently caressing her. Dong Qingqing, meanwhile, leaned back in her chair, her beautiful eyes tightly closed, her eyelashes fluttering slightly. Her perfectly rounded chin was lifted, revealing her entire jade-like neck, making her look exceptionally beautiful.
Lu Chen swallowed hard, feeling an urge to become a vampire and take a bite.
Below, as his hand caressed her, the hem of her skirt slowly rose, revealing the beautiful young woman's two jade-like legs.
Swallowing again, Lu Chen quickly placed his palm directly on Dong Qingqing's thigh. The close contact made it even more slippery and warm. Dong Qingqing trembled slightly, even letting out a soft "uh," but she didn't resist.
Lu Chen continued to caress her, satisfied, until Dong Qingqing was panting heavily.
"Sister Qingqing..." Lu Chen called her softly again.
Dong Qingqing didn't open her eyes, but simply gave a soft "hmm."
Lu Chen said, "Sister Qingqing, you're so good to me." This was truly from the bottom of his heart.
Dong Qingqing remained silent, unsure how to respond. She only felt her body growing increasingly hot with Lu Chen's caresses, caught in a state of indescribable pleasure and pain.
Lu Chen grew bolder. His fingers began to brush against Dong Qingqing's sensitive areas, a gentle touch eliciting a soft, ecstatic cry from her.
She abruptly raised a hand, grabbing Lu Chen's hand through her skirt.
She looked at him with a mixture of resentment and unease.
Lu Chen met her gaze calmly, asking curiously, "What's wrong?"
"You, you…I…" Dong Qingqing blushed, truly unsure how to answer. Her hand gripped Lu Chen's tightly, as if she had reached her limit, unable to go any further.
Just as they were in this delicate stalemate, her phone rang. It was Dong Qingqing's phone.
Dong Qingqing quickly got up and answered the call.
The call was from a doctor at the hospital. The doctor said a pregnant woman was about to give birth and specifically requested Dong Qingqing to come back for the surgery. Dong Qingqing said, "Okay, I'll be right there!"
Suddenly, Dong Qingqing, who had seemed uneasy yet gentle, became strong, revealing a hint of a powerful woman.
Dong Qingqing hung up the phone. To ease the awkwardness, Lu Chen chuckled and said, "Luckily, you called after dinner, otherwise you would have gone hungry again."
Dong Qingqing looked deeply at Lu Chen and said, "Anyway, Chen, I'm very grateful to you! To show my gratitude, from now on, you don't need to pay rent. My home is your home."
This last sentence carried a hint of shyness.
Then, Dong Qingqing ran into the bedroom as if fleeing, slamming the door shut. A few minutes later, she came out dressed formally, said calmly, "I'm leaving!" and strode out the door.
Lu Chen was clearing away the dishes, sighing, "Sigh, what have I done with these two women today? They're both older than me. Back in the day, I dated younger women, now it's all about older women and younger men."
While washing the dishes, Lu Chen's fully charged phone rang. He quickly dried his hands and went to look. A familiar face flashed on the screen, along with a familiar address: Sister Li.
The caller ID photo was one Lu Chen had taken of Liu Li in front of the pastry shop. She was smiling so sweetly then! Her cherry lips were slightly parted, making one's imagination run wild.
Lu Chen snorted. Calling now?
He answered the phone, and a cold voice came from the other end: "Finally, your phone's on. Where are you?"
Lu Chen was even more annoyed. Ugh! And she still talks to me like that? If you're going to talk to me like that, why call at all!
So, he replied curtly, "At home."
Two words, so concise.
Silence fell on the other end of the phone, a silence that lasted so long that Lu Chen almost wanted to hang up. Then, Liu Li spoke again, this time with a less cold tone and a hint of frustration. She asked, "What are you doing at home?"
Lu Chen, maintaining his previous curt and decisive tone, replied, "Eating, showering, watching TV."
Liu Li was silent again, then spoke, this time with a pleading tone, "Chen, can't we not be like this? Let's talk things out."
Lu Chen scoffed, "Seriously, who's the one who can't talk things out? Who's been begging for forgiveness and getting completely ignored?"
"Well..." Liu Li's tone softened further, "I'm a woman, shouldn't you give me some leeway?"
Lu Chen retorted, "I'm three years younger than you, Sister Li! You even said you'd take care of me like a younger brother!"
Liu Li's frustration was indescribable. She had previously said she would take care of Lu Chen like a younger brother, but since what happened, with all the kissing and hugging, his image in her mind had completely transformed from a younger brother to a man. Since they had developed a completely ambiguous relationship, it was a romantic relationship, not a sibling one anymore!
However, Liu Li couldn't bring herself to say it. She gritted her teeth for a moment and said, "Chen, can't we just let this go? Have you eaten? If not, let's go eat together?"
Lu Chen let out a burp: "Yes, I just ate. I'm so full I don't even want to move."
Liu Li sighed and asked softly, "You remember I called you out last night to eat, saying I had something to tell you? What was it?"
Lu Chen was startled, remembering that something like that had happened, but so much had happened since then that he'd forgotten to ask, and Liu Li had forgotten to mention it either. He said, "Okay, tell me, what was it?"