His gaze was firm. "I'm really hungry."

  "Calm down." She tapped his lips, leaving her finger pressed up against them. "Are you ready to get a taste?" she teased.

  He drew her finger into his warm mouth and bit down. Hard.

  She pulled her finger back immediately and waved it in the air. "I am not part of this meal!"

  His brows furrowed in mock disappointment. "That's not acceptable."

  She leaned down and kissed him gently. "Such a spoiled dragon."

  He frowned when she tried to get off his lap.

  She grabbed a plate off the table and put a little bit of everything on it and by little, it was minuscule. The plate had just enough to keep her promise. No need to torture her husband for more than that.

  Mo Qingchen watched her as she placed the plate down before him and then returned to his lap.

  "Am I on a strict diet?" he asked as he looked down at the minuscule proportions and then back at her.

  "It's a sample." She lifted the dish closer to his face. "Do you really think this is going to meet your standards?"

  "Highly unlikely," he answered honestly. "But I still want to eat your food."

  She picked up the fork and let it hover over the plate. "What would you like to try first?"

  "The… stuffed chicken?" he responded even though it sounded like a question. He wrapped his hand around her waist.

  "Your wish is my command, sir!" She jabbed at a piece of chicken with the fork.

  "Good to know."

  Qian Meng raised the fork to his lips. He opened his mouth and hesitantly wrapped his lips around the fork until she pulled it away. He chewed slowly. Qian Meng's eyes dropped down, not wanting to see the look of pure disgust on his face.

  "Strange…" he said, sounding perplexed.

  "You don't need to sound surprised. I appreciate your acting, though." She chuckled.

  "No. Give me another bite." He looked down at the plate with utter confusion.

  Qian Meng brought another piece of chicken to his mouth and watched him chew it with great concentration. He swallowed it and his eyes locked on hers. "It wasn't a horror story after all. What a surprise," he said with a small smile.

  "What do you mean?" Now, she was bewildered.

  "It's delicious." She knew he was lying to her face.

  "You never lie. What's wrong with you today? Be honest, Mo Qingchen. I can handle the truth." She didn't try to mask her irritation.

  "Why would I lie about the chicken?"

  Her eyes widened in shock. He did prefer some odd combinations in food. Maybe this was one of those things. "You're not lying."

  She picked up a small piece of chicken and popped it in her mouth. Her eyes grew wide and she stiffened as she chewed the meat.

  How could something that looked so awful taste good?

  "It is delicious," she said more to herself than to Mo Qingchen. A wide grin appeared on the other's face.

  "Can you believe that?" she squealed.

  "Not really." She glanced down at the sad bird on the table.

  "How did it happen?" she wondered. "You see… you can't judge a book by its cover. It doesn't matter how horrible it looks outside. There are surprises inside." She beamed at Mo Qingchen with delight.

  He eyed her curiously.

  "Do you want more chicken?" She let the fork hover over the plate.

  "Potatoes," he said. Such a brave man.

  "Are you sure?" she asked hesitantly. He nodded in response. "Okay…"

  She scooped up a bit and fed it to him. This time, her eyes were trained on him as he chewed and swallowed. His expression gave nothing away.

  "Wow. That was the most disgusting potato dish I have ever consumed." He even glared at it. "I have never seen such a disgrace but it tastes good. How is it possible?"

  "It's a talent, I suppose," she boasted. "Anyone can make things look appealing. There's nothing special about that. How many people can cook a meaningful meal that hammers in values in us?"

  "Just one," he agreed. "You cook the ugliest food in the world."

  "Stop flattering me." She waved off the compliment with a bright smile. "I wouldn't go that far."

  He glanced down at the plate and then back at her. "I would go further. If there is life on other planets, your food would be uglier than the things they could come up with."

  She smacked him as she laughed. "Uglier than alien food?"

  Mo Qingchen nodded. "Without a doubt. The best among ugly food."

  "I have skills. What can I say? You haven't even tried the other things yet."

  She scooped up some of the cheese concoction and raised the fork to his lips. He clamped them shut immediately and shook his head.

  "Close your eyes and toughen up, husband," she taunted.

  He slowly parted his lips. Qian Meng stuffed the fork in and pulled it out at lightening speed. His mouth closed and he hesitantly started to chew before swallowing.

  "Well?" she asked impatiently.

  "Spectacular," he admitted. "Truly unbelievable."

  "I like my food to have that wow factor," she informed with pride. "Expect the unexpected."

  "I have to expect the impossible," he said, looking at the plate with confusion.

  "Predictable is boring," she shrugged.

  "Yes, you love spontaneous." He had a gleam in his eyes that surprised her.

  "You know that well, don't you?" She matched his michevious tone. He loved that.

  Mo Qingchen hadn't lied, he was hungry. She fed him a large plate of food, which he devoured and then he fed her a plate in return.

  Just as he was about to clean up, Qian Meng stopped him. "I have something waiting for you!" she said.

  "Where to?" he asked.

  "Pick me up! I'll lead you there."

  Mo Qingchen stood up with her still cradled in his arms and walked away from the table.

  "Where are we going?" he asked. Qian Meng held on to him tightly.

  "That's a surprise," she whispered in his ear, menacingly.