茶杯狐 -CUPFOX

Xia Libing rented a two-bed apartment in a residential area near the hospital in Citong City, which was fully furnished.

In fact, her aunt and uncle wanted her to stay at their place, yet Xia Libing declined, preferring to live alone.

It was apparent that Xia Libing wasn’t one to cook. Even though the kitchen in her apartment was scarcely used, she had thoroughly cleaned it in advance Imowing that Xiang Kun was coming to Citong City.

Xiang Kun neatly arranged the kitchen utensils he’d brought with him, then began prepping assorted ingredients. He skinned, split, and cleaned the pig’s feet and then instilled them in a pressure cooker with condiments to stew, diced the chicken meat, and started the marination process…

Under his direction, Xia Libing began doing basic kitchen tasks like washing vegetables, rinsing rice, and cleaning new tableware.

Although she wasn’t apt to doing housework, as a medical student, she was rather hands-on. Xiang Kun split his attention between guiding her and his own tasks, and she seemed to be pulling it off pretty well; at least, she wasn’t in his way in the kitchen.

While they were halfway done cooking, Xiang Kun’s mom called. Xiang Kun, who was busy with the cooking, looked at his phone on the table, then glanced at Old Xia.

Yes, he didn’t mistake it this time, Xia Libing wiped her hands, picked up the phone, and handed it to Xiang Kun.

With the phone sandwiched between his cheek and shoulder, Xiang Kun

continued cooking while talking to his mom.

“You must be going to dinner now, right? I heard from someone that a new restaurant opened near Wanda. Lots of young people are going there, it’s great for dates. You could head there. The place is called…”

His mother was speaking softly; she must have thought he was still with Miss Yang.

“Mom, Miss Yang and I have parted ways. I am at a friend’s house now and will return later. You don’t need to cook dinner for me.”

“Ah? You already broke up? Why didn’t you invite her over for dinner or something?” His mother seemed dissatisfied, “Did you start stammering because you thought she was too pretty and you forgot how to talk, and so she couldn’t bear to stay?”

“Please, mom, do you really think your son stammers around pretty ladies? We had a good chat, but we seemed to just have different interests and future plans, so I guess we wouldn’t work out. Mom, don’t worry about it. There’s a time for everything .

“I don’t believe a word of that! You discovered different interests and future plans after merely an afternoon chat…”

“Mom, what was that? I couldn’t hear you clearly… Oh no, seems like bad signal.

We’ll chat when I get home, okay? Goodbye…”

Xiang Kun quickly ended the call with a nod to Old Xia, who understood and reached over to hang up the phone.

As they resumed cooking, Xiang Kun jokingly asked, “Why were you staring at me while I was on the phone? I noticed you have been observing me quite a bit recently. Don’t tell me you think I am sick? Have I displayed any symptoms that make you think there is something wrong with me mentally?”

It’s natural for a man to think a woman staring at him might be interested in him or find him attractive. He had seen couples in love in coffee shops, subway cars, and on the streets while practicing his sensory abilities. He knew how people act when they’re interested in someone else – the subtle expressions, smell, heartbeat, breathing, and other signs.

Thereby, Xiang Kun knew clearly that there was not any hint of romantic inclination in Xia Libing’s gaze. There was only curiosity, similar to his own gaze when he was observing his golden retriever, a coin, or a tissue.

Xia Libing said, “In a sense, we are all ill. I am interested in all patients, so observing everyone is a part of that. You are not an exception, especially because you are the only person here now.”

Huh, Old Xia was getting a little crafty too, now resorting to evasive answers? Xiang Kun glanced at Xia Libing, who under his guidance started preparing the garlic and washing the vegetables. He, however, knew clearly that Old Xia had been observing him more than anyone else.

This was not because he was narcissistic, but because he had been reciprocating by observing Xia Libing just as much.

Among all the people that Xiang Kun has met, Xia Libing was the one whose emotions and real thoughts were the hardest to ascertain. However, he partially compensated for this by spotting tiny habits and physical changes in her that she herself might not be aware of. For instance, he has made some predictions based on her habits while playing cards.

Therefore, Xiang Kun could discern that there were some half-truths in what Xia Libing had just said.

She must’ve noticed something abnormal about my mental state. This was Xiang Kun’s suspicion.

Since there were only two of them, Xiang Kun cooked three dishes and one soup.

He made the crispy pig trotter which Xia Libing loved most, a dish he had made multiple times and had constantly fine-tuned according to her taste. He also cooked diced chicken with sauce and eggplant with minced meat, which his father was fond of eating for lunch, along with a simple dish of tomato and egg soup.

Having shared meals with Xia Libing only on two previous occasions, he wasn’t as familiar with her taste preferences as he was with Tang Baona’s. However, since two of the dishes were ones he had previously cooked for Xia Libing, he was confident that he had refined them excellently, sure to pleasantly surprise Xia Libing.

As he expected, after her first bite of the crispy pig trotter, Xia Libing’s eyes squinted in satisfaction. She chewed slowly, once she finished the first piece, she picked up a second piece.

Xiang Kun, feeling slightly gratified, took a sip of the water at the table. The look on Xia Libing’s face confirmed that she was indeed delighted.

Unquestionably, through the adjustments he had made to the cooking time, condiments, and steps, Xiang Kun knew that this crispy pig trotter was more to Xia Libing’s taste than the previous ones.

While continuing to gather Xia Libing’s reactions to the food, Xiang Kun also nibbled on a few bites.

By continuously comparing and revising judgments on a diner’s taste, and then manifesting the adjustments through the cooking, watching the diners savoring the food increasingly and falling in love with it, he felt a great sense of fulfillment. He felt as if the diners were savoring the food on his behalf.

He believed that if he managed to profile a person’s taste and culinary inclinations 90% accurately, the person would likely never forget his cooking, and

If he reached a 95% accuracy level, he believed he could adjust someone’s diet through food. For example, he could make someone who hates coriander accept and even learn to like coriander, or have someone who dislikes spicy food start to enjoy it.

That said, the so-called accuracy rate was only a rough figure that his brain had calculated based on someone’s eating habits, culinary preferences, and various feedbacks when eating. The calculation wasn’t absolutely accurate, a 100% profiling doesn’t exist.

“Have you had a medical checkup recently?” Xia Libing suddenly asked after most of the meal was consumed..