Chapter 195: Taking Over the Kitchen

Someone explained things to them: “No wonder you guys don’t know about the Demoness. Everyone in our neighborhood knows her. Let me tell you, she…”

Outside, the night was deep and the sound of urgent rain made the story even more terrifying.

Every now and then, other neighbors from Maple Grove would chime in, adding more details to the tale.

The people from Qian’ao Community listened with their mouths agape.

There were often fights over supplies in their own neighborhood too, but they’d never heard of anyone who could single-handedly overpower an entire community.

Chainsaw killers, stabbing people forty-nine times, forcing people to eat shit, even rumors of her eating human flesh raw or flaying people alive—the stories grew more and more exaggerated, to the point that they became less and less believable.

Other than the little girl’s mother, who was so frightened she clutched her child tightly, the rest of the Qian’ao residents just took it as a scary story and didn’t take the wild claims to heart.

Still, when they headed upstairs, the shocking bloodstains on the walls gave them quite a scare.

Everyone tacitly decided to settle on the lower floors; no one dared go higher.

1402.

Steaming hot pork dumplings were finally served on the table.

Each of them got their own plate, dipping the dumplings into a mix of vinegar, minced garlic, and chili oil. With one bite, the rich aroma of meat exploded in their mouths.

An Nan ate with relish, savoring every bite, and washed it down with a bowl of dumpling soup.

Gu Zhiyu sat across from her, watching her with gentle eyes.

This girl always seemed completely absorbed in her food, never putting on airs, which made him, the chef, feel a great sense of accomplishment.

He’d seen plenty of women at dinner parties before. Most of them were overly concerned about their image, picking at their food like birds, taking two or three bites before elegantly putting down their chopsticks and dabbing at their lips.

Beautiful, yes, but it always killed his appetite.

Rarely had he met someone like An Nan—composed and dignified, yet making the food look irresistibly delicious.

An Nan polished off two dumplings in a row and was about to praise the chef, only to find that he hadn’t eaten yet. He was just holding a dumpling, staring at her.

An Nan frowned. “Why are you looking at me? Dumplings are best when they’re hot.”

She had a natural reverence for food. “Focus on eating!”

Gu Zhiyu chuckled and finally put the dumpling in his mouth.

After a few bites, he suddenly felt something was off. Looking down, he saw a dog and a rabbit staring intently at him.

The dog was already drooling.

Gu Zhiyu couldn’t help but laugh and gently reminded An Nan, “Fugui looks absolutely famished. Should we let them eat with us?”

An Nan swallowed her dumpling and said, “No way. They eat too fast. The food has to cool down first, or it’ll burn their throats.”

Gu Zhiyu replied with an “oh,” then, under the intense gaze of the two little ones, forced himself to keep eating.

He’d never in his life been watched so expectantly while eating—by animals, no less.

An Nan was used to their fiery stares, but knowing Gu Zhiyu must feel awkward, she gave each of them a little kick.

“Shoo, shoo! Where are your manners? Haven’t I taught you not to stare when others are eating?”

The two little ones slunk away, aggrieved, but then stood in the corner of the living room, still staring at them without blinking.

An Nan said, “Turn your heads!”

Fugui obediently turned his head away—then snuck glances at them out of the corner of his eye.

Gu Zhiyu nearly burst out laughing.

He put down his chopsticks, took the dumplings meant for the two little ones, and found a fan to help cool them down quickly.

An Nan was a bit surprised. “Let me do it…”

Then she laughed. “You look just like a kindly old mother right now.”

Gu Zhiyu smiled. “You keep eating. I don’t like my dumplings too hot anyway, so I’ll help them cool theirs first.”

Seeing this, An Nan didn’t stand on ceremony and kept eating. She couldn’t help but think how opposite their personalities were.

She was like an impatient, rough-around-the-edges man, while he was gentle and attentive, almost like a woman.

Soon, the dumplings had cooled, and Gu Zhiyu brought them over to the two little ones before returning to the table.

He was about to continue eating when the sound of “huff, huff, huff” reached his ears.

Did someone’s pig get in here??

Gu Zhiyu turned to look—oh, it was just Fugui digging in.

Fugui stuck his butt in the air, head bobbing as he ate. Every time he picked up a dumpling, he’d lift his head and chew with all his might, mouth opening and closing wide.

He was eating with such gusto.

Next to him, the rabbit wasn’t as forceful, but chewed so quickly that it could finish a dumpling in the blink of an eye.

When An Nan said she’d prepare a portion for the rabbit too, Gu Zhiyu had been surprised. He thought rabbits were herbivores, but this one clearly loved meat.

The most elegant eater in the house was actually the big rooster, pecking at its grains one by one.

Gu Zhiyu took another bite of dumpling, looked at An Nan, who was focused on her food, and said,

“Eating with you all makes the same food taste even better.”

It seemed that mealtimes really were contagious.

An Nan, still munching on her dumplings, glanced at her three little animals. “Sorry about that, hope they didn’t embarrass us.”

Gu Zhiyu shook his head. “I think this atmosphere is great.”

Not like his empty villa, so quiet he could hear himself chewing.

Since the apocalypse, he’d felt more and more depressed. If it weren’t for Long Cong’an visiting often, he might have forgotten how to talk.

Seeing how elegantly he ate, An Nan slowed down too.

“I think it’s nice as well. After the disaster hit, it was thanks to my dog that life wasn’t so boring. Now with Laifu and the rabbit, the house feels even livelier.”

Gu Zhiyu added, “And now you have me too. Isn’t it even livelier?”

An Nan looked at him thoughtfully but didn’t reply.

Gu Zhiyu didn’t mind and continued eating.

After a while, he asked, “What do you want to eat tomorrow?”

An Nan raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to cook again?”

Gu Zhiyu answered calmly, “Of course. Since you like my cooking, I’ll take charge of the kitchen for as long as I’m here.”

An Nan’s eyes lit up. “You’re really too good to me!”

The big CEO spent eighty million to move in, and now he was willing to stay in the kitchen cooking.

She was getting such a great deal. All she’d done was offer a place to stay, and she’d gained a five-star chef—not to mention the jade that could upgrade her space.

She could laugh herself awake from this dream.

An Nan happily stuffed another dumpling in her mouth.

She didn’t notice that across the table, Gu Zhiyu was also smiling with a deeper meaning in his eyes."