Chapter 201: This Dish Is Called “Love at First Kiss”

An Nan: “These dishes… they’re not what I ordered yesterday, are they?”

Gu Zhiyu: “Mm. I suddenly felt like changing a few things.”

An Nan pouted. Men and their mouths—nothing but lies. Yesterday he told her to order whatever she wanted, and today he changed his mind just like that.

Then why bother letting her order in the first place?

Still, she glanced at the food on the table. The presentation was as good as ever.

Anyway, no matter what he cooked, it always tasted great. Seeing Gu Zhiyu take his seat, An Nan immediately got ready to dig in.

“Wait a second.”

Gu Zhiyu stopped her. “I haven’t introduced the dishes yet.”

An Nan was a bit confused. “Introduce the dishes?”

Did this guy really think he was some fancy restaurant chef? Cooking was one thing, but now he was giving dish introductions? He hadn’t offered this service before…

Before she could finish her thought, Gu Zhiyu started introducing the dishes on his own.

“This one is called ‘Love at First Kiss.’”

An Nan was in the middle of taking a sip of water and nearly spat it all out.

“Isn’t this just spicy braised duck tongues?!”

What kind of cheesy nonsense was this man spouting??

Ignoring her, Gu Zhiyu pointed to the next dish. “This one is ‘Hand in Hand.’”

An Nan looked closer—tiger skin chicken feet.

“This one is ‘Flying Together.’”

Garlic chicken wings.

“And this one, ‘Together Through Thick and Thin.’”

…Steamed bass.

An Nan was dumbfounded.

Dude, are you trying to propose over dinner??

Her face darkened. “All four dishes are meat—way too greasy. I don’t want to eat!”

With that, she tried to make her escape.

But Gu Zhiyu grabbed her. “Don’t rush off, there’s still soup.”

He went to the kitchen and brought out a bowl of snow fungus and red date soup.

An Nan breathed a sigh of relief. At least this one didn’t seem to have any hidden meaning.

She picked up a spoon, just about to take a sip, when Gu Zhiyu said, “This one’s called ‘Sweet Affection.’”

An Nan’s hand shook, finally unable to hold it in any longer. “Can you keep your corny lines to yourself?!”

You’re the CEO of the Gu Corporation! Where’s your dignity? Where’s your class?

Gu Zhiyu just smiled, picked up his chopsticks as if nothing had happened, and said, “No more talking. Let’s eat.”

An Nan: …

Why was there nothing she could do about him?

She wanted to put down her chopsticks and head back to her room, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to leave all this delicious food behind.

Say what you will, Gu Zhiyu’s chicken wings were unbeatable.

Those store-bought ready-made dishes in her space couldn’t compare to what he made.

After hesitating for a moment, An Nan picked up her chopsticks and started eating.

She wasn’t a mindless foodie, but her stomach had already been won over by this man.

Gu Zhiyu’s eyes sparkled with amusement as he ate gracefully, not saying another word, letting her enjoy a good meal in peace.

After dinner, An Nan hurried to shoo him away. “Go rest, I’ll do the dishes.”

Gu Zhiyu: “I’ll help you.”

An Nan: “No, no, I’ll do it myself!”

She just wanted a bit of quiet time alone!

Gu Zhiyu glanced at her, didn’t insist, and obediently went back to his room.

An Nan let out a sigh of relief and quickly got to work. As soon as she finished the dishes, she practically fled to the 15th floor.

She didn’t even dare go to Chu Peipei’s place.

That woman would definitely bombard her with gossipy questions.

So she grabbed a few bags of snacks and headed to Zhao Ping’an’s apartment instead.

When Zhao Ping’an heard the knock and opened the door, he was surprised. “Idol? How come you have time to visit today?”

He glanced behind her. “Where’s President Gu?”

An Nan: …

There really was no escaping him.

She didn’t answer, just said, “I found some snacks while tidying up, so I came to share them with Aunt Hu.”

She poked her head inside and called out, “Aunt Hu, I’m here!”

Hu Cuilan came out, beaming. “Nan Nan, you’re here? Come on in!”

An Nan changed into slippers and entered.

The mother and son were getting ready to make dumplings, with the filling and dough already prepared on the table.

An Nan asked, “You haven’t eaten yet?”

Aunt Hu shook her head. “We just finished. I just harvested some chives, so I thought I’d make some chive and egg dumplings for dinner.”

They were down to two meals a day now—one in the morning, one in the afternoon.

An Nan nodded. “Let me help you.”

Aunt Hu didn’t refuse, letting her wash her hands and join them. The three of them chatted as they made dumplings.

Aunt Hu asked, “That President Gu is still staying at your place, right?”

An Nan’s hands paused. Why was everyone so interested in Gu Zhiyu these days?

She nodded. “It’s been raining acid outside, and he has nowhere else to go.”

Aunt Hu smiled. “It’s rare to see you being so kindhearted.”

An Nan understood the implication, her ears turning a little red, not knowing what to say.

She was known for being tough and unyielding, never one to save others easily. But when it came to Gu Zhiyu, she always acted differently.

Zhao Ping’an, hearing his mom mention Gu Zhiyu, chimed in, “Idol, he’s flown here in a helicopter so many times. Does he like you?”

An Nan didn’t answer.

Gu Zhiyu’s feelings for her were no secret in the whole community.

Aunt Hu looked at her and laughed. “You came up here to hide because you don’t know how to deal with his feelings, right?”

An Nan looked at her in surprise, wanting to deny it, but felt there was no point.

So she asked, “Aunt Hu, how do you know everything?”

Aunt Hu smiled knowingly.

She knew both girls downstairs well.

Chu Peipei was outgoing and couldn’t stand being alone, always coming over to chat.

An Nan was the opposite—quiet, not fond of socializing, preferring to stay home. For her to rush upstairs like this, it was obvious she was hiding from “romantic trouble.”

She replied with a smile, “When you get to my age, what don’t you know?”

Then she comforted An Nan, “You’re just overthinking things! Just follow your heart in everything.”

An Nan mulled it over. “Follow my heart?”

Aunt Hu spelled it out, “If you didn’t like him, would you have let him stay at your place?”

An Nan protested, “That’s because I feel like I owe him.”

Back at the mountain and the base, Gu Zhiyu had always taken care of her. They worked together, but she got all the benefits.

During the epidemic, Gu Zhiyu kept thinking of her, risking danger to fly over and check on her again and again.

Things were never quite equal between them.

With Chu Peipei and Zhao Ping’an, it was always give and take, no one owed anyone. But with Gu Zhiyu, it always felt like he gave more, and she felt a bit guilty about it.

Aunt Hu said, “Silly child, love is always feeling like you owe the other person.”

Love?

An Nan’s hands stilled. She didn’t dare apply that word to herself.

In the apocalypse, “love” meant “danger,” “weakness,” “vulnerability”—all sorts of terrifying things."