“Done!”
With a sharp clack of the knife against the chopping board,
Li Ran used both knives to sweep the minced garlic into a delicate little dish—his movements clean and precise.
“Sssrrrip~! Sssrrrip~!”
Two crisp sounds echoed as Li Ran peeled off two sheets of plastic wrap from the soles of his shoes.
“Riiip~!”
A louder tearing sound followed as he crouched and yanked up a large sheet of plastic wrap from the floor.
Once the plastic film, scattered with minced garlic, was removed, the floor beneath was spotless—immaculately clean and gleaming.
“This is something I just learned from a phone video. When cooking, lay plastic wrap on the stove, sink, floor, and even your shoes. Cutting or stir-frying inevitably causes spills, and if you step on them without noticing, they turn into annoying grime that’s hard to clean.”
Li Ran spoke while facing away from Su Bingyao, yet it was as if he knew she was standing behind him.
After pulling away the wrap from the countertop, floor, and sink, everything looked orderly and hygienic.
Pots, pans, and kitchen appliances were all neatly arranged without the slightest hint of clutter, leaving the place fresh, tidy, and incredibly comfortable.
The massive ice serpent that was Su Bingyao stood stunned.
“He actually cares about my feelings?”
Was this still the ex-husband she knew?
She slowly reverted to human form.
Her eyes quivered as she stared in disbelief at the man busying himself in the kitchen.
For some reason, at that moment, the man’s back seemed… different.
It was as if a small stone had fallen into the icy lake of her heart, sending out tiny ripples.
Li Ran tossed the plastic wrap into the trash and glanced at the high-pressure stainless steel pot’s reflection, which now showed Su Bingyao back in human form. He breathed a huge sigh of relief.
If it hadn’t been for the system’s prompt in the pot’s reflection, he wouldn’t have known his monster-like ex-wife had appeared behind him.
He had nearly kicked the bucket!
The hardest part, honestly, was handling her OCD and extreme cleanliness.
That’s why he’d put extra effort into cleaning and organizing the kitchenware.
People like her, even a tiny flaw can morph into invisible claws that pierce straight into the heart—if not to wound, then to nag, to irritate, to drive one mad!
Though he seemed relaxed while cooking, inwardly, Li Ran was a nervous wreck.
Until a system prompt appeared on the pressure cooker:
[Crisis averted.]
Wiping his hands with a towel, Li Ran turned to face Su Bingyao.
“Actually, I know you like things clean, and that you’re a bit of an obses—”
Before he could finish the word “obsessive,” Li Ran froze mid-sentence.
Su Bingyao didn’t notice the sudden change in Li Ran’s expression. With her usual icy tone, she said, “So, you finally noticed I have OCD? But don’t think I’ll change how I see you just because you cooked a meal. Don’t forget, we have nothing to do with each other anymore.”
Seeing Li Ran standing there dumbly without responding, her brows furrowed. “Did you not hear what I just said?”
Li Ran wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth and dumbly muttered, "You smell very good, I will...slurp, okay?”
Su Bingyao’s brows twitched as she looked down coldly.
“Ahhh~!”
She let out a sharp scream.
A moment later, a white, naked figure bolted into the bedroom in a panic.
“Sluuurp~”
Li Ran wiped the corner of his mouth again, a roguish grin creeping onto his lips as he returned to the kitchen to finish cooking.
…
An hour later.
Knock knock… knock knock!
Li Ran knocked on the master bedroom door.
Su Bingyao opened it, her face calm as if nothing had happened.
Li Ran held up a nightgown for her. Her face turned bright red in an instant.
“I… I came to call you for dinner.”
“Got it.” She snatched the clothing, turned her head away, and quickly shut the door.
Aren’t they husband and wife? Why so shy?
It’s not like they hadn’t seen each other before. Why act all modest and shut him out like that—as if I'm was some peeping tom.
So boring.
Standing at the door, Li Ran scratched at the air, the lingering fragrance still clinging to his palm.
“Well then… Son, time to eat.”
He turned to knock on another door.
At the dining table:
Braised pork belly in secret sauce, steamed dragon grouper, radish pork rib soup, scrambled eggs with cucumber, and stir-fried water spinach with garlic.
Three meat, two veggie, one soup—five dishes in total.
Staring at the steaming food, both Su Bingyao and Li Ziyang were momentarily dazed.
How long had it been since the family sat down for a proper meal together?
When was the last time they had hot, home-cooked food?
Neither could remember.
The tender braised pork melted in the mouth like sweet syrup, warming not only the tongue, but the heart.
At that moment, tears welled up in Su Bingyao’s eyes.
Li Ran noticed the subtle shift in her expression. He knew that melting an ice mountain wasn’t something one meal could achieve. The cracks in her heart—whether they could be healed—was something he’d have to find out in the next seven days.
If he couldn’t repair this broken family, he would fail his mission.
And the punishment for failure… was death!
He had only seven days!
“Dad’s food is so good it made me cry,” the boy exclaimed happily.
“From now on, I’ll cook delicious meals for you every day, okay?”
“Yay! But… Why is there no Little Valve Baby?” Li Ziyang asked.
Li Ran nearly spit soup all over the table.
This little brat just had to bring that up—completely wrecking the warm, fuzzy moment.
But he couldn’t smack his own son.
A gentleman reasons, not fights.
Su Bingyao’s beautiful eyes narrowed in suspicion as she turned to Li Ran. “What is that, exactly?”
“Uh… it’s a gift from Mr. Zhang. It’s a… supplement that helps improve married life. I’ll make it for you… some other time, my lady.”
Grinning roguishly, Li Ran picked out the tenderest piece of fish belly and placed it in her bowl.
Su Bingyao slowly slipped it into her cherry lips, turning her face away as a blush crept up for reasons unknown.
After the meal,
Though Su Bingyao said nothing, her eyes clearly held a softer warmth.
[Prompt: A responsible husband would now supervise the child’s studies.]
The prompt appeared just as Li Ran was unsure of what to do next.
After washing the dishes, he said to Su Bingyao, who sat on the sofa near the floor-to-ceiling window, “I’m going to check on our son’s studies.”
She gave no reply.
Li Ran entered the boy’s room.
As soon as the door shut, his son hit him with a question that caught him completely off guard.
“Dad, did you and Mom get divorced?”
Li Ziyang sat expressionless in front of his drawing board.
Li Ran’s heart skipped a beat.
The kid knew?
Had this whole family just been putting on an act?
[Prompt: He has not found solid proof of your divorce. If you admit it now, your head will became a toast.]
Li Ran walked up and gently stroked the cracks on his son’s head. “How could your mom and I ever divorce when we love each other so much?”
“But you two haven’t slept together in a long time.”
The cracks on Li Ziyang’s head spread even wider.
Still wearing a smile, Li Ran kept patting his son’s head, suppressing his panic. “Silly boy, Dad was sick for a while. I didn’t want to infect your mom, so we slept apart.”
“Really?” Li Ziyang asked with suspicion. The cracks stopped spreading. “So… are you all better now?”
“Of course. I’ll even sleep with your mom tonight,” Li Ran blurted out.
The moment he said it, regret punched him in the gut. He wanted to slap himself.
In the current situation, would Su Bingyao really let him back into the bedroom?
Li Ran thought his son would finally believe him, but when he looked down, Ziyang’s cracks hadn’t healed at all. His eyes had gone pitch black, watching him closely.
Clearly, the boy wasn’t fully convinced. That little doubt still lingered.
As for the ever-cracking head—it still refused to mend.
Li Ran frowned, puzzled. He looked toward the drawing board.
His eyes narrowed. His face turned serious.
(End of Chapter)