Dai Chengfeng watched Liu Erlong's infuriated expression, her ears turning red with embarrassment, and chuckled softly.
Knowing when to stop, he refrained from teasing her further, lest he truly provoke her anger.
He straightened his body again, rubbing his ribs that weren't actually hurting much, and his tone returned to its previous calm:
"Alright, alright, no more jokes. The porridge should be ready; we can eat now."
Liu Erlong glared at him fiercely, her chest rising and falling slightly, clearly enraged but more so embarrassed by the situation's awkwardness.
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, silently ladling the porridge into two clean bowls.
The white rice porridge, dotted with shredded meat and vegetables, looked simple yet fragrant.
Dai Chengfeng voluntarily took the bowls of porridge and placed them on the small wooden table nearby.
The table was tiny; sitting opposite each other, their knees almost touched.
For a moment, the only sounds in the kitchen were the soft clinking of utensils and chewing.
The porridge was perfectly cooked, soft and glutinous, the dried meat and vegetables adding just the right amount of savory flavor. The warm food indeed dispelled much of the discomfort from her hangover and the earlier awkward atmosphere.
Liu Erlong kept her head down, focused on eating the porridge in her bowl, avoiding as much as possible the ever-smiling gaze from across the table.
However, Dai Chengfeng obviously wouldn't let the atmosphere remain so "calm" for long.
Halfway through the meal, he suddenly exclaimed, "Oh no!" and "accidentally" dropped his chopsticks on the floor, rolling right to Liu Erlong's feet.
"Teacher, could you pick them up for me?"
Dai Chengfeng looked at Liu Erlong innocently, as if this was genuinely an accident.
Liu Erlong paused her actions, glanced at him, saw the fleeting cunning in his eyes, and immediately felt alarm bells ringing in her head.
But she couldn't say anything; after all, picking up fallen chopsticks was normal.
She pursed her lips, set down her chopsticks, and bent down to pick them up.
Just as her fingertips were about to touch the chopsticks, a large, well-defined hand simultaneously reached out, seemingly to help pick them up but "coincidentally" covering her hand.
The warm sensation came again, different from the brief accidental touches before—this time it was a solid cover and envelopment.
Dai Chengfeng's palm was large, almost completely covering her hand, and his fingertips even lightly brushed against the back of her hand.
Liu Erlong felt as if she had been burned and quickly tried to pull her hand back.
But Dai Chengfeng applied slight pressure, squeezed lightly, then released, picked up the chopsticks naturally, stood up, and gave Liu Erlong an innocent yet radiant smile:
"Thank you, Teacher."
Liu Erlong straightened up, her cheeks slightly flushed, and a surge of nameless anger flared up in her chest.
This brat did it on purpose!
She glared fiercely at Dai Chengfeng, her eyes full of warning.
Strangely, though, she didn't explode immediately, merely picked up her chopsticks again and continued eating the porridge.
Her chewing movements were noticeably forceful, as if treating the porridge in the bowl like some unruly guy.
Dai Chengfeng observed Liu Erlong's reactions fully, seeing that although she was angry, she only glared and didn't lash out physically as before. He couldn't help but feel pleased.
This subtle concession, in his view, was undoubtedly a form of tacit approval and a softening of attitude.
His courage grew accordingly.
After a while, as Liu Erlong was concentrating on eating her porridge, she suddenly felt under the table, a foot lightly and tentatively touching her calf.
Liu Erlong stiffened, her action of picking up food halting mid-air.
She looked incredulously at Dai Chengfeng across the table, but he appeared to be seriously drinking his porridge, as if the mischievous foot under the table wasn't his at all.
She forcefully pulled her leg back, trying to avoid it.
However, that foot stuck to her like glue, immediately coming back and even audaciously rubbing against her calf with the top of his foot.
An electric, unusual sensation instantly coursed through her entire body along her calf. Liu Erlong finally couldn't bear it any longer.
This wretched brat, really giving him an inch and he takes a mile!
She abruptly put down her chopsticks and under the table, lifted her foot and kicked toward that restless foot.
She didn't hold back this time, thinking she must teach this brat a lesson.
However, Dai Chengfeng seemed to have anticipated it.
At the instant she kicked over, he nimbly twisted his ankle, not only easily dodging the kick but also using his ankle to hook and accurately clamp onto Liu Erlong's ankle that hadn't been withdrawn in time!
"!"
Liu Erlong was startled, trying to break free but found Dai Chengfeng's ankle clamped onto her like a vise.
"Dai Chengfeng!"
Liu Erlong lowered her voice, glaring at him with eyes almost spitting fire.
This was utterly preposterous! In broad daylight, under the dining table... what kind of behavior was this!
Dai Chengfeng finally raised his head from the porridge bowl, looking at Liu Erlong, still wearing that innocent yet somewhat teasing smile.
The foot under the table showed no sign of releasing, instead lightly scratching the delicate inner side of her ankle with his toes.
That light scratch brought an indescribable itchiness and provocation, making Liu Erlong shudder all over, her blood rushing to her head.
Shame, anger, and a flustered feeling that she was unwilling to admit intertwined, making her lose all composure completely.
"Let go of me!"
She growled low, disregarding her image, wildly kicking with her other foot towards Dai Chengfeng under the table.
The small wooden table shook, and some porridge splashed out of the bowls.
Seeing that she was truly furious, Dai Chengfeng knew playing further might cause real trouble. He chuckled softly and released his grip.
Liu Erlong immediately pulled her foot back, her chest heaving with rage, pointing to the door and glaring furiously at Dai Chengfeng:
"You! Now! Immediately! Get out of here!"
Dai Chengfeng looked at Liu Erlong's flushed cheeks and unusually bright eyes due to anger, not afraid at all, but rather finding this vivid and lively teacher much cuter than her usual cold and irritable demeanor.
He leisurely put down his chopsticks, picked up a cloth to wipe his mouth, then calmly looked at Liu Erlong.
"Teacher, we haven't finished the porridge yet."
His tone was relaxed, as if the one who had been misbehaving under the table just moments ago wasn't him.
"We're done! You can leave!"
Liu Erlong's tone was decisive, leaving no room for negotiation.
Dai Chengfeng sighed, putting on a regretful expression: "Alright, since the teacher has issued a dismissal order, this disciple must obey."
He stood up but didn't leave immediately. Instead, he walked around the small table to stand in front of Liu Erlong.
Liu Erlong watched him warily, unconsciously leaning back:
"What else do you want?"
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