Chapter 340: Chapter 340 She Regretted It Chapter 340: Chapter 340 She Regretted It “My cooking skills might not compare to yours, but… they should at least be edible.”

Huo Tingxiao truly lacked confidence at this moment, as Mu Lan’s culinary level rivaled that of a star-rated chef.

Mu Lan particularly liked his loyal dog-like demeanor; who would have thought that he used to be so obtuse that he lacked this instinct entirely.

“Whatever you cook, I like it.”

She picked up her chopsticks and grabbed some noodles to take a bite. The noodles were cooked to perfection, firm and smooth, and the soup base was also good. Compared to his previous disastrous cooking, today’s seafood noodles were certainly beyond expectations.

“Delicious.”

A smile spread across Huo Tingxiao’s face.

“A great teacher produces an outstanding student.”

Mu Lan looked at him.

“Who is the great teacher?”

Huo Tingxiao said matter-of-factly,
“Of course, it’s you. Who else could it be?”

Mu Lan knew he was buttering her up, but inside, she was still pleased.

“Hmm, you’re right, I am indeed a great teacher. It wasn’t easy to train you, a killer in the kitchen, into what you are now.”

Huo Tingxiao reached out and gently pinched her earlobe; the soft and delicate texture made him somewhat reluctant to let go.

“So, in the future, the great teacher should continue to instruct me well. Reciprocating like returning a peach for a plum, I should properly thank the great teacher.”

How exactly he intended to thank her, they both understood very well.

Mu Lan didn’t pick up on the conversation. Instead, she simply hoisted some noodles with her chopsticks to Huo Tingxiao’s mouth.

“I can’t eat anymore. You have some too, to stop your mouth.”

Huo Tingxiao, with his mouth full of noodles, had to relish in acceptance. This was a clear case of ‘what is this thing called love’, just a simple case of one thing subdues another.

He especially liked the feeling of being with Mu Lan like this. Every single minute and second felt like a blissful dream.

A bowl of seafood noodles shared between them, somehow creating an atmosphere of lovey-dovey affection.

After eating, Mu Lan felt a bit sleepy, but it was only a little past nine o’clock. So, she found an old movie to watch–The Equation of Love and Death.

This was their first time watching a movie together, just like ordinary lovers or a married couple. Mu Lan lay on Huo Tingxiao’s lap, their hands intertwined, fingers laced together.

Halfway through, Huo Tingxiao felt something wet on his legs. Glancing down at Mu Lan, he realized she was puckering her lips and shedding tears.

“Why are you crying?”

“I just think Li Mi is so pitiful. Disappeared for four years without any news, she can’t bear to believe her love just vanished.

She is too foolish, why keep on waiting? Why bother?”

Mu Lan’s voice was somewhat choked up. Huo Tingxiao ordinarily disliked such mushy movies, but Zhou Xun’s acting was affecting. In the film, she was Li Mi herself.

“People often have obsessions; when they can’t let go of someone, they want to find a conclusion.”

Huo Tingxiao tenderly wiped away her tears, and Mu Lan pouted her lips.

“Isn’t that just too sad, knowing that you should cut ties, but in the end, you still can’t let go? Why? Although I know Fang Wen didn’t mean to do it, their love was so helpless and heartbreaking, but I just feel Li Mi must have been so desperate when she felt abandoned.”

Mu Lan spoke quietly, and Huo Tingxiao knew she was somewhat putting herself in the character’s shoes.

“Mu Lan, we will always be together in the future, I won’t be presumptuous like Fang Wen. Never.”

Mu Lan abruptly looked up at him, then silently, she reached out to wrap her arms around his neck and initiated a kiss.

The light from the projector shone on them both, casting a captivating halo, followed by the intertwining of two shadows…
—–
Unintentionally, Mu Lan had learned about the relationship between Yun Meixian and Huo Tingxiao and had made some preparations. Yesterday, when they were being intimate, she seized the moment during the height of their passion to pluck a hair from his head.

It’s just Yun Meixian now.

But what reason could she possibly need to lure Yun Meixian out?

As the saying goes, “No need to break a sweat when fate comes knocking,” Mu Lan saw Yun Meixian sitting in the dessert shop enjoying a treat just as she was preparing to leave after meeting with a client.

“What a coincidence to bump into you here,” she said.

Yun Meixian looked up at Mu Lan as she pulled out a chair and sat down opposite her, momentarily at a loss for words.

Knowing now that she was Huo Tingxiao’s wife, the past interactions between them couldn’t help but make one marvel at the whimsy of fate.

Perhaps some things are truly predestined in the grand scheme of things.

“Yes, it is quite a coincidence. You were at the banquet that day, weren’t you? I left without saying hello,” she said.

It was a surprise to Mu Lan that Yun Meixian would bring up this event on her own.

“I also saw you from a distance that day, you were wearing an ink-wash cheongsam, you looked really beautiful.”

“Thank you… Mu Lan, I’ve never asked you before about your husband, you…”

Mu Lan understood then, Yun Meixian was trying to pry into Huo Tingxiao.

“My husband is TX’s CEO Huo Tingxiao, he also attended the banquet, you must have seen him, right?”

Yun Meixian pursed her lips.

“I saw him, he really is quite the gentleman. You’re very lucky,” she said.

Mu Lan couldn’t help feeling a bit indignant, watching Yun Meixian act calmly. Was she not going to acknowledge Tingxiao? Was she planning to keep pretending she didn’t know anything?

“Lucky? Not really, being with him is quite exhausting.”

Intentionally making disparaging remarks, Mu Lan aimed to gauge Yun Meixian’s attitude.

As expected, upon hearing Mu Lan say this, Yun Meixian became somewhat agitated.

“Is it that he’s not good enough in some areas that worried you?”

Mu Lan looked troubled.

“Well, it’s a long story… you probably don’t want to hear me complain, I think I better…”

“If you feel like talking about it… just consider it venting your troubles.”

Yun Meixian really wanted to listen, to know if Huo Tingxiao was doing well now.

“He has always been inept at socializing. Maybe it has to do with his family background.”

Mu Lan sighed, carefully watching Yun Meixian’s reaction.

“Did the Huo Family affect him… a lot?”

Mu Lan continued,
“Of course, I’m sure you’ve heard about the complexities of the Huo Family. He was never on good terms with his parents from a young age and was raised by his grandfather. He never received much affection, which made him quite morose.”

The more Yun Meixian heard, the heavier her heart became.

Her son had grown up like this, with such poor relationships with his parents.

Huo Qidong, he had not kept his promises at all; he hadn’t taken good care of Tingxiao!

“Mu Lan, do you love him? Would you be willing to give him a chance to change?”

Mu Lan looked at Yun Meixian.

“Auntie Yun, do you think I should give him a chance? A cold heart won’t thaw in a day; can I be the one to change him?

I have no confidence at all. Actually, I really don’t understand why his family relationship can be so twisted.”

Yun Meixian’s complexion was terrible, and she almost couldn’t control her emotions from collapsing in front of Mu Lan.

It was too painful! Hearing that her son had become like this was just too much to bear, like a knife was twisting in her heart.

“Mu Lan, actually I…”