Chapter Forty-Six: Irresistible Temptation

Perhaps it was because he was certain Tu Junfang wouldn't be foolish enough to run away under such circumstances, but Ye Yan slept soundly and didn't wake until evening.

Yawning and rubbing his tousled hair, Ye Yan climbed out of bed and shuffled into the living room, where he found Chen Duo sitting upright on the sofa, engrossed in a book.

Not far off, in the hallway, stood a dejected Tu Junfang and Ma Lao Wu, who was cradling the Soul-Calming Gong.

Neither of them said a word.

The atmosphere felt a bit tense.

"Teacher, you're awake?"

Hearing footsteps, Chen Duo lifted her head from her book and greeted Ye Yan sweetly.

His throat a little dry, Ye Yan replied with a brief "mm" and headed straight for the kitchen. He opened the fridge, grabbed an unopened bottle of mineral water, and gulped it down. Only after draining the bottle and letting out a hearty burp did he feel refreshed and more alert.

Then, he caught an odd smell wafting through the air... It was hard to describe, like a buffet spread in a public restroom or perhaps rotten river snail noodles.

It was a medley of stench, nausea, and a dizzying punch to the senses—an improvised biochemical weapon, so to speak.

Even the most seasoned connoisseur of unpleasant smells would kneel before it.

Ye Yan instinctively pinched his nose, frowning as he searched the kitchen for the source.

Soon enough, he spotted two large porcelain bowls on the stove. Inside was a lumpy, viscous, unrecognizable concoction—the very wellspring of the vile odor.

"Did any of you cook something?"

Ye Yan called out from the kitchen, and Chen Duo's voice replied from the living room,

"Teacher, it was me."

"Oh!"

Ye Yan's eyelid twitched.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing... just curious," Ye Yan said, all the while picking up the two large bowls to dispose of the evidence.

Still pinching his nose, he dumped the contents into the trash and sprayed the entire kitchen with air freshener before finally calling it quits.

Leaving the kitchen, Ye Yan looked at Chen Duo on the sofa and asked, puzzled, "Duo, what made you decide to cook today? Were you hungry?"

Ye Yan guessed Chen Duo must have been hungry to be inspired to cook on her own.

But Chen Duo shook her head and pointed at the downcast Tu Junfang. "I'm fine, but he was hungry and kept complaining..."

Chen Duo explained the situation, and Tu Junfang, hearing this, turned a sickly shade of green.

His mournful eyes seemed to plead, If I have committed a crime, let the law judge me, not the horrors of such dark cuisine.

Ye Yan couldn't help but laugh at the pair.

He more or less understood what had happened.

Tu Junfang, unable to cook for himself, had asked Chen Duo to make something simple to fill his stomach.

What he hadn't expected was that Chen Duo had no cooking skills whatsoever and produced a dish so dreadful it could shock Tu Junfang for a century.

The most absurd part was that Tu Junfang actually tried a bite. Afterward, he nearly threw up his gallbladder and was one step away from being admitted to the ICU for congee.

A true survivor.

Ye Yan silently labeled Tu as a tough guy—even daring to eat such culinary abominations.

"Teacher... am I amazing?"

The innocent Chen Duo didn't notice Tu Junfang's feeble, almost murderous glare. Instead, she tilted her head up, seeking praise.

Recalling those two bowls of culinary calamity, Ye Yan forced an awkward smile and silently thought, "You're impressive, but let's not be impressive next time."

Of course, he couldn't say that out loud. Instead, Ye Yan nodded with a strained smile and offered insincere praise,

"Not bad, just a tiny bit below your teacher. But taking the initiative to cook is always something to be encouraged. Keep it up."

What harm could come from little Chen Duo? She only wanted to make a meal for the starving Tu.

So encouragement was in order.

Hearing Ye Yan's words, Chen Duo's face lit up with an irrepressible smile, clearly delighted.

Tu Junfang, on the other hand, was dumbfounded by their conversation. He hadn't imagined people could be so shameless—lying with their eyes wide open, not even bothering to plan an excuse.

Tu Junfang was stunned, casting Ye Yan a complicated look, as if to say, "Indulge her as you wish."

Sensing this, Ye Yan discreetly returned a genial smile, the meaning plain: "Best not to meddle."

Tu Junfang: "..."

In the end, Tu Junfang could only move his lips in a long sigh.

"So, what about dinner?"

More than the encouragement, Tu Junfang cared about what they'd eat tonight.

They couldn’t go hungry, after all.

He couldn’t cook, Chen Duo was hopeless, and considering that a teacher and student are often cut from the same cloth, Ye Yan was probably no better.

Naturally, he didn’t even consider him as a candidate.

Moreover, Chen Duo had already contacted Huang Boran, but he had said things outside were complicated, and given Tu Junfang’s special status, it was best not to let too many people know...

The old man rambled on, but the gist was: for now, try to overcome any difficulties by yourselves.

This gave Tu Junfang the feeling he’d boarded a pirate ship—the promise was room and board, but now not even one meal was covered. A black-hearted company, indeed.

After much thought, Tu Junfang could only come up with one reasonable, hunger-solving solution: "Why don't we order takeout?"

When it came to eating, Tu Junfang had a peculiar kind of dedication. In his life, only three things mattered: eating, freedom, and observing the three corpses.

Now freedom was gone, neither of these two could summon the three corpses, and if he couldn’t even eat, Tu Junfang really couldn’t see the point of living.

"No."

To Tu Junfang’s suggestion, Ye Yan flatly refused. Though he wasn’t sure what the situation outside was, it was likely chaotic.

And at such a critical moment, there was no reason to trouble Huang Boran over something so trivial.

"It’s fine, I’ll cook. I saw some ingredients in the fridge earlier—not the freshest, but they’ll last us a few days."

"You’ll cook? Are you sure?"

Tu Junfang stared at Ye Yan in disbelief, never expecting him to volunteer for the task.

Remembering the one bite of black cuisine earlier that nearly sent his inner demons running for their lives, Tu Junfang shuddered and quickly declared,

"Let me be clear, I, Tu Junfang, would rather starve or jump out the window tonight than eat another bite of that monstrosity. Absolutely not."

"Relax."

Ye Yan replied with full confidence.

...

...

Fifteen minutes later.

Tu Junfang sat at the table, clutching a giant bowl, and wolfed down fried rice.

"My god, this is delicious."