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"That girl... I bet she’s pretty happy," Ye Ling said with a soft chuckle, having overheard Ning Ruoxi’s muttering. He suddenly remembered that he’d promised to help her write some code earlier that day.

"Hehe, yeah. After all, we fed her so much ’dog food’ before. I wonder if she’s gotten used to living without it?" Ning Ruoxi said, rubbing her nose.

"Then let’s just send her some more."

With that, Ye Ling pulled out his phone and opened the camera.

CLICK!

He snapped a picture of the spread on the table and sent it straight to Luo Yue.

"You’re so mean!"

Ning Ruoxi burst out laughing at the sight.

Of course, she didn’t feel the least bit sorry for Luo Yue. In fact, she’d had the exact same idea just a moment ago, but Ye Ling had beaten her to the punch.

DING!

A moment later, a message came back from Luo Yue.

[Luo Yue: Master, you’re the worst!!! cleaver.jpg]

[Luo Yue: Hmph! If you don’t help me solve this Trojan problem, I’m coming back, and I’ll cuddle with Ruoruo in bed every night!]

Ye Ling’s eyes narrowed as he read the girl’s message.

’This kid... is she threatening me?’

"What’s wrong?"

Ning Ruoxi asked, looking over curiously when she saw the complex expression that suddenly appeared on Ye Ling’s face.

"It’s nothing. Come on, let’s take a picture together and give that girl a taste of how harsh the world can be."

Saying this, Ye Ling opened his camera again and pulled Ning Ruoxi close.

CLICK!

Another crisp sound rang out, as if heralding the shattering of Luo Yue’s poor little heart.

After sending the photo to Luo Yue, Ye Ling switched his phone directly to airplane mode. He didn’t care what the girl’s reaction might be and simply began to blissfully enjoy the dinner his girlfriend had prepared.

「Meanwhile.」

Luo Yue was munching on fried chicken when she suddenly saw the picture Ye Ling sent. She was so enraged she nearly choked.

"GLUG GLUG GLUG..."

Coughing, Luo Yue grabbed the can of "otaku happy water" beside her and took several huge gulps before she finally felt a bit better.

"That wretched Master of mine is just too evil!"

Once she’d recovered, Luo Yue clenched her fists, her beautiful eyes filled with indignant fury.

’What kind of Master acts like this?’

’Shoving their PDA in my face at the drop of a hat?’

’Don’t apprentices’ lives matter too?’

If Ye Ling had been there, he definitely would have answered her: "It’s a shame, but I have to tell you... you’re absolutely right."

...

"You stinker, stop bullying our Yueyue all the time," Ning Ruoxi said with a helpless, wry smile as she watched Ye Ling enjoying his meal.

"Hey, she’s the one who said she was going to steal you for herself," Ye Ling retorted with a snort.

Our dear Lord Ye certainly knows how to hold a grudge!

"Alright, stop talking nonsense."

At his words, Ning Ruoxi’s pretty face flushed red, and she shot him an irritated look.

’This guy. How can he be just as childish as Luo Yue?’

Ning Ruoxi peeled a shrimp, removed the vein, and held it to Ye Ling’s mouth. "Go on, eat."

"Mmm, just as I thought. Shrimp peeled by my wonderful girlfriend tastes the best."

Ye Ling chewed, savoring the moment.

’I should have tried harder to make Luo Yue stay,’ he thought. ’After all... being short one official "dog food" connoisseur is such a waste of all this quality material!’

"You’re on cleanup duty tonight, okay? I’m going to take a shower now," Ning Ruoxi said, winking at Ye Ling after she’d eaten her fill.

"We could always shower together, you know," Ye Ling said instinctively.

Upon hearing that, Ning Ruoxi’s brows furrowed, and her slender hand shot out to give his waist a vicious pinch.

Ye Ling sucked in a sharp breath. He didn’t dare run his mouth anymore and just looked at Ning Ruoxi with a wronged expression.

"That’ll teach you to run your mouth," Ning Ruoxi huffed, then skipped off to the bathroom to shower.

Girls tend to take a while in the shower. Ye Ling had already washed the dishes and watched two episodes of *Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf* by the time Ning Ruoxi finally emerged, her hair wrapped in a towel.

Having just stepped out of the shower, Ning Ruoxi’s pretty face was a little pink and flushed, making her look exceptionally cute. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Ye Ling leaned in and planted a loud kiss on the girl’s cheek.

"Stop messing around, I still need to dry my hair."

Ning Ruoxi pushed Ye Ling away in mock annoyance.

The reason girls’ showers are so involved is mainly because of washing and drying their hair. Washing it takes ten-odd minutes, and blow-drying takes another ten-odd minutes.

This is partly why many contemporary women opt for medium-length hair.

Waist-length hair, while undeniably feminine, is simply too much of a hassle.

"Let me dry it for you."

Ye Ling said, taking the hair dryer from Ning Ruoxi’s hand.

"You’ll dry it for me?"

Hearing this, Ning Ruoxi couldn’t help but tilt her head up and blink.

"What’s wrong? Is it so strange for a boyfriend to dry his girlfriend’s hair? It’s perfectly natural. Now sit down obediently."

Saying this, he pulled over a stool, gently pushed the girl down onto it, and then picked up the hair dryer, which began to WHIR.

"Ouch, it’s hot! Are you trying to make me bald?"

A moment later, Ning Ruoxi was shaking her head and shooting Ye Ling a reproachful glance.

’What a blockhead. He’s just holding the hair dryer in one spot. Is he trying to burn all the hair off my head?’

"I don’t really use hair dryers, and this is the first time I’ve ever dried a girl’s hair, you know," Ye Ling said, sounding a little wronged himself.

At his words, however, Ning Ruoxi suddenly felt a small thrill of joy in her heart. ’So I’m the first person to get this kind of service from him!’

"Hold it a little farther away, and keep the hand with the dryer moving. Use your other hand to run through my hair," Ning Ruoxi instructed patiently, her mood now much improved.

"Oh... like this."

Ye Ling nodded, getting the hang of it. He began to run his fingers through Ning Ruoxi’s hair with one hand while aiming the hair dryer with the other.

Ning Ruoxi’s hair was lovely to the touch, especially right after being washed; it felt like stroking the finest silk.

The warm air from the dryer carried the fragrance of her shampoo, which mingled with her own natural scent and filled the space around them.

For some reason, Ning Ruoxi had a wonderful scent about her. It wasn’t her body wash, but something her body produced naturally, something Ye Ling could smell clearly every time he held her.

The scent was faint, almost ethereal, but it utterly captivated Ye Ling.

Ye Ling seemed to remember reading an article once that discussed this very kind of scent. Apparently, it was related to hormones, and typically, only people who were truly in love could smell it.

’And the fact that I can smell it must mean that Ning Ruoxi and I are truly in love, right?’

At this thought, the corners of Ye Ling’s mouth curled up slightly. He felt utterly blissful.

Without realizing it, the motion of his hands slowed down.