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"No, we’ve already had hot pot several times recently."

Ning Ruoxi shook her head, then pointed to a place nearby. "How about we get a bowl of lamb noodle soup?"

"That works. I’m fine with whatever."

Ye Ling nodded and took Ning Ruoxi by the hand, leading her toward the lamb noodle soup restaurant.

He really didn’t have a preference when it came to food. The most important thing was who he was eating with. If he was with Ning Ruoxi, he could eat a plain steamed bun and still find it delicious.

The lamb noodle restaurant was run by someone from Xinjiang, and the moment they walked inside, they were greeted by the strong, gamey aroma of mutton.

"If it isn’t Ruoxi! Haven’t seen you in a while. Is this your boyfriend?"

Seeing he had customers, the owner walked out from the back and said with a grin.

"Yeah, it’s been a while. Two bowls of lamb noodle soup, please. One with extra noodles, and one with a little less."

Ning Ruoxi seemed very familiar with the place. She gave the owner a small smile, then pulled Ye Ling to a table to sit down.

"You got it! I’ll give you two some extra meat today."

The owner was a straightforward man. He let out a hearty laugh and went into the back kitchen to prepare their food.

"I came to Modu for a training session once and stayed near here," Ning Ruoxi explained to Ye Ling. "I used to eat this place’s lamb noodle soup all the time. It’s delicious."

"You really like lamb noodle soup?" Ye Ling asked suddenly.

"Do you like it?" Ning Ruoxi blinked.

"It’s fine. I don’t hate it, but I don’t exactly love it either. But I’m sure I’ll grow to like it."

Ye Ling smiled slightly. "After all, as the old saying goes, when two people in love are together long enough, their tastes gradually become similar."

"You’re just a sweet-talker."

Ning Ruoxi couldn’t help but give him a playful, reproving look. ’How is he getting better and better at making girls happy every day?’ she wondered.

The mutton was prepared in advance, so all the owner had to do was cook the noodles. Naturally, it didn’t take long. In just a few moments, he came out carrying two steaming bowls.

"Whoa, that’s a lot of mutton," Ye Ling said in surprise, staring at the thick layer of mutton piled high on both bowls of noodle soup.

It made him recall the lamb noodle soup from his school cafeteria, where you could count the pieces of meat in a single glance—and they were always paper-thin.

"They always put a lot of mutton in their noodle soup here," Ning Ruoxi said with a smile. "And the owner gave us some extra today."

Ning Ruoxi smiled, picked up a small piece of lamb shank from her own bowl, and placed it in Ye Ling’s. "You have a big appetite, so you should eat more."

"Okay."

Ye Ling didn’t refuse, happily digging into the delicious food.

That huge bowl of noodles, plus that thick layer of mutton—Ye Ling found the meal incredibly satisfying. He felt that compared to things like steak, a bowl of lamb noodle soup like this was much more substantial. It was fragrant and really filled you up.

"Are you full?"

Even after giving Ye Ling a large piece of meat, Ning Ruoxi still had some noodles left over. Watching Ye Ling eat with such gusto, she couldn’t help but smile. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

’For some reason, she loved watching Ye Ling eat like this. Even if she wasn’t eating herself, just watching him made her feel incredibly happy.’

"I’m stuffed."

Ye Ling let out a burp and nodded, completely satisfied.

"I’ll bring you here again next time," Ning Ruoxi said with a bright smile.

After lunch, the two of them strolled around the streets for a bit before heading home.

The weather was so cold it made one reluctant to leave the warmth of the bedcovers.

As soon as they got home, Ning Ruoxi took off her coat, changed into her pajamas, and burrowed under the covers.

"Hopping into bed right after eating. You’re such a little piggy."

Ye Ling looked at the young woman with amusement and chuckled.

"Well, if I’m a piggy, do you still like me?" Ning Ruoxi asked, looking at Ye Ling and batting her eyes.

"Of course I do."

Hearing this, Ye Ling broke into a mischievous grin and pounced on Ning Ruoxi in the bed.

"Take your coat off! You’re still carrying the chill from outside."

Ning Ruoxi pushed Ye Ling away in exasperation and rolled her eyes.

"Alright, alright."

Ye Ling immediately shucked his coat, copied Ning Ruoxi by diving under the covers, and wrapped a big arm around the soft, warm girl.

"You smell so good."

Ye Ling planted a loud kiss on Ning Ruoxi’s cheek and contentedly buried his face in her hair.

"Your mouth is still greasy. Stop rubbing all over me," Ning Ruoxi muttered, watching Ye Ling continuously nuzzle against her.

"Just want to hold you. Let’s sleep for a bit. Be good now."

But Ye Ling only held her tighter. Surrounded by her scent, he closed his eyes in contentment.

The curtains were drawn, leaving the room in a dim twilight. The howling of the wind outside could be heard faintly, a stark contrast to the immense warmth inside.

In this cozy environment, Ning Ruoxi soon fell into a deep sleep as well.

They slept until around four or five in the afternoon.

Ye Ling woke up first. He couldn’t help but smile as he watched Ning Ruoxi cling to him like an octopus. He lowered his head and kissed her red lips.

After about three to five minutes, Ning Ruoxi woke up.

"You brute, always ruining my sleep."

Ning Ruoxi shot Ye Ling an exasperated glare and pushed the guy away.

"What are you talking about? You’re the one who wanted me to kiss you, okay? Look at my lips—you kissed them until they’re swollen."

Of course, Ye Ling wasn’t about to admit it, immediately turning the accusation back on her.

Ning Ruoxi looked at Ye Ling’s lips. They did seem a little red and swollen. Her own pretty face flushed crimson.

’Could it be...’

’Did I really kiss him in my dream?’

’I think I do remember dreaming something like that.’

"It didn’t happen. I said it didn’t, so it didn’t. So what? You got a problem with that?" Ning Ruoxi declared in the next moment, glaring.

"No, no, not at all."

Ye Ling immediately sighed in resignation.

’As expected,’ he thought. ’The old saying is true: never try to reason with a woman, because you can never win.’

"Get up and start making dinner," Ning Ruoxi huffed and gave Ye Ling a little kick.

"Hm?"

Ye Ling’s brow furrowed. ’This girl, is she trying to push her luck?’

With that thought, Ye Ling reached out and grabbed one of her small, soft-as-jade feet. A tremor instantly ran through Ning Ruoxi’s entire body.

"Don’t... Don’t move it..."

Ning Ruoxi tried to pull her foot back, but Ye Ling held on tight, causing her pretty face to flush crimson.

"Weren’t you acting all tough just a moment ago? Go on, keep it up."

A wicked grin played on Ye Ling’s lips as he looked at the young woman before him.

’When the tiger doesn’t roar, you take it for a sick kitty?’

"N-No, I wasn’t..."

Ning Ruoxi hugged a pillow, her face now beet red. The feeling of Ye Ling holding her foot sent a tingling, electric sensation through her, making the hairs all over her body stand on end.

"This sensitive, are we?"

Seeing Ning Ruoxi’s reaction, Ye Ling couldn’t help a mischievous thought from surfacing. He suddenly stuck out a finger and, just like last time, tickled the sole of her foot.

"Mmph..."