Under meals

On the first night of staying at Jingci's house, Tao Mingzhuo didn't sleep very well.

The next day was Saturday. Although he didn't have to go to work, Tao Mingzhuo woke up earlier.As soon as he walked into the living room, he saw that Dr. Wen was picking and pulling the food bowl which was so clean that it could reflect light.

As soon as Physician Wen saw Tao Mingzhuo, he wagged his tail and yelped.

Imperial Physician Wen is a bit overweight, and Jing Ci usually consciously controls its diet, but every time Tao Mingzhuo hears it barking so confusingly, he always feels that it is really hungry.

After getting along for a period of time, Imperial Physician Wen and Tao Mingzhuo have become very familiar. It seems to regard Tao Mingzhuo as "a stupid human being who can get a lot of food from him just by acting like a baby".

After feeding Dr. Wen, Tao Mingzhuo sat on the sofa and read a book in style for a while, and Jing Ci went downstairs.

It may be because the sunlight outside is relatively strong, or it may be because Jing Ci's eyes narrowed slightly after waking up, and his side face was enveloped by the warm light outside the window.

He patted Doctor Wen's head, then raised his eyes, smiled faintly at Tao Mingzhuo, and said, "Good morning, thank you for helping me feed it."

When Jing Ci first came to the company, Yang Keying and her little sisters used some very bold words to describe his appearance. Even now, Tao Mingzhuo still feels a little...too avant-garde.

But he... is really good-looking.Tao Mingzhuo thought.

Not only the beauty on the surface, but also the rare warmth and peace in the temperament, which is a kind of beauty that can make people's hearts become calm unconsciously with every frown and smile.

Although Jing Ci's appearance is non-aggressive, Tao Mingzhuo always feels that some seemingly unintentional actions he sometimes makes... can inexplicably make people uneasy.

For example, when she was in the kitchen yesterday, Jing Ci seemed to just touch her face as a joke, but she made herself toss and turn all night, unable to restrain herself from replaying that moment in her mind.

Although Jing Ci was always the one who took the initiative when the two got along, Tao Mingzhuo still didn't expect that Jing Ci would invite him to live with him so early.

Tao Mingzhuo's Adam's apple twitched.

He kept his eyes on the book, pretended to be engrossed in reading, and then replied casually: "Good morning."

In fact, Tao Mingzhuo searched from home for a long time before he found such an elegant-looking book.

At that time, he thought about it for a while, and then realized that this should be one of the few books he bought on the Internet for decoration in order to look good when decorating his home.

In fact, Tao Mingzhuo didn't realize that he had tried everything possible to make Jingci hate him before, but now he can't help but want to express himself in front of Jingci.

Tao Mingzhuo noticed that Jing Ci came to his side.

Jing Ci stood behind the sofa, bent down, and brought her face to Tao Mingzhuo's side.

He stared at the above content for a while, then smiled slightly after a while, and asked, "Are you interested in genetics?"

The distance between the two was suddenly shortened, and Tao Mingzhuo's body became a little stiff.

In fact, he only read a few pages of this book. He only felt that his mind was full of words such as fertilized eggs and mate selection and mating. Although he could barely read it, he would get more and more sleepy the more he read it.

But of course Tao Mingzhuo would not just say that in front of Jing Ci. He cleared his throat and said, "I thought it was fun to read the profile, and I just want to expand my knowledge in other fields..." Jing Ci showed his approval. With an expression on his face, he nodded: "The front of this book is more about popular science, it may be a little obscure, and it will be more interesting to read later."

Tao Mingzhuo: "Ah, indeed..."

Jing Ci straightened up, and asked warmly, "Do you want to go out together to buy some ingredients?"

Tao Mingzhuo wished he could throw the book away and go out immediately, but he was stunned for a moment, holding the book in his hand and thinking for a moment: "But didn't the doctor say, do you need to rest now?"

Jing Ci said: "But the doctor also said that while recuperating, one must maintain a comfortable mood."

"It shouldn't be a problem if you go out to relax and don't exercise, right?" He asked with a smile.

Tao Mingzhuo hesitated for a moment: "Alright."

They went to the import supermarket near Jingci's home together.

After entering the door, Jing Ci found a shopping cart, and when she was about to push it forward, Tao Mingzhuo grabbed the handle by her side.

Tao Mingzhuo coughed: "The doctor said, you can't exercise strenuously, and you can't make yourself tired, so you just need to walk today."

Jing Ci was stunned for a moment: "Okay."

Tao Mingzhuo was already tall, and now he was pushing the cart behind Jing Ci step by step, like a bodyguard who was always on call to protect his master.

And he was not allowed to touch any heavy objects, not even a box of green peppers.

Jing Ci didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "But the green pepper doesn't sink."

Tao Mingzhuo had a serious face: "No, just not."

Jing Ci could only helplessly put the green pepper in Tao Mingzhuo's hands.

His gaze fell on the refrigerated shelf where vegetables were placed. There were fruits and vegetables on the shelf, and there was a mirror behind it. When he raised his eyes, Jing Ci saw his own face.

He found that there was a smile in his eyes.

In fact, in Jing Ci's previous social circle, it was very difficult to meet someone with Tao Mingzhuo's personality.

When studying abroad, Jing Ci's school was a prestigious school in computer-related fields, but the campus as a whole is located in a small town in U country, so the social circle is not very big, and this rather special small school to which they belong The circle, the people inside can even be described as few.

Jing Ci had some suitors at the time, some of whom he tried briefly to date.

Falling in love is not even counted, it can only be counted as a very simple relationship.The people Jing Ci met at that time were also different. Either they went straight to the topic and wanted to go to bed, or they were like Yao Lianchen, who was not empty-headed, but extremely conceited and lacking in heart to a certain extent.

No relationship has really gone deep, and every relationship is ended by Jing Ci's initiative.

Later, Jing Ci felt that she might never meet someone who really moved her heart, so she simply focused on her studies and work.

In the beginning, he was close to Tao Mingzhuo only because of his unilateral demand for food.

Jing Ci has never seen such a person who can eat and is so good at eating. He always eats with big mouthfuls, as if anything he eats can become delicious.

The young, clumsy but warm boy thought that he was hiding his emotions well in front of others, but he didn't know that his stuttering was full of loopholes, and he would always blush inexplicably.

Although he always says the opposite, he can't help but care about himself.Jing Ci found that by his side, she always felt very at ease.

And when getting along with Tao Mingzhuo, Jing Ci is always in a good mood.He often couldn't help laughing, and always inexplicably wanted to meet Tao Mingzhuo more times, but the purpose seemed to gradually become no longer just to eat with him.

Jing Ci belatedly realized that she seemed to be tempted by this warm meal.

After confirming that Tao Mingzhuo's so-called "sweetheart" did not exist, Jing Ci actually breathed a sigh of relief.

Coupled with some of Tao Mingzhuo's behaviors before, such as frequent blushing, such as the rescue in the nightclub, the coat on a rainy day, sleeping in the same bed or physical contact during the show, Jing The idea in Ci's heart was constantly being implemented and became more and more clear.

Jing Ci raised her eyes and stared at the young man who was carefully arranging the ingredients in the car.

He wanted to test Tao Mingzhuo again.

Tao Mingzhuo obediently pushed the cart behind Jing Ci.

Jing Ci was picking out the cups on the shelf. Tao Mingzhuo had nothing to do, so he put his hands on the handlebars of the car and looked around.

After a while, Tao Mingzhuo straightened up suddenly, feeling a little embarrassed.

Because he suddenly discovered that most of the other shoppers in the supermarket who talked and laughed together like them were... couples.

While thinking wildly, Jing Ci stopped in her tracks and said, "Buy some tableware. I don't have a lot of tableware at home. You can choose some that suit you."

Tao Mingzhuo nodded blankly.

Although he knew that the prices of imported goods in supermarkets might be slightly higher, when Tao Mingzhuo picked up a bowl that looked good and looked at the price, he still felt a little unbelievable.

There are 20 yuan popsicles in the front, and [-] yuan rice bowls in the back. Tao Mingzhuo feels that the world may really be crazy.

In the end, Tao Mingzhuo chose a simple white porcelain dish set that was less than [-] yuan.

Then he heard Jing Ci beside him ask himself: "Does it look good?"

Tao Mingzhuo turned his head, took a closer look, and found that Jing Ci was holding two large bowls in his hand.

One white and one black, the design is generous, and the edge of the bowl is made into an irregular shape like a lotus leaf, which is really beautiful and fits the overall style of Jing Cijia.

Tao Mingzhuo looked at the label for a while, but suddenly realized something was wrong.

Although the price is still outrageously expensive, the label says something like "Co-branded design of Master XX of T country 'Love of Wu and Snow', super value special for couples".

It is said that if you buy a pair, you can get a 8.5% discount, and after the discount, you can take two away for 999 yuan.

Couple models... Tao Mingzhuo's heart trembled, and he suddenly turned his head to look at Jing Ci's side face.

There was nothing wrong with Jing Ci's expression, she just looked at the design of the bowl carefully and said, "The size is also very good, suitable for drinking soup, what do you think?"

Tao Mingzhuo's brain was running fast.

To act like you don't care, to be calmer than him...

Tao Mingzhuo coughed: "The design is still...remarkable, but the price is still a bit expensive, and I have already chosen the bowl I need, and I think it should be enough, but it mainly depends on you... ..."

Stuttering a long story, it means "I didn't say I want it, but if you want to buy a couple model for the two of us, I won't stop you."

Jing Ci held two bowls, one black and one white, looked at Tao Mingzhuo, and nodded after a while: "That's it, but I still like this design very much."

Tao Mingzhuo also nodded, he was a little proud because he felt that Jingci should be buying these two bowls.

"But since you already have the style you want to use," Jing Ci said in a calm voice, "then it shouldn't make much sense to buy two."

Tao Mingzhuo was taken aback: "What—"

Then he watched Jingci put the black bowl back on the shelf.

Jing Ci then put the white bowl into the shopping cart, met Tao Mingzhuo's gaze, and smiled: "It feels almost done, let's go check out."

Tao Mingzhuo hesitated to speak.

He first looked back at the lonely and prominent black bowl on the shelf, and couldn't help asking: "But you can get a discount if you buy two together. Are you really not going to buy them together?"

Jing Ci said gently: "If you buy it and don't use it, it should be a waste."

Tao Mingzhuo was speechless.

There are a lot of people at the cash register, and they line up.

Seeing fewer and fewer people in the front line, Tao Mingzhuo's face became more and more anxious.

Why didn't he hold on any longer?Why don't you want to use couple models with me?He wondered blankly, is it because what I just said was too absolute?I knew it... I knew I wouldn't have said that at the time.

Tao Mingzhuo didn't understand why his chest felt sour and unspeakable. He felt that he regretted it a little, but he couldn't say why for a while.

Seeing the checkout line getting shorter and shorter, Tao Mingzhuo couldn't help it anymore.

He said to Jing Ci: "I, I will be back soon."

Then he turned around and ran back to the shopping area.

Jing Ci stared at his back for a moment, then lowered her head, with the corners of her mouth slightly raised.

"Sorry." He said softly to the cashier who started to check out, "Please don't pay for the cutlery, please count other items first."

Five minutes later, Tao Mingzhuo ran back panting with the black bowl in his arms.

Facing Shang Jingci's gaze, Tao Mingzhuo's Adam's apple moved up and down, and explained in a stumbling manner: "I, I thought about it just now, because I always eat a lot when I eat, so... so I can buy more. A few bowls, one for rice and one for soup, seems to be quite good..."

Jing Ci looked at him with a smile: "Yeah."

Tao Mingzhuo stammered: "And it happens that two of them can be discounted, so it won't be a big loss, and..."

Looking at the expression on Jingci's face, Tao Mingzhuo's voice became smaller and smaller uncontrollably: "...and there is a unified aesthetic feeling when placed on the dining table."

However, Jing Ci didn't ask any more questions, but said gently: "Okay, then you can take it to the cashier. I'll find my membership card first."

Tao Mingzhuo responded, and quickly handed the bowl to the cashier who was paying.

Then he saw the cashier stack the two bowls together and click on the screen a few times.

Then the cashier raised his eyes and showed a sweet smile: "Sir, because the special discount for this style of bowl is only available for a few days, so if you want to pay as a couple, we don't accept returns."

Tao Mingzhuo was stunned for a moment.

The cashier lady continued to add: "So here I want to confirm with you that the settlement is based on the couple's payment, right?"

Tao Mingzhuo's body froze, his eyes wandered, and he fell on Jing Ci who was looking down at his wallet beside him. After a while, he said vaguely: "I'm sure... the payment... the settlement."

The cashier didn't hear what he said clearly, and said hesitantly, "Sorry, can you speak louder?"

Tao Mingzhuo took a deep breath, and said in a strong voice, "I'm sure... I'm sure it will be settled according to the couple's money!"

The air seemed to suddenly quiet down in an instant, and there were many customers who were paying their bills, and they all looked towards them vaguely.

The cashier was stunned for a moment, first glanced at Jing Ci who was looking down for something, and then at Tao Mingzhuo, as if he had realized something.

Her face also turned red, and after a while she smiled and said, "Okay, sir."

Tao Mingzhuo felt that his whole body had gone numb.

After a while, Jing Ci beside her raised her head as usual, as if she didn't know what happened just now.

He first handed the membership card he found out to the cashier, met Tao Mingzhuo's gaze, and said "ah" softly as if suddenly: "Did you add the bowl already?"

"It's just right." He smiled and said to Tao Mingzhuo, "I don't know why, but I suddenly feel like drinking soup tonight."