Chapter 5: A Bowl of Hangover Soup.

Yu Baowei woke to the aroma of food.

Instinctively trying to get up, she found her hands and feet bound, lost her balance, and crashed to the floor.

A loud thud echoed.

Hearing the noise from the living room, Lu Zhao rushed out of the kitchen, spatula in hand, apron tied around him, looking every bit the domestic chef.

“What’s going on? Starting a rebellion?”

Still groggy from the alcohol, the fall left Yu Baowei dazed.

She rolled over, her nose red from the impact, tears welling as she looked at Lu Zhao.

“Who are you? What are you doing in my house?”

Lu Zhao chuckled at her words. “Hey, sister, take a good look. Is this your house?”

Yu Baowei sniffled and scanned the room.

Only then did she realize the furniture and layout were completely different from her own home.

But she didn’t panic. It was just one guy with an apron and spatula—what could he do to her?

Speaking of which, this man was really good-looking. Could this be the springtime of her youth finally arriving?

Yu Baowei, a seasoned homebody for years, began to fantasize.

She propped herself against the sofa, trying to appear as harmless as possible.

“Hey, little brother, could you untie me? I promise I won’t do anything, okay?”

Lu Zhao just gave her a cold smirk. “Hah, any man who believes that probably got eaten alive already.”

“I… you…”

Yu Baowei’s face fell, unsure how to convince him. She’d seen news stories of men rescued from such situations, looking utterly wrecked.

Suddenly, her eyes lit up as an idea struck. “Right, little brother, listen, I’m a teacher. I have a teaching certificate. You can look up my credentials online.”

Lu Zhao blinked. So she finally remembered?

The landlord had mentioned it, but seeing her behavior, Lu Zhao had his doubts.

“Alright, where is it?”

“Right hip pocket.”

Yu Baowei rolled over, upper body on the sofa. Her movements hiked up her off-shoulder top, revealing a smooth, pale back.

Her white thighs shifted against the hard floor, knees sore, drawing attention. Her denim shorts rode up, exposing a black T-shaped string at her waist.

Lu Zhao’s eyelids twitched at the sight, his heart betraying him with a slight quicken.

Yu Baowei was beautiful—classic southern charm, delicate yet refined, with a well-proportioned figure, curvy where it counted.

Lu Zhao wasn’t a man of this world, so the sight stirred some instinctive excitement.

Exhaling lightly, he quickly stepped forward and pulled the teaching certificate from her pocket.

Pretty firm…

Noticing he didn’t hesitate to grab the certificate, the unfamiliar touch on her hip left Yu Baowei momentarily stunned.

This guy didn’t even blush or hesitate?

Rolling back to lean against the sofa, she cautiously studied her neighbor.

Now sober, her last memory was at her doorstep, then nothing.

Given the identical layout to her own place, she must’ve gotten drunk, gone to the wrong door, and collapsed here.

He didn’t want to leave me sprawled out but tied me up in case I tried something when I woke.

As for not calling the police, he probably recognized me, likely from the landlord.

Piecing together the situation, she concluded he was a kind, clever man.

Yu Baowei’s lips curved slightly. Who wouldn’t like that? Plus, he was handsome.

She sniffed again, then frowned. “It’s burning.”

“Huh?” Lu Zhao, checking his phone, didn’t catch it.

“I said something’s burning.”

“Oh, sht!”

Lu Zhao shoved the phone and certificate into his pocket and rushed to the kitchen.

“Haha.” Yu Baowei couldn’t help laughing at his flustered state.

A while later, Lu Zhao returned, looking grim, holding a kitchen knife.

“Whoa, little brother, come on, it’s just a burnt dish. No need to do anything illegal!”

Her deductions were just that—deductions. She didn’t know Lu Zhao. What if this pretty boy was one of those psychos who lured women home to kill and dismember?

Crawling desperately, Yu Baowei swore in her mind never to drink again, but before she got far, Lu Zhao grabbed her ankle.

She yelped in fright.

His voice came, exasperated and annoyed. “Tch, what’s with the screaming? I tied a dead knot. How else am I supposed to untie it without a knife?”

Even after being freed, Yu Baowei was still dazed. The experience was a bit too thrilling for an ordinary person in a law-abiding society.

Not breaking down in tears was already a testament to her mental strength.

Lu Zhao returned from the kitchen with a bowl of soup.

“Here, drink this hangover soup and you can go.”

He’d checked in the kitchen—her teaching credentials were legit.

Yu Baowei stood, still a bit shaken but unwilling to lose face in front of him. She forced a calm tone.

“Ahem, I’m fine now, little brother. I’m sober. No need to—”

Lu Zhao smiled. “Drink it. I made it just for you. Don’t waste food.”

“…” For some reason, despite his smile, Yu Baowei felt an intense pressure.

As if something terrible would happen if she didn’t drink.

Forcing a smile, she carefully sat across from him, picked up the bowl, and brought it to her lips.

“Hm… huh?” After a small sip, her eyes lit up.

A tangy, spicy, slightly sweet flavor exploded in her mouth.

In short, delicious.

Gulp, gulp. In moments, she downed the entire bowl.

Burp.* She let out an unladylike belch.

“Hehe.” Embarrassed, she gave an awkward smile.

Lu Zhao slid her teaching certificate across the table. “Alright, you’re good to go. We’re neighbors now, so drink less. Next time you pass out at my door, I’m calling the cops.”

Yu Baowei tucked away the certificate. She wasn’t sure if he meant it, but a small question nagged at her.

“By the way, the soup didn’t taste burnt. What burned?”

Lu Zhao propped his chin, lips curling. “My dinner. But that’s not your problem.”

“Oh…”

Yu Baowei glanced at the empty bowl. No wonder it wasn’t hot—he’d made it earlier and kept it warm.

Because of me, he’s stuck eating burnt food?

No way!

“Um,” Yu Baowei said sheepishly. “You treated me to this soup. How about I treat you to dinner as compensation? Sound good?”