Chapter 189: Drained to Death

Huo Jingyuan set down the insulated container and slipped an arm around Wen Ci’s waist, gently pulling her closer.

He leaned in close to her ear, his voice low and husky. "Don’t you trust my stamina? If you weren’t heading back to Beijing, I could go all day long."

Wen Ci was left speechless.

She had long grown immune to his suggestive comments.

Suddenly, she glanced down. A tent was pitched high in his green cargo pants. She looked back up at him and smiled. "You really can get one up anywhere, can’t you..."

"And it’s all your fault," Huo Jingyuan said through gritted teeth.

It was all because Wen Ci was such a restless sleeper.

"Ha!"

Then, Wen Ci swallowed hard. Exhausted from the long night and not having eaten breakfast, she was starving. "Is there actual chicken in the soup?" she asked.

"There is."

The insulated container originally had two compartments, but Mrs. Liu Sr. wanted Wen Ci to have more, so she’d removed one of the inserts to stuff half a stewed chicken inside.

"Hungry?"

"Yeah."

Huo Jingyuan picked up the insulated container, opened it, and poured some of the soup into the lid, which doubled as a bowl. The rich aroma of chicken soup immediately filled the car.

Wen Ci swallowed again, eagerly reaching for the lid. The soup had been poured into the container fresh off the stove, and it was still hot to the touch.

"Careful, it’s hot."

"Mhm."

The road to the airport was newly paved. With Uncle Wang’s skilled driving and the smooth road, the ride was steady and free of bumps.

Wen Ci took a sip of the soup and noticed goji berries floating on the surface. She raised an eyebrow. "This soup was made for you, wasn’t it?"

"No, Grandma made it specially for you."

"Then why are there goji berries in it?"

Huo Jingyuan was at a loss for words.

Goji berries weren’t just for men; women could have them too. They were mainly for replenishing qi and blood, giving the skin a healthy glow.

"So I could have some too," he added.

"Oh." A smile played on Wen Ci’s lips. "You really should recharge. Otherwise..."

She paused for a few seconds, staring directly at Huo Jingyuan as she silently mouthed, "If you don’t start recharging, watch out you don’t end up... completely spent."

She put heavy emphasis on the final word.

"You..."

Huo Jingyuan didn’t know how to argue back. He really should exercise more self-control. His performance in the second half of the night had been a far cry from the first.

"Point taken."

Wen Ci asked, "Are there any chopsticks?"

"Yeah."

Huo Jingyuan grabbed a pair of chopsticks and handed them to Wen Ci. The chicken in the soup had been stewed until it was so tender the meat fell apart at the slightest touch of the chopsticks.

Wen Ci picked up a piece of chicken with her chopsticks and blew on it. The meat glistened, and the skin looked a tempting golden-brown.

She took a bite.

Wen Ci’s eyes lit up. The meat wasn’t the least bit dry—in fact, it was exceptionally tender. "How is the chicken still so tender after being stewed for so long?"

"This isn’t the chicken we started the soup with."

Every family has its own way of making chicken soup. The Huo family likes to first stew a hen for the broth, while another chicken waits in a steamer above. Halfway through, they swap the two.

That way, the meat in the finished soup is still perfectly tender and delicious.

Wen Ci’s eyes crinkled with a smile. "Huo Jingyuan, now I know why you’re such a good cook. You were taught by a true master."

「At the airport.」

Having eaten only half of the soup, Wen Ci wiped her mouth with a napkin and patted the man on the shoulder. "I’m full. The rest is all yours."

"Take it on the plane and finish it there."

"No, really, it’s fine," Wen Ci said, shaking her head.

Too much chicken soup at once could feel a bit heavy, and besides, the food on the plane was usually pretty good—a decent meal with meat and vegetables, like from a state-run cafeteria.