Chapter 33: Dining Without Invitation

Li Qiuya walked straight in and sat down at the dining table. Gazing at the delicious food before her and inhaling the enticing aroma, she couldn’t help but swallow hard. She realized that Yang Fan’s cooking smelled even better than anything from those five-star hotel chefs.

“Did you make all these dishes?” Li Qiuya asked, her face full of curiosity.

Yang Fan shot her a look, his tone impatient. “Just say what you came here for.”

He clearly had no time to waste on idle chatter with Li Qiuya.

Seeing Yang Fan’s cold demeanor, Li Qiuya felt deeply wounded. After all, she was a famous star—yet this man before her seemed completely unmoved. If she were to walk down the street, she was sure every head would turn. Men would steal more than one glance at her. Yet Yang Fan behaved as if he couldn't care less.

“Well, why don’t we eat first?” Li Qiuya flashed Yang Fan a sweet smile.

Any other man, faced with such a captivating smile, would have been powerless to resist. But Yang Fan’s expression didn’t waver in the slightest.

“That’s my bowl,” he complained as he watched Li Qiuya help herself.

He hadn’t even agreed to let her stay for dinner, but she had already started eating, acting as if she were at home.

“It’s fine—you're not sick or anything,” Li Qiuya said, unconcerned.

She picked up a dish, popped it into her mouth, and began eating with relish.

The moment she tasted the food, she was astonished—it was simply delicious. In her heart, she decided that Yang Fan must be a master chef, his culinary skills unmatched.

Yang Fan, watching her eat with such gusto, could only shake his head in resignation.

Forget it, he thought, it’s not worth arguing with a woman.

He fetched another set of chopsticks and a bowl from the kitchen, then sat down to eat.

“By the way, I still don’t know your name,” Li Qiuya said, popping a piece of meat into her mouth and glancing at Yang Fan.

Yang Fan focused on his meal and didn’t reply.

Li Qiuya felt another pang of frustration. “Am I really so unattractive to you?”

A superstar was talking to him, and yet he still kept up that frosty demeanor. Li Qiuya felt truly defeated—she was beginning to doubt her own charm.

“Hey, come on, we’re neighbors. Isn’t it normal to get to know each other?” Li Qiuya looked at Yang Fan with her big, round eyes, her voice thick with affected sweetness.

“I can’t stand that tone of yours,” Yang Fan said, looking at her. “Yang Fan.”

When he finally answered, Li Qiuya gave a triumphant smile, feeling secretly pleased. So, this guy couldn’t resist her charm after all.

As she ate, Li Qiuya couldn’t help but let her gaze land on Yang Fan from time to time. She realized he was actually quite handsome—walking down the street, people might well mistake him for a young celebrity. She grew curious about his background. After all, everyone who lived in Huiyuan Residences was wealthy and influential. For Yang Fan to live here, his identity must be far from ordinary.

“Yang Fan, are you a chef?” Li Qiuya asked.

“No,” Yang Fan replied coolly.

“Then why is your cooking so good?” She was genuinely curious. If he wasn’t a chef, how did he have such remarkable culinary skills?

“Just eat,” Yang Fan cut her off, urging her to finish quickly.

All he wanted was for Li Qiuya to leave as soon as possible.

Li Qiuya pouted but didn’t press further, focusing instead on her meal. In no time at all, the dishes were cleaned out.

After finishing, she let out a satisfied belch and settled onto the sofa, a look of contentment on her face. It was the most satisfying meal she’d had in days—though, truth be told, she’d eaten most of the food herself, giving little thought to anything but piling more into her mouth.

Yang Fan cleared the table and went into the kitchen to wash the dishes.

Watching him from the living room, Li Qiuya’s eyes filled with curiosity. “What does this cold and mysterious man really do?” she wondered.

She found Yang Fan increasingly enigmatic.

“All right, what did you come here for?” Yang Fan asked, returning to the living room after washing the dishes and standing before her.

Li Qiuya produced the jade Buddha and asked, “I’m really curious—what’s the story with this jade Buddha? And how did you know there was something wrong with it?”

Yang Fan took the jade Buddha from her and crushed it in his hand. As it shattered, a wisp of black vapor escaped, exuding a chilling aura.

Li Qiuya’s eyes widened in shock at the sight.

“This was infused with evil energy. If someone keeps it on them for too long, it’ll harm their body, gradually weakening them until, in the end, they meet death sooner than they should,” Yang Fan explained calmly.

After hearing his explanation, Li Qiuya shivered, a chill running down her spine.

“All right, you should go home now,” Yang Fan said, making it clear it was time for her to leave.

Being shown the door by Yang Fan annoyed Li Qiuya. How could he be so indifferent—didn’t he know how to appreciate a beautiful woman?

She crossed her snow-white legs on the sofa, fixed her gaze on Yang Fan, and asked, “I’m curious—are you just cold by nature, or do you like men?”

As a famous actress, beautiful and talented, being ignored by Yang Fan left her deeply dissatisfied.

“How does that make me cold?” Yang Fan asked, looking at her.

“If you’re not, then why do you have no reaction to a beauty like me? Or are you just pretending, playing hard to get?” Li Qiuya stared straight at him, a hint of annoyance in her eyes.

At this, Yang Fan fixed his gaze on her, meeting her eyes. With a devilish smirk, he stepped right up to her, placing his hands on either side of the sofa, closing the distance between them.

Now they were face-to-face, so close they could feel each other’s breath.

Li Qiuya panicked, thinking Yang Fan was about to kiss her. She tried to lean back, but there was nowhere to retreat.

Yang Fan’s face inched closer, as if he really would kiss her at any moment.

Li Qiuya was flustered and didn’t know what to do—she was in Yang Fan’s home and couldn’t escape even if she wanted to. Watching his face draw nearer, she squeezed her eyes shut, cheeks flushing, her entire demeanor one of acquiescence.

Yang Fan leaned close to her ear and said, “You have a grain of rice on your lips.”

Li Qiuya opened her eyes to find that Yang Fan had already pulled away, a mischievous smile on his face.

“You scoundrel! I thought you were going to…” Realizing halfway through what she was saying, she stopped herself.

“You thought I was going to kiss you?” Yang Fan’s lips quirked up in amusement.

“Pfft, as if! I didn’t think that at all,” Li Qiuya retorted, face flushed as she spat at him, saying the opposite of what she felt.

Yang Fan’s gaze swept over her full figure. “You’re not wearing a bra, are you?”

Li Qiuya froze for a second, then snapped to her senses.

“Pervert!” she shrieked, leaping up from the sofa and dashing out the door.