I alone am the Honoured One!

Inside the kitchen, the gentle rhythm of chopping echoed steadily.

Ji Shuang stood by the far counter with a sharp knife in her hand as she sliced the vegetables.

Beside her, Wei Ruyin was dicing meat, and both of them were silent.

Then the door creaked open.

Zhao Tian and Rui Yuying stepped inside the room

"Oh? Everyone's already hard at work," Rui Yuying cooed in a sweet voice.

Wei Ruyin gave a brief nod of acknowledgment before continuing his work.

Ji Shuang didn't speak and her knife simply sliced a bit faster.

Without hesitation, Rui Yuying turned straight up to Zhao Tian and laced her arms around his, pressing herself gently against his side.

"Tian~," she purred, "come help me slice the onions. I'm too delicate to handle something so... harsh. They make me cry."

She said dramatically, then leaned up on her toes and planted a soft kiss on his cheek.

Ji Shuang's knife struck the cutting board with a sharp thwack and Wei Ruyin raised an eyebrow by the sudden sound.

Zhao Tian chuckled under his breath but played along, rolling up his sleeves "Alright, alright. I'll handle the tears."

As he moved toward the cutting station, Rui Yuying stuck close and brushed imaginary specks off his robe, fixed his collar with exaggerated care, and even dusted off his shoulders with the affection of a doting wife.

Ji Shuang's lips twitched in irritation and she didn't speak a word, but Zhao Tian could feel her gaze like a blade grazing his back.

As Zhao Tian began to cut the onions, Rui Yuying hugged him from behind.

She leaned closer until her chest pressed softly against his back.

Her arms slid around his torso, slipping easily into the folds of his loose outer robe.

Her palms brushed against the firm planes of his chest as her fingers traced the lines of muscle with a pleased hum.

"Mmm… Tian, you have such strong abs… and these muscles… I didn't realize they were this defined before."

Zhao Tian raised an eyebrow, pausing mid-slice. "Yuying," he murmured under his breath, glancing toward the others in the kitchen, "we're not alone."

She only giggled and nestled her cheek against his back. "Let them watch. I'm just appreciating my man, is that so wrong?"

Ji Shuang with her back turned to them, pressed her knife down with an audible crack as she split a thick radish in two.

Her hand paused for a moment and she forced herself to stay calm.

Wei Ruyin pretended to be focused on cutting meat, though a subtle smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

Meanwhile, Rui Yuying slid her hands upward, trailing along Zhao Tian's chest until they rested on his shoulders.

She kissed the side of his neck with an exaggerated "mwah," making Zhao Tian exhale sharply.

"I love your neck," she murmured as her lips brushed against his skin "And your jawline… so sharp. It's unfair how handsome you are. Do you know how crazy that makes me?"

Her lips ghosted upward until they brushed along his jaw. "And your hair- mm, I love it when it's a little messy like this," she whispered as her fingers reached up to run through it.

"It makes you look like you just rolled out of bed… and I wish I was the reason."

Zhao Tian coughed lightly, clearly holding back a laugh.

Gently kissing his neck, she whispered "Let's take a bath later. A long one. You can even wash my back… or I'll wash yours. Or both. And we can do even more things..."

From across the kitchen, the knife in Ji Shuang's hand trembled slightly.

She turned and her eyes narrowed as she looked directly at Rui Yuying still plastered against Zhao Tian's back. "Rui Yuying, if you're not going to help cook, then leave. You're in the way."

"I'm not in the way," Rui Yuying said sweetly without turning around. "I'm helping Tian cut onions, emotionally."

"And if we're bathing later, he needs to build an appetite. I'm just giving him motivation."

Ji Shuang scoffed and returned to her chopping board as the vegetables got brutalized under her blade.

Rui Yuying smiled and leaned in to whisper against Zhao Tian's ear again, her fingers stroking his chest once more "See? She is jealous."

Zhao Tian shook his head with a half-smile "You're going to get me killed."

"But you'll die in my arms," she whispered back playfully. "Isn't that romantic?"

With a soft chuckle, he shook his head helplessly and continued chopping.

...

*thud*

The dull sound echoed through the quiet corridor as Zhao Tian's back hit the wall, his body caught between the cold stone and the warmth of Ji Shuang pressing against him.

A wry smile appeared on his lips "You're usually more subtle, Shuang'er."

"What is her damn problem?"

Zhao Tian tilted his head slightly, feigning innocence "Who, dear?"

She narrowed her eyes. "That Rui Yuying, n the kitchen she was, ugh- so smug. All over you. Like she owned you or something."

Zhao Tian let out a short, amused laugh. "Is that it?"

"Don't laugh, Tian," Ji Shuang said firmly and her hands balled into fists at his chest, gripping the folds of his robe.

With a scowl, she leaned forward and kissed him.

His cheek first, then another on his chin. She peppered kisses up the curve of his jaw, his eyelids, the tip of his nose.

Her body trembled slightly as she leaned in closer, wrapping her arms tightly around him.

Finally, she reached his lips, brushing them once with her lips before claiming them in a soft kiss.

Zhao Tian didn't resist, and he responded, his hands rising to cradle her waist as he kissed her back.

When they broke apart, she didn't pull away. Instead, she buried her face into the crook of his neck and held him like she hadn't seen him in years.

"She was trying to provoke me," she whispered with her voice muffled against his skin. "And it worked."

Zhao Tian raised an eyebrow and stroked her back slowly, feeling her heartbeat fluttering like a bird's against his chest "Didn't think Yuying could rattle you like this. You're usually the composed one."

She closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh before leaning on his shoulder "Let me stay with you for a while."

With a nod, he kissed her head "Sure..."

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I hope you guys liked this chapter!