Zhu Li Qiang rolled over to the empty side of his king size bed. Arms outstretched, consciousness slowly returned to his extremely aching head. He rumbled.
"Oh, it"s the hangover."
He snorted. "Aww, so messed up!"
While scratching his aching head and empty stomach, he went on his heels and found his way towards his kitchen. Surprisingly there was an enticing waft of the mouthwatering dish coming from it.
He licked his lips. "Someone cooked? Am I not alone?" He was salivating from the aroma.
When he reached his kitchen he saw no one, but there was a steel pot seating on top of the stove. When he tried to lift the lid, he jerked from the touch which burnt his fingers. "Ouch!"
"Who cooked this?"
Ruled by curiosity, suspicion, amazement, he turned around and picked up the pot holder he did not even knew he had. He just saw it in a corner a while back, and since he needed it, he might as well use it as if it"s normal for it to be there. In truth, he had not spent too much time in his own kitchen. The sight of a hot pot filled with a newly home-cooked food with whiffs of a scrumptious aroma coming from it was a source of bewilderment in itself.
Nonetheless, he lifted the lid with his now protected hands and took a peep.
At first, he could not discern anything aside from the steam which rose from the inside of the pan. Afterward, it revealed a splendid egg drop soup – just a perfect answer to his throbbing head.
"Who could have cooked this?"
"Did the caretaker go out of her way and cooked this for me, knowing that I am all wasted? Nah, I don"t think so…"
"But maybe…"
As skepticism was won over by hunger, he slid past his suspicions and apprehensions and fetched a clean bowl from the cabinet. He went toward the sides to get the ladle that was hung on the wall and helped himself with a serving of the steaming soup.
"It couldn"t possibly be poisoned, could it?"
He tilted his head while staring at the inviting soup on the bowl that he was holding.
"Did Chen Linyun somehow cook this for me? Aww…"
"But why would he?!" He shook his head and the idea from his mind.
With a spoon, he gingerly took a sip. His eyes and mind instantly lit up as the savory nutritious soup worked its wonder in his whole visage. The hot soup warmed his esophagus, down his empty stomach.
"Whoever did this had good judgment. Eggs have helpful amino acids such as… What were they called again?" He took another sip of his wonderful soup while trying to sharpen his memory. "Tallinn? Ahh, taurine… Taurine and cysteine. The taurine is good for the liver while the cysteine fights against the head-ache causing chemical in alcohol."
"Brilliant choice, indeed!"
He finished his first bowl of soup soon enough and was on his way for another round. While ladling a portion, he saw a pink post-it note that was lying out-of-place on the floor in a corner.
He laid the bowl and ladle safely and then bent to pick it up."Help yourself with the soup. It will make you feel better. Take care of yourself. –Man Rui." It said.
"Man Rui?" He jolted as if electricity struck from his crown down to the tips of his toes.
"Man Rui was here? On top of it, she cooked this? For me?" Saying that he was elated was an understatement.
He called for the head of his security and inquired about it.
The man had a stoic countenance and was trained to keep it that way, but somehow his brow twitched from the query. "You cannot remember, young master?"
"I wouldn"t be asking if I remember. So tell me." He said rather impatiently. There were traces of Man Rui all over, yet he couldn"t quite recall the events of last night.
"Go straight to the point and answer."
"She went home with you, Sir – not… well…" The bodyguard seemed to be blus.h.i.+ng at how his words came out and tried to clarify when Zhu Li Qiang almost had a heart attack.
"She just made sure you"re home safe and left. But before she left, she purchased some ingredients first and prepared the dish."
"Do you really not remember what happened last night, Sir?"
"Will I be asking if I do?" He was irritated as well for not remembering. How could he not remember such an important detail?
"Argh!!!" He pulled his hair out of vexation but froze. Bits and pieces of what happened last night came to him in snippets.
"Hey, Zhu Li Qiang, seriously, do you plan to drown yourself with alcohol? That"s pathetic!" He could remember her saying while she trudged her way towards his condo, with him by her side, his arm across her shoulder.
"She could drag a heavily drunk man all alone?" His eyes glimmered with realization, "Ahh, right. One of my men lent a hand and a.s.sisted my other side."
He settled into the couch, ready to consume his third serving of the egg drop soup.
"Zhu Li Qiang!"
This time he was blus.h.i.+ng from the memory.
When Teng Man Rui and the bodyguard laid him on his bed, the lady suddenly was pulled into his embrace. At the time, he seemed half-asleep, but he was sleep-talking, whimpering. "Man Rui! Huhuhu! Choose me! Choose me!! I"m the better man! I"m the best man for you! Huhuhu!"
"You!" Teng Man Rui addressed the bodyguard that was standing near them. She was trapped in his hold and was awkward. Her face was burning with embarra.s.sment. "Free me." She commanded.
"Quick!"
The bodyguard obliged.
"Please get me a clean set of clothes from his closet."
"Ma"am?"
"He needs a change of clothes!" She was quite fl.u.s.tered due to the nature of her request. He reeked of alcohol and didn"t he throw up earlier? I reek of alcohol too because of him, ugh!" She rolled up her eyes and shook her head.
"So will you not get the clean clothes? Just randomly pick a loose s.h.i.+rt. And a towel as well."
"I"m on it, miss." The bodyguard left hurriedly towards the closet and returned in a few minutes. The two of them industriously performed the ch.o.r.e of changing Zhu Li Qiang"s top while he himself was heavily beaten by alcohol, his traitor comrade.
At this point, he seemed to be remembering this part. Though fuzzy, it"s enough to warm his heart, warmer than the effect of the egg drop soup could ever have on him.
He did a facepalm and bowed his head. His ears were red, and he was smiling ear-to-ear. When he lifted his face again, it was stoic.
"Did the s.h.i.+ Young Master ever get an egg drop soup the last time she tended to him?"
"No, Sir."
"You sure?"
"Affirmative, Sir."
Zhu Li Qiang went on a fit of triumphant laughter, eyes glimmering from an unintended victory against his rival.