Title: Adopting and Raising the Male Lead and the Villain
Translator: Fringe Alpaca
Chapter 152 - Isn’t It Obvious Who Is More Important? (1)
When Huo Chengming said he’d spend some time with Zhong Yuhuan, he really only stayed to have dinner with her.
The chef at the mansion made a seafood feast with shrimp and crab. Huo Chengming took off his suit, rolled up his sleeves, washed his hands, sat down, and started peeling the shrimp.
Zhong Yuhuan, too, had washed her hands, but as soon as she reached out her hand and before she had even touched a shrimp, Huo Chengming didn’t even look up when he said, “Don’t move.”
“Huh?” Zhong Yuhuan looked at him dubiously.
“The shrimp are prickly. You will be hurt.”
Zhong Yuhuan didn’t believe him, so she reached her finger out and poked at one of them.
Sure enough, the thorns on the shrimp were hard and sharp.
“Why is it okay for you?” asked Zhong Yuhuan again. Wouldn’t he be hurt too?
She looked down at his hands. Huo Chengming had been peeling them at lightning speed. The small plate in front of him was already lined with a row of nicely peeled shrimp.
Zhong Yuhuan touched his wrist. Even through the thin layer of the plastic glove, Huo Chengming could feel the heat from her hand. He stopped what he was doing immediately.
“…. Hmm? Hard?” Zhong Yuhuan paused for a second before she figured it out. “This is callous? How come you have such calloused hands?” Zhong Yuhuan lifted up his hand and studied it back and forth.
Her fingers were soft, and her palm was smooth and warm.
All of a sudden, Huo Chengming felt that his hand didn’t even belong to him anymore, and he had lost the ability to control it.
Zhong Yuhuan flipped his palm up and finally saw all the callouses.
She couldn’t help but wonder.
Huo Chengming hadn’t been doing any laborious work since he left the Welfare Services. Why would his hands be calloused? Did Huo Chengming go to do some construction work after she had left for college in Australia? …Obviously that was a ludicrous thought. Zhong Yuhuan quickly shot down that idea.
Not having heard a response from Huo Chengming after a long while, Zhong Yuhuan couldn't help but look up at him.
Huo Chengming, sitting there, seemed to have turned into a statue. He, too, was looking at Zhong Yuhuan with a profound look.
The air around them seemed to be a bit curious.
Zhong Yuhuan took her hand back and said, “Yikes, got grease on my hand… doesn’t look like these gloves are very grease-proof…”
Huo Chengming finally seemed like his “Play” button had been pushed again. He retrieved his hand, readjusted his glove, and said in a low voice, “Yes, that’s why you shouldn’t be touching them anymore.”
Zhong Yuhuan felt that the atmosphere was a bit odd so she nodded docilely and didn’t say anything else.
Huo Chengming secretly let out a sigh of relief.
It wasn’t like this in the past, thought Huo Chengming to himself as he lowered his head and turned his attention back to the shrimp.
Up until now, he had enjoyed being close to Zhong Yuhuan. He had carried her on his back, hugged her, and been a pillow for her in the past. He would feel an indescribable peacefulness whenever he has done that and his heart would soften.
But now, he felt nervous. Even his breath had slowed.
As though each time Zhong Yuhuan touched him, it’d stir up some sort of chemical reaction and he would suddenly feel all sorts of awkwardness.
Huo Chengming has yet to figure out why that was even after he had finished peeling the entire plate of shrimp.
When he reached out to the second plate of shrimp, Zhong Yuhuan finally said to him, “I won’t be able to eat it all if you peel more.” Having said that, she peeked at his look before she added, “Chengming-gege.”
That’s when Huo Chengming finally stopped, removed his gloves, and went to wash his hands.
As she was eating the shrimp, Zhong Yuhuan asked, “What’s the matter, Chengming-gege?”
“What do you mean?” asked Huo Chengming as he pulled out the chair and sat down. He looked like he was at loss again.