After Being Deceived, I Married Someone Else and Had Children Chapter 90

When he finally finished and stepped out, clean and hastily dressed, the scent of food guided him to the living room.

He leaned against the kitchen doorway, watching Gu Heng move busily inside. Without realizing it, a smile curved his lips.

Gu Heng’s sharp brows and sleek black hair made him look impossibly composed, even elegant but there he was, wearing a plain burgundy checkered apron tied neatly at the back.

The apron didn’t suit him at all and yet, somehow, it did. The contrast made him seem more grounded, more like home. Seeing that, Zuo Shihuan suddenly felt an inexplicable urge to go up and hug him from behind.

The feeling came quickly and vanished just as fast.

Gu Heng, aware of being watched, began showing off, tossing the frying pan a few extra times as if to impress him, making Zuo Shihuan both speechless and amused.

He had to admit: Gu Heng’s flair somehow made even this ordinary kitchen feel like a five-star restaurant.

Focused yet quietly smug, Gu Heng moved with effortless rhythm, the muscles of his arms and back shifting beneath his shirt, power wrapped in elegance.

From where Zuo Shihuan stood, he could see it all: the broad shoulders, narrow waist, the outline of strong muscles under the black shirt, and that ridiculous red-check apron tied into a neat bow at his back.

It should have looked domestic. Instead, it was devastatingly attractive.

Especially with those faint red marks still visible along his neck and shoulders, marks Zuo Shihuan knew all too well who had left.

Zuo Shihuan’s ears reddened. His gaze lingered longer than it should have, his throat tightening as he bit his lip before finally saying softly, “Need a hand?”

Gu Heng had just plated the last sandwich, topping it with a perfectly fried egg and a crisp slice of ham. Turning with a grin, he handed over a plate. “Then help me take this out. Oh, by the way, do you eat scallions?”

Zuo Shihuan took the plate. “I do.”

Gu Heng lifted the lid of the pot and smiled, full of confidence. “Perfect. Then I’ll sprinkle some on the porridge, let’s see what you think of my cooking.”

Zuo Shihuan paused for a moment, hesitating as he looked at Gu Heng’s confident expression. He pressed his lips lightly and replied, “Alright, I’m not picky about food.”

But in his heart, Zuo Shihuan was quietly worried and uneasy.

He was already mentally prepared.

If Gu Heng’s cooking turned out awful, he would have to carefully think about how to fake enjoying it so that Gu Heng wouldn’t feel too sad or disappointed.

After all, Gu Heng looked like someone raised in luxury, never having done housework or cooking. Even if he had some practiced cooking gestures, that didn’t guarantee the food would actually taste good.

Unaware of Zuo Shihuan’s inner thoughts, Gu Heng was happily saying, “Shihuan, from now on I can cook for you at home. No one has ever tasted my cooking before, you’re the very first!”

Zuo Shihuan placed the plate on the dining table and, just as he turned, he heard Gu Heng’s excited words. His body stiffened with a bad feeling, but he still smiled and encouraged him.

“That really is an honor, to be the first to taste your cooking. But in the future, we can cook together at home. I think I can cook too, probably…”

Suddenly, Zuo Shihuan paused for a few seconds, recalling his past meals of instant bread and nutritional supplements, realizing he hadn’t really cooked much himself.

Because natural ingredients were more expensive, it wasn’t that he couldn’t afford them, but cooking required ingredients, a kitchen, and various utensils.

When busy, he simply had no time to cook and often relied on cheap nutritional supplements to fill up. It seemed he hadn’t cooked in a long time. After returning to the Zuo family, there was even less need to cook since their large estate had dozens of top chefs who provided meals, snacks, and drinks almost around the clock.

Still, Zuo Shihuan had lived independently for a long time, and since Gu Heng could cook, he figured his own cooking skills couldn’t be too bad either.

He felt somewhat infected by Gu Heng’s confidence.

Zuo Shihuan immediately nodded firmly but then worried that if Gu Heng’s cooking was terrible, maybe he should practice his facial expressions in advance, so he wouldn’t show how bad it actually was.

Meanwhile, Gu Heng placed the last dish on the off-white dining table, which was now covered with a dazzling array of dishes. At first glance, it was truly impressive.

Zuo Shihuan was amazed.

He looked at the table filled with exquisite dishes, breakfast staples like porridge, bread, ham, and eggs; as well as main course dishes such as pasta, vegetables, lamb chops, and creamy chicken stew.

Even the aroma was incredibly tempting.

He couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise, “Are we going to finish all this?”

“How could we not? At worst, if you don’t finish, I’ll eat the rest.”

Gu Heng smiled brightly, his deep black eyes sparkling with spirit. In a gentlemanly manner, he pulled out the chair behind Zuo Shihuan, pressed gently on his shoulders to sit him down, then took the seat opposite.

“Shihuan, you can look and pick whatever you like. Come on, eat.”

Gu Heng sat down, his handsome, delicate features smiling warmly. He clasped his hands under his chin, his black eyes full of expectation and tenderness, making Zuo Shihuan feel a weighty pressure. His glossy red lips parted as he said, “Since you woke up late, I don’t know what you like or dislike, so I made a variety of dishes just in case. Shihuan, try them and tell me how I did. If you don’t like something, just say so, I’ll improve my cooking.”

Faced with Gu Heng’s bright, eager eyes, Zuo Shihuan suddenly felt his throat dry and hoarse, overwhelmed by the pressure, making it hard to swallow.

He didn’t know why Gu Heng was so full of energy, it was a little scary.

Even he, an Alpha, was exhausted, but Gu Heng had gotten up earlier than him, enthusiastically preparing a full table of dishes.

Gu Heng had even specially emphasized that Zuo Shihuan was the first person to taste his cooking.

It was clear how much Gu Heng was looking forward to his feedback.

Zuo Shihuan furrowed his brows slightly, feeling his throat tighten for some unknown reason. He raised his eyes to meet Gu Heng’s radiant smile, his light brown eyes shining with sincerity and determination.

“I’ll eat everything properly.” Even if it was bad, he promised himself.

Under Gu Heng’s doting, focused gaze, he picked up his chopsticks, feeling the heavy pressure as he scanned the exquisite dishes, finally choosing the safest option: the sandwich with a fried egg.

He slowly put it in his mouth.

Zuo Shihuan had been ready to fake it, but the moment he tasted it, he was stunned: “…” It was delicious.

Not only delicious, but surprisingly exquisite.

The perfectly crispy bread, the silky yolk of the fried egg, and the slightly salty, crisp ham, all simple ingredients blended into a wonderfully appetizing flavor.

He was amazed and kept eating more bites, realizing it really was good, every bite tasted great.

Or rather… how could it be so good?

Meanwhile, Gu Heng handed him the porridge he had cooked, smiling as he said, “I made some other dishes too. Try this porridge, it’s said that after going through such an event, it’s best to eat light food. I especially looked up how to make it this morning.”

Zuo Shihuan’s ears flushed slightly. He softly responded with a quiet “Mm,” but his face also flushed deeply, as if the steaming porridge handed to him had warmed his cheeks.

Although he considered himself an Alpha man who didn’t need such fussing over, hearing that Gu Heng had gone out of his way to learn how to make porridge for him filled Zuo Shihuan’s heart with an indescribable sweet joy.

Even his movements became shy and gentle.

He sipped the porridge in small bites, his cheeks growing redder under Gu Heng’s increasingly expectant and attentive gaze. His lowered eyes avoided meeting Gu Heng’s.

To the point that after finishing an entire bowl of porridge, 

Zuo Shihuan only then realized he didn’t even know what the porridge tasted like. All he could feel was a faint trace of warmth and sweetness lingering on his tongue, telling him that it had actually been surprisingly delicious.

“Was it okay?”

“Very good, and delicious.” Zuo Shihuan nodded, his clear light-brown eyes carrying a hazy, just-awakened confusion.

It made Gu Heng burst out laughing before he could hold it back. When Zuo Shihuan looked at him in puzzlement, Gu Heng waved a hand, still chuckling. “Sorry, I shouldn’t laugh. It’s just, you look so cute, all sleepy and dazed like that. I couldn’t help it.”

Zuo Shihuan frowned, even more confused about what Gu Heng found funny.

Gu Heng still didn’t restrain his smile. Resting his clasped hands on the table, he looked deeply and steadily into Zuo Shihuan’s black eyes, a meaningful, mischievous glint surfacing in his gaze. His thin lips lifted slightly as he said, “You just look so cute. It makes me really want to kiss you. Or maybe… eat you up.”

Zuo Shihuan’s pupils widened in shock. He froze, unsure how to react; his hand went slack, and one chopstick slipped from between his fingers and clattered onto the table.

He thought no matter how many times he heard Gu Heng’s sweet, teasing words, he still couldn’t control his body’s hormonal reactions.

Every time, Gu Heng’s sudden flirtations startled him and made his heart race uncontrollably, his chest burning, his face red, his ears hot, even his fingertips tingling with warmth.

“Ah, did I scare you enough to drop your chopsticks?” Gu Heng’s eyes softened with indulgent amusement, though a teasing light quickly returned to his gaze.

“But… this side of you is really cute and interesting. Don’t worry, though, I won’t actually eat you. Not in either sense. I’ll let you rest properly today. I won’t touch you.”

Gu Heng’s dark eyes glimmered with something husky and deep, but his smile was open and easy. Sitting across from the table, he reached out to take Zuo Shihuan’s stunned hand, gently removed the remaining chopstick from his grip, and picked up the one that had fallen.

He looked at the dazed Zuo Shihuan for a few seconds with a soft smile before turning and heading toward the kitchen.

Soon, the sound of running water came from within.

Zuo Shihuan sat at the table, coming back to his senses. He lowered his head, pressing his palms over his eyes.

Then he snuck another glance at Gu Heng in the kitchen washing chopsticks, bit his flushed lips in quiet frustration, and placed his hands flat on his knees, though his fingers couldn’t stop twisting restlessly in anxious agitation.

He wondered why everything went wrong whenever Gu Heng was around, as if his brain lost half its reasoning the moment he saw him, his usual composure gone, replaced by something foolish and flustered.

What he didn’t know was that Gu Heng was the same.

The man who used to be cold and distant seemed to have grown a new heart because of Zuo Shihuan, a heart with warmth and emotion. He had learned to lower his guard, to reach out, to accept, and to love someone.

For Gu Heng, who had once been betrayed by those closest to him and no longer trusted human nature, this was like exposing his most unguarded, fragile back to Zuo Shihuan, giving him a deadly weakness.

And yet, Gu Heng was willing to take that risk for him.

Just as he was now, willing to humble himself to cook a simple meal for Zuo Shihuan, even though not even his own parents had ever tasted his cooking.

But for Zuo Shihuan, he was willing. Every little thing he did for him made his once-empty life suddenly fill with anticipation and happiness.

If the Gu Heng from a few years ago could see himself now, he would probably think his future self had been brainwashed, his brain completely waterlogged.

And yet now, Gu Heng hummed a tune while happily washing chopsticks.

No matter how much he washed, he probably couldn’t rinse out a single drop of that “water in his brain.”

In fact, if the Gu Heng of a few years ago had known what he’d become after meeting Zuo Shihuan, he’d probably curse himself for being an idiot while secretly hoping he could go mad with love sooner, and maybe even wish to stay that way forever.

“Oh right, I almost forgot to take off this apron.”

After finishing the dishes, Gu Heng noticed he was still wearing the apron. Even though he believed he could look charming in anything, he still untied and removed the not-so-handsome-looking apron.

But when he turned around, he suddenly caught sight of Zuo Shihuan’s gaze, eyes wide and soft, tinged with an odd trace of reluctance and longing.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Gu Heng asked.

“N-nothing.” Zuo Shihuan quickly hid the regret and wistfulness in his eyes, his ears reddening as he changed the subject. “Just… waiting for you to finish.”

“Really?” Gu Heng sounded doubtful.

“What else?” Zuo Shihuan faltered for a second, guilty.

He would never admit that, for a brief instant, he’d been so tempted he nearly told Gu Heng not to take it off.

Something about Gu Heng in that wine-red apron, snug against his body, tied with a bow at the waist, looked both proper and alluring. Standing there in the kitchen, he exuded a quiet, mature sensuality that was impossible to ignore.

It made Zuo Shihuan’s mouth go dry and his cheeks burn; his eyes darted away guiltily, too flustered to meet Gu Heng’s gaze.

Even the tips of his ears felt hot. His mind kept wandering to places it shouldn’t, filling with all sorts of images that made his already-sensitive body tingle with restless want, a dangerous yearning stirring deep inside him…

And without realizing it, a feverish fantasy flickered through his mind.

What if Gu Heng wore that same apron in bed…

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