Chapter 23: Chapter 23: Huo Zhanting Causes Trouble

Now that she understood why the big lion had run off, Yu Lan wasn’t worried anymore.

She glanced at the time on her phone. After all the commotion, it was already seven o’clock.

She had originally planned to visit the nearby supermarket after work and see if she could buy some fresh vegetables. But by the time she got there and back, it would be far too late to eat.

Her gaze fell on the spot in the kitchen where the nutrient solution was stored. Yu Lan pressed her lips together, her pretty face wrinkling in frustration.

She really didn’t want to drink that bland, tasteless nutrient solution again.

Clinging to a sliver of hope, Yu Lan stood in front of the refrigerator and pulled it open. To her surprise, she found some noodles, a few green vegetables, and a couple of eggs sitting right there.

Yu Lan’s eyes lit up instantly.

This meant she could make a bowl of egg and vegetable noodles. Anything was better than drinking nutrient solution.

Yu Lan happily lit the stove and poured in some cooking oil. She took an egg in her small hand and tapped it lightly against the edge of the counter, producing a crisp CRACK.

The next second, the pan erupted with the SIZZLE of hot oil.

The egg was fried until golden on both sides. She added a ladle of cold water, and the broth in the pan immediately turned a beautiful, milky white.

Yu Lan covered the pot and let the egg broth simmer. Then, she quickly moved to the sink and started washing the vegetables.

The green leaves were washed clean, one after another, glistening with tiny droplets of water. Just looking at them was enough to imagine their crisp texture.

Yu Lan inhaled the familiar, homey scent of cooking, and she could barely contain her excitement.

She quickly added the noodles and greens to the pot.

In just three minutes,

a bowl of egg and vegetable noodles, perfect in color, aroma, and taste, was ready.

She set it on the dining table, where it sent up a gentle cloud of steam.

Through the swirling steam, the beautiful female’s face was a hazy, indistinct blur.

Only the faint impression of her jade-white skin was visible.

A massive lion’s head peeked out from the top of the stairs. Its round, clear golden eyes stared curiously in the beautiful female’s direction.

Its nose couldn’t help but twitch, sniffing the air.

For some reason, seeing this scene made the Golden Lion’s heart leap with joy. Its tail even began to swish back and forth in the air.

Just then, Yu Lan looked up, her amber pupils meeting the Golden Lion’s golden eyes.

The next second, a brilliant smile bloomed on the beautiful female’s face as she raised a hand and waved to the big lion.

"Sweetie, are you hungry too?"

"Come on down."

"Mommy prepared some food for you too."

’A pet owner has to act like one.’

Yu Lan had already thought ahead before making her own dinner.

She had paid for an express delivery from the Star Network for a few cuts of Advanced beef.

Now that the Golden Lion had reappeared, she scrambled to her feet, went into the kitchen, and brought out its dinner in an enormous iron bowl.

But when Yu Lan came out of the kitchen, she was surprised to find the big lion leaning over the dining table, sniffing her food in a very human-like way.

Its eyes glinted with curiosity.

"Sweetie, you can’t eat this."

Yu Lan had never owned a lion before, but she instinctively felt that animals shouldn’t eat human food.

She quickly set down the iron bowl and rushed forward to hug the Golden Lion’s big, fluffy head.

"AWOO!"

’So fragrant.’

To her surprise, the big lion twisted its head and immediately started its licking attack again.

Its massive head nuzzled enthusiastically against her neck as if trying to curry favor.

Her petite figure was clearly reflected in its golden eyes.

Seeing this, Yu Lan froze. ’This big lion in front of me,’ she thought, ’can’t possibly be Marshal Huo Zhanting.’

’A fierce, iron-willed man like Huo Zhanting, one who exudes a murderous aura, would probably keep a stone-cold expression even when he was in heat.’

’How could he possibly be as affectionate and clingy as my sweetie here?’

’Still, it’s not good for a pet to be *this* clingy and affectionate.’

Yu Lan clearly couldn’t handle it.

Her face flushed red from the enthusiastic lion’s licking. She leaned back slightly, hastily putting up her hands to push it away.

"Okay, okay, stop licking! Stop it!"

"Be good, be good! I’ll let you have a little bite."

"Just a little, okay?"

With that, she turned, went to the kitchen to grab a small bowl, and used her chopsticks to transfer a small portion from her own noodles.

She carefully added half an egg and a few slices of greens, then tilted her bowl to pour in a little of the milky broth.

"Alright, you can only have this much, okay?"

"This is yours, and that’s mine."

Yu Lan pointed between the two bowls, keeping a close eye on the big lion’s expression.

She was afraid it would want more.

To her surprise, the big lion accepted the small portion happily, as if it only wanted a little taste of her cooking.

Its tail wagged so fast it was a blur, and its big, fluffy head kept nudging against her chest.

"Alright, alright, let’s eat, let’s eat."

’How can there be such a clingy and enthusiastic lion?’

’He doesn’t have the slightest air of a king of beasts at the top of the food chain.’

And so, the human and the lion began their blissful dinner.

*

After eating their fill, Yu Lan lay on the sofa, petting the fluffy lion while watching the news on TV, trying to quickly deepen her understanding of this world.

Before she knew it, it was ten o’clock.

Yu Lan let out a soft yawn. A single tear welled in the corner of her eye, sliding down her fair cheek like a transparent jewel.

"I have work tomorrow. I should wash up and get to bed."

What she had seen at the Mad Hero Institute today had shaken her deeply. She wanted to quickly develop a soothing agent that could truly help males get through their heat periods.

A proper sleep schedule was the most basic requirement.

Yu Lan got up from the sofa and headed for the bathroom.

The big lion, which had been enjoying Yu Lan’s petting with its eyes half-closed, opened them in displeasure.

It watched as her figure disappeared behind the door.

The beautiful female’s soft, slender figure was completely hidden by the black door.

?

The Golden Lion tilted its head, a flash of discontent in its golden eyes.

It didn’t want Yu Lan to leave its sight.

Even though Huo Zhanting currently had no memory, his innate, powerful possessiveness was still at work.

Scholars had once analyzed him, concluding that in an interstellar society where it was normal for one female to have multiple male partners, Huo Zhanting was absolutely the type of domineering male who would monopolize his Female Master every day, forbidding her from even glancing at another male.

The Huo Family, of course, instantly refuted this claim.

A domineering and jealous male was highly undesirable to females on the marriage market.

But Huo Zhanting himself had never responded to anyone about it.

However, his actions had always seemed to confirm it.

And that included now.

After losing sight of Yu Lan, the Golden Lion began to pace anxiously in circles.

Suddenly, the lion’s molten-gold eyes fixed on the doorknob.

It tilted its head. It seemed to have figured out how to open the door and see the beautiful female.