He asked her in all seriousness, "Xixi, would you believe me if I told you that in the past two or three years, I’ve seldom sought the company of any other women?"

Her heart bloomed with joy, and she almost jumped up.

How could she not believe him! She believed, yes, she believed. A thousand times over. If she couldn’t trust him, who else in the world was worth trusting?

Wan Donglin saw her nodding emphatically, her flushed face blooming with a smile as radiant as a flower. Just then, the last rays of the setting sun filtered through the canopy, casting a soft, rosy hue on her face. Her eyes sparkled, her hair gleamed, and her teeth were dazzlingly white. Truly, from head to toe, she was flawless.

With a swift turn of his hand, he clasped hers tightly.

She suddenly pressed close, gave him a quick peck, then immediately pulled back, her face as red as an apple. "Big-footed bumpkin... I’ve believed in you for a long time now..."

He chuckled lightly.

"Big-footed bumpkin" had become synonymous with trust.

Love can sometimes be like a battlefield, requiring tactics and strategy.

He teased her, "If I weren’t a ’big-footed bumpkin,’ would you not trust me for life?"

She tilted her head. Was that so? She pondered for a good while, and her answer was yes. If he hadn’t been the big-footed bumpkin, it really would have been hard to fall in love. But he *was*, so why consider otherwise?

"HMPH." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

He asked, puzzled, "What are you ’HMPH’-ing about?"

"HMPH, HMPH, HMPH."

He grabbed her ear. "Silly girl, why are you always ’HMPH’-ing?"

Her face suddenly flushed. Sulkily, she said, "If you weren’t a big-footed bumpkin, I wouldn’t love you... HMPH... You were so perverted before..."

"How was I perverted?"

She stared wide-eyed. "You’re still pretending? TSK TSK TSK, those perverted tastes of yours were terrifying!"

Realization dawned on him. Seeing her rosy cheeks, her large, glistening, gentle eyes, and the way desire seemed to flare up within her—he still hadn’t had his way with her yet.

He gently asked, "Xixi, what would you like to eat tonight?"

"I feel like eating roasted lamb chops."

He was skeptical. "On such a hot day? You’re going to cook?"

She declared confidently, "I’m not cooking. Of course, you are!"

"..."

"Please make it for me one more time," she wheedled. "The last time you made it, it was so delicious. I’ve been thinking about it ever since and really want to eat it again."

Wan Donglin couldn’t help but laugh. "See? This is human greed. Give them an inch, and they’ll take a mile. I knew it. The moment you found out I could cook, I knew you’d be ordering me around all the time. And here’s the proof!"

She clung gently to his arm. "Just make it one more time. Just once more will be fine."

"Have you forgotten about your fever? Eating too much of this rich food can make you sick."

"I promise I won’t eat much tonight, just two ribs. Two small ribs... definitely only two small ones..."

He glared at her. "It’s not impossible for me to make lamb chops, but you have to agree to one of my requests."

"What request? Tell me. I promise I’ll agree."

He leaned close to her ear, a teasing smile on his face as he lowered his voice. "How about you satisfy that ’perverted’ request of mine, hmm?"

Her face flushed scarlet as she pushed him away. "Shameless!"

He laughed out loud.

Premium lamb chops, rosemary, freshly ground black pepper, cumin, and sea salt were all prepared, along with fresh carrots, lemon slices, and broccoli. Wan Donglin attended to the oven. The lamb chops were already inside, baking. He then began to fry some potato slices to go with them.

His phone rang. He gently closed the kitchen door.