Halfway there, Li Ling suddenly turned around and looked at Gu Ziyun, who was startled by his sudden action.
Li Ling blinked and said with a hint of mockery, "Now that I'm going to teach you kung fu and we'll soon be master and disciple, shouldn't you call me 'Master'?"
Hearing the teasing, Gu Ziyun pushed Li Ling and huffed angrily, "Go to hell!"
"Haha." Li Ling laughed and ran off, then turned back and waved, "Hurry up, let's go back quickly. What do you want to eat? I'll cook it for you."
Watching Li Ling get into the van, Gu Ziyun's earlier angry expression vanished, replaced by a soft chuckle. She murmured, "A friend? That doesn't seem so bad."
------------
Chapter 126 Warmth
"Your ramen and cold dishes."
"Your drink."
"..."
Inside Li Ling's restaurant, Gu Ziyun and Du Mingji were busy serving food to customers.
Since his last encounter with Gu Ziyun, during which he treated her headache, Li Ling began teaching Gu Ziyun martial arts the very next day, and their relationship grew much closer. After that, Gu Ziyun and Do Myung-hee openly came to Li Ling's place every day to freeload off him.
The reason it's called "mooching meals" is because Li Ling never charges them for their meals. In Li Ling's words, when apprentices come to their master's house for a meal, there's no question of paying the bill.
Of course, in Du Mingji's eyes, there must be something going on between the two. Women are all gossipy, especially for the lively Du Mingji. Asking her not to pry into their private affairs is like asking a rabbit not to eat the grass near its burrow.
Privately, she often asked her best friend about her relationship with Li Ling, wondering how their relationship had progressed so quickly after only a few days apart. Of course, she was always met with a sharp retort from Gu Ziyun.
Since the two of them didn't have to pay for their meal, they volunteered to do whatever they could in the restaurant.
Of course, they still have classes in the afternoon, so Li Ling usually helps out during the busiest time when students are off get out of class at noon. When there are fewer people, Li Ling cooks for them so that they can eat without delaying their class time.
It was Friday again.
Around 6 p.m., the students had all gone home after school, and Li Ling had finished practicing her skills at the restaurant and was busy cooking in the kitchen.
For the past week, Li Ling has been preparing meals and waiting for the two girls to arrive.
"Ta-da! Little brother, I brought Ziyun to you. What delicious food are you making to treat me today?"
A cheerful voice drifted into the shop. Before the person arrived, the voice preceded her. Du Mingji skipped and hopped into the shop and happily headed straight for the kitchen. The smell of the dishes Li Ling had prepared on the cutting board made her mouth water.
"Wow, sweet and sour pork ribs, garlic chicken, and cold seaweed salad, oh my, I want to eat so much!" Du Mingji lay on the cutting board, bringing her nose close to the dishes and smelling them, looking completely intoxicated.
Gu Ziyun's voice came from behind: "Do Myung-hee, if you keep eating like this, your little face will become as round as Gian."
Fat Tiger is a fat cat kept by Tomihime.
"Gu Ziyun, are you trying to kill me?!" Do Myung-hee's smile instantly turned into anger, and she was about to glare fiercely at Gu Ziyun.
But the next moment her face fell. She touched her recently rounder face, looked at the vegetables on the cutting board, swallowed hard, and made a somewhat hesitant decision: "After I finish this meal today, I will start dieting from tomorrow."
At this moment, Li Ling added a sentence that instantly made Du Mingji smile: "I'm currently researching a few dishes that are both nutritious and won't make you gain weight. Once I've figured them out, you won't have to worry about your figures anymore."
Du Mingji exclaimed with a smile, "Young man, you're so wonderful! You're so handsome and considerate. I wish I could give myself to you!"
After saying that, she chuckled, turned around and looked at Gu Ziyun mischievously, blinking her bright eyes as she said, "But the big brother has his eye on Ziyun! I don't have a chance!"
"Do Myung-hee, are you trying to kill me!" Gu Zi-yun's pretty face turned slightly red. Despite her witch-like nature, she was caught off guard when it came to matters of the opposite sex. She reached out and tickled Do Myung-hee in annoyance.
"Hehehe~" Du Mingji laughed as she was tickled, and immediately admitted defeat and begged for mercy, "Oh dear, my good Ziyun, please forgive me, I will never dare to talk about you and my little brother again, hehehe."
Li Ling shook his head and smiled. Having two girls who often laughed and joked around him made him feel happy.
Soon, the meal was ready, and Li Ling ladled it into the pot: "Alright, the last soup is ready now. You guys bring the dishes up, and I'll come over after I've served the rice."
The two girls stopped laughing and playing, and brought the dishes they had prepared to the table. Li Ling served the last dish, tofu meatball soup, and three bowls of rice, and then brought them to the table.
"Come on, little brother, I can't wait to start eating!" Du Mingji was already rubbing her chopsticks together, her mouth watering at the sight of the delicious-looking dishes. She urged Li Ling on.
When they came to Li Ling's place for dinner, they were all very considerate. Besides helping to serve the food, they always waited for Li Ling to arrive before starting to eat together.
Although Li Ling didn't mind these things, the two girls were very sensible, so Li Ling went along with it.
As soon as Li Ling sat down at the table, Du Mingji eagerly took the rice and immediately picked up a piece of pork rib to gnaw on, making muffled exclamations as she ate: "So delicious! Little brother's cooking skills are getting better and better."
Li Ling placed a piece of pork rib into Gu Ziyun's bowl and urged her to eat as well. Gu Ziyun lowered her head slightly and began to eat.
Du Mingji blinked, her gaze towards the two men somewhat ambiguous. "Little brother, you wouldn't really have your eye on my beauty, would you? I saw on TV last night that 'the way to a woman's heart is through her stomach,' right? Hehe."
As Du Mingji spoke, she kept raising her eyebrows at Gu Ziyun.
"You're so talkative." Gu Ziyun picked up a piece of pork rib and stuffed it into Du Mingji's mouth. "Even a pork rib can't shut your mouth."
Li Ling took three empty bowls from the side, filled them with meatball soup, and handed them to the two of them. She then began to eat herself.
Gu Ziyun buried her head in her soup, but her eyes were fixed on Li Ling. She wondered why Li Ling was treating her headache, teaching her kung fu, and cooking for her like family.
However, Gu Ziyun could sense that Li Ling had genuine good intentions towards her; this intuition was an ability she had acquired during her rigorous training since childhood. Previously, apart from her family and her best friend who was currently feasting, no one had ever treated her so kindly.
This is also related to the wary attitude towards others that Koo Ja-yoon developed from her childhood environment. Psychologically speaking, the more wary and sensitive a person is, the more they will cherish the kindness they receive from others.
Before she knew it, after spending a short time together, Gu Ziyun had come to regard Li Ling as her true friend.
To her, this feeling was strange. They had only known each other for a little over a week, so how could Gu Ziyun accept him so quickly? Gu Ziyun murmured to herself.
The unease in her heart made Gu Ziyun eat more slowly, her head bowed. As she savored the ribs that Li Ling had placed on her plate, a warm feeling welled up inside her.